Review 12th SS Officer from Stormtroopers V12 Series

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Nap

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Hi Guys ,

Time to share another from the Review stack I have ...this time its another from the talented hands of Stu Hale , the owner of Stormtroopers , they have got a well deserved reputation for Quality and Service which together with the obvious Passion for the releases whatever they are shine through .

What are we looking at this time : Officer from the 12th SS from WW2 , lets have a bit of background on this unit in WW2 .
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The 12.SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend ("Hitler Youth") was a German Waffen SS armoured division which saw action on both the Eastern and Western fronts during World War II. As with all parts of the Waffen-SS, it was found to be a criminal organization by the Nuremberg Trials. The 12th SS Panzer-Division in particular established a reputation for atrocities in the first days it saw combat in Normandy.
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The plan for a combat division made up of all HJ members born in 1926, was passed on to Adolf Hitler for his approval. Hitler was also enthusiastic about the idea, and on 10 February 1943, the official order for the creation of an HJ division was issued. Berger nominated himself as the divisional commander, but Himmler instead chose 1.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH) veteran, SS-Oberführer Fritz Witt.

A competition was held to design insignia for the new unit. The winning design, picked from thousands of entries, depicted the Hitlerjugend sigrune crossing a key from the 1.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division LSSAH's insignia.
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By 1 September 1943, over 16,000 HJ recruits had completed their six-week basic training and were listed on the rosters of the SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Hitlerjugend. As training continued in Beverloo, Belgium, the division was notified that it was to be formed as a panzer rather than a panzergrenadier unit, and the division was redesignated SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend. Many of the recruits were so young that they were supplied with sweets and candies instead of the standard tobacco and alcohol ration. In late October 1943 the division received its final designation, 12.SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend.

Fighting in the Normandy campaigns and covering withdrawals , with the soldiers at times fanatically fighting , not wishing to surrender , indeed when captured Axis troops were at times in admiration of these troops , so young but so doctrinated in the Nazi regime
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As in many conflicts there are those that pay the ultimate price , the Hitlerjugend not only paid with their lives but those that survived also lost their young adulthood , growing up far too quickly .

Continued in next post:

Nap
 
Hi Guys,

Well my PC crashed so here I go again !!!!!....what are we looking at in the Review:

Title: 12th SS Officer WW2

Reference: V12/05

Scale: 1/12th

Material: Resin

No of pieces; 1

Sculptor: Maurice Corry

Box Art; Mark Bennett

Casting: Stuart Hale

As with others from Stormtropers the model is well packed in a white cardboard box , the actual model in a re-sealeable bag which was then put in a bubble wrap envelope.
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Also included is a painting details if you so wish to use .

The front of the box has a colour picture of the box art ably painted by a PF whose work is distinctive and a joy to see ...bringing out the model to perfection .

Prep is as with others minimal , a casting plug to remove from the undersides of the base and another smaller one at the back of the rear , a small remnant needs to be sanded off the back of the cap , then a bit of sanding to remove the feint casting line at the back then its off to the bath to get rid of any residue , then primed in the colour of your choice and away you go .

What I like and yes I have said this before is the way the model flows into the base very smpathetically done , which makes the V12 series distinctive .
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Our subject depicts a young officer , about 25 years old , slightly full in features , proud to be German and to be serving and leading his young soldiers .
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He wears a softened cap worn at a jaunty angle, battered as was often the case (seen in contemporay pictures) distinctly non regulation , this is a front line officer , slighly haughty in appearance , the cap has no cords or strap at the front under the insignia (again often see) , the insignia themselve are the SS style eagle and deaths head skull, both of these are well defined ...assisting painting .

The facial features are well done , particularly the ears above which we have a wisp of hair (well sculpted) which peeks out from under his cap ., he has good cheekbones ..a true Ayryan in features , I see him as blonde with blue eyes .
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Around his neck we have a scarf , this can be painted in any colours ..the choice is yours ..perhaps his mother gave it him before he left for the front , the scarf is nicely formed with a good knot being evident at the front , it blouses out from under his uniform jacket .

The Jacket is a fine piece of sculpt ing , nice folds are everywhere , the pocket in sight is well done , buttons are well formed , this jacket could be painted in any variation of SS Camo , or even Italian Camo , all have been seen ..or even just plain German grey/green ....all allowing you to add a bit of individuality to the piece .

At the bottom we have a leather belt with the buckle details being extremely well done

The coat he wears could also be done in a couple of versions , standard cloth or maybe even leather , the collar is sculpted really well being held high into the collar , casting of this amount of undercut takes skill and is a tribute to both the casting and sculpting talents of Stu and Maurice , the material is well folded naturally in all area's , the coat is worn open to reveal the uniform jacket .
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Final Thoughts:

As with others in the V12 range Stormtroopers have released a lovely and simple piece , straight up and down , minimal prep needed , good subject well presented in all area's

Stu has a PASSION for modelling and also for QUALITY , these both shine through in this and all their products from Stormtroopers.

A PLEASURE to RECOMMEND this to you

For more details and to order (Great SERVICE is assurred) go to the website :

www.stormtrooperminiatures.co.uk

Thanks for looking in

Nap
 
Hi Nap!
I would love to see other photos because many of them are blurred, anyway seems to be a nice bust with a very difficult task: small eyes. Facial expression of this young NCO are flawless.
I´m thinking buying one but want to see other photos in macro please!!!
Thanks!

Pedro.
 
Hi Pedro ,

Thanks for the comments , all I can say is I will try harder they look ok from my monitor, that aside the bust is a great piece , the epaulettes are of an officer (Lt) not an NCO ..nice details on it throughout ....well worth getting one for sure .
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Thanks for popping in

Happy New Year

Nap
 
Hello Nap, I have always enjoyed all of your reviews, comments, and photos, of the products that you share with us, and by no means, am I trying to steal your thunder, but I do have some points about this bust that I would like to comment on. When I first saw this bust, when it was previewed, I didn't like it. I thought the cap covered up too much of the face. After seeing your review, of the unpainted bust, I've changed my mind. Mark's painting is excellent, but hides some of the great sculpting details of this bust. I think an unpainted photo for the figure/bust, on the box, shows more detail of what your getting inside. Boxart color photos are great, and help to sell the product, but would like to see them included inside the box as a color guide, or part of the instructions. Pedro has brought up a good point about the photos, the ones showing the detail of the epaulettes, or shoulder boards, are hard to see. The other photos are very crisp, showing great detail, at least on my monitor. Pedro also mentioned, this figure as an nco, and I agree with him, this is why: #1image1.jpg#2wssinfvc01.jpg#313795d1220544520-ss-officers-belt-buckle-50363796-duitse-waffe.jpg#4WW2germanleathercoat.jpg#5hy35-g34.jpgThe peaked cap looks more like an nco version, than an officers. The crown, or black felt portion of the cap, which has the skull insignia, is wider from top to bottom than an officers, (photo 1 and 2) In the field, the strap, and cords, and also the stiffeners, were removed to give the cap the crusher look, as you have stated. The belt buckle, is an elisted version, nco or lower, nicely detailed, but Waffen SS officers, for the most part, wore a round version (photo 3) or the standard square double clawed version (photo 4) The coat looks more like the rubberized version of a motoring, or motorcycle coat due to the split on the back, under the collar (photo 5) This figure is the older Yoshi 1/35th version, which resembles this bust, at least the top portion. The shoulder boards are hard to see in the photos. The boxart shows nco, or lower, in the way they are painted. Believe me, I do like this bust, and plan to purchase it, I just don't like the confusion caused by the boxart. Thanks Nap, for letting me vent a little. Regards, SG;)
 
Hi SG ,

Thanks for the wonderful input about the bust and the great points you raise , I have looked again at the epaulettes and they are like in my last post ...as for the cap being an NCO's a very distinct possibility perhaps our subject was commisioned and kept his cap likewise for the buckle ...purely speculative of course .??, this area of uniforms is a period you have much knowledge in and I am more than willing to learn anything new.

I really enjoy the information that PF brings to light wherever it happens and not only in Reviews (for instance my Medieval Crossbowman thread) .

I am pleased you enjoy the Reviews I learn more after each one and feedback is ALWAYS APPRECIATED , I am also pleased that you will purchase one and look forward to seeing the result ...perhaps we can have an SBS with references ..grovelling there!!!

Happy modelling

Happy New Year

Nap

PS No problem on you venting (y) ...and I have no thunder to steal anyway ;)
 
Great review again Nap. I can see this very quickly turning into a group build (paint?). I am very tempted to get one and join the party, although I am a complete novice and usually paint fictional/fantasy figures (no-one can tell you they're wrong).

Love your sculpt too bonehead, I'll keep an eye out for it ;)

Billy
 
I thought I recognized your sculpt bonehead, it appears in the latest Scale Model Handbook (Issue 9, page 48).

Happy days :)
 
I really like this one Kev. The bust and the review. Love the softened cap. Only problem I can see is painting the right eye as its a bit hidden by the cap peak. I always find right eyes a problem at the best of times. I usually turn the bust upside down to paint the right eye but that won't work with this bust.
I also thought it looked a bit like boneheads bust when I saw it. Both good busts anyway.
 
I really like this one Kev. The bust and the review. Love the softened cap. Only problem I can see is painting the right eye as its a bit hidden by the cap peak. I always find right eyes a problem at the best of times. I usually turn the bust upside down to paint the right eye but that won't work with this bust.
I also thought it looked a bit like boneheads bust when I saw it. Both good busts anyway.

Jazz with very careful both eyes must be open with a xacto, they come almost closed.
After this step everything become easy.(y)
I have Jaguar - Mike Good´s bust also, for me they are very diferent only the V shape is identical.

Pedro.
 
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