This is a first attempt at German panzergrenadiers as they would have appeared at the battle of Kursk in 1943. There are no miniatures available that are perfectly suitable for this period. Most are designed for “late war”, that is 1944-45. Those figures most often have the low boots with gaiters, they have mp44s, panzerfausts et cetera, none of which were used at Kursk (some soldiers may perhaps have had low boots and gaiters).
The primary goal is to make a platoon of 3×10 men and an officer, to be used playing the Chain of Command rules set. Each squad will include two mg34s and two mp40s, the rest of the men carrying rifles. This reflects the equipment of a historical panzer grenadier platoon of 1943, as far as I can tell. I may also add some figures with bundled stick-grenades and Molotov cocktails (representing improvised AT weapons) but I don’t know to what extent these were actually used at that particular point in time.
I also have vehicles to go with the infantry, but the infantry take far more time to assemble and paint, especially in this case with all the conversion work and the camo pattern on the jackets. So the vehicles will have to wait.
Basic color scheme
The base colors (except black and metals) are shaded with Army Painter Quickshade Strong Tone Wash (water based version). Highlights are added first with the base color and then with base color + Vallejo Dark Sand. The whole thing is finished off with at matt varnish (Vallejo water based matt varnish 62.062).
Primer: Army painter Leather Brown (spray)
Uniform: Vallejo German Fieldgrey
Camo on jacket, helmet cover and Zeltbahn: Vallejo Beige Brown/Vallejo Black Grey/Coat d’arms Goblin Green
Boots and webbing: Black (highlights with Vallejo Black Grey & Vallejo Dark Rubber)
Leather straps: Vallejo Leather Brown
Bread Bag: Vallejo Canvas
Gas mask case: Vallejo German Camo Dark Green
Water bottle: Vallejo US Field Drab/Vallejo Brown Violet
Entrenching tool wood: Army Painter Oak Brown
Rifle stock wood: 50/50 Army painter Desert Yellow + Vallejo Gold Brown
Steel: Black highlighted successively with Coat d’arms Gun Metal and Coat d’arms Enchanted Silver
Skin: Coat d’arms Tanned Flesh, highlighted with Coat d’arms Flesh
Collar insignia: Vallejo Dark Sand, highlighted with white
Cords on camo jacket: Vallejo Dark Sand
Base: Vallejo US Field Drab, highlighted with Vallejo Dark Sand
Pancratist 