DML 1/35 German Waffen Grenadiers 1944-1945 - Gen2 Gear Kit First Look

By Cookie Sewell

First Look

Late war German uniforms are somewhat dicey as in many cases what the troops were SUPPOSED to have and what the troops ACTUALLY had were usually quite different. The exception, as always, was the SS which usually had what was promised and wore it.

This set provides four different SS troops in the late war uniforms: one with camouflaged trousers, one in an overall “autumn” pattern cold weather suit, one in a “summer” parka and one in an “autumn” parka. Each is wearing different headgear: one soft cap, one steel helmet, one helmet with camouflaged cover, and one with the parka hood up.

Each figure is in the usual DML “Gen1" mold of six parts (head, torso, arms and legs) with the three parka-wearing figures having a separate neckpiece.

I dislike the “stick here” photo directions as quite often they are not any help. It appears that the latter has a steel helmet underneath the two-part parka hood, but the directions do not mention it; since all four heads are the familiar “flattop” for taking headgear this seems to be the case. Also, on the cold weather suited soldier part B8 is shown as a grenade; it’s not, it is the belt bulge around the grenade which is the part on the sprue.

Generic weapons are plentiful but the best part are the Panzerfaust 30 and 60 weapons in the box. There are two of each, and they come with separate cocking lever/trigger assemblies; two in carry mode and two ready for firing. But the box shows they have a decal sheet which this sample did not contain; hopefully it was just overlooked.

As noted they are four individual figures which even with the adviso that anything is possible in the 1945 German forces it is not likely they would be together. They are useful for one-offs next to a vehicle like the ones used by Steve Zaloga for scaling.

Overall it is a typically well-done set from DML, but I am surprised they have not saturated the market with more German figures than are really necessary.

Thanks to DML for the review sample.

Sprue Layout:

• 6704 44 Four figures, basic kit, Panzerfaust set
• G 60 German generic kit - helmets, bread bags, canteens, mess kits, etc.
• G 4 German generic kit - entrenching tools
• W 31 German generic weapons - 4 x Kar 98K, 3 x MP40, 1 x MG34, 1 x MG42