Tiger 222: Fallschirmjaeger tank riders

What started out as an attempt to recreate a specific photograph of a specific moment in history has become an exercise in increasing compromise....

(See part one Here)

My search for figures to ride Tiger 222 through the Kaiserbaracke crossroads on December 18, 1944 resulted in my ordering a set of Offensive Miniatures FJ Tank Riders from Gamecraft Miniatures  (gcmini.com).

White metal castings, the eight different soldaten were cleanly cast with little/no flash or parting lines evident. They are closer to "true" 28mm than the Heroic Sized minis from Warlord, which is a better match for the Rubicon Tiger and crew.

I discovered a significant hitch in my plan however. You may not have noticed consciously before, but most of these minis have heads that are looking ahead or to their left, as all these tiny soldiers shoot right handed.  The men hitching a ride on Tiger 222 in the photograph are looking toward the cameraman, below and to their right...

The biggest problem is with the most prominent of the 4 Riders, leaning against the left turret front above the driver, whose right foot is forward and his body turned to the left - the opposite of the only semi-standing figure among the eight. He fits more naturally on the other side of the turret, or if on the left, facing back, not forward.  This led to an ultimately futile search for an easily modified standing FJ figure.

My skills do not extend to making my own, or massively modifying figures, so my interpretation of the Moment has been modified to just after the famous photo was taken. :-(

So let's get these figures started. 

White primer:

Late war winter FJ uniforms were reversible, reportedly "mouse gray" (?) or splinter or marsh camo on one side, white on the other. Although the photo doesn't show much color variation, being a grainy high contrast BW photo, I don't see any clear examples of camo variegation on the smocks of the 4 riders you can see. 

Even the photos of a larger group taken earlier shows what appears to me to be a mix of gray and camo.

I think I see some camo helmet covers as well.

Being so prominent, the standing trooper will have his weapon changed from a K98 to a STG44, his K98 pouches removed and a 3 cell mag pouch added from spares.

We'll make a sling for the STG out of wine bottle foil, folded over at the ends.

A little ACC at both ends, then prime when dry.

I'll get the schmutz off his helmet before I re-prime.

Now after dry time, we'll switch to Vallejo acrylics and start getting them painted.

I haven't done Marsh camo for FJ before, and I've seen a number of 3. FJ Division Bulge prisoners wearing them, so I'll do my octet in Splinter, including helmet covers, except  for a few random uncovered helmets. I do see some photos of FJ with "chicken wire" mesh on their helmets, I'll see if I  can simulate that on a couple also (although not on the "front four").

Starting with feldgrau pants and black boots.

Using primarily the Vallejo range of colors, I tried for splinter camo, and 3 helmet styles, some just dark gray, some with cloth covers, and some metal camo painted. 

The lack of a base to hold them while painting resulted in several trips for flat clear sealer after touch ups. In retrospect, if I were starting over, I would drill all their posteriors and insert a wire which could be used to hold the mini until completed. 

Once completed, I began the tedious process of posing, photographing, checking against the original, reposing, reshooting, etc. The final effort was the result of 25 iterations. I have reached the limit of my photoshop skills.

All in all, an enjoyable process from start to finish. The Rubicon Tiger is a great kit with great detail, probably the benchmark for this scale. The Offensive miniatures scaled well with the tank, my only regret is I couldn't match the poses. We must assume that this was taken an instant later than the original, when the men looked back or away from the camera...