1:72 (20mm) U.S. Infantry Heavy Weapons (The Plastic Soldier Company)

 

I purchased the Plastic Soldier Company’s U.S. Infantry Heavy Weapons Box set, which includes three sprues of detailed hard plastic 1/72 scale (20mm) miniatures.  Each sprue contains 19 figures divided into the following heavy weapons teams:

• M1917 machine gun (operated by two soldiers)
• M1919 0.30 calibre machine gun (operated by two soldiers)
• HMG M2 Browning 0.5 calibre machine gun (operated by two soldiers)
• M2 4.2 inch chemical mortar (operated by a team of four)
• M2 60mm mortar (operated by two soldiers)
• M1 81mm mortar (operated by two soldiers)
• Bazooka team (two soldiers)
• Three extra soldiers with binoculars that can be added to the heavy weapons teams.

 

U.S. Infantry Heavy Weapons sprue (side 1)

 

 

U.S. Infantry Heavy Weapons sprue (side 2)

 

 

I have painted two of the sprues (14 heavy weapons teams; 38 soldiers), and have grouped these figures on bases, with one team per base.  The bases I used are the 15mm Plastic Soldier Company bases, which were purchased separately.

 

 

 

I am planning to use the third U.S. Infantry Heavy Weapons sprue to represent the soldiers of the famous 92^nd Infantry Division (the Buffalo Soldiers Division); a segregated African American infantry division who saw combat in the European Theatre in the Second World War.