Italeri Motorcycles

The figures of the Italeri 1/72nd scale plastic German Motorcycle set.

Motorcycles were often used for recon units, so a man stopped and sitting on his bike is a good one.

This is a very natural pose and will work on the single bike or the sidecar bike too.

The sidecar has a choice of two occupants. One with a light machine gun.

The other passenger has a machine pistol. He is in the looking at the camera pose. Note the gas mask carrier on his lap. This was typical for seated German soldiers because you can't lean back on the metal canister.

Single Motorcycle

Italeri 1/72nd scale WWII German Motorcycles. This is the single motorcycle.

The single motorcycle from the front quarter.

The two motorcycles together, the basic bikes are the same, other than the holes in the side to accommodate the side car.

These are two of the dismounts for the set. As you can see the one with the SMG has the Afrika Korps style lace up high boot. He also has the looking at the camera look.

The figures are nicely detailed, there is great depth to the detail.

More Motorcycles

The Italeri Motorcycle set. The holes are for locating the crew members. A bit of putty will fill them if the crew is not needed.

Italeri 1/72nd scale motorcycle with sidecar in soft plastic.

The model consists of the body, the fuel tank/handlebars, and the side car, side car tire and side car spare tire.

I don't like the big clunky base and the motorcycle looks better without it. Simply cut off the locating pins on the bottom of the tires and it stands up just fine on it's own.

The Germans used thousands of these all through the war. The Russian motorcycle was a virtual copy and so this can serve the Soviets too.

Italeri Motorcycles

The new Italeri WWII German Motorcycle set in 1/72nd scale, plastic is very good. It would be great if there were 6 rather than 4 motorcycles, but oh well. The plastic does not take glue, but the flash free kit does not need glue. It snaps together very easily.

You get two each of two sprues. There are four motorcycles in the set, two with side cars and two without. The side car one has big holes in the side to take the pins from the sidecar.

There are two sprues like this that have the motorcycle crews. The figures are supposed to be Afrika Korps but most will work in other areas too. Since the crews are separate sprues from the bikes, I hope Italeri will do the same bikes in gray with a more Russian Front looking crew.

There are two choices for the side cars, one with light machine gun and one with SMG.

I got mine from Military Hobbies, a good old fashioned neighborhood hobby shop. They have been around for decades, but are under new management. The shop still has the local neighborhood appeal, but a much better selection of military kits. Lindy was very helpful when I was there shopping with my friend Jim.

NSKK Troops and Gun

This metal figure has had his base replaced with a plastic one. Matching base styles can help to bring a unit a more cohesive look. He also has had his more traditional officer cap replaced with a kepi.

Troops stack their rifles to do things like eat, sleep, or even crew an AA gun.

This figure shows the size of the stack next to a HaT soldier.

Here the full HaT, Airfix, and Fujimi crew for the Roco gun.

By combining different figures from various figure sets I was able to work up a pretty good crew.

NSKK Conversions, Again

As I continue with my NSKK project I have been looking for ways to simulate a kepi. This guy has had his headgear cut down to look more like a kepi. I also used some Prieser gear to make him appear more martial. He is from Dapol, 1/72nd scale hard plastic figure.

This Odemars figure has been modified with a new helmet and goggles. NSKK used many motorcycles and so I made several figures look like they were using motorcycle gear. Note the pocket flaps and belt buckle. Very nice figure.

The same Odemars figure, but his Luger has been replaced with a traffic wand. German police use little wands to direct traffic. I kept the original head on this guy, the side cap was popular in the NSKK. The wand is actually a rear view mirror from a Roco truck.

This HaT motorcycle soldier has had his head replaced. Originally he had a helmet, now on another guy and this head is from a civilian US police officer. The officers hat looks good on this figure, and gives me more variety and makes these guy look less like regular soldiers. The NSKK did do some fighting, but that was not their primary function.

This is the other side view of the new Italeri German Motorcycle. I got it from Military Hobbies, in Orange, CA. This is a great set and I know I will be buying more of them.

Figure Conversions, AA Gun, and Motorcycle

A Roco 37mm AA gun upgraded with a crew. Crew is from Fujimi and HaT.

This is another HaT figure, with an Esci WII Italian tank commander helmet. I am looking for more of these Italians. They were included in the Esci WWII Italian tank and SPG 1/72nd scale model kits.

An Airfix WWII German Luftwaffe Ground Crew figure. I added a small metal ammo box too.

The brand new Italeri WWII German Motorcycle set, this is the motorcycle with side car. There is also a motorcycle without sidecar. I have substituted the HaT motorcycle rider figure. He has the more European style uniform. The Italeri set is 1/72nd scale plastic. It goes together very well. It got it from Military Hobbies, 138 East Taft Ave, Orange, CA 92867. www.militaryhobbiesonline.com

It is an old hobby shop with new management. Nice place.

This is an Eadai / Grip / Arii figure with a new Early WWI French Infantry head from HaT. This gives the guy a kepi. Many Nazi organizations wore the kepi, it was very popular in the 1920's until the end of WWII. These are all for my NSKK unit.