85mm

Soviet attack.

Heavy AA guns provide cover against air attack.

Similar to the German 88mm.

These guns are able to keep high altitude aircraft away.

85mm AA guns are organized into batteries of four guns.

Four batteries into a company of 16 guns.

HQ & FDC

Zvezda provides a base for many of their weapons and figures sets.  I like to use them for command posts, fire direction centers and supply depots.

I like the flags because I can designate which unit the supplies or FDC or HQ belong to.

I use extra accessories and resin cast bits to make these units.  These are all fire direction centers for my 85mm Soviet AA guns.

Zvezda Army

It only takes a few Zvezda sets to make a pretty impressive army.

This is one platoon size infantry set, a small infantry set, and one each artillery, anti-tank gun and one anti-aircraft gun set.

Their sets are all a very nice consistent size and style and design.

As such, their figures look very good together.

Russian Winter

Zvezda officer from the Russian Infantry and Russian Platoon figure sets.  Very much the same.

Totally different, but mostly the same.

The set is very well done, with lots of poses.

One box makes almost a human wave all by itself.

The super glue is still a little frosty, it does make a bit of a Russian Winter look to the troops.

Russian Stuff

Soviet 85mm AA gun.

Zvezda kit in 1/72nd scale.

I mount the crew on little bits of plastic, apart from the seated figures.

Soviet artillery and infantry.

I glued together a pack of Zvezda Soviet Infantry with super glue.  They were stored in a plastic box and they got all glazed over with super glue fumes.

See the box is a bit frosty now.

Washed them and brushed them with a toothbrush, mostly gone now.

Russian Gun

Zvezda 76.2mm gun.

This gun was used as an anti-tank gun and as artillery.

Several companies make this gun.

This one is nicely detailed, but seems harder to put together than PSC and more fragile than Italeri.

Russian artillery and infantry.

122mm

Five man Russian patrol.

The large base for all five guys can be re-purposed as a small headquarters.

I took a few bits out of the spares box and made this, I will use it as a fire direction center.

Zvezda 122mm howitzer with two crewmen.

The Russians used vast numbers of these.

I am hoping to add more crewmen to the gun later.

You can't have Russians without lots of artillery.

The scene.

Soviet Regular Infantry

Regular Soviet WWII Infantry by Zvezda.  

This is one of their little sets for their Art of Tactic game.

They can be posted on one big base or on individual bases.  Apparently I use the single bases.

This is not very many figures in a set, but they come with a light machine gun and two guys with semi-automatic rifles.  Semi-automatic rifles are often used by NCOs.

The set also has an officer in it.

These are the cards for the Art of Tactic game.  

 This mix of officers, NCOs and weapons is a perfect adjunct to the Esci / Italeri set which is short of light machine guns, officers and semi-automatic rifles.

 The officer pose is apparently based on this guy, who seems to be the standard WWII Soviet officer.

Dapol

These figures are from Dapol in 1/72nd scale.

Some of them get the bases cut off and a new bit of headgear put on them.

The original base figures get pith helmets.

These guys are being used as OT troops for Europe or with sun hat for Africa.

It's one way to get troops no one actually makes.