Pak 40 Crews

Figures Converted and/or Based as Pak 40 Gun Crews

Since I began using Crossfire, I have just used loose figures for gun crews. I've recently decided to make up crew stands. Currently, I have just German crews. The following have been based on my standard 1.5" by 1.5" stands I use for basing all Crossfire squads. These are a bit bigger than the CF rules recommended 1.25" by 1.25". Unlike my rifle and SMG squads which generally have only 2 figures (mainly because I find the recommended 3 figures just look too crowded for infantry soldiers in the field, even with my larger stands), the following stands have 3 figures. I think I can get away with this as gun crews will congregate a heck of a lot closer together around their weapon than regular squads, where the soldiers would be trying hard not to gaggle...

Some of my friends hoot with laughter at the mangling of figures I do. It's very, very sad, because, you see, they were once as into WW2 models as I am, but no longer, so they've lost the joy and their memory of the INTENSE & INSATIABLE DESIRE TO REMODEL, CONVERT, AND.. AND... CUT OFF HEADS!!!! <insert maniacal laughter>

OK, I'm better....

The Pak 40 here is one of the many Fujimi ones I have from their Panzer I family kits.

From left to right, the observer is a combination of the waist to top of a Mathbox standing German looking through binoculars and waving his hand pinned on the hind quarters of the Airfix kneeling German with rifle. The loader is a combination of the same Airfix bottom and the waist up of an Airfix running German with rifle - the rifle has been cut away and replaced with an AP round. The gunner is simply a kneeling MP40 guy from the Airfix German Mountain Troops set.

Another view of the same gun crew. The live rounds and empty casings here are made with stretched plastic dowel and flattened at the ends for the base plate. The warheads are sanded stretched sprue. The shell boxes are from thicker plastic card with the "X" etched with a hobby knife.

Here is the second crew I did. Once again, the gun is a Fujimi model.

Buddy waving his hand is from the Revell Ardennes set (hard to see here, but he has a faded splinter pattern). The guy with the AP round (black tipped with white) is from the same Revell kit and is the fellow kneeling and firing his MP44. The gunner figure is a combination of the Airfix Mountain Troops guy holding the rope and grapple (waist up) and the bottom is the waist down of the Matchbox kneeling German infantryman firing his Mauser.

A rear view of the same crew as above.