By 1942 the term Panzergrenadier was applied widely to German infantry. In support of Panzer divisions and then deploying on their own, the abbreviated Grenadier became the widely used term for World War II German forces. In mixed uniforms and organized into divisions utilizing combined arms, the Grenadiers were the main fighting force on the ground as Germany defended the eventual invasions by the Allies on the Eastern and Western fronts.

To round out my metal German collections, I picked up the Warlord Games German Veteran Grenadiers boxed set with a gift voucher at a recent convention. The ten cast figures are each armed with the Sturmgewehr 44 (StG 44) assault rifle from late in the war. I like the variety in the uniforms and kit with a mix of camouflaged pants, ponchos and helmets making each a very unique model. I could be a little happier with the face detail which comes off a bit unrealistically exaggerated at times. That said, the models all scale nicely with my other Grenadiers from Artizan Designs.

Painting 28mm German Grenadiers

1. Clean flash from metal models with a sharp knife and glue to metal washer or plastic bases.
2. Apply filler putty to bases. When dry, scrape off excess with a sharp knife.
3. Basecoat models and bases with flat black spray primer.
4. Paint smocks and helmets with Tallarn Sand.
5. Paint pants, soft hats, officer greatcoat and gas mask containers with Skavenlight Dinge.
6. Paint camouflage on helmets and smocks with alternating Waaagh! Flesh and Dark Brown.
7. Paint faces and hands with Tallarn Flesh.
8. Paint packs with Baneblade Brown.
9. Paint boots and equipment straps Black.
10. Paint bases, gun stocks, water bottles and helmet straps with Dark Brown.
11. Apply Agrax Earthshade wash to uniforms, helmet netting, webbing and packs.
12. Mix 50/50 Baneblade Brown and Off White and lightly dry brush packs, webbing, socks and holsters.
13. Dry brush pants, soft hats and officer great coat with Light Grey.
14. Lightly dry brush bases and gun stocks with Baneblade Brown.
15. Paint metal gun and water bottle parts with black and finish with a light dry brush of Metallic Silver.
16. Dry brush gasmask containers with metallic Silver.
17. Paint eyes with small dots of Off White and Dark Brown. Clean up around eyes with Tallarn Flesh.
18. Mix 50/50 Tallarn Flesh and Off White and brush highlights on cheekbones, chins, forehead, nose and hands.
19. Cover bases in white glue and cover in 50/50 mix of fine light green and dark green grass flock.
20. Glue small pieces of clump foliage to base.
21. Spray coat completed models with matte finish.

Aside from my  quick painting method of my new Grenadiers as per the above, I’ve added in the Kubelwagen model from Warlord. I love this neat little metal vehicle cast with some nice detailing and a variety of heads to choose from for the driver. The metal model glues of fast, but I was disappointed that the finicky machine gun mount broke during construction. I added a little bit of plastic to the windshield frame to add both some strength and a dash of realism to the car.

Despite a couple minor criticisms, my new Warlord Germans are a nice addition to my growing Axis force.