Plastic Invasion

Scale Modelling WW2

German Camouflage Uniforms

Plastic Invasion is a recently formed company from the Czech Republic whose founders have overlapping interests in WWII reenactment and scale modeling. This reference and techniques book is a sort of fusion of the two interests, intended to provide guidance on the modeling of various specific and distinctive WWII German camouflage uniforms, with an emphasis on producing a correct and realistic appearance when painting the uniforms, flesh and equipment, including individual weapons.

This is the first book from this new company, and it’s already in its third printing. More publications are on the way, including magazines on similar topics of interest.

Vital Statistics

Format - hardcover, portrait format

Page Count -  285 pages

Size - 8.5” x 12.0”

Photos - Black and White WWII historical images, full color contemporary images of uniforms and equipment, technique how-to’s

Tables / drawings / diagrams - none

All text and photograph captions are in English, some German phrases are used for labeling items.

What's between the Covers?

The book’s table of contents outlines the six chapters that the book contains, each chapter contains information and images specific to a distinctive camouflage uniform as worn by German troops in WWII. 

Each chapter begins with a couple of pages of historical background on the wartime situation or campaign when the camouflage scheme uniform would have been worn. The text is well written and features a mix of historical images along with some that appear to be showing reenactors. 

Each chapter provides nice detail photos of the featured camouflage uniform and equipment, along with full page sized photographs of a reenactor wearing the uniform and gear. Good descriptions of the uniform and its pattern are given in the nicely written text.

Step by step guidance illustrates how the painting is done. This includes the uniform and its camouflage pattern, all equipment typically used by the soldier, and the hands / head painting. Clear photos show the application of the various colors as they are applied. 

All figures shown in the painting sequences throughout this book are 1/35 scale, which is the most common scale for most military model builders. Of course, these paint techniques do apply to other scales as well.

As mentioned earlier, the equipment worn by the soldier is also fully covered by the step by step painting descriptions and images. Each piece of equipment is addressed separately. The exact paints used are shown for each step (in the above image, the Vallejo Model Colors on the right side of the image).

Above - each specific uniform camouflage pattern is described in a similar manner in each chapter; some historical background is provided, good images of the uniform itself, and then the how-to content showing exactly how to achieve a good result when painting a figure in the uniform. 

Above - the camouflage uniform shown in this particular chapter is the pattern worn by the German paratroop unit that accomplished one of the more daring actions of WWII, the rescue of Benito Mussolini from the Gran Sasso mountaintop in 1943.

A Note on the Photos - the photos throughout this book are clear and bright, my photos of the pages for review purposes do not do them much justice.

Excellent attention is paid to the individual weapons carried by the soldiers depicted in each chapter. In this chapter, the quite rare FG-42 rifle that was issued only to paratroops is fully described and pictured. Well written text gives a lot of very detailed information on this unique weapon’s development and history. 

Above - the level of attention to detail in this volume is such that even the most common articles of equipment are given the full treatment in terms of the painting of it. The above image describes and shows the work done on the lowly gas mask canister.

Above - the M44 Erbsenmuster camouflage pattern, widely used in Normandy, 1944. Most of we English speakers more commonly know it as the “pea dot” camouflage. As with other camo patterns shown throughout this volume, this pattern is fully discussed and illustrated, with step by step directions on how to paint it effectively.

There is a chapter on the camouflage uniforms as worn by German snipers, which includes very nice descriptions and illustration of their most commonly issued weapons; the scoped 7.92mm Kar98k, and the semi-automatic G43 rifles.

The painting of a quite variety of equipment is addressed in fine detail throughout this volume, including:

- the uniforms of course 

- hands and faces

- a wide assortment of weapons

- leather gear

- textile / cloth straps

- helmets

- boots

- canteens

- gas mask canisters 

- belts and buckles

- bayonets

- bread bags

- entrenching tools and cases

- mess kits

- canteens

…and more, but I think you get the picture.

Above - at the end of each chapter, photographs show the completed figure. The well chosen, appropriate figures used for the painting demonstrations throughout the book are 1/35 scale, from Warriors or Alpine Miniatures. 

Conclusions

I liked this book from the moment I first cracked it open for a quick glance at it. As I went through the book page by page for the purposes of writing this review, I liked it even more with each chapter. I am extremely impressed by the depth of information in this volume, and with its quality, organization and presentation. The use of historical AND reenactor images to show the uniforms as they are worn is useful.

The historical text, photo captions and discussions of the painting techniques used are uniformly well written, and the images used throughout this book are first-rate, being clear and bright. The level of detail discussed and shown throughout this book is of a very high quality.

It’s become a fairly crowded field of “how-to” modeling books, some by very knowledgeable companies and people. This book can stand with the best of them, especially given its specific focus on German camouflage uniforms. Kudos to Plastic Invasion for publishing such a fine book, especially as it’s (amazingly) their first book!

Highly Recommended ( A Must Have for WWII German modelers )

Thanks to David Doyle Books for the review copy

Reviewed by Chuck Aleshire, AMPS Chicagoland

AMPS 2nd Vice President, Midwest Region

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