I received a German FJ (Paratrooper) Rifleman and a couple of US Airborne - which will be the subject of another review coming soon! The FJ is a metal miniature, and has a nice dynamic, yet not over-the-top pose, as if jogging between cover without any panic. He is clearly a veteran, who has seen this all before, and is not fazed by a little incoming fire. The metal was crisp and required no fastidious clean up before gluing it to a base and whacking some paint on.
The FJ sculpt is very nicely detailed, and really was a pleasure to paint. The detail was such that I looked forward to tackling it without feeling intimidated, even though the scale of the model itself tends towards realistic proportions. When I first started painting the miniature, I did not even realize that it was a slightly different size to the Crusader Miniatures I have been painting lately, until I placed them side by side. Where the Crusaders tended towards heroic chunky weapons and heads (which I love as well) Offensive seems to be finer and more reflecting of actual human proportions.
The scale would fit perfectly combined with Perry Miniatures, however I would hesitate in trying to integrate these guys with a Warlord, Crusader or Artizan range, as the size differential would be noticeable. In saying that, these guys really stand alone as a force and they offer amazing deals which would make it easy building your entire force just from Offensive Miniatures.
An entire 45 man army + 2 command figures retails for 60 pounds ($100 AUD). This includes three full squads of Infantry, plus an HQ, MG, and 81mm Mortar team. Individual squad’s retail for 15 pounds and this gives you 11 men to throw on the table. Looking at the quality, these prices are very competitive and for those of you, like me, who live on a whopping big island, postage is reasonable at 15% cost of order to Rest of World countries outside EU and US.
(Have any experience with Offensive Miniatures or painting fallschirmjager? Tell us about it on the forum! - J)
