June 11, 2026

MiniArt's new 35th scale "German Infantry, ardennes Offensive"

MiniArt's new 35th scale "German Infantry, Ardennes Offensive" features four figures & five sprues of weapons & equipment. See about the soldiers & the set in our preview...

MiniArt's new 35th scale "German Infantry, ardennes Offensive"

German Infantry, ardennes Offensive
From MiniArt Models
1/35th scale
Kit No: #53064
Four figures & five sprues of weapons & equipment included...
The Subject: German infantry in the Battle Of The Bulge in WWII
On 16 December 1944, the infantrymen of the Volksgrenadier divisions spearheaded the assault through the Schnee Eifel, operating under rigid military service contracts that had expanded to conscript boys as young as sixteen and navy personnel stripped from defunct warships. Assigned to armies like the Seventh Army and the Fifth Panzer Army, these soldiers stepped off into the freezing fog with a specific tactical mandate: bypass American strongpoints on foot to secure vital road junctions before the enemy could react. This desperate deployment of raw manpower was designed to screen the flanks of the armoured Kampfgruppen, forcing under-trained recruits into brutal, close-quarters infantry engagements to clear the heavily wooded ravines.

Soldiers of a German Volksgrenadier-Division attack in the Ardennes in December 1944.
A well-known photo of German Volksgrenadier, armed with new Sturmgewehr 44 rifles, advancing through a wooded area during the German offensive into the Ardennes. 
Because these late-war infantry units lacked heavy artillery support, their tactical doctrines relied heavily on cutting-edge small arms to achieve local fire superiority. Frontline squads were issued the StG 44 assault rifle, providing infantrymen with the rapid-fire capability of a submachine gun combined with the range of a standard rifle, alongside the widespread use of the MG 42 machine gun. To counter Allied armour, every platoon carried a high concentration of Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck shoulder-fired anti-tank launchers. These infantry weapons turned the dense pine forests into lethal ambush zones, allowing hidden foot soldiers to devastate American mechanised columns at point-blank range.

A young Volksgrenadier unit after an arduous march during the retreat at the beginning of January 1945 in the Rhineland, with hot beverages in a nice change.
The harsh reality of German military service in the winter of 1944 was defined by a total failure of basic battlefield supply. While elite Waffen-SS infantry units received priority transport, standard army foot soldiers were forced to march up to forty kilometres a day through knee-deep snow, often relying on horse-drawn carts or captured American trucks due to a catastrophic lack of fuel. As the offensive stalled at vital defensive bottlenecks, infantrymen found themselves stranded without winter clothing, adequate ammunition, or rations. When the weather cleared and exposed them to relentless Allied air attacks, their service deteriorated into a fragmented, freezing survival effort before the final order to retreat.

After initial successes the German federations had to turn to defence at the end of January, withdrawing to their starting positions before the fight began. These German infantry proceed in the forest after their December success was reversed.

The Kit:
This set features four German infantry figures with weapons, designed for Battle of the Bulge dioramas and late-war winter scenes. The figures are shown in dynamic poses with cold-weather clothing and equipment, accessories, gear and weapons to accessorise your soldiers.

There are four small sprues that each hold one figure, moulded in light grey styrene. These features easily distinguishable faces, fingers and sunken detail for their accessories to fit more neatly into their bodies.
Although this is not a special edition kit, the set comes with several sprues (five) of weapons and equipment to suit German late WWII soldiers. One sprue houses just the equipment, with the M43 helmets, gas mask canisters, flasks & entrenching tools, bayonets, bread bags and ammo pouches.
On a second sprue is the Kar.98 sniper rifle, the Fallschirmjägergewehr 42, "paratrooper rifle 42", Lugers, Walthers, ammo pouches, the StG 44 (Sturmgewehr 44, "assault rifle 44") and even an Erma EMP machine pistol included here.
It includes a plethora of weapons and ammo – MP-40s, Kar.98s, a Walther & flare pistols, pistols in pouches and open pouches to show a removed pistol, ammo for all of these, map pouches, knives and an ammo box. 
An MG 42 is also included with a belt of ammo & a bipod mount.
Pretty much everything a German WWII soldier would carry on these five extra sprues.

This kit is due for release in a month's time
See more about all of MiniArt's kits on their website...