July 07, 2026

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

MiniArt's new 35th scale "German Infantry, Ardennes 1944-45" 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 1944-45
From MiniArt Models
1/35th scale
Kit No: #53071
Four figures & five sprues (plus photo-etch) 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.

This iconic World War II photograph shows German panzergrenadiers advancing past abandoned American equipment during the opening phases of the Battle of the Bulge in Poteau, Belgium, in December 1944.
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.

Another in the "ambush at Poteau" series of photos showing German infantrymen very much in the same gear and equipment (even down to the head scarf) from this set.
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.

Another of the set of photos from the SS Kampfgruppe Hansen – in the aftermath of their ambush on US forces at Poteau in 1944.

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 useful poses with cold-weather clothing and equipment, accessories, gear and weapons to accessorise your soldiers.

Not to be confused with Miniart's recent kit "German Infantry, Ardennes Offensive", this is a different kit with a slightly different loadout and new figures...
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 are 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. 
There is also a set of Panzerschrecks – with a photo-etch sheet for the thinner parts of the anti-tank weapons (including ammo).
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...