WWII 28mm Soviet Infantry Sources

Last Updated: September 22, 2012
Below are manufacturers making 28mm Soviet WWII miniatures. As of the latest update, the list is not complete but nearly so. I have first hand experience with the following figures: Artizan, Black Tree Design, Bolt Action, Warlord, and Plastic Soldier Company. All of these figures work fine together on the table, though the PSC figures might look a bit out of place due to their sculpting style.

When possible, I try to identify what uniforms the figures are wearing. For more detailed historical information on Soviet uniforms and how to paint them, see my multi-part series covering the subject. I also give some of my personal thoughts on the figures.

Artizan Miniatures
Artizan makes only seven packs of Soviet WWII figures. Aside from the pack of scouts, the rest of the packs are outfitted for cold weather with the M41 telogreika padded jacket, making them more suited for the earlier years of the war from 1941 until the new winter uniform was issued in 1943. Some of the figures wear padded winter trousers,while others wear summer trousers, making them best suited for spring, autumn, and winter scenarios. Furthermore, their soldiers wielding rifles have bayonets, making them useful for close-range scenarios where your  troops are getting ready to assault. Unfortunately, Artizan doesn't have any Soviets throwing grenades, which would be key for Soviet assault tactics--a minor quibble. As with all Artizan Miniatures, these are fine sculpts with lots of character and well-researched.

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The Assault Group
Finally company makes Soviet figures wearing the M43 telogreika jacket with the short collar! Of the 12 packs of Soviet figures that TAG makes, half of them are figures wearing the M43 telogreika, though all of them are wearing non-padded cotton/wool trousers. Some figures also have shoulder boards, making them suitable for senior NCO's. TAG's six other Soviet packs are wearing the M43 summer uniform, making these figures best suited for later-war actions from 1943 onward. I haven't seen these figures in person, but I know people seem to like them.

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Black Tree Design
You can see photos of these figures throughout my blog. These tend to be my favorite Soviet figures as you'll often hear me and others say, though the figures not sculpted by Nic Collier tend to be a bit simpler and rougher. You can usually spot these figures by their faces. By far, BTD offers more variety in their Soviet line than any other manufacturer. To make it even better, their Germans are designed to fight against these Soviet figures, with some Germans firing captured PPSh submachine guns, while some Soviets fire captured MP40s. For more detailed information and photos about the uniforms and weapons on these figures, click my series of Soviet uniform articles.

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Crusader Miniatures
Crusader's Soviets follow the same standard that most 28mm miniatures seem to follow. Their "winter uniform" figures all have the M41 telogreika. Unlike some Artizan's figures that have the padded trousers, not one of the Crusader miniatures wears those winter trousers. All of them are wearing regular summer trousers. If you like Crusader Miniatures, you will like these figures, which are well-researched. My two complaints about Crusader's WWII figures are that practically none of them are firing their weapons. Plus, I don' like how Crusader sculpts the eyes on their WWII figures, making them more difficult of me to paint. Still, these are personal tastes that don't detract from the figures overall quality. Since Old Glory stopped making these figures here in the US, we in the US need to order them direct from the UK, making them a much more expensive line when compared to a company like Black Tree Design.

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Plastic Soldier Company
Currently, PSC offers a box of 57 infantry in Summer uniform and a box of heavy weapons, such as maxim machine guns, mortars, and anti-tank rifles. I find their sculpting a bit shallow and rather bland, a result of them being the same models are their 1/72 scale counterparts. However, if you're looking for more realistically proportioned figures along the lines of 1/72 figures, then you'll love these figures. If you're on a budget and looking to build a large force cheaply, these are perfectly fine figures. One of these days, I'll post some comparison photos of the PSC figures with my BTD Soviets.

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Victory Force
Victory Force make nine five-figure packs of Soviet infantry, all wearing M43 summer or winter uniforms. Three of the packs are soldiers wearing the M43 telogreika with non-padded trousers. All of the soldiers wearing telogreika have shoulder boards, which is a bit odd considering that it should be the complete opposite. As for headgear, it's a mixture of helmet, ushanka fur hat, pilotka cloth hat, and nothing on top. These figures really would be best suited for cooler temperatures, not harsh winter action. The remaining packs are soldiers wearing the M43 summer uniform.

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Warlord Games
Warlord seems to have taken a page out of Black Tree Design's books, giving you an assortment of uniform styles in every box and pack. Some figures are wearing the M35 or M43 summer uniform, while other are in a full M41 padded winter uniform, while others wear the M41 winter telogreika jacket with summer trousers. The figures in their Red Army boxed set are among my least favorite of all manufacturers. I find the sculpting below average, with some figures having odd or cartoon-like heads and poses. In my opinion, even the worst of Black Tree Design's WWII figures rate higher than these do. They really need to bring these figures up to the current standard of their newer sculpts.

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West Wind: Berlin or Bust
In their Berlin or Bust line, West Wind makes only one pack of Soviets wearing a winter uniform, pack WRUS-17 sold by Old Glory here in the United States. You can also order them in the UK direct from West Wind Productions. The figures, like most figures from other manufacturers, are wearing the M41 telogreika with non-padded summer trousers. Since this pack is larger than the earlier figures West Wind made in the Berlin or Bust line, they would fit in fine with Black Tree Design, Crusader, Artizan, and so on.

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West Wind Productions: Separate Head System
This is West Wind's newer line of WWII figures, with larger figures more in scale with those from the main manufacturers like Artizan and Crusader. They are sold direct from the UK only, not from Old Glory. Right now, they only have a single set of Soviets with a few packs of Soviet separate heads to give variation. Even though the pack says "1944" on it, the figures are wearing the M43 summer uniforms. Their weapons also seem fine for 1943+ from what I can see.