Saturday, 12 September 2026

First "Defenders of Berlin"

 I have finished the first 8 RKX 3d printed figures - these are the HJ combat squad 



A little bit of background from the web - Thousands of Hitler Youth members suffered catastrophic, near-total casualties while defending Berlin in April and May 1945, though exact standalone statistics for the youth alone are unrecorded. 

High Mortality Rate: Specific Hitler Youth combat groups, such as the 5,000-strong regiment deployed to hold the Pichelsdorf bridges, suffered devastating losses where fewer than 500 survived the five-day bombardment and assault. 

Widespread Destruction: Entire units of boys armed with Panzerfausts (anti-tank weapons) fighting in places like the Tiergarten and Olympic Stadium were methodically wiped out by the advancing Soviet Red Army


Armed with a Panzer Faust



With a Molotov Cocktail


Firing a KAR 98


The crying HJ


The friend trying to buck up his ideas


The vignette - and how it appears on the RKX website below!



Advancing - I gave some of the HJ a swastika armband loosely inspired by this 





I think the last two figures are slightly older members of the HJ and have been supplied with Wehrmacht overcoats and some kit.



I have noticed NO new blog feeds seem to be appearing on anyone's blog feeds currently, so I may do a bit of targeted marketing to try and attract a few comments!


31 comments:

  1. Great work there Keith and they do look good with their mix of kit and posed against the ruins of Berlin:). Yep, the whole Blogger thing is now beyond a joke:(!

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    1. Cheers Steve - I just proved the power of advertising!

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    2. I checked yesterday to see if anything new had appeared on your Blog, so was happy to see the link via my Blog this morning. Sadly only 2 new posts have appeared in my Reading List, both with at least a 48 hour delay. Not all are showing on Jon's Blog, so all a bit hit or miss at present:(.

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    3. Yeah - the only new thing showing on Jons roll is his own post from about two days ago, that already has 70+ comments!

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  2. Nice work Keith. I had noticed the blogger feed issues, no update in over 48 hours. I'm now just checking random blogs yo see if there is an update, hence finding this post

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    1. Thanks Scotty - I have been doing the same for the last few weeks - and it's how I first made connections ten years ago when I started blogging - I commented on a few blogs and eventually, some of the authors returned the favour

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  3. Nice work, Keith! We will see if your armband gets you flagged. Yes, your self promotion worked! My Blogroll seems truly broken but I am not alone. Seems this is a universal event. This will test the resolve of followers to search out new posts.

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    1. Thanks Jon! Yes, the Blog Roll issue is very annoying and I think may already be having an impact on the number of people posting - I have rotated through twenty or so regulars a couple of times per day - you, JBM, Steve J, Lawrence, Iain, Ray, Richard, Peter, Ed, Joe, Dean etc - but I am only occasionally finding a new post to comment on.......

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  4. Fantastic work on those figures, Keith.
    I have come looking as this is not yet on my blog roll.

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    1. Thanks Richard - yes, proactively looking for new posts seems to be the best course currently.

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  5. Great work Keith. You've managed to bring the nature of the models to life. I don't think I've seen wargaming figures with such expressive faces before.

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    1. Cheers Chris, that is very kind of you! The expressions are all down to the sculptor (and printer!), but I agree, some of them are really nicely done.

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  6. Great work sir! And I'm slowly getting fed up with Blogger :)

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    1. Thanks Michal - yes, Blogger has been a real pain in the posterior for three to four months now, with one thing after another not working.....

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  7. Nice finish on a rather sad subject, Ive had a post up since yesterday and got something like four commments? Like you I tend to go to Jonathans blog but its well behind!
    Best Iain

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    1. Thanks Iain! Jon has a solution apparently - I am just waiting to see how technically complicated it is!

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  8. Great work Keith and a quick turn around from arrival to painting,

    Very sad history as so many died (on both sides) for absolutely no impact on the war or its aftermath.

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    1. Thanks Ben - with the flu virus abating and new figures arriving, my painting mojo received a significant boost!

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  9. They have painted up really well Keith, lovely work on them.

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  10. It is quite jarring when you wander through places like the Tiergarten and see all the bullet marks on fountains and statues, especially when it is such a peaceful place now. Great work on these Keith.

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    1. I guess so Lawrence - haven't ever been to Berlin although a couple of trips to Bavaria in my late teens including a visit to Dachau

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  11. Nice work on your new toys Keith.
    I particularly like the ‘crying’ vignette… it would make a good moral status marker.

    All the best. Aly

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  12. Great work Keith, I love the Panzerfaust figure!

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    1. Cheers Ray - yes, I think that is the best one - with the Molotov cocktail a close runner up!

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  13. They are a very nicely posed and detailed set and I like how you've painted them Keith. That backdrop you've used in the photos is also perfect for the subject matter.

    As I've mentioned before, a sad topic. I could never imagine my son being thrown into a war at those young ages. Poor souls. Funny, I find this topic more moving than I do Soviet Bomb Dogs for some reason.

    Regardless, I'm looking forward to seeing these lads on your game table. Perhaps they'll fare better than their real life counterparts! :)

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    1. O and my blogroll isn't loading up anything either, not even with Jon's fix. Trying to remember everyone's blog names to check on hobby progress is a fun task!

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    2. Thanks Dai - I don't think it's odd that the death of human children affects you more than the death of an animal - I would say you have your priorities right!
      As to checking other blogs, you don't need to remember the names, just click on names of commenter (on your own blog or on others) and you will end up seeing if they have a new post to view!

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  14. Splendid work, Keith! The details on these figures are top-class, and your paintwork really brings out those remarkably expressive faces. The background set-up makes for some great photos, too.

    All the best, Andy

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    1. Thanks for your kind comments and support Andy - they are very nicely detailed figures!

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