The Bolt Action Compendium launches February 2025, and as has become somewhat of a tradition over the years, a book launch is incomplete without an all-new special figure to accompany it. Naturally it had to be a figure that related to one of the many articles in the book – there were many candidates to pick from! After much deliberation, we settled on a figure representing a member of the unique 500th SS Parachute Battalion.
Operation Rösselsprung
Operation Rösselsprung (‘Knight’s Move’) was an ambitious (and hastily assembled) special operation conducted by hastily assembled German forces in an attempt to subdue the Yugoslav Partisan leader Josip Broz Tito in May of 1944. The 500th SS Battalion was an unusual assembly of volunteers from regular SS formations and men drawn from SS penal units.
In the Compendium, you’ll find an article penned by Ste Ross, which enables you to re-enact the operation on the tabletop. As well as background, you’ll find a Force Selector, rules for fielding SS Fallschirmjäger squads, and a scenario in which, having failed to achieve their goal of eliminating Tito, the Germans must mount a defence against a numerically superior force of Yugoslav Partisans.
Sculpting the Figure
We asked Warlord Games Studio Sculptor Wojciech Flis on how he went about designing our Operation Rösselsprung miniature.
Wojciech: “The first step of designing any miniature is to consider the brief. These are normally supplied with a packet of reference images of uniforms, equipment, and the like, so the core essence of the miniature is already there. It’s often in the posing where a model really comes alive, I like to try and tell a little story, even simple things like smoking a cigarette, conversing with a fellow model or reading a map. By far the most common, as you’d expect, are firing poses. It can be a little tricky to make them stand out. For this particular model the incorporated rock wall lends the miniature a lot of character just by having him leant up against it.
A detail I like to focus on, with all my sculpts, is the hands, They often get taken for granted, so I tend to sculpt them individually with every model I design. There’s something cool about the way a person carries their equipment slightly differently from the next man – and I like to try to reflect this in miniature.
Although sculpting WWII weapons and uniforms is pretty routine for me these days, there are still challenges. In this case it was making the rocks look natural, both texturally and in terms of their placement. It requires careful observation of real world sources, but also simple instinct on the sculptor’s part, so perhaps someone else may have approached the scenic elements differently.”
Painting the Studio Figure
Of course, a figure is not truly complete until it’s been painted up ready for tabletop combat duty. We turned to Chris Bilewicz to ask about how he went about painting the Studio model:
Chris: “Painting this piece was incredibly enjoyable, and tackling the intricate camo pattern, something I hadn’t done in years – proved to be a rewarding challenge. My goal was to faithfully recreate the style of the SS Fallschirmjäger camouflage while enhancing the pattern with carefully selected colours to make it visually striking at 28mm scale, and perfect for tabletop display.
To bring the miniature to life, I focused on adding extra highlights to details like the boots, trousers, and the wooden debris on the base, giving the model a crisp and polished look.
For the groundwork, I added small details like stones and bits of wood to create visual interest. The ruined wall was given a Mediterranean sandstone tone, adding warmth and framing the miniature dynamically compared to the more-typical grey or brown brick. Finally, I completed the base rim with a neutral dark stone colour to ensure it complemented the overall piece without drawing any attention away from the miniature itself.”
The Bolt Action Compendium
The new Bolt Action Compendium brings together a collection of articles on some of the most fascinating, albeit perhaps lesser-known, campaigns of World War II. With background, new rules, units and scenarios generated by the fantastic community, and updated for Third Edition by Marcus Vine, within you’ll find plenty to sink your teeth into and add untold depth to your games of Bolt Action.
You’ll get the operation Rösselsprung special figure free when you order the Compendium directly from the Warlord Games Webstore.