18 pack of 3D printed reenactment grade Stock mines (trip alarms) with fuses and spare parts. The Stock Mine 43 was a simple late war concrete mine on a stick which was activated by a tripwire. It was a cheap and effective mine as it was above ground and the tripwire allowed it to cover a large area without relying on someone to step directly on it. This makes it a perfect mine to use for reenacting. You can cover a large area, the mine sits above the ground so when people hear it, they will also see it and they are easy to set up.
These are provided basically straight off the printer. All you really need to do is paint them, put them together, and devise your trip wire. For paint, I recommend either Dupli-color Dessert Sand or Krylon Matte Spanish Moss (its a hideous green but extremely close to originals). Its like a model kit. Completed, painted pieces are shown in the pictures as an example. The fuse threads directly into the 3D printed mine and actually seats deeper into the body than an original to help support it. The fuse threads directly into the 3D printed mine and actually seats deeper into the body than an original to help support it. The wood post inserts deeper into the mine body with a bit of clearance between it and the bottom of the fuse. Since we did not need to leave room for the Bohrpatrone 28 charge, the stick can fit deeper and makes the whole thing more stable.
Although these are part of our "cheap and cheerful" line of reenactment items, they are still really good. The "mine" is designed to fit over a pressure treated 2x2 (1 3/8" X1 3/8") wood stake. And there are 2 different sized holes off set from one another by 45 degrees to allow for potential swelling or shrinkage of the wood while maintaining a decent fit. This also creates a sizeable vent area around the stake which directs any gasses directly downward for safety. I will not suggest that you attempt to do anything with these for reasons. Just because a 209 primer fits in the fuse and is a reasonable balance of loud, safe, and cheap doesn't mean you should go around trying this.
Includes:
- 18 X Stock mine 43's
- 18 X Wooden Stakes
- 18 X ZZ 42 Fuses
- 18 X Replacement ZZ 42 Spring Housing
- 18 X Replacement ZZ 42 Base
What you need to complete them (NOT included):
- Trip wire (I recommend OOK green 24gauge wire)
- A stake to tie off to on the other end
Recommended set up: Make yourself a stake out of cheap lumber either 2x2 or 1x2 material. Tie about 20' of wire to the stake and wrap it around the stake. Put a small hook like those found on cheap lanyards to the end of the trip wire. With this set up you can quickly and easily put the mine down and run a standardized trip wire. It really does make the process fast which is important as you will either be planting these alone or with your unit of guys that likely have a short attention span.
The ZZ 42 has a 3D printed resin body with a spring, plunger, a pin, and a 3D printed base and spring tube. These parts were designed to look good, work well, and be cheap and easy to replace. The springs, plungers, and pins are basically off the shelf parts you can order directly elsewhere online. The plunger is simply a 3/16" universal hitch pin turned down a bit on the end. The pins are actually just RC model car R Pins 25x1.4x10mm which I straighten out a bit as they come with a slight bend. Feel free to buy these directly from other sources online and cut me out of the loop entirely. You might even be able to find something better. These fuses are not 1:1 interchangeable with original plungers. You can't put an original firing pin and spring in these. I had to print the spring tube a little thicker for durability. The base of the ZZ42 has a Phillips head slot to help you remove it if it is damaged or stuck in the mine.
Painting Tip: When you do paint these, make sure you do a really bad job for full authenticity. The stakes were typically green from the factory and usually a very thin coat, just enough to tint the wood green and the body of the mine was usually poorly painted also, just thick and messy.
Why "cheap and cheerful"? Cheap and safe while still looking good and being simple enough to be usable at events is far more important than durability. These are fantastic and cheap, not indestructible. In testing, I broke a lot of the resin printed fuse parts, but I had almost none fail to work at least once. Parts might break, but I am making these cheap enough to make that forgivable. These are not infinitely reusable, they are cheap and pretty. You can have a mountain of these for the price of a handful of super durable ones you will probably just loose anyway. The Germans only made single use mines, these are slightly better than that.
Additionally, do not think that I have given up on improving these over time. I am constantly testing and modifying designs to make them more durable and reliable. Over time they will get better but this base model is a great start and all the fundamentals are there.
