Historical Reenactors

   Here we go! Let the hatred begin. Go for it. I can hack it! I'm going to ramble a bit away from 1/6 Scale and about historical reenactors, and what I say about reenactors won't at all be good. I'm going there anyway. It won't be pretty. 

Let's reference all of this by first saying that I was a reenactor for 20 years. I started doing Civil War reenacting as a Confederate. I also did some Union reenacting. I ventured into the realm of WWII reenacting, and I loved every bit of it. I thought reenacting was great. We could spend ridiculous amounts of money on weapons, uniforms, and gear. We could research the folks we were trying to be, finding out such things as who they were, where they fought, how they fought, and why they fought, and we could justify it all in the name of history, remembrance, education, or whatever the appropriate catch phrase of the day was.

Only at a Civil War reenactment could find groups of men ogling a garment and analyzing stitch count, construction quality, fit, and sizing. Only at a reenactment could one find men spending $100 for a pair of pants because they had "the right look", and then dragging them through the mud to make them look better. 

As I say, I've done it. I was there. I was one of them. I've spent a lot of money on things I didn't need, and I've always wanted more. I've read the books. I've watched the documentaries. I've done the research. I've driven the miles, and have gone to many states doing so. I've read the drill manuals. I've visited the battlefields. I've marched in the ranks and worn the uniforms. I've run out of ammo. I've burned myself on the weapons. I've slept on the ground. I've cooked over the campfire. I've been rained on, snowed on, stormed on, been in the wind, and have been outside in nearly every type of weather imaginable. I've been hot. I've been cold. I've been wet. I've sweated nearly to death, and frozen nearly to death. I've acted skits. I've done scripted events. I've laughed, moaned, groaned, cried, complain, been hurt, helped others who were hurt, ran out of ammo, ran out of water, ruined shoes, torn trousers, and had weapons malfunction. I've been victorious, I've been defeated. I've won tacticals. I've lost tacticals. I've seen fear in the faces of other reenactors who were being flanked. I've shown the same fear when I was flanked. I've slept under cannons, slept in the rain, slept on concrete, slept in frost, and slept in a bush in Gettysburg. 

Does this make me a better person than anyone else? Of course not! Does this mean I've seen the elephant, and know what combat is really like? Not even close! Does this mean I can understand the mindset of the Civil War soldier or WWII GI or paratrooper? Nope!

What then does it mean. It means I've mastered the art of playing army. I've grown up without ever really growing up. I've played an expensive adult version of a childhood game.

Why?

That's what we'll explore in the next post. Bye for now!

Upcoming; "The Misfit Squad."

 

Coming soon will be my online comic called, "The Misfit Squad." It will take place in the days immediately following the Normandy invasion, and will be loosely based on the old "Haunted Tank" comic. There will be ghosts, and a tank haunted by JEB Stuart, but they aren't the main characters. Details will follow here, including photos, pre-production notes, and a background on each of the major characters.

I'm casting, equipping, making sets, and working out story lines. Anyone wishing to loan or to donate figures or gear are quite welcome to do so, and all are appreciated.

"Codename Gravedigger"

 

Gravedigger was the code name given to an African American special operative during WWII in D.C.'s "Men of War" comic book series. Captain Ulysses Hazard became "Gravedigger" after he covertly raided a Joint Chief of Staff meeting in the Pentagon after having his talents wasted on grave detail. Born in Mobile, AL, Hazard suffered polio early in life, but he fought and forced his body to overcome the disease. He had a strict regimen of strength and endurance training, and he became an expert with almost every handheld weapon known to mankind. After convincing the army of his worth as a solo operative, he was sent to war and given only the highest priority and most difficult missions. In an early episode, he was captured by the Germans, tied to the front of a Tiger tank, and used as a human shield. It was during this incident that he suffered the head wound that left him with the distinctive and unique scar, the cross between his eyebrows.

My Gravedigger build was simple. He is a comic book character, so detail and historical accuracy really aren't an issue. His uniform in the comic book appears to benothing more than a t-shirt and a set of HBTs. It was a pretty simple setup to recreate. I gave him a grease gun. I also labeled his helmet with his codename. Though this was never shown in the comic book, I wanted anyone who saw him to recognize that he was supposed to be more than simply an African American GI with a gun. 

For the distinctive scar, I heated a pin with a cigarette lighter, and melted the shape until I was happy with it. I then cleaned up the edges with a hobby knife, colored it with a red magic marker, and wiped away the excess.

I think he turned out pretty good, considering it was in reality a very simple figure. What do you think? Tell me in the comment section, and feel free to send pictures of any similar figures that you may have.

   

I'm back, and it will be better than ever!

   

My 1/6 scale blog is back, and I hope to make it better than ever. It's been a few years, but let the rebuilding begin.