*BOOM!*

The blog is active again. We’re going to try it for awhile to see if we get some readers and some interest. If you read it, post a comment. Even if you don’t like it, let me know. I can fix it if I get input. If you have a figure, a diorama, a review, a tip, a suggestion, or a how to, I’ll run it. This isn’t all about me. 

Enjoy!

A mediocre at best set of figures

Let’s look at these paratroopers. The person who made them says that they are US Airborne in June 1944. It’s a noble endeavor. Or, is it? We’ll label them #1, #2, and #3. 

Trooper #1:

He’s probably the best of the bunch, but is he a good figure? First of all, look at the aid kit tied to the helmet net. Reenactors love it that way. Modelers love it that way. Action figure enthusiasts love it that way. Is it correct? Not at all. Paratroopers jumping into Normandy didn’t do it that way. They used a lot of burlap scrum to help break up the silhouette of their helmets. They wouldn’t tie an unnatural looking object into them.

How about the musette bag? It looks good, right? It’s on backward. The idea was for the jumper to land, drop his chute harness, drop his life vest, and toss the musette over his head and wear it like a backpack. That doesn’t work when you wear it this way. 

A trench knife in the reserve chute rigging? Really? What happens to it if you use the reserve chute? When you are in a hurry and quickly drop your harness, will you remember to grab your trench knife?

What’s with the compass on the wrist? Troopers said they rarely if ever wore them that way.

Trooper #2:

The musette bag is backward. See above. 

He wouldn’t have his binoculars loosely slung around his neck. In the first place, he’d lose them as soon as he jumped. What would happen if he had to use his reserve, and they got snagged in it? He’d either strangle himself, or they’d bind in the rigging, and his chute might not open properly. Then, what?

Why would you have smoke grenades in the parachute rigging? Would you remember to grab them when you dropped your chute? If not, what good are they? 

He has the wrong parachute on. The parachute used in Normandy hooked in the front. The one with the buckle harness wasn’t used until Market Garden.

Figure #3:

Is he good? Nope. His musette bag is backward. See #1. 

Why the trench knife in the reserve parachute rigging? See #1.

Double-buckle boots? First of all, they weren’t issued at this time. Most importantly, paratroopers took pride in their jump boots. They earned the jump boots, and the boots were a status symbol. Only recruits and replacements brought in later got the double-buckle boots.

A BAR? Unless he’s 82nd, he has the wrong weapon, and even then troopers didn’t jump with them. They were too big and too bulky to jump with. 

Compass on the wrist? Nope. 

Why is his canteen in front?

Learn from these figures. If you want yo do good, realistic figures, look at photos. See what was worn and how they wore it. Do a bit of research, and the rewards will pay off. 

By the way, the purpose of this post isn’t to ridicule or to demean anyone. It’s our hobby. We all do things our way. However, if you are trying to represent a group of real people, even if you aren’t doing a specific individual or group of individuals, you owe it their memory to do it right. Reenactorisms took over what was once a great hobby. Don’t do the same thing in 1/6 scale.

Scam Seller on eBay...Watch Out!

Here’s the listing as it appears:

Let’s look at the problems with this listing. First of all, the price. $1,500? It should be in the $300-$500 range.

He was contacted by the film industry to use it on the big screen? Doubtful. Hollywood wouldn’t pick the cheapest, most basic tanks out there.

He states that it’s customized to be an M3, but it’s not. The original Haunted Tank was an M3. This tank is still in M5A1 configuration, They wouldn’t use the wrong tank in the film industry.

Supposedly it was customized, but nothing about it is changed from original configuration. Nothing about it makes it worth 3 to 4 times the cost it should be. He says it was supposed to be in the film industry. So, what? That doesn’t increase the value. Maybe if it was in some type of movie, it would command a premium as a movie prop, but this one wasn’t.

I don’t have the space to show the pictures of the crew, but they’re horrendous. They’re kinda close to being accurate, but basically they are 4 GI Joes with an assortment of cheap, mismatched gear.

Sellers like this make it hard for honest sellers to do business. I feel sorry for the people who don’t know better, who believe the hype, and greatly over pay. 

Buy with care! 

82nd vs 101st

As the paratroopers organized in the dark and came together, the fighting began. Objectives were accomplished, and a series of small battles was fought throughout the Cotentin peninsula. Unit cohesion had basically disintegrated, and troopers partnered up with and fought with whoever they met. 

Before we get too far away from the 1/6 scale and turn this into a history blog, it’s time to look at the individual US Airborne divisions. How were they they same? How were they different? They were unique units, and the qualities that made them unique were often subtle at best.

The 82nd was the first US airborne division established. It was a combat hardened division whose men had fought in both Sicily and Italy. The division’s first combat jump was in Sicily, as part of Operation Husky.

The 101st airborne division was new to the parachute infantry. It was formed in August of 1942 from the old 101st division. Cadre for the 101st, in the form of NCOs and officers was provided in part by bringing men over from the 82nd. 

Does this mean that they both were the same, and only wore different unit patches? To a point, but the men of each unit were proud, the men of each unit thought their division was the best, and they did their best to distinguish themselves as  “All Americans” or “Screaming Eagles.”

How were they different? While their uniforms and equipment were mission-specific and basically the same, some subtle difference were evident. 

While both wore helmet nets, the 82nd used considerably less burlap scrim. Members of the 101st stuffed as much in as they could.

The 82nd used both straight handlers and folding entrenching tools. The 101st primarily used the folding etools. It was rare to see a Screaming Eagle with a straight handled shovel.

The men of the 101st were given cricket clickers to use as a means of identification in the dark. The clicker was a toy that made a click-clack sound when squeezed. One click-clack was answered by two click-clacks. The 82nd didn’t get them.

Members of the 82nd primarily wore holsters for their pistols on their belts. Members of the 101st primarily wore shoulder holsters. 

During Overlord, the 82nd often sewed American flag path patches on their right arm. Men of the 101st did not. 

While some members of the 82 carried BARs, the infamous Browning Automatic Rifle, into battle, it was not used by paratroopers of the 101st, because they thought it was too big and bulky to jump with, and many hated the logistics of having to carry magazines. They waited for M1919 light machine guns to be dropped in canisters. BARs would be brought in by the glider troops in a day or two. 

There are other minor differences, but when making 1/6 paratrooper kitbashes, keep these ideas in mind. Subtle, factual distinctions often mean the difference between good figures and great figures.

D-Day Paratroopers, the Americans...

This is the first in a series of posts dedicated to paratroopers on D-Day. We’ll talk about the troops that landed, their objectives, the differences between the divisions, the role of the glider troops, and some tips on making the best possible 1/6 scale Normandy Invasion paratroopers in later postings.

In the early morning hours of 6 June 1944, thousands of paratroopers from the British 6th Airborne, the US 82nd Airborne, and the US 101st Airborne divisions began landing all over Normandy to begin Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of occupied France. Each division was later reinforced by glider troops. All 3 of the divisions had specific objectives. They were to mass their forces after landing, and assault and hold such things as bridges, causeways, crossroads, etc. As part of their defense, the Germans had flooded large fields in an effort to restrict movement of any invaders, and it was the primary goal of the airborne forces to not only cause diversions and disruptions behind the German lines, but to seize and to hold causeways and roads that would allow ground forces, and eventually armored vehicles and supply trucks to move inland.

Just after midnight, pathfinders from the airborne divisions were dropped. Their mission was to find and mark drop zones so that the aircraft could more easily drop the troops in the proper locations. They had lights, radio beacons, and so forth that they were to use. The pathfinders were the first invaders on the ground, and their mission was both highly important and extremely dangerous. There weren’t many of them, and they were lightly armed. They would be on the ground by themselves for hours before additional forces landed.

Due to a series of problems during the drops, many planes missed their drop zones. Paratroopers were scattered throughout the Normandy region, many far from their designated drop zones. Some of them couldn’t even find men from the planes they were on, let alone the rest of their unit.  Unit cohesion disintegrated, and the troops on the ground met up, organized, and fought with whoever they found in the dark.”. Many of these men were from other units. In some cases, men of both the 82nd and the 101st banded together, tried to determine where they were, and moved toward their designated objectives.

By daybreak, when the beach landings started, paratroopers were organized and assembled into viable fighting forces. Many of the designated objectives had been seized and were being held. It is said that the misdrops actually made the paratroopers more effective. Since they were scattered all over the place, the Germans were never able to organize and mount a strong counterattack, as they were unsure of where the paratroopers were or where they were headed.

In the next post, we’ll talk about the differences between the 82nd and the 101st. They were not just they same kind of guys with different patches. There were many differences.

Geronimo!

This blog is going active. We’ll be sharing ideas, showing off figures, giving helpful tips, and showing the work of others. I’ve been silent for too long. It’s time to speak up again!

USMC Scout Sniper

Silent in action, but deadly in the end. This is the shooter of my newest sniper team. I have the spotter coming up later, and I’ll take them outside as a team for upcoming photos. He has the basic Hasbro ghillie suit, with some add-ons and improvements. 

Scout-snipers infiltrate silently and very inconspicuously, moving slowly,  making no noise, and blending in completely with their environments. Oftentimes they don’t go out to make a kill, but when they do, one shot is all it takes. They strike from far away and blend back into their surroundings. On missions where they don’t shoot, they often do scouting of enemy strength and numbers, supply routes, defenses, terrain, and so forth, and after calling in the required info, they provide fire support for friendly troops.

Boom!

Sometimes, you can put a lot of planning into a shot, and you still may not get what you want. You can try different poses and setups, vehicle placement, and so forth, and you still might not get it.

Other times, things just kinda happen by accident. You can snap several pics, and you can get one or two that are at least as good as, or better than you were hoping for.

That’s what happened here...

I wanted to make it look like a Stuart tank was hit with a Panzerfaust. I didn’t have any smoke bombs, and it was after July 4, so no Texas fireworks sellers were open. I decided to improvise.

I took a piece of paper towel that was about 2 inches by 3 inches. I put around 50 grains of FFFg black powder into it, rolled it into a pouch, and rolled a small streamer off of the front of the wrap. I placed the tank, put my powder pouch about a foot away from it, got down in the grass to tank level, lit the streamer, and snapped away with my iPhone.

I ended up taking close to 50 photos. I was lucky. I got 2 that were excellent. I was willing to keep trying, but the first attempt was a success.

Check out the smoke detail in the second photo! By the way, there was no damage, even though in the photo, it looks like a devastating hit!

Here’s another confused paratrooper...

Most people would think this is an extremely high quality figure. He’s not. He would be, but there are three glaringly obvious errors. 

First, if he’s going into Normandy, he wouldn’t have his paratrooper aid kit tied to his helmet. That came later.

Second, he’s dressed and equipped for Normandy, but the parachute he’s wearing wasn’t put into US service until Market Garden. 

Third, he’s carrying a Carbine, but he has a Griswold Bag. The Griswold Bag was used to carry a disassembled M1 Garand.

I don’t mean to sound overly critical. I’m not. This figure should be able to be purchased in the $50-$60 range. You could buy him at that price, and leave him “close”. Or you could buy him and spend another $30-$40 to make him right. 

However, he’s listed for nearly $150 plus shipping. If you have that money to spend, buy one of the quality kit figures from Dragon, put him together, and make him yours. Stay away from spring-sprung. 

Stay away from this seller!

spring-sprung is an eBay seller who supposedly sells highly customized figures. He has hundreds of them listed, and some have been sold to people in other countries.

His figures aren’t that good. 

They are over-priced, and often are only box figures with a pack of  cigarettes added. Sometimes, the things done to them are just plain wrong.

This figure has a serious identity crisis. He’s not sure if he’s jumping into Normandy or Holland. Aside from the fact that a paratrooper wouldn’t wear a white silk scarf into battle, what is on his helmet?

It’s true that during Market Garden, some troopers tied their paratrooper aid kit to their helmet. While many figure crafters also do it for Normandy, that is an inaccuracy. It wasn’t done then, and any figures showing it are historically incorrect.

However, this figure has his regular aid kit tied to his helmet. Why? That kit, or one similar to it,  was issued to every soldier. It had hooks on it, and was made to fasten to the grommets on the Pistol, cartridge, or BAR belt. I make a bold statement. No trooper ever wore it that way.

You’ve been warned. Stay away from this guy. There are better figures out there that cost a lot less.

D-Day Normandy 75th Anniversary

It’s coming in a week. Stay tuned here for some recreations of historic photos in 1/6 scale. It should be fun. So far, these are the three I’ll be doing;

My Civil War Marine

I don’t know the maker of the uniform, or what kit his gear is from, but I’ve had him for over 6 months. I bought him from a guy in France, of all places. He came with an Enfiekd rifle-musket, but I switched it out. The Marines were often used aboard ship, and they tended to like their smoothnores, so I gave him a ‘42 Springfield musket. With the buck and ball round, this thing was wicked at close range. I also figured that since is on campaign, he needed a knapsack. I also switched out his muslin haversack with this tarred canvas one, and gave him a cup. 

I think he looks pretty good. He wasn’t cheap, but if you want quality, you pay for it I guess!

The new home of “The Misfit Squad.”

So, we had a page on Facebook, and it brought about nothing but troubles. I was reported for publishing hate speech, because my WWII story involved German soldiers and the Waffen SS. I had to change the page name, because another page had the same name. Facebook even threatened to shut the page down due to reports it was receiving. 

Well, I beat them to it. I’m tired of their bullshit. Period! Here’s the story, with the photos I want, the name I want, and the story I want to tell. Read, enjoy, and comment. We’re going to have fun with this one. The shackles have been removed, and it’s time to get down to business!

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.