D-Day Miniature Studio has a new figure set in their catalogue depicting 101st Airborne soldiers with kids. As always, the figures are also available individually.
I actually made some very uncomplimentary comments and observations about this set over on another modeling forum.
However, seeing the original photo that the set’s composition is based on, I’m forced to revise those comments and observations and say that the body language of the kids and the soldier in the original photo are not so “creepy” as my first impressions of the figure set.
I suppose it’s the times we live in when we’re much more exposed to all sorts of evil and bad intent and, as a consequence, tend to perhaps too quickly judge and stereotype.
I might not have chosen this composition, myself (at least not in a scale where the subtitle emotions from the facial expressions are so hard to capture), but clearly D-Day Minis came pretty darned close to capturing the original scene. I’ve had to imagine how I would actually build this set. I can see that there could be some additional elements that could be added to the scene that would create more context and return the lost “innocence” and “naivety” that seems to me to be missing. Any way…
I do feel obligated to offer my apologies to D-Day Miniatures for my original comments and observations. Sorry guys.
Dear SdAufKla, no problem. Thank you for your opinion. Have a nice day.
Thank you for being more gracious and tolerant than I was.
I would add (as I did on that other site) that the sculpting is quite nice and all of the figures would also be quite useful in many other scenes and compositions. I would have no hesitation to buy any of these figures.
I love this scene and this figure company. They have figures from Belgium, Romania, Hungary, Dutch, Polish , Canadian, Anzac, and lots of LRDG figures that few if any manufacturers are making. I have a few sets and the sculpting, accuracy and detail is first rate. This set is a must have.
I agree, this is a great set of figures and makes a charming scene. I definitely want to get these. But what’s up with the painting of the little boy? He looks like he’s 80 years old!
I am very glad you change your former opinion, thank you. The heads are very small, so it’s not so easy to sculpt (by hand) the impression on the face, but I am trying to do the best I can. Anyway I like such meaningfull observations.
Thank you , I am very glad you like what I am doing.
Your welcome. I have a set of your German Paras and the quality is outstanding- keep up the good work !
Also with this set, I love the late war US Para uniform which you don’t see very often.
A small observation. The clogs are very small. Being carved wood, they were reasonably thick, where the ones on the figures appear to be little thicker than normal shoes.
Its not that times have changed now, and back in the '40s people didn’t protect their kids in the same way. This butter bar was out of line. Its completely naive to think a parent would not care if this situation developed. There were perverts back then, too, and people knew it.
This butter bar was out of line. Its completely naive to think a parent would not care if this situation developed.
Interesting how you can divine the thoughts of a “butter bar” almost eighty years ago.
It seems that soldiers have always had a soft spot for children in a war zone. From GI’s and Hershey bars, to Gail Halvorsen over the skies of Berlin, to modern day warriors giving candy and bottled water to kids.
It’s a shame that in your world view people only do nice things with twisted motives in mind.
I can assure you the soldier in these photos wanted to create goodwill with the local populace. He succeeded.
The idea is so universal I posed for some photos with my then eight year old daughter (who is twenty now) in hopes of bringing such a scene to fruition.
Which happened:
And another relationship was born.
Amazing - the power of candy.
Well said Rob. It’s a shame how easily the simple story of sharing candy with local children can be twisted out of proportion. It’s a sad world we live in today.
Mario
It doesn’t take much to imagine that the little girl’s mother is perhaps standing out of view - perhaps next to the camera man taking the photo - and has dressed her up for the occasion (local village gets liberated).
I know it was my own initial posts that maybe instigated some this discussion, but the original photo of the scene seems to me to provide a lot of context that is absent or different from the composition of the box art photo. The body language of both the little girl and the GI are not nearly so “interactive” as the modeled figures. She seems both bored and intimidated by the strangers in uniform. Her attention is directed towards the camera, maybe either the photographer who is trying to “direct” her (using sign language and words she doesn’t understand or perhaps her mother is trying to do the same). The GI seems more focused on someone or something out of frame rather than the little girl.
The little boy on the hood of the Jeep also seems bored, like he just wants to get down and play.
The entire photo seems, to me to more of a posed PR picture rather than something particularly spontaneous. The modeled vignette might have an entirely different feel if the other figures included a photographer and perhaps a couple of adult civilians looking on (as seems implied to me by the original photo). I would certainly compose the scene quite a bit differently if I had modeled it myself.
At any rate, once I saw the original photo, I had a rather complete reversal of my original and initial impression of the modeled figures.
I have ordered this figure set and I plan to do just that - include a mother and photographer in the vignette.
Interesting conversation on this figure set. Robert brings up an excellent point.
I will be ordering it as well and I’m not sure now, but when it comes time to build it I might recompose it like Mine said.
That is a good point, Mike. Seems other people had the same idea and I can’t wait to see the results.
Mario
