I spotted these recently on the Tracklink site; pursued them over the weekend on the ITA site, and ordered them accordingly, and they arrived today. The original advert:
They came extremely well-packaged including a natty little plastic case to hold the components in:
They are modelled in the 1950s issue parka, which was a very substantial piece of kit; designed originally for the Korean War, it served on for some years, being able to cope with German winters, so was a popular sight in BAOR for many years. The real thing:
And sans hood:
I have described elsewhere how I first encountered the garment:
“there was one in the Guardroom at Ripon Barracks in Germany when I went there for my first posting. As a lowly Private, I wasn’t deemed competent enough for the far more relaxed duty of Duty Clerk in Corps HQ, so, as is the lot of most such ranks, I frequently found myself on guard at the main gate. German winters were pretty merciless back then, and the Guardroom had 1 x parka; as it was deemed too risky to issue several sizes (I imagine they would be stolen, or more likely, it was down to the sheer cussedness and parsimony of the QM staff), the largest size was issued, working to a one-size fits all policy. Well, it really didn’t. Back then at a puny 5’2", wearing one was like stepping into a shed. With a wire-reinforced hood, from which I could fashion a pill-box like slit, I found I didn’t even need to pace up and down when on duty, but just let the snow pile up around me, as I was quite toasty - these things really were well made. Of course, it gave those wishing to enter the barracks a bit of a start when this snowy sort of mound emitted a request for ID, but well, such are the vagaries of la vie militaire(!)”
As one will note from the advertising pics, for whatever reason the designer has chosen not to include the hood; now, I have seen same actually in use, but in not using the hood - though I suspect it facilitated the use of radio headsets which was probably the reason the users discarded the attachment in the first place - one was left with a perfect funnel-like collar, an ideal conduit for snow and rain, so removal sort of negated the whole point of wearing the thing!
So to me, that means I will have to add one, but I don’t see that as an overwhelming problem. I feel the buttons could be defined a little more, but again, that is not a real problem, and is what plastic rod is for.
The trousers are modelled with only one map pocket and that is on the left thigh; that is accurate for the green pattern combat trousers, and for the first iteration of DPM (camouflage-pattern) trouser, but for later depictions, you’ll need to add one on the right leg.
The boots are of some concern; they are depicted as a modern assault-type boot, and are shown with laces criss-crossed and with a floppy bow hanging down. Now, that might be OK for today’s type of boot, but is then not applicable for the parka’s use. Brit Army bootlaces were laced in a ladder-type fashion, and not criss-crossed. For the time-frame of the parka’s use (50s – 90s say) the issue boots would have been the short ankle boot, either the studded “ammunition” boot, or the later DMS (rubber-soled) variant. The high combat boot which was issued in the mid-80s also had “ladder-type” lacing, so if you plan on that option, then some filing and stretched sprue work will be required - on all 3 types of footwear.
If you plan on modelling the ankle boots, then not only will you have to tackle the laces, but also add anklets (“gaiters” if you must) or the short puttees. You may also have to extend the trouser-leg as it bloused over the boots, so Milliput or similar will be required. Note that puttees only really seem to have been issued on a wide basis from the late 60s/early 70s.
So, this all means a bit of work, but I for one, am very glad to see these. I particularly like the squatting figure and he would look just so good on any AFV of the period, from Centurion, to Ferret, Saladin, Saracen, Abbot, to Chieftain; in fact, anything really up to Challenger 1 I should think. Soft skin models will also benefit from these figures.
I often bemoan the lack of suitable figures for the Cold War period, but these go some way to ameliorating the situation, even if they require a little work, so well done Inside the Armour.
I plan on tackling these shortly, though as ever the road to hell is paved with good intentions!
Finally, some pics of the hood, which simply buttoned on:
Not an overwhelming problem I’d have thought; Magic Sculp and perhaps some lead foil. We’ll see!
I’ll look forward to see how you get on with them​:+1: