I appreciate the positive responses in regards to the figures of this diorama. It is motivating me to continue painting and avoid getting bogged down or losing focus.
Cheers,
James
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Hi, just went down and checked. Stamping is done in 3/4” black “stencil” style letters. J*** J C********
RA 1180****
Runs parallel to the carry handle (about 2” below it) the “open end” of duffle would be on your left as you read it. Interesting the Army didn’t put last name first, but that’s how mine was marked.
My serial number was 8 numbers beginning with a 1, preceded by RA, which means I volunteered, draftees prefix was US and I believe their s/n’s started with a 5. As I recall, if you were drafted and signed up for the extra year, your prefix changed to RA, but your 8 digit s/n did not change. I believe Reservists prefix was ER and National Guard guys were NG, but I’m not 100% sure of that (it WAS 57 years ago 
). Hope this helps.
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Just looked at how my message went out, want to clarify, name and serial number were 2 lines with name on top line.
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As I said it would have depended on the time frame, just thought it might give a visual look between the new and the older looks. We were all constantly trying to be different. You didn’t want to look like the new guy! The way you wore your hat, the way you carried your self and your gear.
Wayne
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SFCJJC, thanks for the info concerning the marking of your duffle bag. It will come in handy.
My dad was RA, too.
Wayne, I thought I might try to have one FNG with sewn on sleeve rank insignia and the other pin on, but I ended up putting rank on the sleeves of both of them. It will add to the visual look between new and “been there a while”.
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Not much today, but I did add rank insignia to the sleeves of the new guys. They started out as decals from Archer. They adhered to the folds in the sleeves fairly well, but even after a few coats of AK Interactive’s Ultra Matte varnish, some areas were still shiny. To remedy that I just painted over them and that did the trick.
The clerk will be wearing pin on rank. Not sure if I will have the Platoon Sergeant and Squad Leader wearing any rank or not.
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Tonight I started painting the figure of the clerk. I only have the face completed so far. Because of the position of the arms, the front of the shirt will be a bit challenging to paint compared to the rest of the figure.
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I’m amazed by the craftsmanship of your figure construction and painting/finishing. Very convincing and life like.
If you can find it, this is a great reference
Covers everything including not only field uniforms and field gear, but also welding and maritime uniforms and safety gear, nurses uniforms , helicopter crew uniforms and body armor, firefighting and dog training gear. Special operations is also included.
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Thank you. I put a lot of heart and soul into my figures. Since I have been modeling Vietnam subjects for over 40 years I try to be as meticulous about the details as my skill level allows.
In regards to the book, thanks for posting the cover of it as that may benefit modelers who look at this thread and decide they might want to do a Vietnam project. I got that book back when it was first published and I ended up getting a second one because I used it a lot as one of my go to references. It is one of the better reference books out there. I do like the fact that Shelby Stanton covered uniforms, equipment, and accessories that were specialized items along with the normal combat related stuff that other reference books tend to focus on.
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I’m mortified. Thanks for being gentle with me.
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No worries. I appreciate you bringing that book to people’s attention.
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Today I worked on painting the uniform of the clerk for this diorama. The trousers were relatively easy to paint, but the shirt presented some challenges. Because of the clipboard being positioned in front of the torso, the breast pockets and entire chest area had to be approached in an indirect manner that included manipulating the figure at different angle throughout the process in order to get the brush where it needed to be. This was very time consuming. I will finish him in the next day or two as all I have left are the boots, skin of the arms, cap, patches, and clipboard to paint.
The effect I am going for is a set of jungle fatigues that are a bit faded to accentuate the darker new uniforms worn by the new guys. In the photos where I placed this figure with the two FNGs the difference is apparent.
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I really like how this one slowly turning into a masterpiece… Please keep posting, I enjoy seeing your progress.
Mario
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Thanks, Mario.
I am glad that you like what I am doing with this project.
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The clerk is just about completed. All I still need to do is apply a few more coats of white for the paper and to make representations of writing on the paper.
His uniform is faded a bit, he is wearing pin on rank, and his boots are shined.
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I started painting the Squad Leader, but I did not like how the eyes and face turned out. I decided that since this figure was originally going to be used for the MEDCAP diorama, I will set it aside and convert a figure to fit the scene a bit better. I wanted to show the effects of being in country as a contrast to the new look of the new guys, so I am going with a figure that is relatively thin to show the weightloss associated with a c-ration diet. I am using the legs of an officer from one of the Bravo 6 “Briefing” kits, the slightly twisted torso with crossed arms from DEF Models, and will use a Hornet head once I decide upon one. Once the glue is cured and the head is selected, I will sculpt in the jungle fatigue details.
The idea behind the latest squad leader figure is that he is sizing up the new guys and when the private says something stupid he turns towards him to respond.
This is the last head that I tried out and I am leaning a bit towards this one because it is relatively young looking which would be appropriate for a squad leader.
This head looks a bit like one of my good friends with whom I served with in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am torn between this one and the one above.
This head was also an option. He looks kind of perturbed. But he also looks a bit older.
The last head is one with the guy squinting his left eye.
I also played around with the idea of the squad leader looking at the private as he was walking around the new guys. I think I like him in the original position in front of them.
So, what are some of your thoughts concerning which head to use?
Thanks in advance for your input.
Cheers,
James
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I like the ball cap.
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Same- I think it suits the pose well.
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Ball cap guy. 
—mike
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Like the ball cap guy’s pose, not sure different hat, just to break up too many of same headgear. Since they are in rear area it is always optional. Wayne
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