M60 Crew figure suggestions?

Here’s what I came up with, using some Hornet heads I’d bought for IDF projects, two plastic torsos and arms (Tamiya and Academy) and one Verlinden driver upper torso.

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Nice. Those came out looking really good.

I made the pic bigger so you can see them better too.

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Ready to roll out for REFORGER!
Ken

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Those came out great Russel. That’s what one is gonna have to do if one wants Cold War US tankers etc. mix and match lol.

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Only addition you might consider is say, thin strips of card/etch offcuts for the name tags and the “US Army” tags above the breast pockets, then I think you’ve some excellent figures there.

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Boots, good idea. As they sit, they’re going to a show tomorrow, but I may add tags later. Thanks.

'Glad to be of help - they do indeed look fine.

I also hope the show goes well!

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Those do look great. I used the Academy KIFV TC figure with an Ultracast head on my recent M48. I shaved off the trouser cargo pockets, but it looks like I missed the shoulder epelauttes… :shushing_face:

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One note about the OG-107 uniform. In the 50’s, and 60’s the style was exactly as Gino showed in his picture of the soldiers from the 40th Armored Division. That’s the version I call the “bright” version. The Officer’s insignia on both the headgear and the collars is bright brass, the “US Army” tape is black with gold letters, the name tapes are white with black letters, and the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia is a full color rendition. Enlisted and NCOs wort their stripes on their sleeves and they were also a gold color. You’ll also notice that the shirt is tucked into the trousers and the belt has a brass buckle.

Some time in the late 60’s (I’m not certain of the exact time frame) in a nod to the fact that the Army was actually at war, the OG-107 was changed to what I call the “subdued” version. The Officer’s rank on the head gear was STILL bright metal (either silver or gold depending on the rank) with the soft cap in garrison, primarily so the Enlisted and NCO’s could tell the officers and salute them. In the field on the steel pot, the officer’s rank was either a brown color for 2LTs and Majors (to simulate gold) or black for the rest to represent silver. The rank insignia on the collars were the same as the “field” version, and all the branch insignia were black. And some officers used a pin on version, while others had a cloth sew on version. The Enlisted and NCO ranks were moved from the sleeve to the collar and were black and except for a few Senior NCOs (E-8 and E-9) were most often the pin on variety. The US Army and Name Tapes were the same OG color as the uniform and all lettering was black, and the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia was also an OG background with the design in black.

The shiny brass belt buckle and brass tip were replaced with this version:

And there was one other variation which was either a local policy perhaps at first but ultimately became the standard.

Initially I recall being required to wear the shirt tucked into the trousers, similar to how you see the soldiers in Gino’s first picture with the OG-107, But eventually the standard became wearing the shirt outside the trousers similar to how the jungle fatigue and eventually the BDU were done.

But one thing was constant. You were expect to have spit shined boots, and either wore “issue” boots or Corcoran “jump boots”. They were USUALLY worn with a blousing band wrapped around the ankle and the end of the trouser leg rolled up to the top of the boot. And heaven help the “leg” who decided to actually tuck the trousers INTO the top of the boot “airborne style”!!!

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All correct and the subdued uniform was worn, with the shirt tucked in, until it was replaced by the BDU in the early 1980s.



One thing changed, I believe during the 1970s. The original cotton material, which rotted quickly in Vietnam, was changed to 50/50 mix of cotton and polyester called “poplin,” which had a slightly darker color.
Ken

Subdued unit patches, Us Army & name tapes, and enlisted rank insignia were introduced in Vietnam around late 1965/early 1966. Look at the photos of the 1st Cav from the Ia Drang in Nov 1965 to Masher/White Wing in Jan 1966 to see the change over. Units elsewhere throughout the Army - Stateside, Korea, Europe, etc. took far longer to adapt the subdued patches. By the late 60’s, enlisted ranks went from sleeve worn patches to collar worn embroidered or pin on type.

We’ll, I think the figure helped. The model he occupied got a third in class, behind a couple of beautiful models by a guy I consider to be a professional.
My model:


Oops, looks like lost an antenna mast somewhere…

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Congrats!! It came out looking great.

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Looks good to me Russel!

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Looks mighty good to me. Any more photos of this beast to share with us? :wink:

I’ve got a few…

IMG_3638 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
IMG_3639 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
IMG_3640 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
And a couple during construction:
IMG_2691 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
IMG_2695 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
It’s Academy, Takom and CMD parts with Dragon tracks.

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Nice!!! Thanks for those extra photos :+1:t3:

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Hi Russel, I was looking all over for reference pics of the hydraulic plumbing - just happened on these photos of yours - what a great help - Thanks - great build btw… :+1:

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Dragon has the M 48 series and now Takom. Maybe someone will start making some 1960’s armor figures.

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That would be a good thing. I have several models that could use crew figs.