That definitely answers the question. Thanks G!
G.
so what’s the answer?
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Jungle fatigue trouser cargo pockets had double pleat. Partially shown on your photo. This did not change with later patterns.
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That desire was probably tempered by the propensity for early poplin versions to tear giving way to later rip-stop material being used.
Additional info here…
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Yep, those are the 3rd pattern and the most common. I’ll need to break out the putty again. Looks like the Marines were wearing the ERDL from’69 onwards so, the painting just got more complex too….
G.
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Going to go with the M16. I think the M203 was used there but only in very small numbers. Apart from the fact that the chap isn’t carrying any grenades for it, it’s probably going to look out of place and, as you said, the Marines took pride in their older kit.
G.
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@barnslayer i was talking about tge M203 being issued to the marines, sorry for the confusion.
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No problem!
Considering the Marines were last to receive new anything in Vietnam my guess would be it’s safer to default to the M16 versions and M79 grenade launcher.
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Good photos of first pattern (exposed buttons) jungle trousers on fleabay.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/265425418306?hash=item3dcc967842:g:ZbMAAOSwTdlhlx-i
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Made a start on the cleanup. It’s taken me just short of two hours to do the right leg! Whoever put the master in the mould certainly didn’t check it first. Bits and nibs all over, what looks like glue residue and tiny resin bubbles from the mould, not to mention the big seam line up the back of the leg. Not even thought about the reworking yet. Rest of the parts look the same. Alpine it is not! For £35 I’m not giving up on it though. Too tight for that😁
At this rate, I might have it done for Christmas….2025!
G.
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It gets worse. ERDL came in both green dominant and brown dominant versions of camo.
The only visible difference to design would be hidden buttons, no cuff buttons and no epaulettes. Side adjustment at waist would be hidden by personal gear.
See photos at link.
https://www.mooremilitaria.com/apparel/1st-pattern-jungle-fatigues.html
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A couple of thoughts on this figure, from an Army guy who served in RVN in 1970.The jungle fatigues are an older pattern, so if you’re doing later war, you may have to modify. I never saw an M-203 during my tour, our grenadiers carried M-79’s. So if we didn’t have them, I doubt (emphasize “doubt”) the USMC had them. I notice the box shows the figure with a band around the cover on his steel pot, that would be correct for an Army trooper, but that didn’t seem to be in common use in the Marines. Any USMC RVN Vets can weigh in on this, as I said, I was Army. Last, a 30 round magazine would not be incorrect, they were not issue items, but some guys modified AK mags and they did work, sort of, I had one. They made great conversation piece, but not reliable enough to bet my life on. In the field, I used standard 20 round mag (usually w/18 rounds loaded). Have fun.
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@SFCJJC i concur about the helmet band, the only time i saw marines with those was in tve batyle of Hue and they were improvised from black rubber from bicycle tyre inner tubes.
WELCOME HOME Sir!
p.s. i am basing my observations on research i have done in the past.
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Thanks for all your input, lads. Much appreciated! At the moment, it looks like I’ll be going with 3rd pattern fatigues (lot of reworking), the Reedees M16 with 20 round mag and reworking the helmet to get rid of the band. There’s a lot of work to do under the helmet rim anyway so, I might as well get it done while I’m at it. One thing I do need advice on is the back of the thigh on the fatigues. To my eye, it looks like it’s too tight fitting.
Opinions, gents? You might be able to tell that I’ve rescribed the boot detail as well.
G.
The pant leg does look a little tight to me, but could be fine.
On the jungle boot, the toe cap looks off to me. It should come all the way back and meet the heel cap in the middle. The line across the middle looks too deep or pronounced.
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Thanks for the info on the boots, Gino. The line on the toecap is, apparently supposed to be a crease. That’s getting filled when I finally break out the putty. The main problem (apart from the accuracy) is that the resin used is very soft and doesn’t respond well to a blade. So far, I’ve got around 12 hours invested in this thing, just cleaning it up. Still nowhere near though. I’ve only cleaned up both legs, the pack and one arm! The pic of the arms below shows what I’m up against. The right arm took about an hour and a half just to get rid of the roughness.
Only just noticed as well, how I missed it, I don’t know but there’s no ammo pouches, only a bandolier. Was this common practice. Can’t imagine it was? More putty….
Ryan, I take back what I said about buying this one. How it made it to production, I’ll never know. All of these faults should have been corrected first. I’ve gone from one 1/16 Marine (the Alpine) that virtually fell together, to this one which will literally take me weeks, just to build, let alone paint! Anyway, rant over! Back to it😤
G.
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Pouches were mounted to web gear belt on both sides. Pouch shape changed with the move from M14 to M16.
https://www.mooremilitaria.com/equipment-loads-and-gear-at-a-glance.html
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Oh boy, so now the butt pack needs reworking too. That whiskey bottle downstairs is looking very tempting right now 
G.
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It’s a process. But it’s also supposed to be enjoyment. Don’t forget to correct the pleats on the pants pockets.
Or… “F” it and move on. OOB is always an option too.
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What’s driving me crazy… the way the rifle sling hangs straight down to the knee, makes a sharp turn to the stock and also impedes the grab-handle… looks starched. I know it’s a resin sculpting/attachment thing… just sayin.’
Round o’ whiskey on me. 
—mike
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