Indeed. But I needed to pare down my stash.
3 Likes
That’s the one; Leipzig? I can’t remember. Still useful for those relatively unknown Cold War conflicts.
Some may recall my rendition of the Berlin Wall (RMP Munga) being erected in 1961, but there was brutal repression long before that - and I feel it all needs modelling!
6 Likes
I remember it very well because it was extremely well done. I’ve wanted to do a similar one for years, but from the American perspective with the earlier wall type:
3 Likes
IIRC, the magic is that they supposedly don’t need cleaning up. But on the few sets I used, I had to cut away the point where the plastic came into the mould anyway.
Indeed, the Simsonplatz with the Reichsgericht building:
1 Like
Well, thanks for that; I ended up using commercially-available wall sections, really for convenience, though essentially, I should have either made my own (Eastern?) blocks for the construction. I managed an effect and got to tell the story though.
That brace of M151s would look really interesting in a similar pose. A collection/display of the different small vehicles would be quite good reflecting those troubled times, limited admittedly to . pretty much the Mungas and M151s though - the French I understand used Mungas in their Zone.
Incidentally, if one wishes to convert US figures to the time, with those sort of rigid looking caps, I found a source within the Hornet Head range which I think will do the trick:
HFH06 - French Foreign Legion Field Kepis; a touch of sanding and they might do the trick; just for info.
6 Likes
Nothing quite like the full picture; thanks!
3 Likes
Thanks for the tip, but not everyone was quite that strack - the cardboard inside the soft cap (yes, I did it a time or two) and the pennies taped to a cardboard ring over the bloused boots. I preferred the Ranger roll and stuffing by pant legs into my boots. (before it became popular for SF not to blouse them at all)
I do think the guys in the photo wanted to impress the Genossen, and have the cardboard in the cap, but the gunner in the far vehicle appears not to be playing along. If I ever get to an earlier wall dio, I’ll probably use the heads on these guys, perhaps with some slight flattening:
2 Likes
I’m not to sure that we’re talking about the same type of cap; I recall this one, both in pics/films of the 50s/60s and on the brit Equivalent of the GI Joe “doll”, which seemed to be a fairly rigid type of construction:
Not that I’m trying to lock horns with someone who has been there/done that(!)
1 Like
I may be giving my age away, but I actually wore a patrol cap very similar to that when I wore my rip stops - no, that’s not the actual name, but that’s what we called the OG-107 jungle fatigues. I’ve posted a few pics with me in that uniform in the past. Mine never looked like your photo though. We Ranger rolled it and had cat eyes sewn onto the back.
When the BDU PC cap came out I did indeed block that one a time or two. But usually if you wet it and smoother the top out, then let it dry upside down, it was good for a day at most. Some guys even starched theirs.
At any rate, I think a brief encounter with some sandpaper on the countertop should bet the Ranger PC’s looking just right.
But that dio isn’t happening soon. I still very much like yours.
Edit:
This may be one of the only photos you’ll ever see of SF guys on a SADM training mission. Of course I wasn’t allowed to photograph the SADM, but the point of the photo is that we were wearing our OD jungles with the OD PC.
4 Likes
With all the talk about headgear, what I really need is bare heads. I used two German heads from a MasterBox set, but the one on the right looks way too small on a Dragon figure, which are historically a little large:
There are other Dragon heads that are suitable, but I gave them away to an Armorama member a few years ago. (the whole figures actually) Now it’s biting me in the ass because the Dragon heads would probably work much better. This is the set I from which I gave the figures away - does anyone happen to have these heads, or similar to trade?
Any bare German WWII heads would be welcome - I’ve got more to do…
3 Likes
Depending on your confidence level it’s possible to make you own toups, with any head that looks like what Hannibal did to Ray Liotta i.e. flat-top awaiting helmet or whatever. A blob of putty on top (having cross-hatched the flat top for grip), with the tip of a knife you’re only limited by your legendary hairdressing chops 
3 Likes
This one is as far as it needs to get credit right now. It’s part of a series of related dioramas. None of the dioramas will be painted at first - kind of like architectural models. Now I can wait at my leisure for more Dragon heads, and possible a few civilian bystander figures.
Next up will be the wall patrol.
2 Likes
