Evening Fellas,
I need a bit of advice from the lads on here who have ‘been there, done that’, so to speak.
I recently managed, after a few years of searching, to get hold of this little chap.
Lots of detail and an M60 complete with PE. No ammo belt but, thanks to Mario, I’ve got that sorted. My question is, would this figure be appropriate for Grenada or Panama?
Now, normally I do WW2 but, I’m trying to expand a bit. I’ve done research and, it looks appropriate so,If any of you gents can point me in the right direction here, I’d really appreciate it.
G.
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I would say yes, it is suitable for Grenada and Panama.
The uniform is of the same cut - Battle Dress Uniform (BDU), the PASGT body armor and helmet, and as far as I know ALICE equipment was used in the 80s as well. The camo pattern would have to be woodland though.
Mario
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Yep, the dreaded woodland! Going to be having some fun there. I’ll have to do a bit of work to convert the boots to jungle boots as well.
G.
Looking forward to your project Lazarus. That’s a pretty nice figure from Verlinden.
I’m not sure how you want to depict your figure or which conflict you want to place him in, but that ALICE pack looks under sized even for a small one. They made 3 sizes I think, I had the large while on active duty. I think Verlinden made a set of equipment that included the large ruck. I have Verlindens USMC from the gulf which had the large ruck.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Rich
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Hi Rich,
I just finished the M249 gunner with the full-sized ruck and the difference is ridiculous! The one from the M60 gunner is at his feet. Guess that will be getting binned!
The rest of the figure looks pretty good though. Looking forward to getting this one done.
G.
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Wow that looks great. Yes that is the large ruck I was talking about. I’m not sure but I think most 82nd Troopers in Grenada or Panama would have had the larger ruck.
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I think I’ll be leaving off the ruck. I’d have to find one, then sculpt the straps, then alter the stance of the figure so he’s leaning forward slightly. Maybe a bit too much work there. Does anyone make 1/16 tropical plants……
G.
Ok, so a quick search for jungle plants didn’t turn up a lot. Looks like I’ll be making my own.
Now, correct me if I’m wrong but, this fella looks to have African-American features, even though the box art depicts him as Caucasian. What do you think?
I’ve never painted African-American skin tones before so, can anyone suggest a palette using Vallejo acrylics or, point me in the right direction?
Thanks lads.
G.
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If memory serves me, the BDUs the 82nd wore in Grenada were the the first ones that came out meaning they were identical to the ones this fig has- I think. Not sure if they had the light weight ones yet. The US Army didn’t come out with the lighter weight rip -stop til a few years later. (The Rangers wore the plain green jungle fatigues which I believe were of the rip-stop type).
Yes he definitely looks to be an African- American soldier Lazarus. I’ve never painted one before. I have a great book by Bob Knee but it is all about oil painting called “Color Theory and Application”. It states to start off with Burnt Umber or Burnt Sienna or Venetian Red, to shade use Ultramarine or Winsor blue. Highlight with Mars Orange or Naples Yellow. I stopped using oils a long time ago and sorry for not giving the Vallejo’s equivalent but you may have to do a little trial and error with the colors. Hope this helps.
Rich
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Made a start on some scribing. The seams on the front of the jacket are very good but, non-existent on other parts.
Re-doing the boots as well. Undecided as to bring the heel part forward to be accurate or to leave as is?
Made a start on the M60 as well…
More to follow as I go along. Can still only do about 10 minutes at a time because of my hand.
G.
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The uniform seams you’ve made look great. The jungle boots look great too especially as you seem to have the “Panama Tread” down pretty well. The 60 looks good, nice detail on the bipod legs. Looking good !
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Thanks Rich, I really appreciate the comments and your insight on this. I get the feeling from your pic that you have way more knowledge on this subject than I do so, if you see me doing anything wrong here, shout up! I’ve been wanting to do this figure for a long time and want to do it justice. I’ll keep you posted when I get more done but, fair warning, it takes me a bit longer than it used to……
G.
No problem Lazarus, keep up the good work ! I still have a lot of gear and uniforms from when I was in the service so just ask if you have any questions; my memory is getting worse as I progress through the mid 50s lol so beat with me.
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Nice work, looking forward to follow the progress.
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Its great to see one of these Verlinden models being worked on. A very fine job you’ve made so far and I have to say that M60 is looking excellent!
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Thanks for the compliments gents. Always encouraging when others are interested in what you do. Rich, sounds like you and me are at the same stage in life. Bits either failing or falling off! Next update coming soon….
G.
Yes Verlinden came out with some very good figures at one time. They just need a little work here and there.
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