It was his “Good morning Vietnam”. The build and the discussion here was a lot of fun, and I got a lot of help from you - so I thought I’d try it again, and I really need help here, as this is not a Vietnam subject - the figure shows a Marine from Desert Storm in a “Chocolate Chip” uniform - not my speciality. It could be though, that a real life Captain like this started his military career in the last years of Vietnam, right?
I got the set really cheap in a well-camouflaged model shop in Germany and there are no builds of this set on the net, so I thought let’s post one.
Here’s how the parts look like - I already cut off some pour blocks and did some repairs to parts damaged in the box - still some more left to do. The head is already on a holder for painting, as I plan to start with that:
I’d like you, friends to point out all the Verlinden-itis symptoms on this one - maybe I can correct them - and maybe help me out on the camouflage pattern. Thanks in advance for your help and please stay tuned, have a nice day
Not sure how clear this will come across - if you give me an email I’ll send the pic to you - page 79 out of Verlinden Productions Modeling Magazine Volume 2 Number 3
That last photo, looks to much like General Swartzkopf. Now for your information there were a lot of Marines with Mustaches.It’s just not done in anything requiring The typical P.R. Marine Photo-You Know Dress Uniform and at Attention type stuff. We got hammering dirty,wet and scuzzy. Still, some Officers gave us permission to wear a brush. “Not Extreme ,” You Hear!!“? Sir! Yes Sir!”" Thank You, Sir"
The USMC does allow mustaches, from their grooming standards:
A mustache may be worn after recruit training, but the face must be clean shaven daily. The mustache will be neatly trimmed and must be contained within imaginary vertical lines from the corners of the mouth and the margin area of the upper lip. The individual length of a mustache hair fully extended must not exceed 1/2 inch.
Good luck to you! Feel free to join the 30th Anniversary Gulf War GB with this, if you want to. Either way I will be following this one!
I forgot to say he looks better than I did after my last tour.Yes, As a “Gunny” I did have the Brush! I only went a month after transfer from the Navy and got my permission for the brush. It was a short " Handle-Bar " in the Navy. Our ship’s Captain allowed them as long as they were shorter than His. He was a Holdover from Korea and the waning Days of W.W.2 and a “Mustanger” to boot.
A " Mustanger" was an officer who worked his way up through the ranks to the Bridge of His own ship. He, Commander Turner, also did it from the Engine Room! So, He had a soft spot for any " B " or " M " division sailors and “Petty Officers”
1973 to 1991 being 18 years, our putative O-3 would have to be a “mustang”–prior enlisted and advance through the ranks by way of an officer accesion program(MESEP, OCS, PLC, etc.)
A Marine O-3 will be pretty salty, at least 4 years’ experience, potentially a Company commander, or a Battalion (or Regiment) staff officer.
That Verlinden color image is terrible, too–chocolate chips are very tan, to nearly a yellow ocher or sand sort of base. The green components are a mix of sage to near schwartzgrun sort of color. The images further along are better references.
Now, the boots almost certainly need to be green & black jungle boots–the desert boots were not readily available until around 1992–well after the “100 days.”
TB - musta been really somethin’, serving under such an officer!
Capn - sure counted on your help on this one! The Verlinden model looks like an older, respectable Marine, maybe the good old Francois wanted to show a “mustang” with his miniature.
I generally planned to do a lighter colour uniform on my figure, than the one seen on the boxtop photo.
stik - good to see you on my thread! I think I’ll go with classic jungle boots here. I read the good ole’ Norm employed a lieutenant or a captain to keep his bathroom clean - I wouldn’t want to model someone like that…
That’s a very nice photo you posted - wouln’t you have any showing a “chocolate chip” camo?
I also wanted to ask you about this one thing I first noted looking at the “Three Kings” movie - that woodland camo vest, in the movie it looks a bit like they wear woodland at night and “chocolate chip” underneath that and during the daytime. Can you tell me more on the woodland/chocolate chip mixture?
Thanks a lot for your great comments and have a nice day
Gen Schwarzkopf was an interesting soldier. It is reputed that he loved his enlisted troops but was hell on his staff officers. I can look and see what I can find for SOF troops in chocolate chips.
As far as ODA 525 goes, their hide site for road overwatch was in a farm area of the Euphrates Valley, and was green with vegetation at that time. The BDUs make more sense than DCUs for that locale.
My understanding was that many recently arrived units from Europe, such as VIIth Corps did not get DCUs until after the cease fire. But then again, aside from XVIIIth Airborne Corps out west, all US heavy forces were in MOPP gear in case of chemical attack. The MOPP suits came in either solid olive green or woodland camo. I havent seen Three Kings in years, but I think that they had woodland MOPP suits on in the movie over their DCUs.
This is an Officer that endgendered, Duty, Honor, and Country to his men. I don’t know how he did it , But I imagine there was OCS or something like that for him as well. But I will say this.The Crew would,ve Gone to Hell and Back for that man and our ship. Now I cannot speak for the other officers. I know that NO One trusted or liked the X.O. He came across as a Sleazeball.
Oh, he( The X.O.) also came from a Heavy Cruiser that De-Commissioned. I don’t think he liked FRAM destroyers anyway. Or any Destroyer at that, Especially one that was as older than he was. I had worn out Sergeant level M.O.S.s after my transfer to the Marine Corps, and Was offered a Warrant after school. I turned it down.
Althoutgh I do respect the Uniform, If I cannot respect the Man I cannot do it. To many Line Officers look down on OCS and other step-ups as lesser than they and don’t mind showing it. The Academy grads are the worst!
Stik - thank you for the photo references. Can you tell me more on the ODA 525? It’s the first time I hear the name of this unit mentioned.
Gamera - I can use moral support, too! Welcome!
TB - a good boss is a treasure, in the military probably even more than in a civilian job where you don’t need to put your life on the line.
I’m having a few days off between the holidays - so there’s no better opportunity to clock some modelling time! Here’s what I did with the face of my fig. First I put on some Tamiya grey spray primer, I let it dry and then I put on a layer of Humbrol 63:
This needs to dry well - 24 hours or more. Once this is dry I put on some dark brown wash made out of Humbrol brown paint diluted with airbrush thinner:
Now this wash doesn’t need to be dry before I mix white paint with (very little of) the same brown used before, getting a pale pink shade, that I dry-brush on the face to create highlights. Here’s the effect:
I’ve also tried to bend the colours a little by applying some acrylics. Those were the Games Workshop “Kislev Flesh” and “Cadian Fleshtone” (those names!) - they turned out to be almost perfect match to what already had been there:
Finally I took some more Games Workshop dark grey and painted the eyes and the moustache:
The lower lip was also painted brown - it’s hard to spot in the photo but it really makes a difference.
Now I need to work on the cover - I’d be glad for some references. I’m especially interested in how the underside of the visor looked - or the correct name of the cap, so I can google for more references.
Don’t forget Pawel, The Globe and Anchor would be Black, or on the miniature, shades therof. I have one little figure of a German farmer. In 1/35, Don’t remember where I got him , but he turned out looking like an early picture of Josef Stalin.
ODA 525 was a team from 5th Group inserted into the Euphrates Valley on a road watch mission on the eve of the ground war in Feb.1991. Their hide site was compromised, and they had to hold off numerically superior Iraqi Forces for hours, eventually with the help of danger close close air support until they could be extracted.
once again another nice long detailed reply eliminated by FSMs soup sandwich forum iOS interface.
