Master Box, Mini Art and ICM have marketed figures representing the European countries envolved in The Great War… Finally ICM has come out with a set of US Army figures from the conflict.
The set contains four standing figures. They are wearing what appear to be period correct uniforms, laced up boots and clouth “Smokey the Bear” style head gear. There is also a sssortment of weapons and 'soap bowl" British style helmets to give the figures a more frontline appearance.
The figures look like they could also be used in dioramas from other conflicts modifications. After World War One uniforms didn’t change that much till late in the ninteen thirties.
Will be cool to see some photos of the figures. AEF was surprisingly uniform, both Army and Marines wearing wool puttees and breeches, with woven Mills web gear. Weapons would be the P1917 Enfield (aka Eddystone) with every 16th man issued a Chauchat; side arms woulf be the S&W revolver or the M-1911 pistol. In addition to the Brit P15 helmets and the felt “campaign” covers, photos sho a number of troops brought their ‘envelope’ style “overseas” covers to wear in non-combat situations. Compared to the other combatants, the AEF was almost boring in it’s uniforms and kit. The troops forming in the State, on the other hand were a completely different story altogether.
I have almost all of ICM’s WW1 1/35 kits. WW1 is my favorite subject. ICM is the only manufacturer, that I know, that has multiple figure, WW1 infantry kits. They are very nice kits. However I find it odd with which WW1 periods they choose. They have a early 1914 French but no mid to late war French even though they have a separate weapons kit that includes late war weapons? Same goes for Austro Hungarian and Italian kits. They cover the Germans and British well with early and late war kits. It’s great that they have come out with an USA kit. They have some great off the radar, at least here in the USA, WW2 kits as well. I hope they continue to introduce new WW1 kits. How about Belgian, Serbian, Bulgarian and Ottoman? [8-|] That would be sweet
A fellow modeler by the moniker “Old Marine” did a diorama/shadow box using these figures and the WWI Weapons kit from ICM in the US Militaria Forum website, in the Hobbies and Models section. He fashioned the figures to look like Marines between the wars fighting in the 2nd Nicaraguan Expeditionary Campaign 1928-1932(Banana War) against the Sandinistas. Its a very well done dio. ICM did an excellent job with both the figures and weapons of that era. Those same figures can be used as early WWII Marines in the Pacific along with the weapons kit, as they were still using those weapons on Wake Island and in the early stages of the Guadalcanal Operation.
What about Springfields (even though more troops carried the M-1917) besides Colt M-1917 .45’s alongside the S&W M-1917’s? These figures could also be used for Phillippine Campaign troops.
It is an excellent set for both WWI and the WW2 Phillippines and early Guadalcanal campaigns. It shows both M-1917 pistols, the Colt and S&W. It also has two Springfield M-1903’s, even though there were more Enfield M-1917’s made at Remington’s Eddystone factory than 1903’s used in WWI. It even includes the trench sweeper shotgun, the Winchester M-1897. The BAR M-1918 was only tested by 1Lt. Val Browning (John Browning’s son) in October and November, 1918.
That cup grenade launcher never made it across the Atlantic before the Armistice.
Per several sources, the cup launchers were removed from all rifles they were attached to by 1919.
So, I wish they’d moulded a P-17/M-1917 instead of the cup launcher 1903.
The other thing is that the bayonet for the 1895 shotgun was the Enfield P-17 bayonet and used it’s sheetmetal green scabbard.
That tradition, of using Enfield bayonets for US fighting shotguns until the adoption of the Mossberg M-950, which had a lstub & ug for the M-7/M-9 bayonet circa 1982.
