Well ok, I made these guys a few months back. somebody was talking a couple weeks ago about American airborne uniforms in WWII, so I decided to post these pics of my figs. They’re an American airborne bazooka team in Normandy June, 1944. The figs are from Nemrod, the trees and grass are from Woodland scenics. The base is half scratchbuilt, half a freebie from a fellow member of my local IPMS group.
I’m not sure about the uniforms. on one site I visited a guy said to use Model Master’s SAC Bomber Tan for the uniforms, but it looks more like a lite green to me. plz all comments a welcome. come on, I can take it![:-,]
Fantastic. I think the colours are right on the money, at least according to some of the pictures I’ve seen. The whole thing works for me. Keep up the fine work.
It looks good to me, whatever that counts for. [:)] I purchased a book a couple of years ago with color photos of people wearing old WW2 uniforms, the American uniforms were either green or khaki, of course the green would start out dark and end up a lighter color with use and abuse. I think that the SAC bomber green replicated the faded green quite well.
thnx much for the nice comments. glad u guys approve[:D]
-madspaniard: yea, his eyes aren’t actually that bright. I painted them two shades of grey which resembles eyes in scale quite nicely I think. I just didn’t outline them as well as I shod hav, and I took that shot from slightly below the head, catching his face right in the light, which since he’s bending over isn’t correct. so they look kinda zombie-like[8)][alien] LOL
thx just the same. really, I appreciate the nice remarks comin from you guys…
thx for the nice comments guys. themage- i did the scene like this cuz i wanted to do something small for once, and the two guys could be done in a vignette by themselves. the idea is that they have sneaked up on somebody, but the intended target is ‘off screen’ so to say. you’re right, i couldda made it bigger, but i didnt want to have to build a whole nother model and vehicle and make a larger base this time. thnx just the same![8D][8D]
To me, the scenery overwhelms these two guys, they are lost.
The other thing to remember about a bazooka (LAW, TOW, RPG) is that the projectile is rocket powered with a significant backblast that can be deadly. The loader has to be able to get out of the way and get cover or he’s literally toast.
The base seems very cramped to me, and, as ajlafleche observed, the loader’s survival prospects do not look good.
With regard to the uniform colours, my understanding is that, at the time of the Normandy campaign, US airborne troops wore tan uniforms (as shown in Saving Private Ryan) but these were later (prior to the Ardennes offensive) replaced by olive drab ones, as worn by the rest of the infantry, somewhat to the displeasure of the paratroopers, who felt this somehow eroded their elite status. While I would hesitate to calI it ‘wrong’, don’t think the shade used here accurately reflects US army olive drab, irrespective of how appropriate this may be to the setting.
great job!!! i agree with the loader about to be cambells chunky soup if he stays there…but some soldiers had the camo…not the best idea when the enemy also has camo…ooops [:I]
much obliged for the constructive criticisms. first off, yes that is a helmet; no i did not know that the interior pad was supposed to be light green when i made this; the loader is loading the round intot he bazooka as we speak. there’s not supposed to be one in there right now, so the gunner cant fire. if you’ll notice that the loader looks to be about to push the round in with his right hand once he gets it up to the rear of the tube.
as for the colors: some say its wrond some day its right. my resources when i built this said it was right, so that’s how i painted them. i got a best junior with it at the last show i attended so im not complaining. i like it how it is so it doesn’t really matter. still, i appreciate you guys bringing this kinda thing to my attention, my resources for this build were rather limited considering the time alotted, so the more info the better!!
in any case, its a good step forward for me in my skills.
Firstly, nice figs! Secondly, that IS where the loader should have been. Once the rocket was loaded, he moved out of the way and tapped the gunner on the helmet to let him know he was clear to fire. That was SOP for bazooka teams in WWII. As to the uniforms, they look a little greenish. I’ve owned an original Jump Jacket (still mad I sold it!) and the M1942 Jump Suits are unarguably tan.
In the summer of 1944 the M-43 uniforms were beginning to be issued in large quantities and the airborne units of the 1st Airborne Task Force were issued them for the Southern France invasion. They added pockets to the trousers to retain their “elite” status and kept their jump boots, but otherwise, they looked like everyone else in the landing. Looking through Michel DeTrez’s superb book on the FABTF you can see a mix of M42 and M43 jumpsuits, but by Market Garden in September, everyone was wearing the M43 uniforms.
Having worn both the M-42 and M43 jackets, I’ll take a 43 anyday. They’re warmer and the pockets don’t make noise when you unbutton them! Plus, in the deep woods of PA, NY, RI and MA, those airborne jackets stand out a lot!
![http://rongeorge.com/albums/figures/82nd_AB_Bazooka0002.jpg[/mg]](http://rongeorge.com/albums/figures/82nd_AB_Bazooka0002.jpg%5B/mg%5D){kind=link}
