Nemrod
35036

This is the first of Nemrod's great series of hard-charging dogfaces of the 30th ID. With BAR ammo pouches on his cartridge belt, this fellow is the assistant to Nemrod's BAR gunner (#35037). You can tell from the well-sculpted grimace on this guy's face that he's feeling quite a bit of pressure to get from point A to point B. He's loaded with gear: his Garand in one hand, ammo bag swinging from the other hand; a bandolier strapped across his chest; late pattern gas mask bag over his shoulder; raincoat tucked into the back of his cartridge belt; as well as wire cutters, entrenching tool, first aid pouch, bayonet, trench knife, and canteen - with one end of the cover unsnapped!

His uniform is typical for combat settings from 1942 onward. He wears the M1941 combat jacket and canvas leggings. Even the cargo pockets of his OD trousers are bulging. If you carve off the little raised divisional patch on his left shoulder, you could enlist this GI in just about any fighting unit from North Africa to the Rhine.

Sculpting is exquisite, as always from Nemrod. Incredibly, the torso, legs, and left arm are cast as one piece. Hands are molded separately, with the right hand grasping the Garand. There's a bit of flash, and a mold seam running up the back of the right leg, but nothing troublesome. The undercut collar and lapel of the raincoat is paper thin, and mine has a slight tear in it that I may just try to preserve to give it a definite used look. You'll need to provide the strap for the ammo bag, as well as the Garand and helmet chinstraps; positioned the right way, they will definitely add to the feeling of movement.

-tss-