Verlinden Productions
711
These figures have been around since the late 1980s or early '90s,
and are often seen in U.S.-themed dioramas. The moldings are not
quite as crisp as later Verlinden figures.
The
walking rifleman carries an M1 Garand. He wears an ammo bandoleer
draped over his chest. His right hand is molded to the rifle. The
rifle barrel was warped; gentle bending managed only to break it.
The
BAR gunner, standing at ease, has his weapon slung over his right
shoulder. The thumb on his right hand was broken off, but fortunately
the piece was still in the bag.
Both
soldiers wear fantasy jackets---they are longer than the tan M1941
jacket, so they appear to be the olive drab M1943 jackets. However,
they do not have the breast or front hip pockets as found on the
M1943 jackets. To further confuse things, the BAR gunner's tapered
button cuffs are those found on the M1943, but the cuffs on the
rifleman are the tab arrangements of the M1941! Moreover, they do
not have buttons up the center as both the M1941 and M1943 do. Given
the length of the coat, and that the absence of the front pockets
is fairly concealed by webbing, I painted them the OD color normally
associated with the M1943 jacket.
The
pants are featureless and can painted a greenish rust color for
the wool trousers (I use one part ModelMasters Field Drab to two
parts Leather) or olive drab for the herringbone tweed pants. Both
figures wear canvas leggings.
The
figures are divided into heads, torso, legs and arms. Construction
is straightforward, with the arm joints needing a bit of contour
putty to fill small gaps. The figures, with helmets on, scale out
to about 6'3" in height.
This
kit has the two heads that are found in #747 and #1437. Both wear
the M1 helmet, one plain and one with netting. Like nearly all of
the early Verlinden heads, these are rather characterless noggins
with rather vacant looks. Replacement heads from Warriors or Yanks
would be an improvement (Hornet or Ultracast heads are too small).
There
are two sets of M1944 combat and cargo packs. This dual pack was
designed to replace the M1928 haversack, and enabled the GI to leave
the bottom cargo pack behind, usually containing spare clothes,
while bringing essentials along in the combat pack. The two packs
are molded together, with the M1943 shovel on top of them.
Other
accessories include two ammo/grenade pouches, six grenades, two
canteens, and one carrier with a larger canteen, three Garand clip
pouches, and one holstered pistol.
While
the shoddy research on the jackets is unfortunate, the figures are
quite serviceable.
-tss-
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