Verlinden
Productions
2082
A soldier
helping a buddy with a nasty leg wound has been done several times
with German figures, but only once for US soldiers, that being an
out-of-production General Issue set. Verlinden now offers a paratrooper
duo dressed for a D-Day outing gone bad.
Unfortunately,
these figures do not wear the M1942 jump jackets seen in Normandy,
as the box art implies by the tan color of the jackets and trousers.
Actually, the unidentified sculptor has fashioned M1943 OD jackets.
I was fooled by the box art at first, but further examination shows
the one-button arrow tab on sleeve cuffs, no pleated front hip pockets,
and a larger cut lapelall hallmarks of the M1943 jacket that
was introduced to airborne soldiers for Operation Market Garden
in September, 1944. So, if you want to use these figures in Normandy,
as the box art suggests, you need to make some alterations to the
jackets, the most difficult of which will be fixing the lapels.
Verlinden has often had problems with accuracy throughout his product
line, but this seems to reach a new low. If he and his team can't
get a simple uniform correct, what does that suggest for other VP
products? What is worseineptitude, or a con job?
When
fixing the torsos to the lower body segment, you always need to
be mindful of keeping the two parts properly situated so there is
enough thickness of the uniform coat over the trousers (as opposed
to the torso extending to the bottom edge of the belt). There isn't
much leeway with this pair.
Because
of the close proximity of the two figures, this set is a little
tricky to assemble. I haven't yet completed putting all the pieces
together because it will be easier to paint some of the areas separately.
I started
with the wounded soldier, whose right arm twists around behind him.
His hand is molded onto his rear thigh, and I glued these pieces
together first.
The
right hand of the "helper" is molded to the wounded figure's
back. I glued the helper's right arm after shaving off a bit of
the lower wrist of the right hand so it would fit better against
the arm sleeve.
The
wounded man's left arm is supposed to drape over the M1936 musette
bag (a duplicate of the bags with Nemrod's paratroopers, by the
way). I glued the arm to the bag. That way, I can position that
onto the helper's back. Ideally, the bag will be pulled down a bit
by the weight of the arm.
As
things stand, it looks like the figures will fit together in a natural
looking way. I'm considering swapping the helper's left arm, partly
since the cuff is wrong (not that it would be difficult to repair
it) but mainly because I'd like a little more physical exertion
from the helper. Ideally, he'd be leaning a bit to the left side,
under the weight of the wounded man. His left arm would be used
more for balance. Since he's equipped with the cartridge pouches
for an M1 Garand or carbine, it would look better than with the
MG (though there's nothing saying he didn't pick it up after losing
his rifle, or that it's the injured soldier's weapon, etc.). Perhaps
I'll grab a rifle from my spares and strap it over the helper's
shoulder, or put it in his left hand.
All
in all, it's a decent offering, without the accuracy, finesse, sense
of action that would make it great.
-tss-
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