Multipart plastic Vietnam figures incoming from Rubicon

[Captain Blood]

Haven't seen these posted here, so thought I would do the honours...
Some astonishingly good-looking plastic figure sets for Vietnam on the way from Rubicon 
 
Interestingly, given their large and ever-expanding WW2 catalogue, the excellent Rubicon Models have decided to launch their first plastic figure sets for their incipient Vietnam range first.
A gap in the market I guess.
Being 'true 1/56' like the Perry WW2 plastics, these will probably come up a tad on the slender side compared to 28mm metal Vietnam figures. But the quality, versatility, and sheer number of different components - and the amount of design thought that's clearly gone into them - is mighty impressive.

Rubicon's AFV and vehicle kits are top notch, and when they get stuck into a project they don't mess about. Everything is done pretty fast and to an exacting quality.
That said, some of their early plastic tank crew figures (hard to believe Rubicon have only been going in earnest since 2014) weren't quite up to the same standard as their vehicles, AFVs and artillery pieces. But they've worked hard to improve them over the last couple of years, and I'm guessing now that they're going all in for plastic figure kits in 28mm, these will be extremely good.

As you can see, in the works so far (at various stages of development and production), are male and female VC sets, and USMC and US Army sets.

These might finally tempt me into a small 'Nam project

More info on Rubicon's forum: http://forum.rubiconmodels.com/index.php?topic=1064.msg14437#new

And for the VC models, here: http://forum.rubiconmodels.com/index.php?topic=1008.15

[Cypher226]

They do look nice.

There was a comment on a FB post with these that said they should be readily compatible with Empress, hopefully that bears out as it's looking like the Rubicon VC will be out before Empress' are 

[Blackwolf]

Interesting. I can imagine these sets will be popular just for the equipment,from the Congo to Balkans and beyond.
Thanks for the post Richard

[Dags]

OK, have to admit that I loathe placcy figures so, I wouldn't be in the market for these anyway other than, possibly, for bits.

There are issues with the make up of the US sets; M203 (not used/rarely used late on by the marines) in the USMC box and no M14 (used widely and included in the Army set  )

Also, the usefulness of their vehicles is going to be limited to existing gamers as 1/48-1/50th are the established size for 'nam gaming and 1/56th looks tiny beside them.

[RedRowan]

They do look quite interesting though I do worry the detail on some of those test models looks a little soft. Would be very tempted to pick a box up though to see how they look in the flesh.

Have been thinking of doing a little Vietnam project myself and prefer working with plastic.

Steve

[coldm2231]

1/56 is good for me, fits with Full Metal Miniatures and the old Force of Arms vehicles that are 1/56 too.

[Mick_in_Switzerland]

I like plastic sets but I am already heavily invested in Empress, Gringo 40s and 1/50 Corgi vehicles.
I hope that these are compatible, but I suspect that at 1/56, they may be small compared particularly to Gringos and Corgi.

[carlos marighela]

Nice but their research in this area seems a bit weak and their choices rather odd. M14 pouches for the Marines but no M14s. As already pointed out , M203s weren't really much of a thing until after the war with the Marines. I suppose if you are prepared to modify the uniforms you could use them for Operation Frequent Wind or the Mayaguez Incident in 1975. I'm struggling to work out what the big square boxes attached to the hips of the M60s gunners are though. Is this someone's idea of an ammo box?

The VC seem to be very well armed for peasant clad, presumably local and provincial forces. Not impossible and certainly their arms were upgraded as the war progressed but something of a missed opportunity. Captured ARVN weapons and WW2 Soviet/ Chicom and Eastern European donated ex- Wehrmacht imports would have been more useful and appropriate.

Whilst it's a popular trope, I have seen passing little evidence of nón lá hats being worn in combat. At least the photographic record including captured VC photos don't show much use Mostly bare heads and floppy bush hats. Not a very practical head wear to fight in but undoubtedly worn when concealment amongst the civilian population was required. Oddly enough one of the styles shown is more commonly found in the Southern provinces of China. Another missed opportunity was to not include ' Mao caps', these were occasionally worn by VC forces and even militia in North Vietnam. Their inclusion would have allowed Khmer Rouge and even some of the Pathet Lao to have been modelled.

I know they have said that this is a test period for them but it all seems a bit scattergun. They start with VC and Marines and yet their first vehicles are  Centurions, M113s and T-54s which weren't used by either. they have also floated a BTR-60 (bizarrely the early P and PA models) which didn't see service in in the Vietnam War.  Their previewed UH-1 D/H kits show all kinds of weapons kits not typically fitted to D and H model Hueys.

I like Rubicon and have quite a few of their kits but I suspect they will struggle with this as 1/50 is the established vehicle scale for the period and modelers will probably avoid an 'odd scale' like 1/56. They would have been smarter to have done their vehicles in 1/48 and got the crossover market.

That said these will prove a useful source of bits, so I'll probably buy some of the infantry just for conversion purposes.

[Blackwolf]

Hmmm,interesting points Carlos. I think the modern vehicles  will still be worth getting, and certainly the Centurion will be worth a look.  Whilst the Empress  Centurion is good it needs a lot of work.

[tomrommel1]

As I have a lot of Empress miniatures. I probably stick to them. I will get a set of VCs from Rubicon to try them out and of course a Huey just for the love of them and size comparison .

[Ewart]

Nice but their research in this area seems a bit weak and their choices rather odd. M14 pouches for the Marines but no M14s. As already pointed out ,

The M56 universal pouch, whilst designed initially for the M-14 was often used for M16 magazines, before and during issue of the M56 short pouch. So that's not wrong by any sense of the word. I am surprised they haven't given them the M-1961 webbing set, which was more prevalent within the USMC, this is the webbing type often seen hanging below the M1955 flack vest.

[Rich H]

Hmmm,interesting points Carlos. I think the modern vehicles  will still be worth getting, and certainly the Centurion will be worth a look.  Whilst the Empress  Centurion is good it needs a lot of work.

What work does the Centurion need? 

[Blackwolf]

Straps on the turret bins,tools,tow cables(very distinctive),mesh on the rack behind the turret (albeit easy enough to do with photo etch. It's fine as is,however if you look at photos it's a bit sparse.
I'll try and post some pics of mine,almost finished...
Whoops! Fire extinguishers on turret, and reinforcements on the track bins,I do however understand the limits within 3d printing thingummie,sort of

[Rich H]

Ok thanks for the feedback.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

I am not sure how I feel about what would be effectively a whole new scale/period (okay, I can probably reuse my existing buildings).

Carlos makes some interesting points, Rubicon respond positively to criticism (and have upgraded items in response) so it might be worth posting their forum.

I do wonder if some of their vehicles are "Cold War" and others are more "Vietnam War" specific.

On their forum there was a comment: http://forum.rubiconmodels.com/index.php?topic=1064.msg14434#msg14434

I've never heard of the M79 called a "blooper".  Thump Gun or Grenade Launcher, sure.  I served post Vietnam so the M79 had already been replaced with M203.

Now I remember it being called that in books back in the 'eighties (very technical publications such as TW2K and Morrow Project ^__^), I just wondered what the opinion was here?

What sticks in my mind was that it was onomatopoeiac, from the high-Low pressure signature. Other names are available...