(COMMERCIAL) Hue 1968 from Gringo40s. New!!

[carlos marighela]

Indeed but WW2 was only twenty years beforehand and there were vast stocks of stuff on hand to be doled out to client states and the occasional non-state actor. The US was doling out as much stuff as the Soviets.

Choosing an MP40, even as a PDW,  when you have access to pretty much anything you want is purely an expression of 'it looks cool'. Unless you are planning on doing lots of CQB or need a supressed weapon a 9mm SMG is always going to be a shit choice and there were better ones on the market at that time even if you were.

[gringo]

Carlos i agree.....there was a degree of self expression with the MACV SOG guys
as to be honest they must have been close to the edge..with the chances of
perishing or just no long appearing on the radar after being wiped our..so i guess
their choice of weapons was unusual..and wacky with the experimental stuff...
but a lot of the action was close quarters,,,the Sten M2 .easy to carry and assemble
rubbish at distance,,,
blurb on MP40 The MP40 is a very accurate weapon in reality, being capable of decently accurate fire out to 200 m. The Effective range of the MP40 was around 100 metres. One site stated that it was 109 Yards. Also the bullet dropped a lot which made the MP40s effective range worse.

[carlos marighela]

The Australian Army ditched the Owen, probably the most reliable SMG ever made, about a year into their involvement in Vietnam and had already started replacing it as soon as alternatives were available. The official reason was outdated and faulty ammunition batches but 9mm kept being produced for the Browning pistol and the F1 SMG. In reality the limitations of a 9mm pistol round had been realised.

We used to occasionally shoot the F1, the Owen's replacement back in the 1980s. Straight line design, probably as accurate as any other SMG, probably more so. Despite being a very good rifle shot and a dab hand with the 9mm pistol, I always found firing the F1 a distinctly underwhelming experience and getting rounds on target at 25m, let alone 100 a challenge. It was reputed that a wet army blanket was proof against it at 50 metres or more. Perhaps an exaggeration but a 9mm pistol round is a 9mm pistol round. Adequate to shoot stuff very close but utterly pointless beyond that.

As a result F1s essentially saw service in very limited terms either for rear echelon troops or for specific purposes like cordon and search operations.  In my day its singular use was for the guarding of pay parades, when pay was doled out in cash in little brown envelopes.  An empty one was doled out to those performing the role of pay guards with a magazine stuffed in their pockets. Of questionable use in the unlikely event someone was daft enough to attempt to rob an army pay parade but then it was probably as a thrown weapon that the F1 would have been most effective.

I reckon the bloke depicted in the figure just watched Vic Morrow in Combat! a bit too much. 

[gringo]

fascinating stuff........i have to admit the Owen Gun is one of my
favourite weapons in the Vietnam War...its a pity it was replaced
but by all accounts including of course your actual experience...
never having fired on. A mate of mine came back from Nam last
year and had a go at all the weapons on one of those ranges..
a dollar a round or somesuch.He tried them all and enjoyed the
AK 47..Chinese version...and said it was as loud as hell ..but seemed
to pack quite a punch..along with the RPG7 and 8  the VC/NVA for all
their handmade stuff had quite an advantage...IMHO:D

[carlos marighela]

Yeah turned that offer down at the Cu Chi Tunnels a few years back. It was hot, Cu Chi was very touristy and I thought to myself nup, I've fired most of those things and more back when someone was paying me to do so.  The AK option was vaguely tempting but it was hot and I really wanted a beer.

[gringo]

attached picture is from one of our customers
depicting an attack by US Marines on the Imperial
city of Hue, during the Tet offensive 1968
regards
Ged
www.gringo40s.com

[gringo]

top brushwork from Andy Singleton on one of our African American Marines Hue 68 ..from our Vietnam Range www.gringo40s.com

Regards
Ged
www.gringo40s.com

[gringo]

Gringo40s 28mm A.R.V.N. Female Major in full combat gear.one of our  A.R.V.N. releases.www.gringo40s.com great paintwork Andy Singleton. from Gringo40s expanding Vietnam War range.

regards
Ged
www.gringo40s.com

[vodkafan]

top brushwork from Andy Singleton on one of our African American Marines Hue 68 ..from our Vietnam Range www.gringo40s.com

Regards
Ged
www.gringo40s.com

Great work on the face! He really looks like someone I work with everyday. Although without the rifle of course....

[gringo]

Vodkafan
many thanks indeed!!

regards
Ged
www.gringo40s.com

[carlos marighela]

"....without the rifle of course...."

Well there's a relief. 

[gringo]

28mm Gringo40s Female and Male soldiers in action..from the collection of Dave "Deedles"...figures from Gringo40s..one of his many Splendid Games

regards
Ged
www.gringo40s.com

[gringo]

28mm Gringo40s NVA in action painted by one of our customers ,figures available from www.gringo40s.com

Regards
Ged
www.gringo40s.com

[CapnJim]

Nice job on those!  I may have to pick up some of your ARVN to use for for my fictional Central American country - El Perdomo...

[carlos marighela]

They are very nice figures. Ged was kind enough to provide a freebie example with my last order. He's been painted up as a member of the ARVN 18th Division, reputedly South Vietnam's worst*. I will be ordering more but they are more likely to serve as  Salvadoran or Guatemalan soldiers.





*Bizarrely, they fought in a very brave and tenacious manner in April 1975, right at the end of the war. Natural contrarians I suppose.