Recon 28

[carlos marighela]

I know Ebob is selling the trees but does anyone know what's happening with the 28mm Vietnam miniatures range he's sculpting? Every time I look at the website it seems they aren't for sale as yet. Seems to have been a long time since they went up on the site.

[v_lazy_dragon]

I had a chat with him the other day - he's working on  some more VC and special ops figures that he wants to get in the initial release; which should be scheduled for spring 2012...

[DFlynSqrl]

I check the site pretty regularly as well hoping they'll be available.

[carlos marighela]

Cheers. Such are the vaguaries of minis manufacturers.

[Helen]

I posted on Face Book the question on the Vietnam miniatures when I saw the SAS miniatures and he replied "Christmas time."

Carlos, FOAs new Aussies look great.

Cheers,

Helen

[carlos marighela]

Chhers Helen. Now are they in proper patrolling poses or are they standard wargames fare? Mile Broadbent's Vietnam stuff is some of his best because the attention to detail is pretty good and he took a lot of feedback on the figures. If you can scan some pics of the FoA stuff I'd be grateful.

[Helen]

Chhers Helen. Now are they in proper patrolling poses or are they standard wargames fare? Mile Broadbent's Vietnam stuff is some of his best because the attention to detail is pretty good and he took a lot of feedback on the figures. If you can scan some pics of the FoA stuff I'd be grateful.

Hi Carlos, from the photos provided to me by a member of Fields of Fire forum they look to me as if they are patrolling/advancing. He has added packs to the FOA Aussies. I've the Pl HQ coming across so I'll get a better photo for you that is not in conflict with other miniatures this guy sent me.

Still don't understand why companies keep making Owens instead of F1s for Vietnam miniatures. Considering Ian Skennerton's book on Australian Service Machine Guns clearly mentions the withdrawl of Owens and the introduction of the F1s prior to Vietnam.

Cheers,

Helen

[carlos marighela]

Still don't understand why companies keep making Owens instead of F1s for Vietnam miniatures. Considering Ian Skennerton's book on Australian Service Machine Guns clearly mentions the withdrawl of Owens and the introduction of the F1s prior to Vietnam.

Well actually I can and it's one thing the Eureka figures get wrong. The Owen was still very much in use in Vietnam. Read the official histories, various battalion war diaries etc and it's pretty clear it was. There's quite a bit of photographic evidence for it too. They were definitely used up until at least Long Tan. the famous episode of the crew commander of one the APCs dispatching an RCL crew in the closing phases of the battle was done with an Owen.

By that stage they were already being replaced by M16s and then in 1967 by M16A1s.  I'm afraid that Mr Skennerton is almost certainly in error.

The F1 was useless bit of kit. I remember firing them bak in the 1980s, we did so once a year and bizzarely it was one of the weapons taught in IET and also for things like subject 1 for corporal. Apart from that the only time it ever came out was for pay parades where a couple of unfortnates got to stand around with one sans magazine which was kept in your pocket lest an unfortnate accident occur. The only people who carried them in an infantry battalion were transport platoon drivers.

Now all kinds of things were kept on strength by various odds and sods like transport sigs and the cockroaches. There was a transport unit in Victoria that still had 7.62mm Brens on strength. I was sorely aggrieved that I missed what was probably the last opportunity to fire the things at Puckapunyal, probably around 1991.

[Helen]

Well actually I can and it's one thing the Eureka figures get wrong. The Owen was still very much in use in Vietnam. Read the official histories, various battalion war diaries etc and it's pretty clear it was. There's quite a bit of photographic evidence for it too. They were definitely used up until at least Long Tan. the famous episode of the crew commander of one the APCs dispatching an RCL crew in the closing phases of the battle was done with an Owen.

By that stage they were already being replaced by M16s and then in 1967 by M16A1s.  I'm afraid that Mr Skennerton is almost certainly in error.

The F1 was useless bit of kit. I remember firing them bak in the 1980s, we did so once a year and bizzarely it was one of the weapons taught in IET and also for things like subject 1 for corporal. Apart from that the only time it ever came out was for pay parades where a couple of unfortnates got to stand around with one sans magazine which was kept in your pocket lest an unfortnate accident occur. The only people who carried them in an infantry battalion were transport platoon drivers.

Now all kinds of things were kept on strength by various odds and sods like transport sigs and the cockroaches. There was a transport unit in Victoria that still had 7.62mm Brens on strength. I was sorely aggrieved that I missed what was probably the last opportunity to fire the things at Puckapunyal, probably around 1991.

I shall look at this more closely, thanks Carlos. I used the F1 in Malaya in 1980 and I used the bren during my time in anti-arnour.

Cheers,

Helen
Edit: How bad do I feel for not researching about the Aussies in South Vietnam. Accepting the sound advice of an expert and a book. Never will I do that again.

[carlos marighela]

All Mr Skennerton needed to have done was search the AWM collection. Quite a few photos of Owens in use in Vietnam by infantry battalions, vis:

http://cas.awm.gov.au/item/CUN/66/0519/VN

http://cas.awm.gov.au/item/P01217.007

etc etc.

[Helen]

All Mr Skennerton needed to have done was search the AWM collection. Quite a few photos of Owens in use in Vietnam by infantry battalions, vis:

http://cas.awm.gov.au/item/CUN/66/0519/VN

http://cas.awm.gov.au/item/P01217.007

etc etc.

Thanks Carlos very much.

Cheers,

Helen

[Sunray61]

When my Battalion - 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (4 RAR) - deployed to South Vietnam in May 1968 we were equipped with M16A1s in lieu of Owen Guns or F1s.  We were issued with M16A1s in late 1967 after our return to Australia in October 1967 from a two year tour in Malaysia which included five months in Borneo during Konfrontasi with Indonesia.

About this time the F1 was relegated to drivers, clerks and storemen in the non-combat corps.

During our tour in Malaysia with 28th Commonwealth Brigade from October 1965 to October 1967 we were equipped with AR15s in lieu of Owen Guns.  I believe these weapons were from British stocks and were AR15s and not the military version M16.

In Malaysia were were also equipped with MAG58s and 7.62 mm Bren LMGs from British stocks.  We were also issued with four 120 mm WOMBAT anti-tank guns in lieu of the 106 mm RCL wich was the standard heavy anti-tank weapon (HAW) in Australian battalions in Australia and Vietnam.  This was to standardize weapons within the Commonwealth Brigade which included British, New Zealand and Australian infantry battalions.

As a footnote, in Vietnam we were equipped with US 90 mm RCLs as the battalion's medium anti-tank weapon (MAW) as Sweden would not supply Australia with  84 mm Carl Gustav ammunition for use in Vietnam.  The Carl Gustav was the standard MAW in the Australian battalions in Australia.

[Helen]

When my Battalion - 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (4 RAR) - deployed to South Vietnam in May 1968 we were equipped with M16A1s in lieu of Owen Guns or F1s.  We were issued with M16A1s in late 1967 after our return to Australia in October 1967 from a two year tour in Malaysia which included five months in Borneo during Konfrontasi with Indonesia.

About this time the F1 was relegated to drivers, clerks and storemen in the non-combat corps.

During our tour in Malaysia with 28th Commonwealth Brigade from October 1965 to October 1967 we were equipped with AR15s in lieu of Owen Guns.  I believe these weapons were from British stocks and were AR15s and not the military version M16.

In Malaysia were were also equipped with MAG58s and 7.62 mm Bren LMGs from British stocks.  We were also issued with four 120 mm WOMBAT anti-tank guns in lieu of the 106 mm RCL wich was the standard heavy anti-tank weapon (HAW) in Australian battalions in Australia and Vietnam.  This was to standardize weapons within the Commonwealth Brigade which included British, New Zealand and Australian infantry battalions.

As a footnote, in Vietnam we were equipped with US 90 mm RCLs as the battalion's medium anti-tank weapon (MAW) as Sweden would not supply Australia with  84 mm Carl Gustav ammunition for use in Vietnam.  The Carl Gustav was the standard MAW in the Australian battalions in Australia.

Thanks for the information.

Cheers,

Helen

[Arlequín]

Interesting stuff all round... I strongly suspect from all this is that the Australian Army's unofficial motto is "Provide the guns and booze and we're with you mate!" though.

 

[BlindFool]

Just thought I'd revive this topic allbeit for a progress update on this promising figure/ruleset - if anyone has one?

(I do understand that Ebob is much in demand - but I think there are enough of us out here to continue our interest/support of the range)