[Nam 68] Platoon - UD 27/4 final AAR of first game

[Arlequín]

They are meant to be XM177 or 'Colt Commando' carbines. Same family as the CAR-15, a semi-auto designed to cash in on the rep of the Armalite brand Colt acquired. That's the short and simplified version anyhow

According to http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Platoon they are proxies.

Looking good anyhow SI! Doesn't hurt to strive for perfection at all either.

[tomrommel1]

Barnes is a ace conversion SI!!! Very well executed 

[Silent Invader]

Thanks folks  

Yep, there were three with movie substitutes for the XM177E1 carbine, Lt Wolfe, S/Sgt Bob Barnes and Sgt Elias Grodin. I'm afraid they've each got the M16A1 rifle as a compromise: I did set out to give them the shorter weapons but decided that as it'd make no difference to the 'shooting' rules and at 28mm the stock would largely be hidden in the armpit, I got lazy.   for the same reason, I did start to give Barnes taped double mags but then decided I was making life unnecessarily hard for myself.   However, as best as possible I have endeavoured to match the use of towels, helmet accoutrements and similar features that'll stand out in the pjs on the tabletop.

Here's a couple more that might be of interest:

Elias (the head is from Project Z):



King Pin (the M60 is actually a modified cut and shut of the MG42 from the German Grenadiers set and the BAR from the US Marines set):



Don't forget it's the movies: thus the ability for King, who is tall etc, to stand and fire from the shoulder. And not a spare barrel in sight.....

I've finished 15 now and have started painting them. The plan is to try out the rules versus the female sniper from FMJ before building the rest.

And I dunno why but those Harold and Rodriguez fellas remind me of some folks we know.

I see where you're going .....  

[Malamute]

Great stuff Steve. I especially like Elias.
Once more I bow to your vision and creativity in bringing your concepts to life.

[c0cky30]

Superb work.

[traveller]

Wow!

I cant wait to see these painted 

[Silent Invader]

Thanks folks.  

Must admit that Elias, alongside Barnes, is a favourite.

The reason King has so much GS is because the stock figure has been made taller. I cut him at the knees, waist and shoulders and inserted 1mm plasticard fillets, which were then modelled around. Conversely the short minis had a 1mm cut out at the same points, so posing aside there's a good 4mm height differential between the tall and short characters.

Barnes and Elias are both in the average bracket but to my mind the movie presents Barnes as being the noticeably taller of the two  (Berenger is actually only 5cm taller than Defoe), so I've given Barnes a little extra height for effect. Anal, huh?!?!?  

PS: I tracked down a copy of the Platoon board game plus all the scenarios subsequently released in various mags. Most inspirational.

PS2: As I like to have 'room for growth' in projects, I have it in mind that at some point I could add the characters from the Lusthog Squad from FMJ albeit as infantry rather than marines, which will give the Platoon 4 squads.

[Romark]

I can only echo the comments from the earlier posts,great work,really imaginative conversions,looking forward to seeing painted versions 
And remember,when it all starts becoming a chore,the greenstuff won't set quick enough and you cut your finger with that scalpel blade,it's all Mason's fault ! 
Seriously  though Steve,awesome work 
Cheers
Keith

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Nice job on the M60, I want some of those for my post war Proxy Americans (Bolt Action American plastics with WGF/Project Z M16s)

[Silent Invader]

Thanks folks  I'm on a painting roll at the mo so GS has been put to one side.

Have to say that both Mason and Cocky30 were inspirational, for very different reasons.   

The M60 was a pretty easy build. Shame there isn't one in any of the Project Z kits but at least it's possible to do a work around. 

Thinking aloud, at some point I need to get myself a Huey, probably one of the plastic kits so I can make an airworthy and crashed version.

[Mason]

Thinking aloud, at some point I need to get myself a Huey, probably one of the plastic kits so I can make an airworthy and crashed version.

And so began the epic SAGA of SI: Lost in the Jungle.
 




Oh, and dont forget: You will need water buffalo at some point.
 

[Silent Invader]

And so began the epic SAGA of SI: Lost in the Jungle.
 




Oh, and dont forget: You will need water buffalo at some point.
 

That last line is just mean Paul 

A water buffalo requires a village, a village requires villagers, villagers require paddy fields and a track, a track leads to a road, a road leads to a town and so it goes on until I end up with terrain for the closing scenes  of Full Metal Jacket. 

I shall resist adding a water buffalo 

[Captain Blood]

Very nice conversions, Steve. Ingenious as ever.

We shall have to compare notes on palm trees.
I bought some boxes of Pegasus palms (types A and B) for my planned Western Desert board, but I'm not entirely convinced...
Nick has linked me to some very nice ones - but also very expensive!
Interested in your choices on the palm tree front. Although obviously the characteristics of jungle palm trees and desert palm trees aren't quite the same 

[Silent Invader]

"I need some palm trees..." Sounds so simple doesn't it! 

Have never been to Vietnam to see the flora in the flesh (so to speak) but to some extent that doesn't matter as mine is a movie project with Platoon having been shot in the Philippines and FMJ in East London. 





The closest I could find were these coconut palms, which can be found in Vietnam, The Philippines and (possibly) in huge planters on East London movie sets. Mine are only 11cm tall (I prefer shorter trees for ease of access) and cost about 35p each. They came 'from China' via EBay (seller: 9amfree). As you can see, I have clumped some, adjusting the heights here and there.



At some point I will paint them but am following this thread before I commit myself:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=98656.30

[Ultravanillasmurf]

No temptation to use skips as bases?