Master Box 1/35 US. 101st Paratroopers. France 1944....and a soul in need.

[spanner570]

One set of the above.


Excellent sculpting. Why folks change heads on some figures is beyond me. Rather like aftermarket and P.E., it's a must do, I guess.

A bit sparse in clobber, so I intend to add 'Things' from my bag of spare goodies and also make some too.










Made a start on a figure. He's even got a fag!


Cheers.
Ron

[Neil Merryweather]

Great choice Ron, especially poignant with the shaven-headed 'collaborateuse'.
Looking forward to this

[tr1ckey66]

Looks a great figure set Ron. Looking forward to what you have planned for them.
ATB
Paul

[Jim R]

They look some very nice figures. The faces look excellent. Some plastic figures, especially some older ones, do have faces which are pretty hopeless and changing them for a nice resin head is a good idea. These however look really well detailed and should paint up nicely.

[spanner570]

Thanks chaps.

Best lay my table out before this build progresses much further......
If any of my good buddies here on S.M. are hoping to see a set of accurate, pristine, parade ground figures, forget it.

I just can't do 'Squeaky Clean' military ow't!

Paratroopers will have jumped from an aircraft, in the dark and being shot at from the ground. Have landed in water, ditches, mud, cow s***, thorn bushes, trees, house and church roofs, who knows what. Haven't a real clue where they are. Are dodging a determined enemy who is trying to kill them and have hidden in anything to avoid such a fate. They have, as yet, no transport and are trying to find their mates.
This is how I see these chaps. Scruffy, but ready for anything....

i will probably be sticking on non- standard stuff too. Paratroopers are usually surrounded by enemy troops and initially would have to live off their wits, scrounge and nick what kit or food comes their way........

Also, the figures are to be viewed ( should you wish) from a reasonable scale distance. So if you are one of those rare creatures who insist on zooming in on finished and possibly inaccurate
models, for the sake of your own sanity, please by-pass this build.

I think that just about covers the reason for any apparent appalling paintwork that could well materialize during the build.

I thank you.

Richard Winters. 101st Airborne. D.S.O., Bronze Star Medal(2), Purple Heart, Croix De Guerre (France), Croix De Guerre (Belgium)

[Jim R]

Have landed in water, ditches, mud, cow s***, thorn bushes, trees, house and church roofs,

I reckon you've modelled most things in your time Ron but cow s*** is a new one even for you! Looking forward to it. :smiling3:

[JR]

570.
An interesting introduction to the build, I shall sit and ponder.

[spanner570]

Thanks chaps.

After a pleasant day or so, here are the stuck together figures.



Just look at the baby's face. So small......Cracking bit of sculpting.



Great fit, with very little cleaning up, mainly very faint seam lines. There are even little indents sculpted into the plastic to allow for perfect position of arms and elbows resting on thighs and the like.....

I appreciate folks have their own method, but this tip might help anyone making these type of figure up for the first time.....
I glue all the bits of the figure together in one go. Wait a few minutes, then whilst the joints are still workable, I loose fit any add-ons, such as weapons and manipulate the figure to it's final natural position. This I find is the easiest way (for me) to go about the construction.

Next, I'll pick one figure out and work it to a completion.

Cheers.
Ron

[Andy T]

They look very nicely detailed, with great poses.

[Gern]

If they got no transport yet, what are they all sittin' on? (Stupid question No22!).

[Airborne01]

Ready for anything - 'Utrinque Paratus' (Para Reg motto)
Steve

[Tim Marlow]

I appreciate folks have their own method, but this tip might help anyone making these type of figure up for the first time.....
I glue all the bits of the figure together in one go. Wait a few minutes, then whilst the joints are still workable, I loose fit any add-ons, such as weapons and manipulate the figure to it's final natural position. This I find is the easiest way (for me) to go about the construction.

Fully agree with the italic and underlined part Ron. That’s exactly how I assemble my little blokes, using Contacta because it gives more working time and fills any small gaps. These are looking good, by the way.

[JR]

With faces as good as those I can see why you don't consider any aftermarket 570 .

[spanner570]

Thanks for the feedback boys. :thumb2:

I am very impressed with the standard of these offerings. I've had a look at earlier figures from M.B. that I have built, and these have deffo. been 're- tooled', particularly the faces.

Answer to stupid question No.22....

It seems to me, 'Big Box', you have been submitting too many of your crosswords to 'Lesser Quality' newspapers. As a result you have lost the power of simple logic. Hence your ludicrous question.

First off, and I realise this will come as a shock to your usually faultless and amazing powers of observation, but not all are sitting.....
The soldiers have no choice in the manner of their posture. They are not actually sitting, but being supported. Apart from one paratrooper and the tanker, the others are stuck in that position due to a condition called '90 Degree Twice', so called because of the shape of the posture.
This (at the time an unknown phenomenon) is caused by prolonged sitting in aircraft and wearing very heavy kit. It is only suffered by Paratroopers and Ryan Air Passengers.
The effect can last for days. Unfortunately the photograph you refer to was taken by a rather over enthusiastic cameraman who couldn't wait for the soldiers to straighten up.

Before you make any further daft observations on the subject, may I suggest you read (If you can) 'How to straighten up in 10 seconds' by the well known author R. Sklenchin Tytlee.

You will be glad to read, it is available in plywood pages.

22/1

[Gern]

I'm so glad you're here to explain all these technical issues Ron. I must confess I'd never heard of '90 Degree Twice' before. That's what you get from studying Maths instead of something useful like physiology.

I must also confess I've never been a paratrooper or flown with Ryan Air either. In fact I've never been inside an aircraft at all and while that's no excuse for my ignorance, it does go some way towards explaining it.

Thank you for taking the time to produce such a detailed clarification of the issues involved.

Meanwhile, I will try to get hold of the publication you recommend, but I may need to consult with you should I encounter any long words it contains.

It is a constant source of amazement to me the sheer volume of information and knowledge I am getting during my time on this wonderful forum. It is surely only a matter of time before some of the topics discussed come up in the pub quiz I attend every fortnight - even though some of it is quite esoteric in nature.

I only hope you good folks don't get fed up of all the stupid questions I throw your way.