Since I've reviewed this figure elsewhere , I thought I'd chip in .
He's a great figure , and DiD are to be congratulated on producing him.I've got two , and will use them as the basis for several figures . These notes are just to let you guys know that there are problems with him as he stands , though he's a great basis for modification into other things , particularly a great War Officer .
There are a couple of points to make : The Vickers is truly excellent , apart from the rear leg of the tripod : all the ones checked so far have the bracket where it fits to the central column on upside-down : you need to push or drill out the pin holding this section , rotate it , and replace the pin with a bit of brass rod.
The ammo belt out to have brass spacers on it : the plain style came in in 1944 , but did not replace the earlier style. The gun is provided in the late great-War - early WW2 configuration : later in WW2 ( 1942 is the earliest pic I can find )they often used a big melon-shaped flash-hider , and the ammunition came in different boxes. Many of them also had an unribbed barrel-jacket , though the ribbed version continued in use .
The uniform has problems : the Service Dress , as has been noted elswhere , was very much a rear-area outfit : no-one anywhere near a combat zone wore it after 1940 , and the boots / gaiters/ riding breeches rig pretty well vanished after 1940. The SD continued as a social and admin uniform , but was worn with matching trousers .
The Service Dress Tunic as provided is actually the Line Infantry cut , NOT that of The Guards, who wore plain cuffs , and buttons grouped according to regiment : Single for Grenadiers , pairs for the Coldstream , threes for the Scots Guards etc. You could make him a Grenadier by removing the cuff pieces.
The rank badges are actually rather good replicas of the embroidered badges WORN ON BATTLEDRESS , not on SD, where bronze versions without the cloth backing were normal: these are not provided.
If you want use them on Battledress the bronze bits need painting to represent white and khaki embroidery.
The cap-badges are fine : all the five Guards regiments , though they are a little large .
The cap itself is too tall.
The knickerbockers are spurious : invented ! Though some have suggested that they are the mountain breeches .
The Sam Browne and the pistol are fine: it's actually the Pistol, Revolver ,.455 No.1 Mark VI , as used in the Great War .
The gaiters are not of a pattern yet discovered in an original photo from 1940 , though the style was occasionally in use in the Great War .The usual style had three short straps and buckles on the front .
The Boots are beautiful !
The Greatcoat is nicely made , of a very fine fabric , with German pebbled buttons !
The helmet , although metal , has too steep an angle to the brim , and the applied metal foil rim is too wide .The strap is also wrong .
The respirator case is OK.
The briefcase is nice !
The other webbing item is supposed to be the pack for carrying the ammo boxes , but it was used with the later style of " sardine can " liners , rather than the ammo box provided .
In the usual DiD style , then , we have a collection of excellent bits that don't quite belong together . The likelihood of a Guards Officer dressed like that in 1940 even knowing how to operate a Vickers are a little thin ! They were operated by specialised Battalions in both the Great War and throughout WW2 .
This is not a knocking excercise : I'm glad they've made him , but if you want an authentic figure he needs a few improvements.
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He's a great figure , and DiD are to be congratulated on producing him.I've got two , and will use them as the basis for several figures . These notes are just to let you guys know that there are problems with him as he stands , though he's a great basis for modification into other things , particularly a great War Officer .
There are a couple of points to make : The Vickers is truly excellent , apart from the rear leg of the tripod : all the ones checked so far have the bracket where it fits to the central column on upside-down : you need to push or drill out the pin holding this section , rotate it , and replace the pin with a bit of brass rod.
The ammo belt out to have brass spacers on it : the plain style came in in 1944 , but did not replace the earlier style. The gun is provided in the late great-War - early WW2 configuration : later in WW2 ( 1942 is the earliest pic I can find )they often used a big melon-shaped flash-hider , and the ammunition came in different boxes. Many of them also had an unribbed barrel-jacket , though the ribbed version continued in use .
The uniform has problems : the Service Dress , as has been noted elswhere , was very much a rear-area outfit : no-one anywhere near a combat zone wore it after 1940 , and the boots / gaiters/ riding breeches rig pretty well vanished after 1940. The SD continued as a social and admin uniform , but was worn with matching trousers .
The Service Dress Tunic as provided is actually the Line Infantry cut , NOT that of The Guards, who wore plain cuffs , and buttons grouped according to regiment : Single for Grenadiers , pairs for the Coldstream , threes for the Scots Guards etc. You could make him a Grenadier by removing the cuff pieces.
The rank badges are actually rather good replicas of the embroidered badges WORN ON BATTLEDRESS , not on SD, where bronze versions without the cloth backing were normal: these are not provided.
If you want use them on Battledress the bronze bits need painting to represent white and khaki embroidery.
The cap-badges are fine : all the five Guards regiments , though they are a little large .
The cap itself is too tall.
The knickerbockers are spurious : invented ! Though some have suggested that they are the mountain breeches .
The Sam Browne and the pistol are fine: it's actually the Pistol, Revolver ,.455 No.1 Mark VI , as used in the Great War .
The gaiters are not of a pattern yet discovered in an original photo from 1940 , though the style was occasionally in use in the Great War .The usual style had three short straps and buckles on the front .
The Boots are beautiful !
The Greatcoat is nicely made , of a very fine fabric , with German pebbled buttons !
The helmet , although metal , has too steep an angle to the brim , and the applied metal foil rim is too wide .The strap is also wrong .
The respirator case is OK.
The briefcase is nice !
The other webbing item is supposed to be the pack for carrying the ammo boxes , but it was used with the later style of " sardine can " liners , rather than the ammo box provided .
In the usual DiD style , then , we have a collection of excellent bits that don't quite belong together . The likelihood of a Guards Officer dressed like that in 1940 even knowing how to operate a Vickers are a little thin ! They were operated by specialised Battalions in both the Great War and throughout WW2 .
This is not a knocking excercise : I'm glad they've made him , but if you want an authentic figure he needs a few improvements.
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