The photographs are awesome and the weathering really makes him looks as though he's spent 10 days in a shell torn basement. However, there are a number of issues with the figure that need attention. The cap device does indeed go over the left eye. The DiD beret needs dumping as it is complete rubbish and as you've found already does not sit properly. I advise you to go to UK Ebay and look for banjoman's shop and buy one of his Maroon berets. They reasonably priced and are simply fantastic and you won't regret it.
The gaiters need to be tighter, and it might be best if you follow the British Army instructions of the time for folding the trousers, (by holding the front and rear creases and folding them over to meet at the outside seam before putting on the Gaiters). I usually tie the trouser in place with a small piece of cotton thread. The hooks on the small pack need to hook into the buckles on the top of the ammunition pouches, see image 4 in your first post and you'll see the small pack hook sitting right above the buckle on the ammo pouch; it should hook under and through the buckle. The DiD boots are not great either and it appears to me that this is because they don't actually fit the feet on DiD figures. If used on a DML figure the boots seem to fit better and can be shaped to look much better, IMHO. One shouldn't hold a Sten gun magazine when firing. They were not the best engineered weapons and holding the magazine when firing can cause all manner of problems for the user. Best to have your chap hold the cooling jacket on the barrel. Finally, the fully formed beard has to go, you wouldn't see a para wearing a beard, much less one of this design. Even in the field they would have tried to keep up appearances by shaving regularly. But for poetic licence and to reflect the gruelling period they spent under fire at Arnhem I'd suggest a HS that had something more akin to four day old stubble rather than a perfectly trimmed beard. Hope this helps you to finish what is already an awesome figure. Great Work!!!
Rgds
Pete
Pete,
Thanks for the great tips here, which we definitely can benefit from.
You're right that DiD beret didn't fit the HT headsculpt well and we need to consider alternative.
The Sten Mk2 (
http://www.aa-ok.com/S76a.jpg) displayed here might not be the one that Red Devil used in Arnhem. Instead, Sten Mk5 (
http://www.aa-ok.com/sten_mkV.jpg) seemed more popular during this battle, as many photos revealed in the book, Operation Market Garden - Then and Now (
http://www.rzm.com/books/atb/marketgardenvol2.cfm).
I did spot one photo in "Operation Market Garden - Then and Now" and noticed that one of British airborne soldiers wore perfect beard. In fact, the British 1st Airborne Division commander, Roy Urquhart (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Urquhart) himself and several of brigadiers (including John Frost (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dutton_Frost) whose men seized Arnhem Bridge) all wore beards. Even during severe battle, they seemed to able to find some time for shaving (according to the book).
According to one of the most famous photos regarding Red Devil in Arnhem, as shown in the cover of the book published by Osprey (
http://www.ospreypublishing.com/store/Arnhem-1944_9781855323025), it seems to me that they did hold magazines when marching (as soldiers in the photos behaved).
Cheers!
