[Just Clay]

.....my hat is off to you. I am trying to create a 3 man U.S. Army Special Forces squad, and while doing so, attempting a level of accuracy not normally seen in any of my work.

I had no idea this **** was so hard! Depending on what source material I use these guys can pretty much wear anything except dresses and bunny slippers, so trying to get the set up and gear right is frigging impossible!! So to those here who spend countless hours working on each detail of an accurate bash, I salute you.


Well done.

Clay

 

[Guest]

I had no idea this s**t was so hard! Depending on what source material I use these guys can pretty much wear anything except dresses and bunny slippers,

Dude, thats code for use whatever the hell you want.

 

[justin_g]

Photo research is key for current stuff, since books can't be 100% up to date. Check militaryphotos.com and the official .mil websites as well as media sources like getty images etc.

Current issue for US Army SF (as seen in photos) would appear to be: ACU uniform(although woodland BDUs and 3 colour DCUs are still seen when appropriate), a Khaki tan Eagle CIRAS(maritime) vest, OD MICH helmet(often painted) and a SOPMOD M4 carbine and M9 pistol.

If you could dig up a website for one of the asian airsoft groups that do a US SF impression they would have basically done all the research for you - by identifying all the gear seen in photos of real SF - which often makes choosing the right stuff in 1/6 so much easier.

 

[Mlatch221]

Clay, what is this "accuracy" of which you speak? Some new deity we must worship? Some crazy dance all the hepcats are doin' nowadays? :lol

Seriously though, I try to stay pretty true to reality with earlier historical eras and at least try to stay plausible with my modern guys. Even my current project that features fictional forces took a lot of background research to come up with the look of the various forces. I probably could have done just as well to just create it OTA but what the heck. At least can make compelling arguments for why I made various equipment choices other than "it was cheap and they had enough for a squad"! :thumb

 

[Anti-Personnel]

heh, tell me about it. i find myself online researching photos more than actually bashing at the desk.

i dont really do picture-accurate military guys ever, but even with fictional characters, as long as they are based in a realistic universe, you have an awful lot of real-world research to do.

making sure that attachments on guns make sense, or arranging pouches in a way a real operator would, equipment selection and gear that seems plausible for the type of operation they are doing, etc...

its tedious, but i do kinda enjoy all the research and learning that goes along with it.

 

[Just Clay]

I surrender! I surrender!! Holy cheese toast Batman!! This is work for the mentally defective!! Everyone needs a radio, which one? dunno, but they all gotta have one. Handguns? you betcha!! which one? HA! I've settled for glock 21s for all 3, accurate? No idea. I've looked at close to a gajillion pics of Army everything and these ****ers have access to more **** then a fat chick shopping walmart at Christmas time. And boots!! Do not get me started on boots!! I may just settle on the famed bunny slippers and call it good, cuz nobody anywhere wears the same pair of anything.

Am I making any progress at all? Nope. But I am buying everything I can and then some just so I can have it on hand in case I finally figure out how to get these peckers with guns set up right.

And we say this **** is fun? You bastards are really really mean.

 

[saiko]

I don't know how you're designing your team but with the reality basis it would be better if they had the same model sidearm, better if it were one common in the US inventory, so that spare parts and ammo could be better allotted. Lol boots, whatever works should be cool. Comms could be made simple using the same radio for each guy, with the tasc/mbitr unit or whatever so they can talk to each other or others outside of their team, or give one guy some prc/peltor radio and give the others those small motorola radios DML was fond of.

I've been killing myself for 2 years, almost 3 now collecting parts for my squad and I've barely gotten 2 finished. Luckily I have guys on the forum helping me out at every corner.

Haha Have fun Hardcase, wonderful aggravating masochistic fun. At least with SF you get a lot more wacky choices

 

[der soldat]

accuracy is only half the battle. The posis the other half. I've been working on reposing a bash for almost 3 weeks while waiting for a shipment of parts. Yeah, WW2 is long over, but it's still tough to get through all the SS uniform combos.

 

[Just Clay]

This just gets better! I have now decided to do......4 ACU clad Army Special Forces figures because 3 was just not difficult enough!!

I may need therapy.

 

[justin_g]

Don't you really need to do 8 for a full "A Team" ??? :angel

 

[hqpham]

SF ODA Team is 12 Soldiers...10 NCOs(2 specialty each of Weapons, Commo, Engineering, Medical, and Intelligence/Operations) and 2 Officers(Capt & Chief Warrant Officer or a 1st LT...this may have changed though)..plus TACP/CCT attached at times.

 

[Steve O.]

Well, in the interest of accuracy, HC, it wouldn't be an SF squad, but a fire team if we're talking about 3 guys, or even 4. You're right on track with the ACUs for a current team. Give them desert tan boots, manufacturer is not an issue, and an M9 Beretta pistol. For comms, have them each use an MBTR, but do it fast, as there's a new personal radio being fielded as we speak to replace it. Kit? There has been a crackdown in the last 3-4 years, to ensure that only issued body armor/plate carriers are worn (yes, even for Special Forces. SEALs, I don't have the experience to say one way or the other, and Delta, still is able to "roll their own" in the gear department) this is due to liability issues, so that a soldier's family won't lose his SGLI if he's killed while wearing plates that haven't been tested and approved by the military. As a matter of fact, I was visiting my old Junior Engineer (now a Team Sergeant) a couple of weeks ago, and they were going to be issued an even newer set of kit before their deployment over here next month, just to muddy the waters even more! So, if you're going to depict guys from '01 to say, mid-'04 you can get just about as crazy as you want with kit, as long as it existed at that time, and put them in DCUs. After that, it gets more restrictive.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing the result.

 

[STALL STUFF]

Like I tell folks who ask me: Everything is a snapshot in time. What a "A" Team would have in 1985 is different from 1995 to 2008. There is also differences between SF Groups, missions, environment, duration of employment, infiltration, extraction, etc. that all plays a part. Additionally, what 1st SFG would have vs. 20th SFG can be different. So, don't throw anything away because when you find that perfect picture that you want to emulate and it is from 1996 where are you going to find the stuff?

It does help to do a little homework if you are looking for accuracy! I was in SF and can't keep up with them especially now that I am out and a contractor (LOL)! Keep in mind that with numerous conflicts taking place globally, equipment is fielded, tested and thus improved / replaced as after action reports are submitted. These reports are also used in accessing equipment items for use by conventional military forces.

However, what is important and most of all, enjoy what you are creating. In the end it is what makes you happy. If you want a guy laden with so much gear, in the real world, he could not move; or he has all the wrong pouches for the weapon he is carring; or his uniform is so weathered and dirty why bother to have it camouflage in the first place; have at it! It is your darn figure.

 

[STALL STUFF]

Don't you really need to do 8 for a full "A Team" ??? :angel

What do you mean by full? Those who showed up to work today? Thanks for the help hqpham!

 

[hqpham]

I agree with Stall Stuff...with the amount of gear getting released and issued to units these days...you almost have to do snapshot figures with gear that is alittle dated...Heck, I just saw that there is a new version of CIRAS style vest being adopted by SOCOM, made by BAE systems so I'm not crossing my fingers to get that in 1/6 just yet and we all know how hard getting a TS CIRAS is just to do a current SOCOM Operator is, so doing snapshots is the way to go. I still like DCUs and I am in the process of doing a OEF II - V ODA. I have the gear for that era so I'm just waiting to finish my move and setup my new 1/6 workshop to get rolling on it.

 

[JTFazz]

Research is one of my favorite parts of accuracy-driven bashes. It can also be fairly expensive. The Internet is great, but its hard to find credible sources and contextual photos. So, I spend a fair amount of money at Amazon. I probably spend as much or more time in research than I do putting the figure together. I spend a quarter of my time bashing, a quarter of my time looking for parts and half of my time searching the Internet, reading books and watching the Military and History Channels.

 

[cdn_rhino]

This could be why I have trouble finishing bashes... that and I'm not home enough to work on them. Depending on the time, subject references, actual accessablity of parts, etc... Some projects can be a huge undertaking. I have a couple projects on the go, and all are in verious stages of being workred on. I am a stickler for detail on my stuff, and it definately slows things down. But so worth it in the end don't ya think.

 

[Just Clay]

I really appreciate all of the comments and information coming in. It's pretty cool that so many have taken the time to help out a fellow collector. Way to go guys.

All members of my fire team have the Fast attack body armour from the HT bearded PMC and the MAVs from the HT snipers in ACU and/or coyote. Boots are plain desert boots that a few HT figs came with. All team members carry Glock 21s in the HT Serpa holsters with extra magazines attached. I've got 3 team members armed with various HT M4s and one armed with the HT socom II with eotech.

Now comes my dilemma, I have no helmets, but I do have an ACU boonie, and two really spiffy black baseball caps. One fella will be hatless as, well I like him that way.

My overall goal is to create a 4 man team that includes a medic, comm Sargent, sniper and team leader. I'll post pics once I'm done for a critique, but any other comments folks would like to offer up feel free. I appreciate the info.

I may sacrifice a touch on accuracy, due to having to work with what I have on hand, but I'll still be doing what I can to at least keep it close.....sorta.

Clay

 

[Anti-Personnel]

post it, and if its not accurate to the last chin hair, we are going to pelt you with stones.

 

[DC80]

these guys can pretty much wear anything except dresses and bunny slippers

Now I wanna see what some of my SF bashes would look like in bunny slippers