JamesOLeary
Master at Arms
I completed this vignette in February 2017. It depicts an Infantryman from 2d Battalion, 47th Infantry (Mechanized), 9th Infantry Division after fighting in the Bien Hoa / Long Binh area of Vietnam during the 1968 Tet Offensive. The figure is a conversion of the "Mohawk" figure by Bravo 6. I changed out the head with one from Hornet and a helmet from Hobby Fan. I sculpted in the jungle fatigue shirt underneath the flak jacket and a claymore bag containing magazines for his M16. Mechanized Infantrymen tended to fight lighter than their regular Infantry counterparts since they could carry all of their spare gear in their vehicles which were usually close by so they could replenish their ammo and drink water when needed. To highlight the figure and give the atmosphere of being in a Mechanized Infantry unit, I decided to use a "wedgie" of a M113 to give that impression. I cut up part of an Academy M113 that I had already used part of for one of my dioramas a couple of years ago. I added accessories and the tracks are Fruilmodel tracks. Everything is painted with acrylics. The helmet cover is faded to show that this Soldier has been in Vietnam for a while. "SHORT" written across the front of the helmet cover is also an indicator.
Cheers,
James
Cheers,
James
