NEW PRODUCT: DiD: K80135 WWII British 1st Airborne Division (Red Devils) Commander Roy

The British 1st Airborne Division was formed in 1941 during WWII. From the beginning up to the present day, the Parachute Regiment has been one of the foremost units of the British Army. Their nickname is Red Devils, with a distinctive maroon beret on their head.

Roy, commander of British 1st Airborne Division, was in charge of an operation. With oversmock on top of Denison Smock, parachute on the back and kit bag on the leg, he jumped out from the airplane without any hesitation. He managed to find a good place to enter the battlefield. After landing safely on the ground, he quickly dropped the parachute, put on the helmet, took out the Sten Mark V and shot towards enemies.

Full Part List:

Base

Super realistic headsculpt
Body
Open palms
Relax Palms
Palms for holding gun
Outfits

Maroon beret with parachute regiment cap badge
Helmet with net and strips cover
P40 uniform
Paratrooper trousers
Denison smock (zipper running down)
Oversmock
Camo scarf
khaki shirt
Tie
Haversack straps
Belt
Puttees
Boots

Accessories

Basic pouch x 2
Canteen
Fabric holster and ammo pouch
Map case
Respirator bag
Haversack
Entrenching tool with carrier
Parachute
Kit bag
Binoculars
Tobacco pipe
Watch
Toggle rope
Weapon

Sten Mark V
Enfield MK I Revolver with string
Grenade x 2
Bayonet and frog
FS Dagger with sheath
Insignia

Shoulder boards x 2
Shoulder title
Parachute wings
The airborne forces formation sign x2
Airborne strip












































































#newproduct #DiD #WWII #British #1stAirborneDivision #military #historical #CommanderRoy #RedDevils #male

Ooh, I really like him! The headsculpt is quite unique, and I love his pipe!

This figure is meant to represent Major-General Roy Urquhart, (1901-1988) who commanded the British 1st Airborne division in the disastrous Market Garden Operation, Sept 1944. The figure however appears to have (to my opinion) a somewhat stronger resemblance to actor Sean Connery who portrayed him in in the 1977 film "A Bridge Too Far."

It looks like a very nice figure, but there are a few faults. First, he is wearing a lieutenant's rank insignia, not a major-general's. He is also wearing a Parachute regiment badge on his beret rather than the badge worn by a general officer. Third, the beret appears to have a two-piece crown instead of a single piece crown and to my eye, is of a shade too bright for a British Airborne beret.

The good news is that a more accurate beret can be gotten from Banjoman on ebay or here http://quartermastertoys.com/ourshop/prod_5273086-Banjoman-16-Scale-Custom-Made-Beret-Maroon.html whlle the correct cap badge and rank insignia can be purchased from Anthead's Company here http://www.antheads.co.uk/catguide/badges.

I've purchased items from both dealers and have been generally satisfied with their quality.

I was going to say....he looked like Sean Connery! But thought maybe that was just my eyes playing tricks on me, lol.

Thanks for pointing out the inaccuracies, but also for providing links to where 'upgrades' can be found. : )

skywalkersaga wrote:I was going to say....he looked like Sean Connery! But thought maybe that was just my eyes playing tricks on me, lol.

Thanks for pointing out the inaccuracies, but also for providing links to where 'upgrades' can be found. : )

Judge for yourselves.

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1920&bih=913&ei=HLCOXMSHBML45gLH2qnACg&q=sean+connery+a+bridge+too+far&oq=sean+connery+a+br&gs_l=img.1.0.0.1947.9881..11912...9.0..1.85.1825.26......2....1..gws-wiz-img.....0..0i10i24j0i8i30j0i30.lzUDZxc8YBQ#imgrc=KJFs1jwHinvzOM:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e6/18/55/e6185519bd369a1f7e71d4899819dd33.jpg

He looks like a cross between Terrance Howard and Sean Connery to me. Too bad they didn't go for a more historical look, and accuracy (thanks for pointing out the problems TPB) -- surprising considering how good DiD usually is on all points. I guess I can figure the semi-actor likeness, since they seem to do that a lot anyway.

Also, if I'm going to be totally a stickler for detail, while a British enlisted soldier would have had black boots with hobnails in the soles, an officer's boots should have been oxblood red in color (reddish brown) and without the hobnails.  The British army figured that officers could afford to have their boots re-soled and therefore didn't need the hobnails.  While the Parachute Regiment shoulder flashes would be correct for a lieutenant, they would not be worn by a division commander, especially one who had never served in the regiment. So we have to accept that the figure represents either the oldest lieutenant in the British Army, or that General Urquhart put on the wrong officer's uniform that day, right down to his shirt.

One positive thing I can say is that the figure is issued with an Enfield revolver, which is historically correct for that time frame, whereas Connery is clearly shown using a Browning High Power in the movie, and these were not issued to British/Canadian troops until March 1945.

Stryker2011 wrote:He looks like a cross between Terrance Howard and Sean Connery to me. Too bad they didn't go for a more historical look, and accuracy (thanks for pointing out the problems TPB) -- surprising considering how good DiD usually is on all points. I guess I can figure the semi-actor likeness, since they seem to do that a lot anyway.

Are you sure you don't mean Trevor Howard?

Ignorance is bliss (I don't particularly care for anything 20th-century anyway) and I love this set -- especially the head sculpt (even if they couldn't quite decide between the historical persona and the actor). It is surprising, however, how many fairly easily verifiable details they appear to have gotten wrong.

ThePhotogsBlog wrote:

Stryker2011 wrote:He looks like a cross between Terrance Howard and Sean Connery to me. Too bad they didn't go for a more historical look, and accuracy (thanks for pointing out the problems TPB) -- surprising considering how good DiD usually is on all points. I guess I can figure the semi-actor likeness, since they seem to do that a lot anyway.

Are you sure you don't mean Trevor Howard?  

Yep. Man, I’m getting old. I used to be able to name every actor correctly. My mind is going.

Stryker2011 wrote:

ThePhotogsBlog wrote:

Stryker2011 wrote:He looks like a cross between Terrance Howard and Sean Connery to me. Too bad they didn't go for a more historical look, and accuracy (thanks for pointing out the problems TPB) -- surprising considering how good DiD usually is on all points. I guess I can figure the semi-actor likeness, since they seem to do that a lot anyway.

Are you sure you don't mean Trevor Howard?  

Yep. Man, I’m getting old. I used to be able to name every actor correctly. My mind is going.

I'm getting old too. In my haste to nitpick about the smaller inaccuracies in this otherwise nice figure, I completely forgot about the biggest one of all; Roy Urquhart, though commanding an airborne division, was not actually a parachutist himself and never jumped out of an airplane. He flew to Arnhem in a glider, just like about the 30-40% of his division that were glider troops. So while he was entitled to wear the maroon beret worn and still worn by all British airborne troops, he should not have parachute wings on his sleeve and most certainly not be kitted out in a parachute and over smock. A more accurate description of this figure then would be "Lieutenant Sean: oldest lieutenant in the Parachute Regiment."

Stryker2011 wrote:He looks like a cross between Terrance Howard and Sean Connery to me. Too bad they didn't go for a more historical look, and accuracy (thanks for pointing out the problems TPB) -- surprising considering how good DiD usually is on all points. I guess I can figure the semi-actor likeness, since they seem to do that a lot anyway.

I think you mean Trevor, Terrence Howard was the original Rhodey in Iron Man.

I think this is one of the best mass produced Connery heads I've ever seen. I might even get one and add a beard for an Outland bash I've always wanted to do.

CHEERS!

EDIT:

I know what might be throwing it off, Sean Connery has brown eyes!

Good catch, Roger!

Yeah, yeah. I meant Trevor Howard; ThePhotogsBlog already caught my error...

Well, faults accepted, this looks really nice to me.

In terms of faults the beret is definitely constructed wrongly and does look too red, but if you suspend the fact that Sean Connery played Major Gen Roy Erquhart, and think of this as a figure depicting a lieutenant in the Parachute Regiment then the cap badge and rank insignia fall into place nicely.  However the faults remain in terms of the sales pitch as they are saying the figure depicts the 'commander' of the operation.

Although Maj. Gen. Urqhart did arrive in Arnhem by glider and not by parachute I love that they have included a chute with this figure, and the jump smock too which is really nice.

In some of the pics some of the insignia on the brown battle dress jacket don't look very well applied and appear to be peeling, or at least to my eye they do.    As a note too they are saying this is a P40 battledress jacket when it is nearer to the 37 pattern battledress.  The 40 pattern has exposed buttons on the jacket closure and pockets.  Being an officer the jacket is likely to have been tailored anyway in my opinion to give a better open collar look when wearing a shirt and tie, and would not have the hook and eye fasteners at the neck that can be seen in some pics of the figure.
I would like to see the back of the trousers too in order to see how they have done the rear pockets. The front of them looks really good.
Those zip toggles would have to go too.

The Helmet seems to be a Mk I with the leather chinstrap, which was phased out of general use by the time of the Arnhem drop in favour of the Mk II with a webbing chinstrap if I remember correctly.  It does not make this wrong as such as the Mk I was probably used at Arnhem too given the size of the drop, but it would have been nice to have the webbing chinstrap or perhaps both the leather and webbing straps to give the choice.
I like the netting on the helmet though, its not over done, and the helmet, or at least what you can see of it, does seem to have the textured paint finish of the originals.

The 37 Pattern webbing is superbly done to my eye, although again the ammo pouches and entrenching tool are not something you would be likely to find on a Maj. Gen. I wouldn't have thought.  
They could also have provide the airborne bayonet frog which had an added pouch on the side to carry either the butt of the Sten or a Sten magazine loader during the jump. That would have been a nice touch.
I may be wrong here but I don't recall seeing a set of British binos with an eye cup protector like that, and perhaps as this is an officer the 37 pattern Bino case would have been a nice addition here too.
The entrenching tool should be attached to the 2 straps in the middle of the back too I think, so that it rests on the wearers butt rather than off to one side.  But it looks like this is all correctable as the webbing seems to be constructed with functional buckles etc. so it is just a case of repositioning it really.

A lot of the accessories look stunning though, and I particularly love the Enfield revolver and sten.  
I think though that the sten gun's sling attached at the front through one of the cooling holes in the barrel shroud rather than at the front of the mag well as this one seems too.

I really do love the look of this figure even though it seems to be a complete mash up of kit from several ranks and characters, and I may well consider getting one. If I do, it would be my first 1/6 purchase in some time. 
I generally love what DiD do with these WWII subjects, and if I did get one I think I would possibly change the head for a younger looking dude and of course a better beret, then display this as a lieutenant rather than correct the errors to make the Maj. Gen.

Interesting too that Star Wars: A New Hope is not the only film from 1977 still inspiring figures in 2019 .

Paul

Stryker2011 wrote:Yeah, yeah. I meant Trevor Howard; ThePhotogsBlog already caught my error...

We've all done it! LOL!

A quick change of eye colour and this head could be stellar. I wonder, might they address that with the release head!?

CHEERS!

I love all of the accessories that come with these Military figures, The h/s when I first saw it reminded me of David Niven or maybe Edward Fox from the Navarone films

Niven would make for an awesome head sculpt (so many possibilities); if there was a Fox, I'd make one of him from one of my favorite movies The Day of the Jackal.

Stryker2011 wrote:Niven would make for an awesome head sculpt (so many possibilities); if there was a Fox, I'd make one of him from one of my favorite movies The Day of the Jackal.

Niven actually served in the Highland Light Infantry before the war, and in the Commandos during the war. A young David Niven would be an awesome sculpt. Edward Fox....the Jackal, sure. Or he could be dressed as Lieutenant General Sir Brian Horrocks, whom he portrayed in A Bridge Too Far. He and Connery/Urquhart would make a nice set.

Edward Fox from Day of the Jackal would be an amazing figure, as you'd get that neat sniper rifle he had.

CHEERS!