Have adventure, become a mercenary!

Hello!






For now stay safe out there and have some fun!

He looks very good, custom pouches included! Never really imagined Belgians as mercenaries (don't know why, they did produce one Jean-Claude Van Damme), but now I can!

I like him. He looks like a real tough dude. Thanks for sharing.

Looking very good. Excellent work on the harness & pouches.

GubernatorFan wrote:He looks very good, custom pouches included! Never really imagined Belgians as mercenaries (don't know why, they did produce one Jean-Claude Van Damme), but now I can!

Thanks Gubernator. There where a few Belgian mercenaries mostly during the congo crisis, many of them where fighting for Katanga along side French, Rhodesian and British mercenaries.

Stryker2011 wrote:I like him. He looks like a real tough dude. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Stryker, just some old parts thrown together, some of them old heads have a bit of character to them, I should start practicing how to repaint them, they might look way better that way.

PitViper wrote:Looking very good.  Excellent work on the harness & pouches.

Thanks PitViper, I prefer not to make pouches and if I can buy them I will but sometimes the gun has no available ones or they are too rare and expensive.

Good job, he has the face for it. He reminds me of the infamous Kongo Müller.

I think He could easily be used as an rebel extra with another gun and maybe some tech thingy added.

I love the old stuff, looks great! you could snip the chrome snaps off
and tack the collar down with a single stitch. is that a BBi G1 body
or just the hands?

Ovy wrote:Good job, he has the face for it. He reminds me of the infamous Kongo Müller.

I think He could easily be used as an rebel extra with another gun and maybe some tech thingy added.

Thanks Ovy, That's one man I hadn't heard about, interesting fellow if I dare say so. I could switch him over to rebel fighter tho if I do I'll change the boots, I'm not a fan of laces in sci-fi cause maybe in those societies they have spray on boots or something.

GregT wrote:I love the old stuff, looks great! you could snip the chrome snaps off
and tack the collar down with a single stitch. is that a BBi G1 body
or just the hands?

Thanks GregT, since he's a really old figure I put together I decided to not change anything on him, otherwise (and probably) I would remove the snap. The entire body is a BBI G1 except for the head which is 21st century toys, most of the stuff I post here is using stuff I had already from back in the day.

Interestingly, I was thinking of doing something myself in terms of Congo mercenaries of the 1960's in part because one of my uncles was in the Belgian Para Commando regiment in the late 50's and saw service in the Congo.  His unit later participated in Operation Dragon Rouge, 1964 where 320 members of the regiment jumped on Stanleyville to recapture it and rescue hostages.

Another reason is my love of the film "Dark of the Sun," which I have mentioned before.  

There are problems however with doing a Congo mercenary or Belgian paratrooper model for the Congo crisis and it's that none of the essentials are readily available.  

Belgian paratroops (and a lot of Congo mercenaries) wore cammo smocks based heavily on the British Denison smock of WWII, but with at least three different camouflage patterns; Belgian brushstroke, peau de saucisse or ball and moon, and Belgian Jigsaw (still used today).  The first of these, the Belgian brush stroke bears a certain resemblance to the brush stroke patterns on British Denison smocks, and so lacking anything else a British WWII Denison smock, readily available in 1/6th scale is about as close as one came come to a Belgian smock.

Another popular cammo pattern that you see in a lot of photos is the French Lizard pattern cammo worn by French paras from the early mid-fifties to the late 70's, including the parachute assault on Kolwezi in 1978.  Good luck finding this in 1/6th scale.  I did see one figure, representing Alain Delon as he appeared in "The Lost Command," (Les Centurions) that's it.  French lizard pattern cammo is something seriously missing in 1/6 scale, given how many countries used it!

If doing a Belgian paratrooper or Commando, the trousers olive of stone color and the boots were the British short type ankle boots with puttees.  Webbing also appears to have been British style.  1st & 3rd battalions of the Para-Commando Regt. wore British style maroon berets, while the 2nd Bn wore commando green berets. The distinction lies in the origins of each battalion, but is a minor one as all battalions received the same training.

Weapons are more problematic. The most common rifle was the metric pattern FN FAL rifle and I have yet to see any of these in 1/6th scale.  I was able a while ago to get a British inch pattern FAL in 1/6th, and it's very nice, but there are noticeable difference between the two types. This being said, it might be possible to kitbash and convert the British pattern FAL to an Belgian one....

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/517069600947260255/

The FAL was used both by European troops deployed to the area, UN forces, and Moise Tshombe's Katanga rebels, who look as though they were supplied by the Belgians.  I'm pretty sure they were, actually. (Just to further confuse things, Tshombe later became Prime Minister of the Congo until overthrown in a coup by Colonel Joseph Mobutu, who later renamed himself Mobutu Sese Seko.

For sub machineguns alas, I have seen no 1/6th scale Belgian Vigneron SMG's ever.  The MAT-49 is a possible weapon for mercenaries or other factions, though I have yet to see a photo of one being used in the Congo Crisis. Other possibilities would be the British Sterling, and definitely the Sten, which I have seen photos of for this period. See below.

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/517069600949977008/

The mercenary in this photo appears to be wearing a "ball and moon" pattern Belgian smock, British style web belt, though I'm not so sure about the suspenders, a Sten gun and wearing a pattern of bush had frequently work by Tshombe's mercenary troops.

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/517069600947260436/

The mercenary in the above image is wearing a Belgian "Jigsaw" pattern cammo smock.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Dragon_Rouge#/media/File:Dragonrouge1.jpg

Members of the Para-Commando Regt, carrying their FN FAL's, but can't make out the pattern of their smocks.

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/373869206544870171/

Mike Hoare, the famous British mercenary who served the Leopoldville regime.  

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/644155552934525628/
A number of mercenaries had served in the Wehrmacht during WWII and wore their German medals, which fact was caught on by the world press.

So as you can see from the photos, if you are trying to do a Belgian paratrooper or commando, you might find it quite challenging, but as far as mercenaries go, you have a broader canvas with which to paint.

I missed out on all 21st century stuff. I wish 21st Century toys finished their villain and zombie line.

GubernatorFan wrote:He looks very good, custom pouches included! Never really imagined Belgians as mercenaries (don't know why, they did produce one Jean-Claude Van Damme), but now I can!

There were not a whole lot of Belgian mercenaries in the Belgian Congo for the same reason as there were not a lot of American mercenaries in the Belgian Congo; the respective governments of both countries, both of which had interests in the political situation in the Congo, tolerated mercenary units so long as they didn't contain their citizens. I think that public perceptions and plausible deniability had a lot to do with that. Both governments played dirty pool to make sure this mineral-rich country didn't fall under the influence of the Soviets after gaining independence from Belgium in 1960.

Belgian regular army troops were involved in the Congo during Simba Rebellion in the 60's and the Katanga uprising in the late 70's. There were however a fair number of British, French, and German mercenaries, with a smattering of other Europeans, many of whom had combat experience in WWII.

Wow, Photos, vast and interesting information, as always.

The guy on your very last link is the infamous Kongo Müller I mentioned, one of Hoare's guys. He was interviewed about his Congo experiences by GDR reporters, he was thinking the reporters were from West Germany. He was also drunk during the interview, calmly telling about many horrible things he did down there while smiling his happy face. They than made a propaganda documentary from it.

It's on youtube with subtitles, not the most pleasant watch, so be warned:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB9gyyVrbxk

Ovy wrote:Wow, Photos, vast and interesting information, as always.

The guy on your very last link is the infamous Kongo Müller I mentioned, one of Hoare's guys. He was interviewed about his Congo experiences by GDR reporters, he was thinking the reporters were from West Germany. He was also drunk during the interview, calmly telling about many horrible things he did down there while smiling his happy face. They than made a propaganda documentary from it.

It's on youtube with subtitles, not the most pleasant watch, so be warned:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB9gyyVrbxk

I'm sure he was the inspiration for the villainous Captain Henlein from Dark of the Sun, first seen towards the end of this clip. The clip will make the connection obvious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1vbDrUkwf8&list=PLJZYBBLrx4HoXTAAYQdSBPIy9DihBZVhk&index=2

Thanks for the awesome information provided here guys. The mercenary wars in Central Africa have always interested me from a military history perspective. Needless to say the topic has been woefully underrepresented in the hobby.

PitViper wrote:Thanks for the awesome information provided here guys.  The mercenary wars in Central Africa have always interested me from a military history perspective.  Needless to say the topic has been woefully underrepresented in the hobby.  

I would certainly love it if 1/6 scale Belgian paratroop smocks in any of the cam patterns, French lizard pattern cammo uniforms, not to mention some good quality MAT-49's, Vignerons and metric pattern FAL's came on the market.   Most of the other components of the uniforms and kit of the Congo mercenaries can be parted out from existing kits.

ThePhotogsBlog wrote:Interestingly, I was thinking of doing something myself in terms of Congo mercenaries of the 1960's in part because one of my uncles was in the Belgian Para Commando regiment in the late 50's and saw service in the Congo.  His unit later participated in Operation Dragon Rouge, 1964 where 320 members of the regiment jumped on Stanleyville to recapture it and rescue hostages.

Another reason is my love of the film "Dark of the Sun," which I have mentioned before.  

There are problems however with doing a Congo mercenary or Belgian paratrooper model for the Congo crisis and it's that none of the essentials are readily available.  

Belgian paratroops (and a lot of Congo mercenaries) wore cammo smocks based heavily on the British Denison smock of WWII, but with at least three different camouflage patterns; Belgian brushstroke, peau de saucisse or ball and moon, and Belgian Jigsaw (still used today).  The first of these, the Belgian brush stroke bears a certain resemblance to the brush stroke patterns on British Denison smocks, and so lacking anything else a British WWII Denison smock, readily available in 1/6th scale is about as close as one came come to a Belgian smock.

Another popular cammo pattern that you see in a lot of photos is the French Lizard pattern cammo worn by French paras from the early mid-fifties to the late 70's, including the parachute assault on Kolwezi in 1978.  Good luck finding this in 1/6th scale.  I did see one figure, representing Alain Delon as he appeared in "The Lost Command," (Les Centurions) that's it.  French lizard pattern cammo is something seriously missing in 1/6 scale, given how many countries used it!

If doing a Belgian paratrooper or Commando, the trousers olive of stone color and the boots were the British short type ankle boots with puttees.  Webbing also appears to have been British style.  1st & 3rd battalions of the Para-Commando Regt. wore British style maroon berets, while the 2nd Bn wore commando green berets. The distinction lies in the origins of each battalion, but is a minor one as all battalions received the same training.

Weapons are more problematic. The most common rifle was the metric pattern FN FAL rifle and I have yet to see any of these in 1/6th scale.  I was able a while ago to get a British inch pattern FAL in 1/6th, and it's very nice, but there are noticeable difference between the two types. This being said, it might be possible to kitbash and convert the British pattern FAL to an Belgian one....

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/517069600947260255/

The FAL was used both by European troops deployed to the area, UN forces, and Moise Tshombe's Katanga rebels, who look as though they were supplied by the Belgians.  I'm pretty sure they were, actually. (Just to further confuse things, Tshombe later became Prime Minister of the Congo until overthrown in a coup by Colonel Joseph Mobutu, who later renamed himself Mobutu Sese Seko.

For sub machineguns alas, I have seen no 1/6th scale Belgian Vigneron SMG's ever.  The MAT-49 is a possible weapon for mercenaries or other factions, though I have yet to see a photo of one being used in the Congo Crisis. Other possibilities would be the British Sterling, and definitely the Sten, which I have seen photos of for this period. See below.

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/517069600949977008/

The mercenary in this photo appears to be wearing a "ball and moon" pattern Belgian smock, British style web belt, though I'm not so sure about the suspenders, a Sten gun and wearing a pattern of bush had frequently work by Tshombe's mercenary troops.

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/517069600947260436/

The mercenary in the above image is wearing a Belgian "Jigsaw" pattern cammo smock.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Dragon_Rouge#/media/File:Dragonrouge1.jpg

Members of the Para-Commando Regt, carrying their FN FAL's, but can't make out the pattern of their smocks.

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/373869206544870171/

Mike Hoare, the famous British mercenary who served the Leopoldville regime.  

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/644155552934525628/
A number of mercenaries had served in the Wehrmacht during WWII and wore their German medals, which fact was caught on by the world press.

So as you can see from the photos, if you are trying to do a Belgian paratrooper or commando, you might find it quite challenging, but as far as mercenaries go, you have a broader canvas with which to paint.

Thanks Photos, as always I appreciate when you come in with the knowledge!

MerylAkiba wrote:I missed out on all 21st century stuff. I wish 21st Century toys finished their villain and zombie line.

I only managed to get some 21st century stuff, a lot of stuff either did not make it's way here or someone got it all early on, thankfully ebay is there for all sorts of things.

Theboo-bomb wrote:

ThePhotogsBlog wrote:Interestingly, I was thinking of doing something myself in terms of Congo mercenaries of the 1960's in part because one of my uncles was in the Belgian Para Commando regiment in the late 50's and saw service in the Congo.  His unit later participated in Operation Dragon Rouge, 1964 where 320 members of the regiment jumped on Stanleyville to recapture it and rescue hostages.

Another reason is my love of the film "Dark of the Sun," which I have mentioned before.  

There are problems however with doing a Congo mercenary or Belgian paratrooper model for the Congo crisis and it's that none of the essentials are readily available.  

Belgian paratroops (and a lot of Congo mercenaries) wore cammo smocks based heavily on the British Denison smock of WWII, but with at least three different camouflage patterns; Belgian brushstroke, peau de saucisse or ball and moon, and Belgian Jigsaw (still used today).  The first of these, the Belgian brush stroke bears a certain resemblance to the brush stroke patterns on British Denison smocks, and so lacking anything else a British WWII Denison smock, readily available in 1/6th scale is about as close as one came come to a Belgian smock.

Another popular cammo pattern that you see in a lot of photos is the French Lizard pattern cammo worn by French paras from the early mid-fifties to the late 70's, including the parachute assault on Kolwezi in 1978.  Good luck finding this in 1/6th scale.  I did see one figure, representing Alain Delon as he appeared in "The Lost Command," (Les Centurions) that's it.  French lizard pattern cammo is something seriously missing in 1/6 scale, given how many countries used it!

If doing a Belgian paratrooper or Commando, the trousers olive of stone color and the boots were the British short type ankle boots with puttees.  Webbing also appears to have been British style.  1st & 3rd battalions of the Para-Commando Regt. wore British style maroon berets, while the 2nd Bn wore commando green berets. The distinction lies in the origins of each battalion, but is a minor one as all battalions received the same training.

Weapons are more problematic. The most common rifle was the metric pattern FN FAL rifle and I have yet to see any of these in 1/6th scale.  I was able a while ago to get a British inch pattern FAL in 1/6th, and it's very nice, but there are noticeable difference between the two types. This being said, it might be possible to kitbash and convert the British pattern FAL to an Belgian one....

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/517069600947260255/

The FAL was used both by European troops deployed to the area, UN forces, and Moise Tshombe's Katanga rebels, who look as though they were supplied by the Belgians.  I'm pretty sure they were, actually. (Just to further confuse things, Tshombe later became Prime Minister of the Congo until overthrown in a coup by Colonel Joseph Mobutu, who later renamed himself Mobutu Sese Seko.

For sub machineguns alas, I have seen no 1/6th scale Belgian Vigneron SMG's ever.  The MAT-49 is a possible weapon for mercenaries or other factions, though I have yet to see a photo of one being used in the Congo Crisis. Other possibilities would be the British Sterling, and definitely the Sten, which I have seen photos of for this period. See below.

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/517069600949977008/

The mercenary in this photo appears to be wearing a "ball and moon" pattern Belgian smock, British style web belt, though I'm not so sure about the suspenders, a Sten gun and wearing a pattern of bush had frequently work by Tshombe's mercenary troops.

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/517069600947260436/

The mercenary in the above image is wearing a Belgian "Jigsaw" pattern cammo smock.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Dragon_Rouge#/media/File:Dragonrouge1.jpg

Members of the Para-Commando Regt, carrying their FN FAL's, but can't make out the pattern of their smocks.

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/373869206544870171/

Mike Hoare, the famous British mercenary who served the Leopoldville regime.  

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/644155552934525628/
A number of mercenaries had served in the Wehrmacht during WWII and wore their German medals, which fact was caught on by the world press.

So as you can see from the photos, if you are trying to do a Belgian paratrooper or commando, you might find it quite challenging, but as far as mercenaries go, you have a broader canvas with which to paint.

Thanks Photos, as always I appreciate when you come in with the knowledge!

MerylAkiba wrote:I missed out on all 21st century stuff. I wish 21st Century toys finished their villain and zombie line.

I only managed to get some 21st century stuff, a lot of stuff either did not make it's way here or someone got it all early on, thankfully ebay is there for all sorts of things.

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/517069600958545761/

A photo from the 1978 operation to rescue hostages at Kolwezi. Belgian Parachute-Commandos in the maroon berets, and French Foreign Legion paratroops of 2e Régiment Étranger Parachutiste in the green berets. The two leftmost figures appear to be wearing Jigsaw pattern smocks, while the two in them middle, appear to be wearing either brushstroke or ball and moon cammo on their smocks. Hard to tell from this photo. I would guess the latter if I had to. The cap badge on the mustachioed Belgian in the middle indicates the 1st Parachute Battalion of the regiment.

The figure on the far left is carrying a Vigneron submachine gun, while the one immediately to camera right is carrying an FN MAG machine gun. The Foreign Legion paratrooper at far right is carrying a MAT 49.