Loaded for Bear

Here is my 2nd NAM Marine RTO , he is fully loaded as you can see . I got the inspiration from the cover photo of a book I was reading . I suppose if your living out of a bag for days on end , and stuff can make a difference to life or death you carried it . He does look tired doesn't he ? My figure is carrying attached to his ruck , the radio , claymores , a poncho , two spare batteries for the radio , an E-tool , torch , extended antenna kit , bayonet and scabbard and a couple of Smoke Grenades . His pockets are likely full of cartridges for the Ithaca M37 Shotgun . This was a SOTW item , I don`t think they are an easy pick up now , but I took the risk of repainting it , and think it looks o.k . On his belt is a 45 and holster , and general issue kit . Consider what would of been inside his ruck too , a fair amount of weight to be carried in the humid heat of Vietnam . First photo is the one I worked from .

Nice figure, loaded to the T. Looks good on Paul (RIP).

Many thanks Ian .

Wow, Chip! Impressive work yet again! The second and third pics, in B&W, I thought at first glance were more angles of the real photo you worked from! You are nailing the realism!

Your repaint of the shotgun looks fantastic! Again, looks like the real deal!

That is a hella cool recreation, and nice build. Really impressive, and the sculpt looks perfect (posing helps considerably) to being out that “worn down”. Well done!

The Photo as well as a kitbash illustrate so well why the M1941 Haversack was not suited for the loads required in NAM, so Marines often would starp it onto a packboard and lash everything else onto it or like this RTO, put the pack onto the radio. Its one reason why Marines would barter to get either ARNV or Army Lightweight and Tropical Rucksacks. Some would also carry the NVA ruck "liberated" from some NVA soldier.

Great kitbash.

Amazing work Chip! the backpack detailing is spot on. Also, the shotgun repaint is superb!

Ohh man that looks great! Beautiful work on that shotgun. Funny, I was working on an RTO on the weekend, too!

Thanks for all the kind words , they are so nice hear .

NAM period packs are not easy or cheap to find these days , I have a few pack boards , and have toyed with them . Most of my ARVN and tropical packs have gone to my special forces teams .

I look forward to seeing your RTO Travis .

Nice looking figure. Well executed from the ref pic

Very well done Chip! I always enjoy historical custom figures when they come with some reference material. Nailed that marine!

Many thanks for the further kind words .

The black and white shots are especially effective. It adds to the realism, especially since most of my Dad’s pictures from Korea and Viet Nam were in black and white. He wasn’t on the front lines like a lot of these guys (more like a M.A.S.H. type situation - he was in food service) but he still had some close calls.

Nicely done.

Thanks for those further kind comments , I agree those Black and White pics do add a sense of realism . I had photographed some with black and white images in mind . Thanks again .

Great work on those black and white photos, they actually very realistic and could be mistaken by the real deal at a quick glance. The gear is phenomenal too, everything looks so heavy.

Very nice! The properly scaled bailing twine is a great detail.
Figure looks fantastic in color and B&W!