1er REP French Foreign Legion paratroopers, Algerian War

I’m putting small 4 man team of 1er REP together - 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment - in Algeria. Had them previously but shifted and put uniforms etc in storage for everything. Putting them back together and updating with newer bodies and heads etc. figures mostly used with DID/LFA Henri parts with new dam bodies, real leather boots, custom Kepi and rank and AA52 made from a resin kit I bought couple years back. I have another to build yet I know the Kepi wouldn’t really have been worn as the FFL preferred to wear berets but I wanted to show it off lol

The 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (1er REP) was an airborne unit of the French Foreign Legion. Formed as a battalion in Algeria in 1948, the unit participated in the First Indochina War (1946-54), where it was two times annihilated in action. In 1955, the battalion returned to North Africa to become a regiment and to take part in the Algerian War (1954-62). In the late 1950’s, the 1er REP was called the most elite regiment of the French Army. The history of that prestigious unit of the Legion prematurely ended in April 1961, due to its active participation in the Generals’ putsch of Algiers.

These are the first two

1er REP gunner, Algeria with AA52













Sgt Chef, 1er REP, Algeria

They look excellent, overall and in detail (glorious detail). The map, however, possibly suggests they are still in France, from what I can make out on it.

GubernatorFan wrote:They look excellent, overall and in detail (glorious detail). The map, however, possibly suggests they are still in France, from what I can make out on it.

Thank you actually it’s a print out of a real vintage map of the town of Oran in Northern Algeria

It is Oran! I should have known the French would have given French names (including the names of Christian saints) to local features. Nice attention to detail, in this respect too!

Haha thanks. Yeah. There was also Phillipeville too, amongst others. Good old colonialism!

Looks very cool! I like all the tiny details.

I really like your figures , they look excellent .

Very cool. Looking forward to seeing all four together.

Both of these guys look great. While I understand your reservations about the Keli, I don’t mind it’s use here. Really well done.

beautiful troopers! I can only appreciate as a frenchy myself!

No worries about the Kepi, it's really the distinctive hat of the french foreign legion, and historically when all airborne troops were united as the "REP" and uniforms had to be common, the legion still refused the green beret for a few years. Even today for any celebration, march, or ceremony, the foreign legion wears the kepi (actually a white one, that proves you finished your classes. Officers wear it black with a red surrounding)

blackpool wrote:beautiful troopers! I can only appreciate as a frenchy myself!

No worries about the Kepi, it's really the distinctive hat of the french foreign legion, and historically when all airborne troops were united as the "REP" and uniforms had to be common, the legion still refused the green beret for a few years. Even today for any celebration, march, or ceremony, the foreign legion wears the kepi (actually a white one, that proves you finished your classes. Officers wear it black with a red surrounding)

Thanks. Yes, still many photos of them in Algeria with the “Kepi Blanc”. But most of ones I’ve seen with the paras are berets. Strange as I know the engineers and can etc still stuck to the Kepi. The guy wearing it is a sgt-chef, so yeah, the black one with the red top is correct for him. I might have another one wearing the Kepi-blanc too

Paras from airborne infantry started wearing the green beret just after world war two if I'm correct (inspired by the british green berets) while the french foreign legion paras traditionally wore a khaki green and red cap. That's the one they kept mainly during Indochine war, and sometimes in African colonies until 1960

Thanks, yeah that’s what I’d read too. But mainly just the REP who wore them in Algeria as the colonial paras wore the biguard cap I believe. The French Commandos wore them in Algeria too, also green but different shade….and unlike the rest of the French army and FFL, the commandos kept the beret badge on the left rather than the right

yup it's quite hard to see but french army has at least three shades of green for berets... you know french fashion lmao

Some cool paratroopers for sure, I really love that French camo.

Very cool, well done FFL troopers. So many details to take in. Looking forward to the other two!

Theboo-bomb wrote:Some cool paratroopers for sure, I really love that French camo.

Thanks - yeah I love that pattern too. Distinctive and unique

ostfront43 wrote:Very cool, well done FFL troopers. So many details to take in. Looking forward to the other two!

Thanks I have a 3rd which was ready, but I don’t like the fit of the uniform on the body…it’s a DAM 2.0 one. So I’m waiting on delivery of some DAM 3.0 bodies, which have much nicer fit (the gunner is using one of those, the sgt is on soldier story). The 4th is still boxed until the new bodies arrive, then need to find another good legionnaire style sculpt haha

wonderful figures! thanks for sharing! what sculpt did you use for the first guy? I would like to track on of those down

BAMComix wrote:wonderful figures! thanks for sharing! what sculpt did you use for the first guy? I would like to track on of those down

Thanks it’s the one from the DAM 78055 USMC Recon diver it’s a great sculpt. Rare to find clean shaven, crew cut sculpts nowadays

lurpdog101 wrote:

BAMComix wrote:wonderful figures! thanks for sharing! what sculpt did you use for the first guy? I would like to track on of those down

Thanks it’s the one from the DAM 78055 USMC Recon diver it’s a great sculpt. Rare to find clean shaven, crew cut sculpts nowadays

Thanks so much! sounds as if they are difficult to find

BAMComix wrote:

Thanks so much! sounds as if they are difficult to find

Yeah sadly. I think tmt hobby on eBay has one up at the moment, or did have. Someone in UK on eBay selling the figure for £80 too I think….body, head, hands, boots, uniform and couple of accessories, not much though, so quite expensive still

lurpdog101 wrote:

BAMComix wrote:

Thanks so much! sounds as if they are difficult to find

Yeah sadly. I think tmt hobby on eBay has one up at the moment, or did have. Someone in UK on eBay selling the figure for £80 too I think….body, head, hands, boots, uniform and couple of accessories, not much though, so quite expensive still

Thanks again for the tip

lurpdog101 wrote:

BAMComix wrote:wonderful figures! thanks for sharing! what sculpt did you use for the first guy? I would like to track on of those down

Thanks it’s the one from the DAM 78055 USMC Recon diver it’s a great sculpt. Rare to find clean shaven, crew cut sculpts nowadays

I was just going to ask this same thing! It frustrates me to no end how hard it is to find nice, clean-shaven male sculpts that don't look recognisably like a celeb. They are the most versatile sculpts for customizing and yet so rare these days. Looks like this one is only available as part of the full set atm, but I'll keep an eye out for it...

Nice! That first guy looks intense.

That second one looks like he left some unresolved family duties behind at home, his bad conscience turning him into a father figure to the his FFL bois.

So DiD had that impulse to put their names on the zippers?

Great work ! They look very smart. The posing is very natural. That must be really hard job to close all the buckles and buttons