Master list for the new Korean War range - Input required!

[Rifleman65]

Hi Sunray, I agree with everything you said. It existed and could have been there. I remember dad talking about the Koreans and Chinese using a large caliber bolt action rifle, probably a mosin- Nagant, or Mauser variant, and of course the famous burp gun, psh 41?   And whole platoons of Chinese armed with Thompson sub machine guns. The Chinese supposedly manufactured a copy of the Thompson. He also mentioned a large sniper version of the Soviet anti-tank rifle from ww2, equipped with a scope for sniping. He also mentioned large amounts of Chinese troops with NO weapons at all. They were supposed to pick up the rifles of the fallen.  He said they all had bandoliers of ammo,and maybe a grenade .I have a Fairbane Sykes fighting knife he got from some British troops. He traded a m-1 carbine bayonet for it.

[fsn]

How's this?

[Sunray]

 Very interesting Nobby.  It illustrates just how much the Chinese were forced to adapt captured weapons including the vast supply of Nationalist kit.
Serving in the PLA must have been a quartermaster's hell.   Its an AK -47 mag (Chinese copy) so would possibly date from 1956 .

I was guest of the Irish Army Reserve at Finner Camp back in the 1990s and was amazed at their average squad equipped with Carl Gustav SMG in 9mm, the FN in 7.62 and the BREN LMG in.303.   It was a logistical nightmare.

Techno (Phil) is paying special attention to grenades. Indeed he was heaving a tin of beans around to get the right throwing sculpt for the distinctive RG-42.   He then had to go and look for the tin, as the light goes early in the Welsh hills....and he likes his beans does Phil.

As the war progressed the KPA regrouped and would need to have been re-equipped in dress and kit.  Images I have verified show the Soviet Gymnasterka being worn by NCOs.  How widespread was this practice ?  Some war movies show elite "Flag assault units" in the Gymnasterka which would be a nice touch on the table.   For this reason the canny Phil has sculpted the shirt outside the trousers - so it can be painted as the Gymnasterka and indeed a host of post war third world uniforms.       It will be a great range this Pendraken Korean.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

A friend served out in Korea, was posted as a liaison with an Ozzie unit.
He arrived, had his SLR removed from his person (for protection purposes), to immediately be 'loaned' a fully automatic version...
With instructions to 'lose it when you return to your unit'!

[fsn]

Very interesting Nobby. 

I think the aspect that I found most interesting was the way that a Czech design, reworked in Britain, was made in the US, fro China, adapted for different ammunition (twice) and was probablty in service for 20+ years.

Techno was heaving a tin of beans around to get the right throwing sculpt for the distinctive RG-42.   He then had to go and look for the tin, as the light goes early in the Welsh hills....and he likes his beans does Phil.

That's what he told you. Actually, he just lost the tin opener.

[Sunray]

I think the aspect that I found most interesting was the way that a Czech design, reworked in Britain, was made in the US,

No,  it was the good old boys of John Inglis & Co, Toronto who made the Bren, and a very good model it was too. They also knocked out a very tidy 9mm Hi Power Browning that was the British Army pistol until the Glock arrived.

[paulr]

I think the aspect that I found most interesting was the way that a Czech design, reworked in Britain, was made in the US Canada, for China, adapted for different ammunition (twice) and was probability in service for 20+ years.

Agreed, says a lot about the design and build quality

[Sunray]

It was also helped by the nature of post war conflicts.  If you need accurate and controllable bursts from a portable weapon,  then you go with an LMG like the Bren or indeed the LSW fed with a magazine interchangeable with the rifle.  If you need heavy suppressive fire, then you want a belt fed GPMG.

The Brits fought a lot of police type actions in the years 1948- 2001.

[Mako]

I'd like to see American flamethrowers.

3.5" bazooka men in two poses, e.g. kneeling and firing, and prone and firing, if possible.  These will also work for early to mid-Cold War Danish troops, and early Cold War West Germans.  Probably for lots of other armies around the globe throughout the Cold War as well, e.g. Europe, Africa, South and Central America, etc., etc..

105mm/106mm recoilless rifles with American crews - ground mount, and jeep mounted weapon.

75mm recoilless rifle and crew.

Prone/firing, and prone/crawling figs, especially for the Chinese and North Koreans, who might try to infiltrate enemy lines by crawling in order to get close to their opponents and surprise them.

[Sunray]

I'd like to see American flamethrowers.

3.5" bazooka men in two poses, e.g. kneeling and firing, and prone and firing, if possible.  These will also work for early to mid-Cold War Danish troops, and early Cold War West Germans.  Probably for lots of other armies around the globe throughout the Cold War as well, e.g. Europe, Africa, South and Central America, etc., etc..

105mm/106mm recoilless rifles with American crews - ground mount, and jeep mounted weapon.

75mm recoilless rifle and crew.

Prone/firing, and prone/crawling figs, especially for the Chinese and North Koreans, who might try to infiltrate enemy lines by crawling in order to get close to their opponents and surprise them.

The 3.5 Bazooka is I believe already in issue (code MC18) US Marines WW2 and the 75mm M20 RR (code VM21) is in the Indo China range.
There is a long running request for the 106mm RR - it will come 

[Mako]

Thanks for the note, but no, that's a 2.36" bazooka, or should be.

The much larger, 3.5" one wasn't produced until 1950.

[Sunray]

The research for the US Marine range was not on my watch, and Techno wasn't the sculptor,    but I have to say from memory the model that we have does look like the 3.5 with the very distinctive metal frame shoulder stock and breech that is not reflected in the M1 or M9 bazooka models.

Can someone fire us up an image of the Marine Bazooka figure ?

[Leon]

Can someone fire us up an image of the Marine Bazooka figure ?

Here you go:

[fsn]

Bazooka = 54" long
Super Bazooka = 61" long

Difference 7"
In 150 = 1.18mm

Not that much larger, surely. 

[Orcs]

Bazooka = 54" long
Super Bazooka = 61" long

Difference 7"
In 150 = 1.18mm

Not that much larger, surely. 

If your "bazooka" was  7" longer than a normal one you would be crowing from the roof tops !!! 

No but I get your point - does it actually justify the cost of making a complete new master.  Surely a" paint job conversion"  painting the "Super Bazookas" a slightly different shade of green to the normal ones would be enough.

[Sunray]

If your "bazooka" was  7" longer than a normal one you would be crowing from the roof tops !!! 

No but I get your point - does it actually justify the cost of making a complete new master.  Surely a" paint job conversion"  painting the "Super Bazookas" a slightly different shade of green to the normal ones would be enough.

Size doesn't matter a lot when sculpting weapons.  Indeed most sculptors will exaggerate things like barrel length to "make it look right reference detail" . Indeed Minifigs RPG7 figure takes it to the extreme. The rocket launcher is  twice the size it should be in 10/12mm scale.  Compare with Pendraken VC figure that is 'nearer to scale'.

Having looked again at the image Leon provided, and the unusual metal frame shoulder stock, I do think we (Pendraken) gave the US Marines (circa 1940s) the Super bazooka, which as Mako has rightly reminded us, was not in issue until post WW2.  Ops ! 

The 3.5 bazooka was long gone before my service.  I only remember the Charlie G in British issue, so never got to handle the weapon.  Ian might confirm if it is indeed the post war model?

The good news is the US Marine figure is good for Korea. 

I have to say that Phil is meticulous about getting period detail right.   Even the style of pockets on a combat jacket and the M43 appropriate over the M41 jacket and he has me sourcing images - as you all know.  Thanks again.  Those South Koreans should be appearing on the cork stoppers as we speak...

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

3.5 " - We only had 0ne for my first year, then got a Charlie G. If it's being carried it breaks in half with a rough thread - it's less cumbersome, but da*ned uncomfortable to carry. It has about the same proportions as the WWII one though.

IanS

[fsn]

If your "bazooka" was  7" longer than a normal one you would be crowing from the roof tops !!! 

As Jimeoin says "I wish I had 12" penis - instead of this monster".

[Sunray]

3.5 " - We only had 0ne for my first year, then got a Charlie G. If it's being carried it breaks in half with a rough thread - it's less cumbersome, but da*ned uncomfortable to carry. It has about the same proportions as the WWII one though.

IanS

Thanks Ian.  The 3.5" had a sling from the pistol grip to the breech end.  I think that's what is reflected in the sculpt.  The earlier bazooka had its sling from the grip to just behind the stock.
Be good to hear from the sculptor .....

[Sunray]

Thanks Ian.  The 3.5" had a sling from the pistol grip to the breech end.  I think that's what is reflected in the sculpt.  The earlier bazooka had its sling from the grip to just behind the stock.
Be good to hear from the sculptor .....

Are we agreed that the bazooka featured in the US Marines WW2 (MC18)is indeed the 3.5" and not and oversized M1/M9 2.36 ?