All,

You've already seen my mid-/late-war studs, so let me show you my early-ish Marines specifically for Guadalcanal.  What's the difference, you ask?  Well, true early war is, to me, the Philippines and Wake Island, where US Marines wore khaki uniforms, Kelly helmets (a knock-off of the Brodie helmet, as I understand it), leggings, and the service rifle was the Springfield M-1903.  By the time Guadalcanal rolled around, the khakis had been replaced by green dungarees, the Kelly helmets by M-1 helmets (without camo helmet cover), but the Springfields were still there.  Following Guadalcanal the Marines replaced the Springfields with M-1 Garands (and, in some cases, M-1 Carbines) and introduced 'treefrog pattern' camouflage trousers, blouses, and helmet covers, in both green and brown camo.

Where things get off track is purely with me; I was looking at some pics of Marines in the Solomons and I was seeing them wearing green-side out camouflage.  It showed a dude with a Reising Gun, M-1 helmet without helmet cover, and green-side out cammie blouse, and I thought it was on Guadalcanal, but apparently it was on Bougainville (I thought the Reisings were long gone before Bougainville?).  Ditto goes for some Marines in green-side out camo trouser and blouses, no helmet covers, with Springfields (I thought all the riflemen had Garands by the time of Bougainville?).  I also thought I'd seen ParaMarines on Gavutu and Guadalcanal wearing green-side out camouflage, but I checked all my books and the internet and could find no supporting evidence.  So, all indications are the there were zero Marines wearing camouflage uniforms on Guadalcanal... but I coudn't help myself and I painted quite a few wearing camo...


Closeup, good look at the extended barrel, compensator, and charging handle on top of the receiver of the M-1928 Thompson, vice the M-1 Thompson most of the submachine gunners have (looked for M-50 Reisings but couldn't find any).  Would be even better if he had a drum rather than a stick magazine.  This is what all the Marines should look like: green dungarees, M-1 helmet without helmet cover or with netting.


Originally this was the only guy in this force that I painted with any camo, as he's to be my Platoon Sergeant and I wanted him to stand out, but then I found what I thought were photos documenting cammie uniforms on Guadalcanal and I lost all discipline, started painting everything camo...


Tossing a grenade, with sword bayonet.


Showing off the guns.


A metal M-1917 .30-cal MG team by Warlord.  Nicely done, but these boys ain't fond of shirts


And a metal 81mm mortar crew by Warlord (since their 60mm mortar team is so messed up).

To see a bunch more photos, please check the blog at:
https://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2025/05/28mm-warlord-wwii-us-marines-for.html

And there you have it, a platoon of Marines ready for action on The 'Canal.  I'm pretty happy with them, other than the painted on sleeves mostly look like crap and I wish I hadn't painted camo on them, but I'll get over it, I sure as hell am not going back and re-painting all those dungarees!

V/R,
Jack