Modern US Infantry (pics)

Great job on the camo, allen! Those would look great in a dio...

demono69

man those look awesome!!!

Thanks, M1 and Demono. I still believe the woodland pattern is the best looking camo anywhere. But that new USMC pattern is really intriguing. I think I'll get me a set to figure out how to paint it on figures.

Great job on the figures, Allan. I don't think I could ever do my figures in such a great way as you did.

A dio would be perfect for those tiny guys.

Nice work, Allan. The Marine Marpat pattern is really interesting. Would you use the woodland, desert or urban variation in your dio?

Dwight,
Thanks, my friend. I bet you can do even better.

Keyworth,
Thanks! Im really biased in favor of woodland, so I think Im gonna go for that. Theres something about infantry and foliage that really mystifies me.

Very nice Allen. Thanks for sharing the picture with us.
mark956

great job on the figures
Marpat Oh dear that would take ages doing that cammo and Cadpat and have you seen the new USAF blue tiger stipes? just for them to look different and airforce
soon to be made by Gucci and Armani

Thank you, Mark. The pleasure is mine.

Captain Caveman,

Gucci and Armani? LOL. No wonder the USAF's budget keeps going up.

Yeah, I was able to download some Marpat photos last night, and just as I feared, it looks like its going to be a tough job. The Cadpat isnt any different. The site I went to even said that the Marpat is a digital rendition of the Cadpat. Leave it to the uniform designers to make life more and more difficult for modelers. LOL.

The USAF blue tiger stripes sound very interesting. Do you have a link I could go to? Here in Manila Ive seen blue DPM camo BDUs worn by the police. But the USAF blues Id really like to see.

Great work on your soldiers! I must say that the thee color desert sheme is really cool.

I think you could paint Marpat correctly only with a square shaped brush!!

As for the USAF new blue pattern, I saw some pics on the USAF internet page. Go to http://www.af.mil/search/gallery.asp?mediaType=1&galleryID=8 and look through the pics. Btw they are all hi-res!

C U !

Thanks, Avus! I was in fact looking for a pointed, square-shaped brush.

By the way, I went over the site and couldnt find the blue USAF camo.

Outstanding job Allan.

The figures looked great. They look almost real. WOuld you be able to provide some insight into how you did the woodland scheme? I am having trouble nailing it down. What types of paints did you use and how did you layer the colors?

The best way I have found to do the new Marine camo is to use the salt technique from a few FSM issues ago. Work with it on a dummy piece of plastic to get familiar with it and you should be able to paint the figures.

Mike Pabis

Thanks, Chris! Id like to build a whole army of em, actually. LOL.

Mike,
Thanks! Youre very kind. I used Tamiya enamels for all the figures, adding about 15-20% flat base for each color mix to get dead flat results. The colors I used:

1. Flat Green (XF-5, 80%) + Flat White (XF-2, 20%)
2. Red Brown (XF-64, 75%) + Flat Red (XF-7, 20%) + Flat Black (XF-1, 5%)
3. Buff (XF-57, 60%) + Khaki (XF-49, 30%) + Desert Yellow (XF-59, 10%)
4. Flat Black (85%) + Sky Gray (XF-19, 15%).

I actually dont prime my figures. I dont layer the paints, either. The reason is at 1/35 scale too much paint will cover up most of the details. Creases, lapels, pockets, etc. lose their crisp edges, so uniforms start looking thick. I apply each color in accordance with the Woodland pattern right away. I usually start with the green mix, then the red brown, then the buff/khaki mix, and finally the black mix. Because of the system I use you cant begin painting the lightest color first. It would be difficult to see.

Great idea on the Marpat, by the way. Im gonna try to look around for a shirt, at least. And then, maybe, psyche myself up.

Try this link. It should work!

http://www.af.mil/stories/story.asp?storyID=123005370

Avus,

Oh man, that is a beauty! The uniform, I mean. I'll try it out one of these days. Thanks for posting the link!

Should be great, Pare. Please show us pics when you are done.

Another marvelous example of dedication to the hobby! What power magnifying glass do you use to even see well enough to paint those fantastic figures? My skills look good enough from 2 or 3 feet but the closer you look the better these are. Pretty good close-up photography too. Can't wait to see them in a dio.

Man, do those figures look great or what!

Pathfinder & RAF120,

Thanks, fellas, for the kind words. I really like this pattern I even bought myself a set of BDUs to study the pattern and colors. Im glad you liked em.

Great jog on the figures. You really captured the woodland pattern. Don't get me started on the USAF blue tiger-stripes! If you want to see this deplorable waste of time and resources, use the link below.

http://138.145.200.39/search?restrict=Photos&q=uniform&site=legacy_af&output=xml_no_dtd&client=legacy_af&btnG=Search&access=p&ip=65.208.196.64&proxystylesheet=legacy_af&filter=0

Happy landings
Doug

Thanks, Doug. Ive seen that blue stripe photo. Ive have nothing against the tiger stripe (in fact its a nice camo), but Im just wondrin why the USAF didnt develop a new pattern. It looks like a throw-back to the 60s/70s. I now retro is in vogue, but...

that air force uniform looks like a different colored thorw-bck to the tiger striped uniforms worn in nam, by the seals..no?

Nice work, Allan.

As i said before the Figures are great
The New Cammo for the US forces is getting out of hand
USMC = MARPAT
USAF = Blue tigerstripe
US army = soon to be replacing there woodland cammo
As the USAF have said “they like the new cammo because it lets them stand out and people know they are in the USAF”?????????? What’s the point of camouflage?
There’s too many Blue on Blue incidents now

Didn't I tell you all not to get me started?

I agree, Tiger Stripes are a very sexy pattern, but they aren't very useful camouflage. The stripes only run horizontally. Nothing breaks up your pattern vertically.

As for the colors, blue and gray are great for tactical aircraft, where speed, distance and atmospheric effects tend to fade the sky and the surface of the earth into those colors. But what about us grunts on the ground with much closer engagement distances? Who cares? The Chief of Staff is reported to have been questioned by an airman who said "I've never seen a blue tree." The Chief is said to have responded "I've never seen an airman hide behind a tree."

Pulling guard duty on the flightline, nothing will blend a the shape of a human being into flat concrete. Blue and gray tiger stripes will get me killed in a woodland engagement. They'd probably be OK in an urban engagement, but no better than the woodland pattern we have now.

The increased danger of blue-on-blue incidents concerns me greatly. It's bad enough now, with everyone wearing the same outfit. Add the currrent factors of decreased training due to operations tempo and fewer personnel augmented by replacements with minimal training or better yet detached from another branch of service and you have genuine cause for alarm.

Sorry for the speech but I fear that the decision to change the uniform was motivated by someone's personal or political agenda, not operational needs.

P.S. These blue BDUs aren't for deployment. The theater commander (Gen Franks, Gen Abizaid, etc.) choose what troops deploying to their area will wear. That means we'll still have to maintain stocks of woodland and desert BDUs in addition to the blue ones.

Reddog,

I agree with you 100% (and giggle at the new AF Blues... sorry all you AF types who will actually be wearing those things!) I've heard a LOT of Army rumblings about the new MARPAT BDU and DCUs. Most often heard comment is "its gonna make a lot of dead Marines". The Army won't be fielding the new BDUs for another 3-4 years. I will say the new Urban digi-cam looks pretty cool and seems to be pretty effective. But then again, if we wait another 15 years, we'll have the "Predator" suits anyway, so it won't matter!

Reddog,

I agree with you too. Them "new" stripes may look good in photos and models, but on tarmac/woodland? I just hope you'll never have to wear that in harm's way.
Btw, correct me if Im wrong, but the USAF never used the tiger stripes in Viet Nam, right?