Vietnam Quad 50 emplacement - completed, fotos

Brilliant work on the tarp.  Your diomara is looking better every time I come back! 

Hans, Gary - thanks a lot for reviving this thread for me. One thing is sure, I learned something about Vietnam War and I'm glad about it.

I went for Hans' idea to hide the labels on the boxes to make my error less bothersome. One box has it's label already hidden by a helmet. For the other I used a Verlinden bag to hide the label. Two other boxes will be partially wrapped in a shelter half, like Hans suggested.

Now I think everybody should know it's much easier to model something, if you work closely with apropriate reference. My ref was this foto:

Let me describe my method of painting such pattern. First I took a piece of Pawelite (my material for tarps - see previous posts in this thread) and painted it Revell 362:

I decided it was a little too dark, so I drybrushed some white Humbrol 34 on it and pencilled some dots in places where the little brown leaves would be:

Then I went on and painted the darkest leaves. I tried to position them relative to the little brown leaves and painted them using Humbrol 155 on a fine brush. My method of painting leaves is to go on with fine strokes in a herringbone pattern:

Next leaves were painted with Humbrol 149:

And another colour, Revell 361 plus the little brown leaves with Humbrol 84. I also revisited the previous colours a bit to adjust the patterns:

Finally I painted in the twigs with Humbrol 113.

How do you like it? Now I'm waiting for my shelter to dry, then I'm going to wrap it around the cartons and drybrush it a bit.

For those patient enough to read to this point a preliminary foto of the almost done dio:

Thanks for reading, looking forward to your comments, have a nice day

Pawel

Heh, actually, I liked the "Green Eggs & Ham" MCI...  It was the only one I liked cold, too... That is, once you dumped the water off it... I never had a problem tradin' for it... 'Cept if'n I only had the Ham & MFers.... 

Hans von Hammer

squeakie:

Hans von Hammer:

No MREs... They didn't get fielded until the 80s... You need MCIs- Meal, Combat, Individual, the famous "C-Rat" in cans...

You could hide the labels though.. C-Rations are in waxed cardboard for some weather protection, but they usually would be tarped, probably with a shelter-half in this instance...

 

we used both C-rats and the one that came out before MRE's (similar to an MRE but still different). These started to show up in July 1968, and were pretty common by September. You could find a 5.56 ammo can, and blacken the outsides of it. Then put it over fire with the guys cooking with it. We even had a polished steel pot (helmet) that we'd set on rocks to cook in

gary

 

I wasn't referring to the so-called "Lurps" (LRRP-rations), Gary...  MREs are MREs, as in "Meal, Ready to Eat" and weren't fielded until the 80s...  The canned "C-Rats" were officially known as "MCI's" as in Meal, Comabt, Individual" and replaced the K-ration.   BTW, regarding the Ham & Lima Beans C-rat ( "Ham & MotherF*****rs if you ever had to eat 'em), they were gone from the MCI menu by the early 70s and according to several sources, including myself, were THE most-hated C-Rat....

chopped ham & eggs never had a good response as well! The term LRRP ration came from the fact that they used them several months before anybody else ever saw them. They were easier to carry, and of course had a better taste.

gary

squeakie

Hans von Hammer:

No MREs... They didn't get fielded until the 80s... You need MCIs- Meal, Combat, Individual, the famous "C-Rat" in cans...

You could hide the labels though.. C-Rations are in waxed cardboard for some weather protection, but they usually would be tarped, probably with a shelter-half in this instance...

 

we used both C-rats and the one that came out before MRE's (similar to an MRE but still different). These started to show up in July 1968, and were pretty common by September. You could find a 5.56 ammo can, and blacken the outsides of it. Then put it over fire with the guys cooking with it. We even had a polished steel pot (helmet) that we'd set on rocks to cook in

gary

I wasn't referring to the so-called "Lurps" (LRRP-rations), Gary...  MREs are MREs, as in "Meal, Ready to Eat" and weren't fielded until the 80s...  The canned "C-Rats" were officially known as "MCI's" as in Meal, Comabt, Individual" and replaced the K-ration.   BTW, regarding the Ham & Lima Beans C-rat ( "Ham & MotherF*****rs if you ever had to eat 'em), they were gone from the MCI menu by the early 70s and according to several sources, including myself, were THE most-hated C-Rat....

Pawel

Hans,

thanks a lot for your comment. Dang, I'm modelling Vietnam War subjects for over 15 years now and still have a lot to learn. I didn't know about this C-ration shift. Now I have to rearrange my dio a little bit and I'll probably hide the labels. Back to the drawing board... Have a nice day

Pawel

actually there's two kinds of C-Rats. The easy way to tell them apart is that one had ham and lima beans in it while the other didn't. Sadly all had chopped ham and eggs in them (looks like dog food). The later dehydrated rations came in four flavors. Chili concarnie, chicken ala king, and a couple others. We had C-rats for awhile that were Korean War vintage stuff. There's not enough Hinze 57 sauce on the planet to fix them!

gary

Hans von Hammer

No MREs... They didn't get fielded until the 80s... You need MCIs- Meal, Combat, Individual, the famous "C-Rat" in cans...

You could hide the labels though.. C-Rations are in waxed cardboard for some weather protection, but they usually would be tarped, probably with a shelter-half in this instance...

we used both C-rats and the one that came out before MRE's (similar to an MRE but still different). These started to show up in July 1968, and were pretty common by September. You could find a 5.56 ammo can, and blacken the outsides of it. Then put it over fire with the guys cooking with it. We even had a polished steel pot (helmet) that we'd set on rocks to cook in

gary

No sweat... I recall EATING Vietnam-era C-rats in 79-80...

Hans,

thanks a lot for your comment. Dang, I'm modelling Vietnam War subjects for over 15 years now and still have a lot to learn. I didn't know about this C-ration shift. Now I have to rearrange my dio a little bit and I'll probably hide the labels. Back to the drawing board... Have a nice day

Pawel

No MREs... They didn't get fielded until the 80s... You need MCIs- Meal, Combat, Individual, the famous "C-Rat" in cans...

You could hide the labels though.. C-Rations are in waxed cardboard for some weather protection, but they usually would be tarped, probably with a shelter-half in this instance...

Gary,

I think I'm gonna go for the moss like you described it. For now I have the last shot of all the "stuff" that's going to end up on the dio:

And today I'll put the dio together. See you then, have a nice day

Pawel

Pawel

Hello Gary!

Thanks a lot for your comments, that's what I was looking for!

I intend this dio to depict the rainy season, and so I do the weathering accordingly.

I tried to model the sandbags in the doorway after the foto, so the pile is not too high. In the foto it looks more like a measure to keep the water out of the bunker. I'll expriment with sandbags around the quad, but then they can't be too high neither, or they will get in the way of the ammo loaders or restrict the lowest possible elevation of the barrels - I extra paid a lot of attention to this one after we talked about it.

Thanks again, you have been a real help. Please stay tuned and have a nice day

Pawel

being as it's the monsoon season (same as here) you might also add some bits of green moss growing on the sides of the concrete. Not much but just a little bit.

gary

I made some experiments with sandbags around the quad 50. While it sure would be good to have something to hide behind in case of an attack, the additional sandbag wall would change the look of the dio too much - too far from THE FOTO. So I decided against it. So dear viewers, I'll slowly start the final assembly of the dio, please hurry with your comments, or it will be too late!

Thanks in advance, have a nice day

Pawel

Hello Gary!

Thanks a lot for your comments, that's what I was looking for!

I intend this dio to depict the rainy season, and so I do the weathering accordingly.

I tried to model the sandbags in the doorway after the foto, so the pile is not too high. In the foto it looks more like a measure to keep the water out of the bunker. I'll expriment with sandbags around the quad, but then they can't be too high neither, or they will get in the way of the ammo loaders or restrict the lowest possible elevation of the barrels - I extra paid a lot of attention to this one after we talked about it.

Thanks again, you have been a real help. Please stay tuned and have a nice day

Pawel

Pawel

Hello everybody!

I decided, now that the figs are done, I'll post two fotos of the setup my dio is going to have. Now nothing is fixed, so if you have any suggestions, I'd like to hear them, the time is now. And don't be shocked by the big red heart - it's a stand in for the Quad 50, the heart of the dio. I'll also put substantially more stuff on, including rifles for everybody (except the Quad 50 gunner), C-rations, mermite can and fuel can. So, please tell me what do you think, here we go:

Thanks in advance for your comments, have a nice day

Pawel

for some odd reason this page didn't come up the first time I accessed this thread. Everything looks good to me. Put the generator over by the left reat of the bunker top. The 105 box filled with dirt will hold down the tarp just fine. But I'd still put three or four rows of bags in front of the quad fifty. The color of the soil means little here, as just about any color imaginable was out there. Red and jet black were common up north, yet you still saw the yellows here and there.

you keep doing stuff like this, and I'll be sending you a "welcome home brother" message

gary

I think you do concrete better than the Sea Bees did! Two small changes needed to be done.

* the tarp needs something to hold it down on top. Being as we didn't have anyway to drive a nail in the concrete, I'd just lay a row of sandbags ontop the tarp to hold it in place (one row is fine)

* the row of bags in front of the door needs to be moved away from the door a couple feet minimum, and should be at least four feet tall (four and a half would be best). Thats the blast shield used to keep satchel charges from being tossed in the doorway at will. Make the shield at least four feet wide (six to eight feet would be best), and about two feet thick minimum. Reason why is that the neighbors were always big on satchel charges.

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Figures look very nice. Better than anything I could do! They are clothed a little heavy, so plan on the scene to be in the fall or winter months. NO flak jackets! With local VC figures you looking at a 1967 or earlier time frame, as most were fixed by the Spring of 68. I would do the VC guy as a sapper. Sling an SKS or an M1 Carbine over his backside. Charges were often packed in sandbags, or old ruck sacks. Don't bother to set up Claymore "Klackers" as they would not be close by in a Quad fifty placement. It normally would be back a few hundred feet from the perimeter on high ground.

your doing quite well

gary

Pawel

Hello everybody!

I'm planning a diorama inspired by this foto:

I'm looking for hints on how would such emplacement look like: how many people would be around, would it be OK if only the gunner was in his seat, where and how would the ammo be stored, and maybe someone has any info about old french bunkers. Internet says the foto was taken in the vincinity of Dong Ha -any info will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your time and have a nice day

Pawel

this photo sends a chill. Put a two and a half foot tall sand bag wall around the front, and it'd almost be too close to home

glt

Thanks a lot for your comment Chris, appreciate it!

psstoff995

what's Sarge so upset about?

Not quite sure what's got into him, may have something to do with the .50 spare barrels Brownie got!

Let's see how it turns out, I'm waiting for yuor comments with the final assembly. Thanks in advance for your input, have a nice day

Pawel

Saw the finished figures over there- they looked great!

The dio's really coming together now, haha what's Sarge so upset about?

Hello everybody!

I decided, now that the figs are done, I'll post two fotos of the setup my dio is going to have. Now nothing is fixed, so if you have any suggestions, I'd like to hear them, the time is now. And don't be shocked by the big red heart - it's a stand in for the Quad 50, the heart of the dio. I'll also put substantially more stuff on, including rifles for everybody (except the Quad 50 gunner), C-rations, mermite can and fuel can. So, please tell me what do you think, here we go:

Thanks in advance for your comments, have a nice day

Pawel

Thanks again Adam!

Don't know about you, but for me having a good reference foto makes the building so much easier. What I mean is all the things you have to decide while building. And then, after finishing your work you hear people tell you this or that is not right - don't we all know this. Worse still, if I know something is wrong, factually, with the dio. Now having a foto assures me in what I'm doing and solves many questions I have, sometimes many weeks after starting the build.

Now the foto I had for this dio isn't too detailed, but still helps, like with the colors.

It's really good to know you're watching this one so closely, thanks for it, 'till next time

Pawel

Ah yeah the reference photo that started it all

Sorry, Buddy that was a while back--good reason*(I knew there was one) But really--the dirt is not red in every picture I've seen of that region, just seems like in every(other) Dio it is. Now that I see this photo again I see why you did several things--good work !

Hello Adam!

Tic toc, yeah, I begin to feel that too... Well I went away from the "red soil" because I tried to replicate the color that can be seen on my reference foto (see page one). You don't have the same geological conditions in all Vietnam.

Thanks a lot for your comment, I hope I won't keep you waiting for long now, have a nice day

Pawel

Lookin good Pawel!

I like your groundwork alot--the grrass, footpath--all good. i noticed you stayed away from the red soil as usually depicted in Vietnam--any particular reason? Do something different  maybe?

So how long before that badazz gun is in place Buddy? tic toc 

Hello SuppressionFire,

thanks a lot for your comment, glad you like my WIP.

Fighting the urge isn't so hard when I'm just building slow. Many of the details being glued to holders also helps

But I'll try not to drag it too long, and I hope it won't be long now - I have many more things to build. Thanks again, have a nice day

Pawel

Looking good Pawel!

Its at this point restraint is hard as all the elements are begging to be placed in the diorama. You have fought this urge well and executed a great deal of patience.

Thanks for sharing the WIP's, looking forward to the finish line on this one!

Hello!

Recently I got some info from Hans von Hammer (thanks a lot Hans!) and I went on to do the C-ration cartons. I used my partially used C-rations sheet I got out of Academy's M-151A2 MUTT with Trailer kit. It's a Tamiya copy, could be had really cheap at my local supermarket and is packed with goodies - you get not only the jeep and M416 trailer, but also an M30 4.2 inch mortar with crew, lots of jerry cans, mentioned C-ration cartons, driver for the jeep and a few goggles useful for figures on vehicles. Not bad for under 7$ (after currency conversion).

So first I had this:

And the I med this out of it:

Not a big thing, but a step forward anyhow. Hope you like it, have a nice day

Pawel

Thanks for the comment krow113! Well let's not have it screaming for too long, I have some stuff for the dio in production, let me show it to you on the foto below:

What we have here is (top row from the left): Quad 50 base, quad 50 turret with gunner, trailer wheels (detached), power charger and battery pack. Bottom row from the left: Sarge and his head, Brownie, two spare .50 barrels, Scarecrow with his head and his hat stack of ammo boxes, four individual ammo boxes, water can and fuel can.

I'm also considering other items and many of them are questionable. Maybe you could help me decide? Let me list the items and my doubts about them:

Casette recorder - some vets say getting batteries for it would be a real pain, depending how far the PX was.

C-ration boxes - would you eat that if a field kitchen was somewhere nearby?

Mermite can - would that be realistic in this setting?

Helmets for guys not wearing them at the moment. How about the guy in a boonie hat?

Rifles for everybody. Would that be correct? What arms would be issued to such specialized troops as Quad 50 crew?

I hope somebody can help me with the above questions. Any help would be much appreciated. Have a nice day

Pawel

Great base work on there ,its screaming out for figs,equipment and action!

Hello!

Back from the business trip. Looks like I didn't miss much

Anyhow, I painted the grass green for some variation and then planted some additional weeds. I also glued the tarps in place. It helps to glue tissue rolls on the inside of the tarps, to help keep the folds where I want them. I also fabricated the trap door that connect the tower to the rest of the bunker. I painted the door rust and glued them inside the tower in case someone would like to take a peek inside. Here's a shot for your viewing pleasure:

After glueing the tarps in place the dio looks like that:

Any comments this time? I sure would appreciate that. 'Till next time, have a nice day

Pawel