That's something you found there.

The Legion Etrangere is worth a read and Wiki has a decent page on them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Foreign_Legion

My thoughts go to a somewhat personal experience followed by Dien Bien Phu.

As to the latter, true heroism.

My best friend in my youth was picked out of an Ivy league school to work for an NGO. He taught soccer, ran a bar and a school in Niger, and was working in Rwanda in 1990, wife and kids.

Hell came down, the Legion came in and he had 1/2 hour to save his family but managed to chop the HD out of his computer.

Bill

The Legion has a serious list of battle honors. Many of which where they did not prevail. I have a book on their history (current until its publication in 1986) that is a great read. And in all honesty, your friend is quite lucky that the Legion exists. France can send the Legion to places like Rwanda that the US will not send our own forces. I had a Drill Sergeant who was with the 82nd in the late 70s when they were alerted to go to Zaire. (there is a side story to this that I won’t go into here) Long story short, the Legion made that combat drop (in USAF transports) and rescued over 2000 civilians under similar circumstances as Rwanda, when folks in our government would not commit US forces to do the same thing. Just as happened in Rwanda. We have that capability, but not the intestinal fortitude to employ it. I have the deepest respect for those soldiers. They are expendables and they revel in that.

His mother was a French citizen in Alsace. His father was an occupation soldier, native speaking German but a US Army member and an American citizen.

She lost most of her relatives.

C was always a bright kid in the class.

I could spend more time reading about the first Indo Chinese War.

Have you seen the movie "Go Tell The Spartans"? It's based on a great article written by Daniel Ford for the The Nation.

GMorrison

I could spend more time reading about the first Indo Chinese War.

Have you seen the movie "Go Tell The Spartans"? It's based on a great article written by Daniel Ford for the The Nation. 

Yes that War is an intruiging subject. One phase in the end of an empire.

I saw the movie when it came out, and have it on DVD in my collection. The advisor era. Low budget, but done well enough.

Those are some pretty nice looking figures- esp considering they're not a new item. I looked at them briefly while looking for figures for my '50s ARL44 tank until I noticed they didn't really fit with the setting or time scale for it either. 

Looking forward to seeing you get them painted up. 

Gamera, they are indeed a decent set of figures. But I think that only one of the Algeria figures would work with the ARL 44 tank. The rest are too tropical and/or modern. 

I have started painting the two built figures and assembling a third. But family time came up, so no new progress pics yet.

AHA ! I like those.

     They look like they will be good looking when you do your magic.

Tanker-Builder

AHA ! I like those.

     They look like they will be good looking when you do your magic.

 

Thank you TB. I’ll do my best, but I’m very rusty on figures right now...

Even without paint, the sculpting looks far sharper than 1/35 figures often have.

Those will be outstnding is my guess.

CapnMac82

Even without paint, the sculpting looks far sharper than 1/35 figures often have.

Those will be outstnding is my guess.

 

Not quite as nice as later Dragon figures, but much better than early Academy figures. The faces are sculpted quite well I think, as are the rest of the figures. I think that the only place that Academy dropped the ball on this set was on weapons selection. The rifles included for Chad in the 80s are of an earlier type, phased out by then.

Built another Legionnaire today... Indochina 1948

stikpusher

I think that the only place that Academy dropped the ball on this set was on weapons selection

Getting info on Fench weaponry has been complicated, especially in English.  At least until earlier this year, Ian finally got his Chasspot to FAMAS book out.  It's a magnificnet book, and unlike all too many reference books is not filled with small, grainy photos.

CapnMac82

 

 

stikpusher

I think that the only place that Academy dropped the ball on this set was on weapons selection

 

 

Getting info on Fench weaponry has been complicated, especially in English.  At least until earlier this year, Ian finally got his Chasspot to FAMAS book out.  It's a magnificnet book, and unlike all too many reference books is not filled with small, grainy photos.

 

I like the Osprey books for quick reference. The color illustration plates are usually well researched and explained, including weaponry. Photos vary in quality, obviously depending upon the setting.

stikpusher

Built another Legionnaire today... Indochina 1948

 

 

Oh neat! He looks pretty friggin' cool too!

Yeah, I like the pose of the Indochina figure. He looks to be based off a profile artwork from an Osprey book, slightly modified. I’m sure that he would look great posed by a vehicle of some sort, soft skin or light armor.

Another day, another Legionnaire figure. This one 1960s Algeria in dress parade or guard uniform standing at attention. The kit would have you arm him with a sub machine gun. But I test fitted with a rifle and liked that look better.

Yes, your guy looks just like this. This guy's also got a floppy bush hat hanging on his neck.

https://georgy-konstantinovich-zhukov.tumblr.com/post/68268169520/french-foreign-legion-indochina-l%C3%A9gionnaire-13e

GMorrison

Yes, your guy looks just like this. This guy's also got a floppy bush hat hanging on his neck.

https://georgy-konstantinovich-zhukov.tumblr.com/post/68268169520/french-foreign-legion-indochina-l%C3%A9gionnaire-13e

 

Yes, the set did not include the French style bush hat. Nor did it include the grenade and first aid pouches, or canteen, and associated web straps. I added the canteen and aid punch from my spares.

My guess is that Academy used the Osprey books for a basis, but altered each figure just a bit to avoid artwork copyright issues. Some of them more than others.

I thought of another good movie.

Le Crabe Tambour:  "The Drummer Crab".

A good time piece of French military at the ending of the whole post WW2 Colonial period.

Guy movie, I think you will like it.

Bill

I want to find The Lost Command and see it again sometime. Anthony Quinn as a French para officer. Starts at Dien Bien Phu and ends in Algeria. But I’ll have a look for the Drummer Crab as well.

I started painting on the first two figures this evening....

Don't mind if I pull up a chair...

Real G

Don't mind if I pull up a chair...

 

 

Please do, and I hope that you enjoy the show.

Bill, I looked up Le Crabe Tambour. Apparently that film is written and directed by the same guy who wrote the source novel for one of my favorite films, Farewell To The King.

Oh those look good!!! 

Though to be completly honest those huge parachute pants on the left-hand guy make me giggle. He looks like an '80s break dancer to me... 

Gamera

Though to be completly honest those huge parachute pants on the left-hand guy make me giggle. He looks like an '80s break dancer to me... 

Gamera

Oh those look good!!!  

Though to be completly honest those huge parachute pants on the left-hand guy make me giggle. He looks like an '80s break dancer to me...  

Yeah, they're different. "Don't hurt 'em, Marteau!"

Not parachute pants, though.  They're based on styles worn by North African tribes.  The French picked up the fashion from the units they recruited from their colonies, like Turcos and Zouaves.  And the fashion made it here, too, in the years before the Civil War, when the French set military fashions.  Until the Germans clobbered them in 1870, after which time tunics and spiked helmets became all the rage.

stikpusher

 

CapnMac82

Even without paint, the sculpting looks far sharper than 1/35 figures often have.

Those will be outstnding is my guess. 

Not quite as nice as later Dragon figures, but much better than early Academy figures. The faces are sculpted quite well I think, as are the rest of the figures...

Yeah, I agree with you guys.  These are injection-molded styrene?  They're pretty good, if so. It's hard to get the crisp detail in injection-molded styrene, that you get with resin casting.  The faces are really done well.

I look forward to seeing your updates with color on these!

stikpusher

Bill, I looked up Le Crabe Tambour. Apparently that film is written and directed by the same guy who wrote the source novel for one of my favorite films, Farewell To The King.

 

He parachuted into DBP and filmed the entire battle. Unfortunately, after the defeat and before capture, he destroyed all of the film. 

the Baron

 

 

Gamera

Oh those look good!!!  

Though to be completly honest those huge parachute pants on the left-hand guy make me giggle. He looks like an '80s break dancer to me...  

 

 

 

Yeah, they're different. "Don't hurt 'em, Marteau!"

Not parachute pants, though.  They're based on styles worn by North African tribes.  The French picked up the fashion from the units they recruited from their colonies, like Turcos and Zouaves.  And the fashion made it here, too, in the years before the Civil War, when the French set military fashions.  Until the Germans clobbered them in 1870, after which time tunics and spiked helmets became all the rage.

 

Yeah, I know about Zouaves- I was just yanking Stikpusher's chain a little there... 

I remember an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 where the movie, I think the name of it was 'Time Chasers' had a guy jumping around in time. They had a bunch of American Revolution re-enactors including a few guys dressed as zouaves in one of the time jumps. One of the 'bots- I think it was Crow was yelling at the screen 'HEY THAT GUY'S NOT A MINUTEMAN- HE'S A PIRATE!' 

You guys are too much on some of the uniform comments... not that they don’t rate some remarks... And yes, for an inexpensive injection molded figure set, the quality of the sculpting is surprisingly good. Now I’m kinda  thinking about finding some vehicles to go with a few of them.... but I digress...

Started painting the next two figures over the past couple of days...

and I built another figure this evening. Chad during the 1980’s. The set comes with the wrong rifle for that era, but I scrounged a proper FA MAS rifle from a Testors/Italeri boxing of a Heller figure set...

more to come in the next few days...

Seeing a Legionaire with a FAMAS (or an F1 for that matter) alwasys evokes memories of Legionaires paradeing on 5 May pour le man de Capitaine Anjou in their unique 1/6 marching time, the FAMAS in their Port Arms carry style.

I remember reading, years ago, that painting Legionaire figures was one of the more difficult to undertake as Legionaires are so uniformly suntanned, and for the use of so much khaki cloth.

You are off to a great start and I can't wait to see more.