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Re: It's Friday...



Re: It's Friday...

There were no Sten guns in North Africa , this guy would have had a Thompson , a captured weapon MP 38/40 , or Beretta 9MM . So no points for historical accuracy, but otherwise a great figure as are the FFL chaps.

Re: It's Friday...

your right not issued but wont it knock it. great the only place in the med where they might have had it. might be some of the raids in the aegean sea before being disbanded dont think it was used a lot in italy may be by partisans in greece or yugoslavia but still a great figure and will still be put to work somewhere

Re: It's Friday...

So sorry but the gun seems to have a wooden stock so would be a Lanchester fore runner of the sten

Re: It's Friday...

Alas Sten gun or not, its still not a musket (or Baker Rifle)!! 😉😂

Re: It's Friday...

dont think its a lanchester muzzles wrong.it looks like a mark 2 sten but someone will know better

Re: It's Friday...

Ah, but the guy with the Sten is heading to Imjin in Korea 1951 with that wool cap! That's where most of my Airfix, Matchbox and ESCI Brit Commandoes ended up! ;-)

Re: It's Friday...

I'd certainly say it was a sten - they were issued in small numbers in the Western Desert - that is where their technical shortcomings were first experienced- Not common but neither were SAS/Popski types which this fellow maybe is (or perhaps he's just a commando).

Re: It's Friday...

Ah yes Royal Marine commando, British Navy first/only service that had Lanchesters. anyway he looks good so I will be buying a few boxes of him and his mates

Re: It's Friday...

Agreed, why the desert? He may be part of the SAS set that we have seen in recent weeks, but on the other hand may be for a different set.

Perhaps Strelets could let us know, and also the weapon...Sten Mark 2 or Lanchester?

Personally, I'd prefer a RM Commando in a beret, but this is a very easy conversion job if required.

Also, I'd prefer something less sandy and older (by about 250 years) but I am infinitely patient and will wait....I have much, much more than enough in the painting queue anyway.

Re: It's Friday...

Well if he was SAS he would have......a Thompson, and if he were a Royal Marine Commando .....he would have a Thompson too, however if he were Army Commando and serving in NWE he may have a Sten, but 9mm Ammunition was not supplied to the Mediterranean theater by the British Army as a rule, and not at all to North Africa.

Re: It's Friday...

Just a couple of observations, I watched the movie "Sea of Sand", and for whatever reason, they were using Sten guns. Strelets already posted images of LRDG soldiers using a Tommy gun. So was the sculptor using the movie as an inspiration, or all we going to be surprised with another set? I know nothing of the LRDG history which is why I watched the movie. What I find hard to understand is all of the LRDG soldiers were volunteers! In the mean time, I look forward to the mystery being solved. BTW, great works by the sculptor.

Re: It's Friday...

GC
Just a couple of observations, I watched the movie "Sea of Sand", and for whatever reason, they were using Sten guns. Strelets already posted images of LRDG soldiers using a Tommy gun. So was the sculptor using the movie as an inspiration, or all we going to be surprised with another set? I know nothing of the LRDG history which is why I watched the movie. What I find hard to understand is all of the LRDG soldiers were volunteers! In the mean time, I look forward to the mystery being solved. BTW, great works by the sculptor.
Sea of Sand and those Stens have a lot to answer for. A) Getting people interested in the LRDG B) Using the wrong Sub machine gun C) Actually getting more right than wrong in the film . They were all volunteers and were organized by where they volunteered from, so there was a New Zealand patrol , Rhodesian , Guards (as suggested in the film) , Yeomanry, largely from my own county of Somerset , Indian etc , no Australians although they wanted them, but the Australian government insisted all Aussie troops served under Aussie command so they never got to join. They saw almost none stop service, just a handful of days during the campaign in North Africa when at least one patrol was deep behind enemy lines. One of the things Sea of Sand also got wrong was the casualties, only when the war got to Tunisia did the casualty rate go up, and never near the Sea of Sand rates of attrition.

Re: It's Friday...

Cheers, Alan for your interesting and insightful information. Those guys had to be "tough as rivets" kind of men to volunteer for that duty!

Growing up in the 60's was a good time to be a young kid with the T.V. shows "Combat", "12 O'Clock High", and of course "The Rat Patrol". Aurora made a desert oasis The Rat Patrol model kit with top of the line palm trees and sand dunes, but forgettable HO vehicles. I replaced the men and vehicles with Roco Minitanks Jeeps, German Staff Car (Kubelwagon), soft plastic Roco sitting drivers, and also Roco tanks with newly released Airfix Afrika Korps and 8th Army figures. That was fun!

The cool German tanks were actually conversions of the M7 Priests and M3 Half-Tracks. Italeri makes quick build kits for these easily found today in 1/72. They also have nice Jeeps (hint). I've got some still in boxes so Strelets LRDG new figure sets will motivate me to do something.

Question (for anyone really): What kit do you recommend for the LRDG Chevrolet Trucks?

Strelets LRDG sets will help promote and immortalize these men of their time. I'm very excited to see your painted up LRDG's, and again, thanks Alan

Re: It's Friday...

GC
Cheers, Alan for your interesting and insightful information. Those guys had to be "tough as rivets" kind of men to volunteer for that duty!

Growing up in the 60's was a good time to be a young kid with the T.V. shows "Combat", "12 O'Clock High", and of course "The Rat Patrol". Aurora made a desert oasis The Rat Patrol model kit with top of the line palm trees and sand dunes, but forgettable HO vehicles. I replaced the men and vehicles with Roco Minitanks Jeeps, German Staff Car (Kubelwagon), soft plastic Roco sitting drivers, and also Roco tanks with newly released Airfix Afrika Korps and 8th Army figures. That was fun!

The cool German tanks were actually conversions of the M7 Priests and M3 Half-Tracks. Italeri makes quick build kits for these easily found today in 1/72. They also have nice Jeeps (hint). I've got some still in boxes so Strelets LRDG new figure sets will motivate me to do something.

Question (for anyone really): What kit do you recommend for the LRDG Chevrolet Trucks?

Strelets LRDG sets will help promote and immortalize these men of their time. I'm very excited to see your painted up LRDG's, and again, thanks Alan
Dragon do 1/72 Chevrolet s, two one the normal patrol truck and another with a 20mm captured Italian duel purpose AA/AT gun , every patrol had one , it was always the last truck in convoy, and the only truck with four rather than three men in the crew. Dragon also do a Jeep (SAS) designed for NWE but can be converted easily to the pilot/command car , and that was the lead vehicle on every patrol, scouting the route and the easiest (lightest) to dig out should it get stuck in soft sand. Blackdog do some great conversion sets in resin, for all the above and there are also made by someone else so etched sand channels etc and more accurate resin wheels for the above too.

Re: It's Friday...

Thank you for the great information. You sure know the history of this fascinating group in North Africa. Will be exciting to see the final figure's poses Strelets designs. The anticipation! :slightly_smiling_face:

Re: It's Friday...

Great looking masters, Strelets! Legionnaires without backpacks and with bayonettes are a welcome sight to me. Now I can have some men manning the walls of Fort Zinderneuf looking the part; defending the fort and repelling the enemy as they climb over on ladders and come face to face with "Rosalie", the Lebel rifle's bayonet, and recieve the kiss of death.

The bugler (master) is bound to become a classic figurine. Simply awesome! :sunny: :palm_tree: :camel:

Re: It's Friday...

Great figures...some FFL in fatigue/(un)dress would be welcome too...and mules! lol

Re: It's Friday...

Yes please Legionnaires in fatigue dress and mules (carts & mounted on horseback). Otherwise excellent work. can't wait to start arming Fort Sahara and having desert patrols.

Re: It's Friday...

Dear Strelets...maybe I'm the only one intrested in your Afrika Korps project...if you would be so kind about showing some image it would be great (at least for me)
By the way, a mistake do not to produce regular Afrika Korps infantry or anything else whit that sculpting level, after all there are several FFL sets and you are in the way to do more...well...all has been said

Re: It's Friday...

PS I had the Rat patrol set, and still have the Dunes, less the waterhole and palms, the best bits the rest were poor even by the standards of the time, but loved playing with it.

Re: It's Friday...

Nice FFL Figures. Hope we get some standing and kneeling firing poses with bayonets attached along with some in attack.
Thank You! Cappy

Re: It's Friday...

Please cross check your English and editing