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Re: Desert Outcry

...when you want something the whole universe conspires to make it happen...

Re: Desert Outcry

Very nice!! And yes a change to our weather is due here in the UK!!!

The figure next to the bayonetting man is carrying something rather brutal looking! What sort of weapon is it? A type of machine gun?

Re: Desert Outcry

Lewis MG ...I suppose.

Re: Desert Outcry

Prone firing poses, wonderful .Lewis gun, needs a bi pod , and a prone Lewis firing with a number two with a spare magazine at the ready would be good too.

Re: Desert Outcry

More beautiful & action-packed figures for this extensively covered & movie-inspired topic.
Hence the repeated depiction of the Lewis light MG with the FFL, which seems to be pure fantasy.
Nonetheless, excellent figures again. :+1:

Re: Desert Outcry

Wonderful FFL-figures...

Think the FM Chauchat 1915 would be the correct weapon for FFL.

https://youtu.be/bCwP3Dm52Ls

https://youtu.be/-AXW-rYpyUg

Especially in 1924-25 masses of FM Chaucat 1915 get out of service in french army, replaced by the the new FM 1924 M29-gun. So there was enough "old Stuff" to equip the Colonial units..
But i think they were mostly updated in the years after the war (like FM Chauchat 1915/27 Improved) , like the US-troops have done in 1918..with other magazine etc.

And in 1920-23 many weapons of the american forces, that were going back home, were transfered to the french army. So its possible, that Lewis guns find their way to FFL...

They use anything "that works well.."...

And FM Chauchat 1915 doesnt "work so well"... :-1:

Re: Desert Outcry

Ah, very good Strelets! Your French Foreign Legion are my very favorites going all the way back to my childhood.

I especially like that you are sculpting them without backpacks as well as with. I can see your bayonetting figure manning the walls and keeping the Touregs off.

I also notice one of the prone figures is not wearing the famous Capote jacket. Could he be in his fatigues only I hope, or in a more modern shorter jacket like the Artillery set?

I can't wait to see the rest of the figures. Again, "Well done Strelets Team!"

P.S. Strelets - It's beyond amazement to me how all of you, the whole Strelets Team, kept up your brutal pace of producing so many fine figures for so many enthusiasts around the world to enjoy during this past year with all of it's challenges. No kidding. When I say "Well done, I really, really mean Well done Strelets Team!" :palm_tree: :earth_africa: :dog2: :dog: (Hey, who let the dogs out!)

Re: Desert Outcry

I'm probably going to have to break down and scoop up this series. Too much temptation to resist. I'll finally be able to compliment and reinforce my Airfix and ESCI FFL and get them some decent opponents. Gotta break out my Fort Sahara!

Re: Desert Outcry

If you like to learn more about french and american Chaucat-MGs...and why the US troops use them ....and not the (ready manufactured) lewis guns, watch this here:

[url)https://youtu.be/hRLJj84BHS8[/url] :thinking_face:

Re: Desert Outcry

The main reason why the US Army didn't use the Lewis gun is because Col Lewis was persona non grata with the Chief of Ordinance who wanted the BAR... The Marines (Navy) did however and used it in the US intervention in Russia...

The French always avoided buying foreign weapons and had their own official government arms factories and would even avoid producing under licence, the reason why the Hotchkiss MMg (a private company) took so long to be universally adopted and the infantry Lewis never was, quite apart from its cost...

One thing the video mentions is the heavier recoil for the US CSRG Chauchat 1918, more powerfull ammo and conversion problems converting from US imperial to metric, the US CSRG was produced using metric machinery but had to use US Imperial ammo!...ouch...

"For the Americans adaption to the 30-06 cartridge was more than the design could reliably sustain. The weapon was designed for what was to be the new cartritge of 7mm or 7.5mm that the French were looking to change to (prewar*) but could not work out the logistics & thus was mmanufactured in 8mm lebel causing problems. The 30-06 is bigger & much more powerful than 8mm lebel hence real problems. Add in inexperienced troops new to the weapon etc" (Honour Bound, The Chauchat Machine Rifle, Gerard Demaison, Yves Buffetaut)*my note.

This was enough to cause it to fail as the original chauchat design was intended for a smaller round, and the 8mm version and its bicycle quality production had already overstretched the design...

The difference in the mags is down to the shape of the ammo, but these were weak and poor quality throughout and this is noted in many french reports...

:wink: