Tuesday, December 15, 2020
Sunday, December 13, 2020
Toy Soldier Makers - 70s and 80s
The following is a list of WWII Plastic Toy Soldier Makers which primarily produced their figures during the '70s and '80s. Most of these figures were still made to be used as toys but the influence of the modelling hobby starts to be felt. Figures are now better sculpted, with more detail and realism. There's also a greater range of countries and service branches represented. Hallmarks of this era are Airfix, Matchbox, and Britains Deetail, all based out of England. Let's take a look:
Toy Soldier Makers - Old Vintage
The following is a list of WWII Plastic Toy Soldier Makers which primarily produced their figures during the '50s and '60s. The figures from these manufacturers were truly intended to be used as toys by children, therefore, they are typically not very detailed, they are some times larger in size, and they often represent just the main WWII combatants, with much emphasis on US troops. Let's take a look:
Saturday, December 12, 2020
Introducing the Viet Cong
Generally speaking, Viet Cong is the term by which the rebel troops fighting in South Vietnam were known during the Vietnam War. Even though in popular culture one most often associates the Viet Cong with the guerrilla jungle fighters wearing black farming outfits and 'Non-La' hats used to work in the rice paddies, in reality, there were several branches to this organization. One was a political party, another its armed forces. The armed forces in turn included regular uniformed troops and irregular guerrilla forces. The term Viet Cong means Vietnamese Communist. US forces used to refer to it as Victor Charlie, per the radio transmission letter codes.
The VC peaked with the Tet offensive of Jan and Feb of '68. During this operation, they simultaneously attacked 100 cities and major towns across South Vietnam. The offensive started during what was supposed to be a week-long truce to observe a religious holiday in Vietnam. An attack of this scale shocked the US and the entire world media. The offensive involved 80k VC troops, but it cost them terribly, probably because it involved a type of urban warfare that they were not used to. The VC suffered 75k casualties. 40k of them were KIA. This represented half of the total VC strength, which could not be replaced easily as they were still based out of Cambodia. In comparison, the US/South Vietnamese lost a total of 10.6k men. The main objective of this offensive had been to stir up a general uprising of the population in the south. Unfortunately, this did not materialize. So militarily this was a crushing defeat. But that did not matter. It was somehow turned into a victory by its propaganda machine, and the shock effect that it had achieved.
In terms of Toy Soldiers, it was not until a couple of years ago that the first set of VC troops was released. This finally gave the US troops, particularly my hundreds of TimMee Vietnam GIs, some opponents to fight. Both Mars and Plastic Platoon have produced them. Another small firm, Action Casting, produced a limited edition before them, but unfortunately I did not get my hands on any. Let's take a look.
Mars Viet Cong
This was the first set of Viet Cong figures wide available, and it was such a welcome release in my mind. It's only six poses, but it's a good a start. And they made those 6 figures count, as they depict a decent diversity of poses, weapons, and outfits. And there's even a woman in the mix. I particularly like the variety of head gear.
Mars Viet Cong Heavy Weapons Set
The follow on set of 8 more figures rounded up the Mars Viet Cong troops nicely. The heavy machine guns also a nice touch. I do have to say that in terms of the sculpting, the first set was a bit more polished. This other set feels a bit coarser, particularly the thickness of the weapons. One pose that I find particularly interesting is the guy who has the front of his upper body full of grenades. You really hope he wouldn't take a shot there!
Plastic Platoon Viet Cong
This set is at a whole other level of quality. The poses denote quite a bit more action, and the level of detail and proportions are all very nicely done. You actually see individual toe nails, the fibers on the straw hats, straps on the sandals, the pattern of the bandana, and those facial expressions are superb. Hard to pick a favorite pose from the set, but I give extra points for uniqueness to the guy going into combat with a submg on one hand and a sickle on the other.
If you care to learn more about the VC, the Viet Cong, had its origins in North Vietnam in '54, after the end of the Indochina war with France. From its early stages it liked to operate under the façade of other organizations to garner support across multiple fronts. The 'Saigon-Cholon Peace Committee' was its first front. Other front names used implied that members were fighting for religious causes, for example, 'Executive Committee of the Fatherland Front' suggested affiliation with the Vietnam-Cambodia Buddhist Association. In December of '60, a new political party named National Liberation Front of Southern Vietnam or NLF was formed in South Vietnam. This allowed them to avoid association with the North. Along with the NLF, the Central Office for South Vietnam, was created to command the VC armed forces. In '69, the Viet Cong created the "Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam" abbreviated PRG. NLF was not used much after that.
The VC's armed branch, called the Liberation Army of South Vietnam (LASV), was also founded in '54 and became the main fighting force in the South by '61. Although commanded by the Central Office for South Vietnam, it was still politically and militarily controlled by Hanoi. For all practical purposes, the LASV functioned as a branch of the North Vietnamese Army. The LASV was often portrayed as fighting for independence, out of nationalistic motivation, as opposed to fighting for communist ideals. Its original members were South Vietnamese who had gone into North Vietnam at the end of the Indochina War, and were subsequently sent back secretly to begin the insurgency. The LASV began attacks in the summer of '59 and soon after, it started to 'liberate' territory in South Vietnam. The VC did additional recruiting in the south. They lived off the land and terrorized the local population which didn’t cooperate with them. It is said that they often kidnapped young kids from villages at night and pressed them to serve in their army. The VC fighting style was very elusive. Over time, they created a sophisticated network of tunnels that made them very hard to detect and fight. They could easily vanish from ambush sites, only to reemerge elsewhere unexpectedly.
In terms of logistics, the VC was supplied by North Vietnam with support from the Soviets and Chinese. They did this initially through the Ho Chi Minh trail that cuts partly through Laos. This route evolved from a trail that required a 6-month mountain trip in '59, to a road usable by trucks during the dry season, to a fully paved highway by '74. Starting in '65, it began to be heavily bombed by US forces. This and other military pressures forced the VC to retreat into Cambodia in '66. Supplies shifted to flow from the North through Cambodia until '70.
In 1970 a change of regime in Cambodia allowed the US to pursue the VC there, which put further pressure on them. The VC for all practical purposes had become the secondary fighting force in the south, behind the NVA. After the Easter Offensive of '72, the VC was finally able to move back into South Vietnam. With American public opinion turning against the war after the Tet Offensive, the US had begun pulling out of Vietnam and by '73 it had entirely disengaged militarily. Material support to South Vietnam was also cut back in ' 74. Saigon fell to the North in April of '75 and the country was unified in '76. At that point the PRG was dissolved and the NLF was merged with Vietnamese Fatherland Front Party in '77. The Viet Cong had served its purpose.
Saturday, November 28, 2020
Introducing the Soviet Assault Engineers
The Soviet Assault Engineers were the analogous of combat engineers in other armies. They were specialized in demolition and attack of heavily fortified positions, which means that they often faced very tough opposition. These units were officially introduced into the Red Army in early 1943, and by summer of that year, they were already in action. They were raised from battle tested battalions with a proven record of success and were grouped into brigade-size units. About 20 of these brigades were created. Prior to these brigades, the Soviet Army did have units of engineers and sappers, and many of them played an important role in theaters like Stalingrad. Something that made the Soviet Assault Troops special is that they wore steel plates as body armor. I am not sure how effective they were against different bullet calibers, and different ranges, but some photographs do show Soviet men with dents on their body armor, which suggests that they did work sometimes. But then, they must have been quite heavy. What is also interesting about these steel plates is that they curve away from the right arm more than they do on the left, to allow for the trigger arm to hold and aim the weapon better. I have yet to see if there is also a left-handed version of these armor plates. Their uniforms also seem to have been different from the regular troops, and they are often seen wearing a loose cammo smock/pants or a cammo overall. In terms of toy soldiers, until recently this service branch had not really been represented. First Publius released a single figure a few years back, and more recently, Mars and Plastic Platoon have covered the subject. Let's take a look.
Plastic Platoon Soviet Assault Troops - Stalingrad, 1942
Another beautiful set from Plastic Platoon. I love how well you can see the dents on the body armor of these guys. Of course, a good range of fighting poses, and weaponry represented, including a flamethrower, a grenade launcher, a Degtyerev DP light MG, and of course, the popular PPSh-41 subMG. All of them sculpted with extreme detail. The poses are also versatile enough to be used in a variety of urban warfare actions.
Mars Soviet Assault Engineers
The Mars sets keep getting better! Lots to like about these guys. All of them useful combat poses, nice sculpting, good detail, great variety of weapons, including a flamethrower, a light and heavy MG, a captured panzerfaust, and of course, the fact that a different Soviet service branch is being represented. It is also good that not all poses are standing or charging. While I do like fighting poses, I think there's also a need for poses that are operating behind cover, which is easier to achieve if you have a lower body profile.
Publius Stalingrad Soviet Infantry
Note how this set contained an Assault Engineer on the right side. But he was not really enough to mount an assault was he? Now he has some reinforcements to join him!
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