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Bring it on, Charlie!

Introduction

Here is my latest diorama. It is titled "Bring it on, Charlie" and takes place in Vietnam in 1967. A US Infantry element has made contact with a mixed VC and NVA element. The US element found itself pinned down and fought desperately for its life. The US Infantryman depicted in this scene moved from where he was at when the initial contact was made to higher ground behind a fallen log. He continued firing his M16 until he ran out of ammunition. The enemy didn't care that he ran out of ammo and continued attacking. He continued his fight with the M1917 bolo knife his grandfather had passed down to him before shipping off for Vietnam. He has taken care of four attackers with the bolo knife and is daring a fifth to "bring it on".

The Figures

The US Infantryman is a conversion consisting of the torso of the standing Bravo 6 Military Policeman and the legs of the guy with the flak vest from the Bravo 6 Field Briefing kit. The bolo knife was fashioned from a Hobby Fan machete and the sheath was made from a First Legion machete sheath that was modified to look like the M1917 Bolo knife sheath. The open ammo pouch was made from two ammo pouches. The head is from Hornet. I was trying to go for a combined look of shock and a sense of "if I am going to die, I am going to take as many of you with me" in the Infantryman's face. It is like he has accepted his fate and is going to make it costly to the enemy.

The two dead NVA at the Infantryman's feet are built stock from Bravo 6's Ace of Spades kit. The NVA spurting blood and squirming around on the ground is a conversion of a Viet Minh Soldier from Bravo 6. The spurt of blood is from a q-tip painted red and covered with gloss varnish. The NVA with the abdominal wound was sculpted by me when I was deployed to Afghanistan as is the dead or wounded VC that is downhill. The dead NVA with bullet wounds to the chest and leg at the base of the tree is a conversion of a Dragon NVA Sapper. The two live VC are built stock from Bravo 6.