Simon,
Very glad to see you chime in again. You have provided extremely useful intel in the past and maybe you can clear things up again for me concerning the small pack.
I gleaned from my pics of the real deal so far about the attachment clips above the ammo pouches. Got that part on my fig. I have the straps going under the arms back to the small pack. If I understand you correctly there is where I go astray? With the attachments to the small pack?
I have a learning curve going on here as this is the first time I spent a lot of effort on a Commonwealth figgies' webgear. I want to get it right so the subsequent figs I have planned are acceptable.
So...am I correct in saying the l straps were attached to the small pack with buckles top and bottom. These straps remained attached to the small pack with the wearers arms passing through the open part of the L so the only thing needed to do when dropping said backpack was to pop the snaps above the ammo pouches?
If this is the case then I need straps running over the top of his webbing over his shoulders?
Long winded query,sorry,but I want to nail this down,as I said.
Curious as to why no one has released a set of PE for commonwealth personal gear. There are at least three different sets available for the German stuff?

Here are the only Brits I've ever done. No small packs.






So I hope,if anything,that my Commonwealth "feel" has improved?

J

Hi Jer,

Commonwealth webbing was just about as complicated as the Churchill!

Here's a shot of the lower pack straps and their connection to the front straps of the webbing above the ammo pouches. This lower strap is part of an L-shaped connector strap which has a buckle at the intersection of the legs of the L. This buckle has a hook on its lower edge. The upper portion of the L-strap is wide and goes over the shoulder and on top of the normal suspender straps.

The front suspender straps thread through the buckles at the tops of the ammo pouches. The tops of the ammo pouches are clipped to the hooks on the corner buckles of the L-straps.

I can take some more pics for you, if you'd like, but hopefully this illustrates the earlier poster's points.



The ammo pouch actually supports the front of the belt. If the pouches are absent, then there's a special tab that has to be placed on the belt to allow the front suspender straps to connect and support it. The "tails" of the suspender straps (which cross in the back under the packs) are extra long and form the hangers for the equipment around the bottom of the belt (water bottle, e-tool carrier, etc).

The tops of the large and small packs have short straps that fit into buckles sewn onto wide portion of the "L" connector straps at the shoulders. As you can see in the photo, the bottom, narrow leg of the L-strap buckles to the bottom of the pack. The same L-straps can support either the small or the large packs. The L pack straps sit on top of the suspender straps at the shoulders and chest.

Unfortunately, none of the injection molded Commonwealth figures ever get the webbing really correct, and very few of the resin figures are totally right either.

HTH, bro...

More than happy to chime in Jerry!

I collect the stuff, wear it from time to time when displaying my jeep and used to wear (and have to blanco) some of it in the cadet force at school over 40 years ago

This site might help.............

http://www.karkeeweb.com/1937main.html

and how it all fits together...........

http://www.karkeeweb.com/patterns/1937/1937_set_displays.html

I can take photos of specific items if required

Well,between the two of you this problem has been resolved brilliantly and thoroughly. No question in my mind any longer.
I wonder if there would be any market for some accurate Commonwealth infantry items like these in resin and PE?
J

resin equipment, etched buckles and webbing printed onto fabric - as per seat harnesses for the flyboys - seems the way to go. Go with pea green, unblanco'ed khaki/tan and KG No 3 for the webbing colours - that would cover BEF, desert and NW Europe

http://www.blancoandbull.com/

While you're at it decal sheets of Denison smock material would also sell a bomb. It's done for the German camouflage clothing after all.

sk

Sounds sublime. Maybe you can contact your countryman at Greymatterfigures and voice your interest in the thing?
I could do the resin bits myself as far as the masters are concerned but not the PE or the belts and straps. I think these can be in printed and embossed paper a la RB Productions from Ireland.
J

Hello there,

With the increase in Commonwealth figures and vehicles increasing (at last), I'd say decent resin sets would certainly be worth looking into. JMHO, of course, but I reckon I'd be up for a set or two.

Figure's looking good by the way, Jerry.

Cheers,

Sean

You've did a fantastic job on the British para figure Jerry , there is so much to learn from you !

Kurt

Thanks Sean and Kurt!!! Still a bit to go here but he's getting close to paint time.
J

The figure is coming along well Jerry.

Al