Hi Jerry, Somehow the hollowed-out pistol grip slipped by me ... wow! And I have been paying attention in class too.
Very cool details as always!

—mike

Another great progress. I appreciate your attention to details. I am waiting to see the whole scene. Nice job as always my friend.

Jim,Pat Mike,Engin,
Thanks for checking in guys. Small update I know but at least I have made some progress.
Aside from a few tweeks I see that need tending to after seeing the blown up pics here,all that remains is putting down some dirt on the base and then affixing everything to it.
Sometimes these projects seem endless but I am starting to see that proverbial light!!
Now,,,,which tunnel was that?
J

Hi Jerry ,

i echo the others , very splendid work so far .

Take your time !

Cheers

Kurt

I really like what you did with the gunstraps. Those are some of the most realistic 1/35 gunstraps I've seen. Did you just superglue the ends of the straps' knots to the M-16A2s? What did you use to make the straps?

@Kurt-thanks old buddy. Good to see you back here.
@Peter-the straps were made from lead foil from a wine bottle top cut into strips. The buckles came from a German PE set along with the sling swivels that attach the sling to the weapon.
Thanks for looking in guys!!
J

Hey Jerry -

I know you're a busy guy 😀 building a few right now - have you started a base for this yet? In looking back at your pics, it seems you could (obviously!) make these guys as stand alone on a simple base, but then I wondered how they might look on some topo? Next to a ditch? Low wall? Etc? I know, "thanks very much peanut gallery!!!" That said, these guys could make up a pretty cool scene - sorry if in your text you already tell us what you're up to - the first cup of coffee just kicked in!

Cheers
Nick

Thanks for looking in man. I do have a plan and I have started working on the groundwork. I have a key part that I am still figuring out how to do. It has to do with a specific mission our company was training for when we first arrived in the "Kingdom" and were pretty much all that stood in the way of Sadams' Army.
I know what you mean about coffee!
J

Calling this one finished!!! I could just keep going and going but at some point you have to call it.
Saudi Arabia August1990 about 30Km inside the border. Practicing anti-tank defense positions in the 4th Platoon,Delta Company 2/504PIR 82nd Abn Div. Strike Hold!!!

Very nice. The whole scene came out very nicely. I like the pipeline too. Great job.

Thats a beauty, Jerry. The camo looks great.
Your eye for all the little details is what really makes this stand out.

This looks really great Jerry!

Much respect for your outstanding attention to detail — easy to see that you love what you're doing!

Thanks again for sharing the progress shots and narratives!

—mike

Congratulations with this beauty Jerry !

these figures are top notch , very well painted indeed sir !

Kurt

Very nice build on an old DML kit. Alas, sigh, I do hope and wish DML could produce more 1/35 modern figures someday. I mean modelers still buy and build these old DML modern figure kits.

Outstanding job, Jerry! I really like this diorama mainly because of all of the small details you put into it based on your having experienced this event. From the retention straps on the backs of the helmets to the small details of the TOW system that you had to build on your own. You really put life into that old DML/Dragon TOW team and made it look great.

Again, outstanding job!

Cheers,
James

You've really brought this set of figures to life Jerry- the scene staging really suits them. As Gino pointed out- the pipeline is a well observed addition and the groundwork is top notch too. As always- your attention to detail really pays off and I again have to compliment you on the camo uniforms- they are great.

Very AWESOME. my only Critique is the welds on the pipe... they look out of scale, and sloppy. Pipe welds are always very neat, and barely come over the pipe (And typically a really narrow band relative to the diameter of the pipe.)

The dio is awesome! I like it a lot. I guess I can see how the pipe weld could be different in that if the pipe carries gas or oil (and they weld a lot), then the weld bead would be uniform. I understand weld beads can vary a lot. I see the weld bead as sloppy, not this great dio as this is truely art. Wonder if the Archer weld decals could be used for something like pipe weld? I agree that this is a small nit-pick on an excellent effort! Congratulations!

@Gino-thanks for the comments buddy!
@Patrick-appreciate you looking in ma@Mike-thanks for staying with this thread for soooo lon @Kurt-thanks my old friend for checking in!
@Peter-I agree we need more modern figgies from all countries even-dare I say it-more Marines!! Hahaha (stepping back from the computer)

@James-thanks for the kind words buddy
@Karl-thanks as alway for the remarks and the always inciteful comments man
@Matt and Amoz-thanks for the kind words and and the observations about the weld beads. This was exactly the very last thing I built on this project and I knew I was hurrying. Always a problem when you are modeling.
I did not consult any reference on weld beads and just waded in as the pipe was a last minute brain storm. I will know better next time I build a pipeline!!
Thanks guys. So...aside from the weld thing I guess the consensus was pretty good! So if you take some time with these older sets you can get them "shining like a diamond in a donkeys' butt". Takes a lot more time but it is cheaper that's for sure.
Thanks for all the excellent support along the way and at the finish!!
Now,all I have left is Normandy,Stoumont,Ramcke and casualty evac! Hahaha
J

Watching every step of this built was so helpful and final is a great scene. Congrats and thanks my friend.

Thanks Engin,for the looking in and the kind remarks.
J

Awesome job. Next one you do, let me know and I could send you some Echelon subdued patches and ranks, I have extra.

Just one little thing sir and I only noticed it because that is what I worked on in my 20 years in the Army. The post amplifier on top of the night sight is wired wrong. As you can see, the post amplifier cable is wrapped around the TU. The connector near the trigger should be the one connected there.



The cable you have attached to the post amplifier should be attached to the rear of the night sight under the cooler next to the on off switch.

Very nice info. A bit late for my purposes but nice.
Was the set up always like this? I was in from 77 to 94 and on the TOW for almost all of that time. It wasn't till later in my career that we got the night sight and I don't recall the cable that went from the MGS to the night sight at all. Could this be a later version?
After being away from this for over 20 years now I find myself forgetting things that used to be second nature. I spoke with my old fellow Platoon Sergeant buddy yesterday and he is in the same fix.
This dio is of his platoon BTW.
Thanks for your post.
J

I know exactly what your talking about Jerry, I'm surprised I still remember some things.

Your correct about the cable from the MGS to the TU, it was only one cable. Nothing from the MGS went to the night sight. What's on the TOW you modeled is most likely an AN/TAS-4C and the one you mentioned you messed with was most likely a AN/TAS-4 or 4A with no post amplifier on it.

It's still a beautiful dio and if it wasn't for me and you knowing what we are talking about, no one else would know the difference.