In my 300th review for Armorama, I cover a brand new figure masterpiece from Legend Productions, developed using 3D technology: US Navy SEAL Team Operator (LF3D16001).

Read the Review

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

Thanks for the very nice review Mario. Wow, the figure looks great!

Looks excellent, Mario! What piece was the hardest to clean up? A friend is guessing the pour blocks inside the helmet.

Which piece was the most fragile to clean?

Did you glue all the pieces together for the photos, or can the gun be removed?

I'm glad that the fit is excellent and how the carbine and scope all align with the hands and eye. That is some really awesome engineering!

I cleaned the pour block inside the helmet using rotary tool on slow speed... it was much easier than I anticipated. PTT was a bit difficult to clean and I snapped one of the jacks off in the process.

The pieces were not glued for taking the photos. I used Magic Sculp and a lot of patience. Now that I'm done with the photos and the review, the figure was disassembled completely.

Mario

Mario, thank you for the professional detailed review - one more article for the "Encyclopedia of scale modeling"! Very skilled work in the assembly of the model.

Hi Mario

Fantastic review, as ever! Looks like a fair amount of work but worth it in the end! Getting this guy tomorrow......

Now I've quite a good knowledge of US uniforms from WW2 to probably the early 2000s...OIF etc, but after that it gets fuzzy, as things have evolved so quickly together with a wider commercialisation of kit as options for soldiers, especially operators of various special forces.

A painted version of this guy appeared on Facebook, and there was a comment that:
"There are some rather glaring errors but it's a fantastic little kit."

asking about the errors, I got this reply:
"typically SEALS of the modern era are issued Crye precision CAGE plate carriers or NCPC's, even JPC for lightweight missions, The helmet appears to be a high cut MICH 2001, when SEALS will use OPS core ballistic lids or even Crye Airframes. I can't tell if the weapon is an M4 or HK416 but it certainly wouldn't be used with a UBR stock, typically a crane stock or CTR stock and the other glaring error is the pistol, it's an M9, SEALS do not use M9 pistols, typically they use Sig Sauer P226 Mk25's although many are being issued now with HK sidearms."

asking if you could label him from another branch, the reply was
"Not really Rob, he's a real mish mash. You might get away with calling him a DELTA/CAG operator but even then bits are wrong (plate carrier/Rifle)."

Can't really dispute any of this, as it's so tricky to find out what the latest load out might be, but thought it was useful to bring to the discussion,

I think some of these are small rather than glaring, and Live Resin do sell some 1/16 modern bits, so would be interesting to see if an M4 could replace the HK etc.....

Hello RobH, very interesting note there; I would say that for myself, this is largely academic, as it is such an outstanding figure, I'd overlook nearly all the points raised about the accuracy, or otherwise, of the figure. About the only point I'd want corrected, is the inaccurate pistol. Of course, if one were to be overly picky about the figure, one would point out that no special forces operator would carry as much gear into the field as represented here. The weight of that many full magazines would make movement very slow and sapping of energy. Still, I'm already looking forward to the next offering, and any others for that matter, as being among the best on the market today. Notwithstanding pending figures from Airborne Miniatures. Thanks for the tips, I'll consider them as I paint my one this week. Kylie

Rob, the source of the information "one guy said on Facebook" - is unreliable . I prefer Google. For example search: "navy seal use m9"
Two arbitrary links with a list of weapons used by SEAL's. Beretta m9 included in the list:
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2011/05/robert-farago/the-guns-and-knives-of-the-navy-seals/
http://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/navy-seal-weapons.asp

Beretta m9 is also widely used in US NAVY and USMC:
150718-M-GC438-076 by 15th MEU, on Flickr
150718-M-GC438-110 by 15th MEU, on Flickr
Rounds on the Ridge by Marines, on Flickr

For the Magpul UBR Collapsible Stock - the entire range of Magpul weapon products is used by the all SF. What's wrong with the UBR stock for SEAL's Hk? It is interesting to read the arguments for "certainly wouldn't be used with a UBR stock"

High cut mich helmet - classic helmet for SEAL's
https://www.flickr.com/photos/world_armies/7933579728/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/world_armies/5542505699/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/world_armies/7594272932/in/photostream/

BAE RBAV - used by all SF, including SEAL
http://www.americanspecialops.com/photos/view.php?i=/images/photos/marsoc/enhanced-marksmanship-rifle-hr.jpg&r=/photos/marsoc/enhanced-marksmanship-rifle.php
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_10/343624_BAE_ECLIPSE_RBAV_SF__MULTICAM.html

By 1/16 m4 from Lr - I can not recommend this product, it's my old 3D model, too simplistic for 1/16. Figure SEAL with Lr m4 1/16 will look like a cool biker on the scooter

SEALs use the SigSauer 226, and the HKUSP .45 most carry the 226, it is the "official" pistol of the Navy SEALs they call it the Mk25 and if you live in a free state in America you can buy one, they differ from regular SIG-226s by having phosphated internals for corrosion resistance, the same weapon used to be sold as the Sig 226 Navy, so no SEAL would carry a Beretta 92 M/9 Its still a beautiful figure, I have the 1/35 scale version, I hadn't looked it over closely but was not happy about the M9. "No Easy Day" by "Mark Owen" has some decent pictures and he also had some web presence and did answer lots of questions about gear. The last time I saw a SEAL use a Beretta was in the movie "Lone Survivor" and thats the movies

To settle this, one should buy this book. I want to buy it, but haven't so far.

https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Special-Forces-2001-2015/dp/1473821061/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492968890&sr=8-1&keywords=guns+of+the+special+forces

Read the reviews...it's interesting to note that DEVGRU uses the MP7, but Delta Force does not. One has to read the book to perhaps see why.

Cheers folks for all those comments!

Peter, yes he is only one guy, and I just thought I'd share his comments.
And i'm very grateful for yours....very informative and very useful indeed!
Good to hear the comments from the sculptor himself!

And picked up both 1/16 and 1/35 versions today.....so crisp and fantastic miniatures! Lots of references now as well

Thankyou

as modelers we are historians of sorts, who knows in the future what people would think if we displayed inaccurate replicas. History is important, thus the arguments about SS-Fallschirmjager smock patterns and helmet decals, life would be easier for modelers if more people took pictures back then. So Im not sure about the rifle or helmet, but I am sure about the pistol. My evidence, https://www.sigsauer.com/store/p226-mk25-full-size.html numerous non fiction books also state the same. I was lucky to have visited Coronado in 2012, my family and I got to see the SEAL armory there. I saw only SIG Sauer 226 handguns. Im sure tier one operators can use whatever weapon they wish, within reason. Im sure no-one is carrying a Desert Eagle .50 in Syria or Afghanistan maybe a tomahawk on their belt, but anyway the available pictures on the web usually show SEALs carrying a 226, I do believe I read/heard that occasionally a dog handler might carry a smaller pistol like a P239, but that is pure conjecture, every photo I have seen that looks like a SEAL the 226 is there. I'm sure of it and I can tell, its the gun I carry daily. Think of it this way, a standard pistol is pretty important if you run out of ammo a friend can throw you a mag (you must in dire straights to be in that situation) so it would be important to have standardization for pistols, as for 5.56 mm the NATO stanag mags should work with a HK-416 or any M4 platform weapon,(although I think the seals use pmags) please correct me if I am wrong here

Rob, thanks for the interesting topic , it will be useful for completing the following figures.

Don, thanks for the detailed qualified consultation!
As I understand it, SigSauer226 has better corrosion protection than Beretta M9, which is of great importance when performing coastal missions in contact with salt water. At the same time for USMC, amphibious operations on the coast are standard conditions. Nevertheless, Beretta is used along with SigSauer. Perhaps Beretta has some advantages over SigSauer - the accuracy of shooting for example. I just assume that the some SEAL operator with Beretta M9 maybe is not an impossible case.
The following figures will be completed with Hk 45C, and probably separate sets of weapons and ammunition will be released, to complete the figures to choose from.
A uniform caliber for the whole team is very important in combat operations, but for the figures needs variety for spectacular purposes, so the sets use different weapons systems. And on the photos of the actual SF, I see a combination of weapons in one group - Hk 416 5,56 and SCAR Mk17 7,62.
Also, I see all the SF have almost identical weapons and equipment, so belonging to the SEAL is one of the options.
120426-A-SY924-0121
140320-A-CL980-805

Anything new I can learn is a good thing......it's good to talk!!!

Looking forward to the TOW stuff, .......looks good!

Hello Peter, firstly, thank you for the great figure.

looking at the photographs in this thread, will there be any provision for decals in future releases, please? I note the US flag, in low-vis, blood group, and unit patches, on operators, but there in no after market that I'm aware of.

Am really looking forward to any weapons sets you may be bringing out.

Kylie

Great figure! I just opened the box and i want to ask where does small part numbered #1 suppose to fit? I cannot see it anywhere in the instructions! Is it supposed to fit under the left arm, near the communication device?

Honestly, I don't know.



Mario

Looking at the instructions I can tell you that part #1 is a hydration system bite valve. You would run the included wire from the backpack over one shoulder to the front where it would be within easy reach. You can see the tube exit the center of the pack and extend over the left shoulder in the renderings. Hydration system tubes of this type are about 18" long.

Regards,

Eric