I am building a diorama depicting an M-1A1 AIM from the 3rd ID as they entered Baghdad. I know there are differences regarding body armor - some sets depict later versions such as MiniArt's Modern US Tank Crew. Tankers supposedly used an older version than the mechanized infantry.

I was interested in using MasterBox's figures for the infantry and possibility using the torsos from one of the kits for modifying tank figures. Can anyone tell me whether the following MB kits are compatible for the time period?

No Soldier Left Behind: 35181
Under Fire. Modern US Infantry:35193
Kit No. 1, Iraq :3575

The last kit seems to depict Marines, but I am thinking I could just exchange the M-16s for M-4s. Under Fire seems to depict Special Forces. The body armor looks like the type used by armor.

I would appreciate any insight.

Thanks!

First off, there is no hyphen in M1A1.

During the initial invasion, we initially wore JSLIST (Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology) chemical suits which were mainly in woodland camo, with some in 3-color DCU.



By the time we got to Baghdad, we had shed the chemical suits (on 7 APR '03) and wore 3-color DCUs (Desert Combat Uniform) with IBA (Interceptor Body Armor) vests in mostly woodland camo.




Tankers wore either the same DCUs or CVC (Combat Vehicle Crewman) coveralls in either OD green or sand with either the IBA vest, or earlier CVC vests.




CVC vest.



As to the figures sets:

The No Soldier Left Behind set (35181) is of Spec Ops guys wearing Cyre Multi Cam. You can tell by the built-in knee pads. They are not really correct for the early Iraq invasion time frame. This uniform was mainly worn by Spec Ops in A'stan.

The Under Fire, Modern US Infantry set (35193) looks to be wearing ACUs, which were not in use until about 2004/5. They are too modern for initial invasion in Iraq.

Iraq Kit 1 (3575) are pretty old figures. They do have the correct uniform and IBA body armor. They are pretty weak in details and their weapons are a little suspect (wpn 49 is a M16MG that is not used by the US). There are two M4s, two M16A2s, and an M249 SAW in the set that are fine for OIF. There is nothing that makes them specifically Marines though, just how the builder painted them. The gear, vests, weapons, etc. are all the same as used by the US Army.

For figures, I would use Dragon. Their Modern US Marines (3027) work great for OIF figures. Again, they have nothing that makes them specifically Marines. Any of the older (ODS - Op Desert Storm '90-'91) Dragon figures can be used with a torso swap of the newer IBA vest to get figures in just about any pose you want. Also, in my opinion, the Dragon weapons are better. By the way, both M4s and M16A2s were carried by 3ID soldiers. Neither weapon is service-specific. If you look at all the above pics, all look to be carrying M16A2s.

Modern US Marines


The CVC vest comes in the older Dragon US Tank Crew set (3020).


It can also be found on the figures in the Master Box Modern US Tankmen in Afghanistan (35131), also wearing CVC uniforms.

Hi Blain,
I second Gino's recommendation of Dragon's 3027 kit. However, they are extremely hard to find nowadays (OOP for several years I think), and when you find them on eBay, they are quite over-priced. You may also want to check out Alpine's 35023 and 35024 - they are a bit more b/c they're resin but the best modern US tank crew figures out there in my opinion. Lots of models.com is having a 25% off Cyber Monday sale (coupon code: CyberSale) for them (not affiliated).
Good luck.

Regards,
James

Thanks, Guys!

Damn, that's irritating. I already purchased Under Fire and the Kit 1. Maybe I'll try to make it work.

Did mech infantry use kneepads in OIF 1? I noticed Trumpeter has a couple of kits with U.S. Infantry in the DCU and what seems to me IBA. But a couple figures have kneepads.

Yes, some had kneepads at that tume.

Thanks, Gino!

I received the MB under fire and Iraq kit 1. I was surprised by the disparity in size between the two kits. The latter is much bigger. I am thinking I am going to use kit 1 and add another set. Unfortunately there is not a lot of reviews of figures. Odd that kits from the same manufacturer would be so different. I would hope the molds were not created by the same person.

I was curious about Trumpeters figures, specifically:

US Marine Corps USMC Iraq 2003 Plastic Figure Kit #00407
101st Airborne Division Crew Figure Set, Scale 1/35
1/35 US Army in Iraq 2005

Body armor looks right. I am wondering about detail/quality and sizing.

Thanks!

Blain,
The body armor in those 3 kits are IBA's and are about the only good thing in those kits. To me, they seemed to skinny in the leg and arm areas. Plus, most of the weapons are wrong.

If you can get them cheap, go for it and use them for parts along with arms and legs from like Dragon figures.

Well that's too bad. Thanks!