Have you guys really looked at what Bravo 6 offers for Vietnam figures? They have all sorts of non-combat poses, probably the most of any company out there. They have guys eating C-Rats, pouring fuel/water cans, playing guitar, cleaning weapons, sitting around, etc., etc., etc.. Some examples:

I have all of the Bravo 6 figure kits (multiple sets of many of them) and have done many conversions of them as well, Gino. Not everyone is willing to cut up and convert resin figures the way I do as I will convert figures to fit what I want them to be doing. What Wayne and I are talking about are guys who aren't just sitting around out of uniform, but actually performing duties that non-combat MOS personnel may be performing such as engineers working with heavy equipment, mechanics working on vehicles, clerks typing or doing some sort of paperwork. Heck, even some guys being presented awards would be a nice vignette. Soldiers in the rear areas would be required to be wearing the proper headgear and would have to be in full uniform (and usually pressed if not starched) unless they were on shit-burning detail or something like that. The figure sets you showed as examples are great for a fire base where uniform standards were relaxed. At the major basecamps where the majority of the forces in Vietnam were located were pretty much garrison areas with uniform standards similar to stateside standards. In the 9th Infantry Division which was one of the units my dad served in while in Vietnam, Soldiers who did not have nametapes, US Army tapes, and division patches on their uniforms and were not in "proper" uniform were stopped by the MPs from entering the PX and the unit commander or first sergeant would have to report back as to why their Soldiers were in violation of division uniform policies. Guys coming in from weeks and months in the field didn't always have clean uniforms with all of the patches on them since they received bulk laundry while out in the boonies. Many times they were back only for a day or two before going back out so what they had on was usually all they had available at the time. This created alot of animosity between Grunts and the MPs.

I agree fully with you. Unfortunately, most modelers will put figures with a vehicle of some type; usually a jeep, tank, or a Huey. They are looking for in-action figures. Sorry, but you will have to continue converting to get rear area troops. They are just not as popular.

Yeah, you're right.

Vladi delivers again (as always actually) I guess we all have wishes for specific figures (I for sure do!) all-in all BRAVO*6 figures are briljant (if not the best) Mark

Which brings us back to a need for trucks, dozers and such to pose our figures with. A vicious circle Wayne

Vladi always does a great job with his figures. As a modeler of primarily Vietnam subjects, I have just about all of the figures produced by the various manufactures and Bravo 6 figures are consistently highly detailed and realistically posed compared to others on the market. Vladi does extensive research (documents, photos, discussions with Veterans and modelers with military experience, etc) to ensure he gets the uniform and equipment details correct. He has a knack for selecting some interesting subject matter to create a wide spectrum of possibilities for modelers. As the examples that Gino had posted show, the poses are realistic, and since most US Soldiers in the boonies lost alot of weight and muscle mass due to their diet of c-rations and the heat they endured, the Soldier without a shirt on has a more realistic body build compared to the torso with a six-pack that are sculpted by other sculptors. Prior to Bravo 6's existence, I used other manufacturers' figures for my dioramas, but afterward, Bravo 6 figures (or conversions of them) are present in all of my single figure displays, vignettes, and dioramas because of their quality. Vladi has definitely set high standards in the sculpting of Vietnam figures. Cheers, James

Dear fellows! Many thanks for your great ideas and discussion. I will keep in mind each opinion, although my sculpting is "arithmetic mean" for Nam fans)))) Someone likes action, someone like special forces, someone likes rare exotic etc.

Vlad please don't take my remarks as anything negative. Your figures are the few that we can count on to depict good VN figures. My comments come from a frustrated engineer. I worked to help build our area VN monument and am a builder who can't depict the scenes that I have in my head. Applause to you and keep doing the figures that you do. Wayne