Nice to see the shirt on top of the searchlight is included as well. These guys are the motivation I need to finish up my Tamiya Sheridan.

Vladi did a great job with this set. I can see that it will be used in a several of my vignettes and dioramas, but probably not with a M551. Cheers, James

I spent nearly four years in an ACR, three associated with M551s, but I can’t recall seeing anyone balance their backside on a tube like that, not saying it couldn’t happen, just it wouldn’t be very comfortable. Not to mention the heat load on the barrel in the tropics. But it’s a nice casual pose... VR, Russ

Actually, that would feel good on my aching back right about now... ahhhhh, right between the shoulder blades.🤪 Really amazing work, Vladi! Cheers!🍺 —mike

I'm with Russ on that one; I've seen the pic so sure it happened but I couldn't help but feel that it would have been really uncomfortable and more than slightly precarious. More than a minute or so would be uncomfortable balancing that way; I'd find somewhere else with some shade to crash. And yes, in the tropics a tank would tend to really heat-up to an uncomfortable level.

Wouldn't take much to make this usable up to and including today. As for the dude balancing on the barrel, It could be used in other ways. A few weeks ago I spent the night on the hood of a HMMWV.

A HMMWV hood is a bit wider. During the winter we'd crawl under a tarp over the rear deck of an M60A1 and sleep too, and occasionally, on the rear deck of (the much smaller Sheridan). But generally speaking, in hotter weather, most crews like to get out of the heat. There's not a lot of space across the top of an M551 barrel. It would be hard to balance there for long, let alone putting your bare back on the top of that hot barrel that's been exposed to the solar load a time. Maybe for a few minutes-- but that would be about it-- not the most comfortable "lounging" position on an armored vehicle. this guy must have a pretty hard head too! This would have to take place far in the rear, it's certainly not a combat "take five" position. But they are nice figures and I could see them being used in all kinds of other scenarios. VR, Russ

My take on Vladi‘s reference image: Most likely, a photographer, maybe a journalist, or maybe a buddy with a camera convinced the soldier to lie down on that hot barrel just long enough for a glory shot. All one needs to do, is pore through the millions of war images and film footage — pick and choose which ones are authentic and which were posed for the camera. ... Speaking from both sides of the lens. 🎥 Cheers!🍺 —mike

Great, relaxed, poses as always. As stated above, brilliant to have the CVC helmets separately. I wonder if there is a chance that they will feature in a future Vietnam AFV crew perhaps?