Introduction

M79 grenade launcher is a single-shot, shoulder-fired, break-action grenade launcher which fires 40 mm grenade cartridges. The stock is made from wood, and the butt is fitted with the rubber recoil pad. Open sights consist of a hooded front sight and an adjustable ladder-type rear.

It can fire a wide variety of 40 mm rounds, including explosive, anti-personnel, smoke, buckshot, flechette, and illumination. Reliable and quite accurate in the hands of a trained operators, it provided extremely mobile firepower to smallest of the infantry units. First widely used in Vietnam, the M79 turned to be a complete success. Because of its distinctive report, it earned the nicknames of Thumper and Blooper among American soldiers. Australian units referred to it as the Wombat Gun.

VC3505 Mr.79 depicts a Viet Cong firing/aiming his captured grenade launcher and carrying an ammo bandolier.

Review

Served inside a cardboard box labeled with boxart painted by Ryan Thuan, body and other parts are inserted into a transparent zip-lock bag and M79 is secured with a small cardboard inside smaller bag to avoid unexpected damages.

Figure is sculpted in 1/35 scale by Giang Xuan Le and comes in 6 parts cast in grey resin.Parts are represented with casting blocks removed for review. Casting is quite clean, vertical seamline on the right side of body and grenade launcher need sanding.

Body ; Viet Cong wore no uniforms, dressed in the same type of clothing as the local peasants or farmers, and blended into the landscape when their mission was complete. Figure wears pajama type, long sleeved cotton shirt with two breast pockets with flap covers and trousers with two slit side and two rear pockets. Clothing can be painted due to modeler’s choice as VC clothes have colors usually in black,sometimes grey, khaki, OD green,brown or tan. He has a Viet Cong camouflaged scarf tied on his neck and a U.S. Army 40 mm grenade OD cloth bandolier on his waist with a strap crossed on left shoulder. . As for the footgear; he has Ho Chi Minh sandals; an improvised footwear made out of cut up truck tyres for soles and cut up inner tubes for straps.

Head ; 2 optional heads are given. A bear head and another one with helmet. Both show nice Asian facial details like snub nosed ,stuffed lips,slanting eyes, high cheek bones and straight hair. Helmet is a VC Pith helmet with camo pattern cover and mesh to add leaves or cloth pieces.

Arms with upfolded sleeves are posed to hold the grenade launcher on a firing pose. Right arm is cast on the figure and left one is given as a seperate part. A wrist watch on the left and a wrist band on the right are added.

Hands are cast on stock and fore end assembly of M79 grenade launcher. Gunsling shown on the boxart should be scratched.

Conclusion

Nice action posed Viet Cong figure with a captured weapon for Vietnam scenes. It can be displayed together with other figures of the company.