Introduction

M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle - BAR is an .30 caliber automatic rifle designed by John Browning in 1917. Known as the most used type of BAR rifles, this model was designed to be carried by soldiers that were moving forward. It was supposed to be put over the shoulder on a strap and fired from the hip. This style was called walking fire which was needed for trench warfare. However, it was usually used as a light machine gun and fired from a bipod.
Since the BAR was phased out of US Service in 1957, it might be believed that BAR was not used in the Vietnam conflict, but it was widely used since the first days of war by both sides. French forces had been supplied with US equipment and weaponary including BAR’s to fight the Viet Minh and communist forces was equipped by BAR rifles they had captured from the US in the Korean War.
VC3511 Mr. Nam Bua depicts a Viet Cong standing in a strong pose with a BAR gun and carrying captured US field gear.

Review

Served inside a cardboard box labeled with a photo of the painted figure, body and other parts are inserted into a transparent zip-lock bag. Figure is sculpted by Giang Xuan Le - also the boxart painter - in 1/35 scale and comes in 4 parts cast in grey resin. Casting is quite clean, a quick cleanwork will be needed to get rid of a few seamlines and flash resin.

Body ; Facial details are well defined showing the characteristics of an Asian like small slanting eyes, snub nose , stuffed lips and high cheek bones. Head is cut on the top for the fit of headgear.
He wears typical Viet Cong irregular clothing like local peasants or farmers to hide better within the population. He has cotton shirt with two breast pockets and upfolded long sleeves, cotton trousers and Ho Chi Minh sandals; improvised footwear made out of cut up truck tyres for soles and cut up inner tubes for straps. 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. Over his shirt, he has M36 suspenders and M1937 BAR belt with 6 ammo pouchs. On the backside, he has a bag style backpack similar to Soviet World War II Red Army M39 RKKA Veschmeshok and a US Army M1961 Buttpack. A Bamboo Camo ring is cast over the backpack and a folded blanket is added to the right side. Cloth folds and wrinkles, details of the field gear are all well sculpted.
Left arm is cast to put his hand on the ammo pouches and right arm is posed to hold the rifle.

Headgear looks like boonie hat with upfolded side brim, maybe a civilian cuban style hat.

M1918 BAR is given in two pieces and right hand is cast on the stock of rifle.

Conclusion

Strong posed Viet Cong figure with a captured rifle and field gear. It can be displayed together with other VC figures of the company.