75th RANGER (in MultiCam)

Yo'all know what.... it's RANGER season.

CD & SS out there slugging it out hoping to outdo each other, Ben trying to sell his Ranger kitbash for couple hundreds..... Time to post my bash since it's been completed for couple months now before Ranger fatigue sets in all round.

Having completed my Xbox360 MOH game in a rush late last year (coz was in a hurry to play CoD:Black Ops), i can still vaguely remember the Rangers in MOH were not kitted out in Multicam. Hell, even the Rangers in Modern Warfare were in ACU & not MC. But for presentation sake i've borrowed the MOH Ranger patch. So kitbash wise this Ranger's definitely not MOH game accurate.

Guess it's time now to revisit my hastily completed MOH game & unearth some more themes with kitbash potentials. And yeah, my money's on the CD Ranger Gunner in terms of it's overall appeal. SS not trying hard enough.

Parts:
Body: BBI G3.5
Multicam BDU: SS
Knee pads: BBI
M203: VH
All else: HT

PATHFINDER PLATOON

Having been referred to as 'the elite of the elite', the Pathfinder Platoon is the recce element of UK's 16 Air Assault Brigade.

In the summer of 2006, the Pathfinders (numbering approx. 25 men) fought off a protracted siege laid down by the Taliban in the town of Musa Qaleh, Helmand Province.

The aforesaid battle was described in moderate detail in one of the chapters in Patrick Bishop's book: '3 PARA'. Reference to this bash was from one of the illustrations published in the book depicting a group photo of the Pathfinders in Musa Qaleh. There are however bound to be certain inaccuracies in this kitbash as the quality of the photo was rather grainy & zoomed-out (in order to capture the shot of the whole platoon). To this end, some liberties had been taken for the bash.

To the Musa Muckers....

PARTS:
Body: G3.5
H/s: Loading Toys
Combat Pants: HT
Pullover: BBI
Ball cap: HT
Shades: DML
Comms: DML
Plate Carrier+pouches: HT
Hydration Bag: BS
Backpack: HT
Browning+hostler: HT
L85: DML

BATTLEFIELD 3

Seems like the Corps has been getting lots of promotional materials for recruitment these days. From being featured in 'Battle L.A.' & now the new Battlefield installment due end 2011. Check out these clips & images. Insane detail on the graphics....

U.S.M.C. in Fallujah (2004)

A common enough topic to have inspired many kitbashes from others. Just adding mine to the mix with variations.

Vaguely remembered a book ("No True Glory") on the battle written by American author Bing West, guess that'll be on my next 'to read' list. Of course there's also that famous media photo of Marine SGT Brad Kasal emerging wounded from an insurgent occupied structure that's one of the most memorable USMC images from Operation Phantom Fury.

Bash was put together mostly from items laying around in the parts bin. The only real purchase would probably be the Neo3 nude & the interceptor vest which was stripped when i purchased the DML EOD ('William') boxset last year ( i only wanted the EOD suit).... guess at least now some of those stripped items are being put to good use.

PARTS:
Body+h/s: DML
Interceptor+pouches: DML
Hydration bag: DML
Buttpack: DML
MARPAT BDU: TS
Helmet: TS
Boots: TS
M16A4: DML
Hostler+M9: HT
Bayonet: HT
Knee pads: HT
Gas mask bag: HT

Live Action CoD

Strictly for CoD fans/players.... check this out. Word: KOOL!

Find Makarov - Live Action Modern Warfare Trailer (HD) from We Can Pretend on Vimeo.

L'ASSAUT (2011) MOVIE POSTER/TRAILER

A chance to see GIGN in action. Interesting to see how the film can sustain viewer's interest right up to the final assault on the aircraft....(i'm guessing we'll be catching glimpses into both the lives of the hostage takers & GIGN members, their families, training & planning for the rescue etc.)


L’Assaut‘s plot synopsis: “On Christmas Eve 1994 four armed men from the Islamic terrorist group GIA hijacked Air France Flight 8969 in Algiers. When they landed in Marseille the plane was raided by highly trained French forces and all four kidnappers killed.” (Opens March 9, 2011 in France)

U.S. Army Infantry: 1st Gulf War

It's back to basics for this latest.

The last major coalition campaign of the 20th century: Operation Desert Shield/Storm (or rather the way i remember it: the one that stops short of Saddam's doorstep). 20 years had passed since but the memories of those images on CNN were still vivid....

Cable network delivered continuous updates of the campaign 24/7 to millions of households: night firing of the tomahawk missiles, NVG/thermal images of allied precision bombings, the oil fires etc.

As an enlisted man back then i remembered seeing the officers & NCOs glued to CNN whenever i was down in the Company line during administrative. Working on this bash brings back memories of those days in active duty.

Dedicating this to the mates of Hawk32 Infantry Training Depot & later the lads from 4 Armor Brigade, Kaffir Combat Team, Platoon 6. Days when we were young & we were soldiers. Kaffir: "THUNDER THROUGH ALL"....

PARTS:
Body: BBI G3.5
6C desert BDU: DML
PASGT helmet: HT
PASGT vest: DML
Anti NV parka: 21C
Boots: DML
LC2 webbing+pouches: TS
Gas mask bag: HT
Goggles: TS
M16A2: 21C
Bayonet: DML

RM: 3 Commando

New Year, new bash. Another Brit once again, this time a Royal Marine from 3 Commando Brigade.

No actual 1:1 reference photo to work on as usual but ideas are more of a mix from works of other fellow kitbashers (plus some own interpretation). Also came to realize that 1/6 modern British gears are a rare find these days....

Though managed to score a HT British helmet, it was tough work finding a small enough h/s due to the helmet's relative tight fit. In the end, an old BBI h/s did the job but would have preferred a more aggressive h/s (given the choice).

Same goes for the weapon where a HT L85UGL would have been ideal, but being cost conscious, had to settle for a classic DML L86 LSW.... still not too shabby as it turns out (i hope).

PARTS:
Body: HT TrueType
H/s: BBI
Combat Shirt: BS
BDU Pants: HT
Osprey: BS
PLCE+pouches: Armoury???
Kneepad: HT
Comms: HT
Helmet: HT
Goggles: TS
L86: DML
Bayonet: DML
Browning+hostler: HT