Sunday, November 28, 2010

Soldier Story USMC 1st Battalion 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade PREVIEW

The title is a mouthful - Soldier Story USMC in Afghanistan: 1st Battalion 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade - but the figure is going to be FANTASTIC. Soldier Story has done it again and hit another one out of the ballpark. This one's a winner for sure and there will be many happy campers out there when they see this :) Finally a CONVENTIONAL grunt, a good ole fashion modern interpretation of the Marine Grunt.


In related news, the US-led coalition have as of yesterday matched the Soviet Union's time spent fighting in Afghanistan: nine years, 50 days.


The Soviet War in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan at their own request against the Mujahideen Resistance when on December 27, 1979, 700 Soviet troops dressed in Afghan uniforms, including KGB and GRU special force officers from the Alpha Group and Zenith Group, occupied major governmental, military and media buildings in Kabul, including their primary target—the Tajbeg Presidential Palace. The mujahideen found other support from a variety of sources including the United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt and other Muslim nations through the context of the Cold War. [source: wiki]


The initial Soviet deployment of the 40th Army in Afghanistan began on December 24, 1979 under Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. The final troop withdrawal started on May 15, 1988, and ended on February 15, 1989 under the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Due to the interminable nature of the war and the damage it is perceived to have caused the USSR's international standing and military morale to deteriorate, and thus the conflict in Afghanistan has sometimes been referred to as the Soviet Union's Vietnam War.


What started out on Oct 7, 2001, as a supposedly fast war by the US and its allies to wipe out Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the Taleban has instead turned into a protracted and onerous campaign. Now, about 100,000 troops are fighting a burgeoning insurgency while trying to support and cultivate a nascent demoncracy. [source: The Straits Times]


On the other hand, we shouldn't be discouraged because since the US-led coalition went into Afghanistan, the world has been a better place with less terror attacks on the scale like that of September 11, 2001. So the brave men and women who are putting their lives at risk in Afghanistan are definitely putting up a good fight to end terrorism and they should continue to have our support and we wish them well and safe return to their loved ones back home!


Back to the Soldier Story USMC 2nd MEB figure: The 1/6 headsculpt of this Soldier Story USMC in Afghanistan: 1st Battalion 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade grunt looks a lot like Bradley Cooper, most recently seen as Templeton "Faceman" Peck in the 2010 movie "The A-Team" - now out on DVD.


The details and load-out is insane :) he's packed but not overloaded. A more sensible and realistic approach than Crazy Dummy's offering and I LIKE IT!


Check out this link for a GREAT looking Marine - lots of reference pictures and very detailed assembly instructions :)

14 comments:

ethan said...

Wow..this is DEFINITELY a must have :)

WL a.k.a Wee Loong said...

I like the M16.. a good break from the M4s..

and check out those orange-tinted glasses...

slurrp...

cheers

WL

Anonymous said...

well the main issue weapon of the US marines is the m16 , Army is m4.

Wilson said...

Just bought it from a local buyer few days ago,awesome figure!!! Have to wait 2 weeks to be released in hobby shops in sg D=

JT said...

Very nice figure! I've basically narrowed it down to either this or the Playhouse SEAL Team 10 for my first 1/6 figure, which one should I get?

alex teo said...

hey JT, my money's on the SEAL (link: http://toyhaven.blogspot.com/2010/06/playhouse-us-navy-seal-team-ten-preview.html) but that's just my personal opinion. It has to be your own choice becoz you have to really want it haha CHEERS

BTW you've done some amazing work on the 1/48 scale Focke-Wulf Fw190 D-9 “Dora” fighter cockpit. How do you do that?! Did you shrink yourself down so that you can paint the instrument panels?

JT said...

Hey there Gen X:
Thanks for the suggestion and comments!
I painted it with drybrushing and a toothpick. I was actually doing 1/100 figures prior to switching to 1/48. Though I messed up the exterior paintjob with the wrong colour :(

Back on topic though, what are your comments on both the SEAL and the Marine? How do they compare in terms of quality and articulation?

alex teo said...

Hi JT, it all boils down to your personal preference i.e. do you prefer a USMC grunt or a SEAL special ops guy? both are equal in terms of articulation and quality as both are pretty reputable. all the best, @lex.

JT said...

Okay, thanks! What about equipment? Is there a big difference in terms of equipment I get?

Anonymous said...

Hey guys i just got a usmc soldier story figure its my first one i need help on assembly with glooves and pouches etc. everything to be honest please help

alex teo said...

Hi there :) For the gloves to fit into the hands, you have to put them on like a real person would, finger by finger and inching it slowly in. Use a credit card or something similar to go in between the fingers to push the glove into the fingers as they tend to stick because the hands are rubber. As for the pouches and stuff, you have to insert the strips into the loops of the vest and back thru the pouch again until they interlock and stay in place. There's no easy way to do this so you have to be very patient as it can be rather time consuming but it gets better with practice. You may need a pair of tweezers to help you with the loops. These were made to be as realistic as possible (like the real thing) except they are in 1:6 scale and that makes it very delicate. See my post HERE (http://toyhaven.blogspot.sg/2011/10/stgcc-2011-soldier-story-exclusive-usmc.html) for reference if you need. All the best :)

Anonymous said...

So you say thread the pouches through with a pair of tweezers. And the glothes like you would a human. Is the an instruction guide on theinternet how to do this, i ave the excact same figure as you lex gen;:D

Anonymous said...

How do i fit the pouches

alex teo said...

I haven't seen any youtube videos on how to put on the gloves and pouches :( just have to look at pictures and try to figure it out. I did find a site where the reviewer shows you how to thread the pouches onto the vest. It's a different figure but the vest is similar - check out the link - http://www.mwctoys.com/REVIEW_101008b.htm scroll down to see a step-by-step process CHEERS