variousactionfigures

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#33

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a pilot who needed more flight time before getting deployed to this ship!

GI Joe has always held a constant space for pilots of different aircraft, but almost never are the dozens of men & women who keep those aircraft flying recognized. I sought to fix that, this time turning back the clock from AD3 Massey's nuclear powered carriers to the 50's and 60's, more in line with a classic Action Sailor set, the Landing Signal Officer.

Alongside the Naval Aviators on a non-flying tour, there is a veritable ocean of support personnel who conduct and monitor maintenance, as well as oversee takeoffs and landings. This is where our man comes into play.

Unlike the carrier decks of the 1940's, the US Navy had by now adopted a color coding scheme to more easily keep track of who was who, a system that has been carried forward to now. However, instead of a combination helmet/ear protection system, the cap this man wears is more to do with being visible on a flight deck than anything else; adoption of ear protection wouldn't become standardized until the 60's with jet aircraft becoming much more common on carrier decks.

To save sailors that had gone overboard, there was the floatation belt, not significantly changed from the version used during World War Two. This too would be replaced by the float coat as seen on AD3, which doubly provided additional visibility via reflective panels and prevented inadvertent drowning by being fastened around the whole chest, rather than the waist.

This GI Joe is special for another reason, that is because he is the first Joe I will give to someone as a gift! I tried to keep it simple so as to make everything easier to ship & overall less likely to break.

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[variousactionfigures]

#32

For a very long time, the US Coast Guard has effectively operated as a smaller navy. But rather than fight on the high seas with battleships bristling with cannon, it simply made do with various patrol boats & cutters. Until WWII it mainly played the role of intercepting alcohol smugglers & the like. This all had changed by the time RD 3/c Alvin Cooke had enlisted.

Now, the Coast Guard didn't merely prevent drug trafficking or save wayward boaters, it defended the boundaries of the nation.

Alvin is an example of what was called the Beach Patrol, watching the shores of the United States for U-boats or raiders landing to cause havoc.

For this he is dressed in the sensible undress blues, the middle ground between the stuffy dress blues & the unsightly dungarees (which for many years were not authorized to be worn off a ship). There were no decorations, no neckerchief, only a rating if one had earned it. There was no piping to keep clean, not even any buttons on the cuff.

For equipment he carries a fairly typical set of equipment for someone who isn't posted far from the nearest galley.

Alvin is armed with the even then aging & superseded M1903 Springfield, all the newest M1 Garands going straight to the front.

While some patrolled in boats or on horseback, his unhappy lot is to negotiate the soft sand in his boots & curse the failings of his Dismounted Leggings

Alvin is special for several reasons: firstly he is yet another type of non GI Joe action figure & his uniform is custom made - that set of undress blues can't simply be bought, I had to modify an existing knock off uniform. Considering everything, it turned out fantastically well. There are a few things I'm still working on before I can call him complete, but he's pretty darn close.

[variousactionfigures]

#24.75

Another case of a uniform goof, I have since seen photo evidence of marine pilots wearing garrison caps in flight suits, so 1st Lt. Palacio was updated to match.

It looks decent from this angle, but the side shows a major flaw in the design of most 1/6 scale garrison caps:

The shape is rarely, if ever, correct. Cloth caps suffer more than plastic, but both usually end up looking strange, or if they look good on one head, it won't look good on another.

[variousactionfigures]

#27.5

It turns out I goofed on AD3 Massey's uniform

The navy dungarees were well & truly gone by the time the model of cranial/vest he wears came into service.

So instead I decided to bring him into the modern day. Flight deck personnel are issued jerseys and blue cargo pants for use as the standard working uniform.

To lend additional authenticity, I am planning on staining his pants a good deal to better reflect the typical state of an aircraft mechanic aboard a ship.

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#31

Medical personnel are not popular subjects for military action figures.

The inevitable cost of war casts a hard shadow upon the hobby in many people's eyes, realizations that were left undiscussed being thrust forth as the main attraction.

The Korean War occupies a similar spot in the American public, neither a victory nor a defeat. These are precisely the reasons I decided to create Sgt. Lewis Barbieri. He is serving during the early part of the war, where old stocks of uniforms made for WWII were rushed into use.

Mostly as a precaution more than anything else, he is armed. His fatigue cap is worn backwards to shield his neck from the sun as he works.

From late in WWII onward, the Army introduced the M-1951 field cap as a replacement for the largely impractical overseas cap. Army brass quickly complained about the unkempt appearance of troops, which led to efforts to standardize the manner in which the cap was worn. Sgt. Barbieri doesn't have to deal with that just yet, so there is little consideration given.

The M-1951 vest was the Army's first widespread attempt to add greater wearable protection to ground troops. Made of ballistic nylon, it added a not insignificant amount of weight, making it unpopular with many troops.

The rest of his gear is typical items that would continue to be used into the 1960's.

[variousactionfigures]

#30

Marine Embassy Guards typically look very well put together, with pristine uniforms and even more pristine posture. However, do not confuse them with being a purely ceremonial force; they can and will arm up if the situation warrants it.

And in 1983, the situation absolutely warranted it. The Marine Barracks in Lebanon had been bombed, signalling all hell breaking loose. The next target was most likely the American Embassy, so Embassy Guards and regular Marines alike suited up and prepared to defend their posts.

As the US didn't have a desert uniform, Marines were outfitted in a predecessor to the BDU, with new helmet covers replacing the old Mitchell patterns, though some photos will show such covers still being used.

As is still quite common for the Marines, a mix of old & new gear was worn, incorporating both Vietnam-era M1956 gear and the much newer ALICE gear.

Of course, a Marine is only as good as his rifle. Fortunately Sgt Rodriguez has an excellent one in the M-16 with an attached M-203 grenade launcher. In fact, that is the purpose of his vest - holding various types of 40 mm grenade rounds.

[variousactionfigures]

#29

As exciting as rapid fire machine guns are, bullets or bombs are rarely the leading cause of casualties in war. That dubious honor belongs to artillery.

More than anything else, cannonballs and shells of every description are the reason for keeping your head down. The reason that militaries have sought out cheap, light, protective body armor for their soldiers for as long as gunpowder has existed.

Who else is responsible for this than the artillerymen themselves? This example, SFC Jamal Stedman, is from the 36th Infantry Division, a National Guard unit which deployed in the wake of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Being rear echelon units, artillerymen tend to be lightly equipped, senior enlisted even more so.

While paper maps are being used less and less with the advent of modern targeting technology, they have their own kind of reliability that leads many soldiers to keep them around regardless.

As more of a theater requirement than anything, a pistol is a common personal weapon. He sports one of the then-new leg holsters, which were supplanting the belt mounted M12 holsters which had been in service since the mid-1980's.

[variousactionfigures]

#28

About the worst day anyone can have is being visited by men with guns. OS2 Finley represents about as bad as it can get: VBSS.

VBSS stands for Visit, Board, Search and Seizure and is a duty typically assumed by US Navy SEALs, although Marine MSPF can also do the job.

It is a thoroughly unforgiving duty, with danger lurking around every corner. At no time is a boarder safe. The reality of close quarters combat also necessitated a more powerful weapon than a standard rifle. Naturally the shotgun, standby of situations that rarely require aiming, was chosen. Pretty soon it was realized that typical loadbearing equipment was not up to the task. Large magazine pouches or canteens could easily get hung up on hatches, or be grabbed by an assailant. As a result, vests that doubly functioned as body armor and could carry various types of pouches were issued to VBSS teams.

This type of equipment soon became popular with not only the military, but police departments creating their own SWAT teams, leading to each heavily resembling the other.

Only the bare minimum items were kept on a belt, which also functioned as the anchor point for the leg holster.

Typically VBSS units wear flight suits, but with the outbreak of the Global War on Terror, units were issued DCU's in short order. While there is no need for camouflage on a ship, they were worn all the same.

SEALs wouldn't be SEALs without some exotic weapon, and this time it's an officially obsolete pistol - the M1911A1. This particular model is special in that it not only has a removable magazine, but a slide return!

[variousactionfigures]

[variousactionfigures]

#27

Carrier aviation has been a topic long ignored by GI Joe. It is perhaps understandable, as your typical ground troops can be deployed in pretty much any backyard, adding to immersion. Carriers on the other hand have a specific look not often replicated within a child's imagination.

That being said, an attempt was made by Hasbro in the 90's. Considering the lack of any further additions to a potentially voluminous series, it didn't sell well. I decided to rectify this with the help of a birthday present I received recently.

Please excuse the overly dramatic lighting

AD3 Job Massey is the conglomeration of several radically different brands of action figure manufacturers. The man himself is a Masterpiece Edition Action Sailor, while most of his equipment is taken from a Hot Toys set which did indeed cover several different rates (not to mention officers).

Considering the color organization of the jerseys aboard Navy vessels, this individual could be any of five rates, but I decided on Aviation Machinist's Mate (AD). As far as I know he should be appropriate for a 1980's carrier, as the dungarees were still issued until the early 90's while the current cranial system had been mostly standardized by the 70's.

I unfortunately misjudged the color of the jersey so it looks violently out of place; I may buy another to help it match up better.

For the most part, the cranial (helmet) works okay, but that's only after some significant work being done, not helped at all by the design decisions made by the manufacturers. I personally have some significant gripes with it, having handled and worn this exact helmet on many occasions. The rear plate can pretty clearly be seen to be 'floating' above the rest of his head, which is not at all how the real cranial works:

This is due to the largely faulty design, wherein the straps used to affix the green plates to the rest of the cranial were entirely too long and used velcro. While velcro is not altogether a bad material, at this scale there is not nearly enough adhesion to provide a secure connection. Furthermore, the velcro panels on the inside of the plates were attached with double sided tape, making it appear more like a 5th grade craft project than a professionally designed and produced consumer product. In its place, I'd suggest the snaps used on most action figure clothing:

(greatly enlarged)

Gluing several of these to the inside of the plate & sewing them onto the straps would provide both a far more secure connection and be truer to the actual helmet, which is constructed in a similar manner.

Moving on, ordinarily I'd take off his jersey but it is unfortunately incredibly tight and difficult to remove, so this photo (taken before I received said jersey) will have to suffice:

I'm still altogether quite pleased with him, despite the various problems encountered. Hopefully I will locate a more accurately colored jersey and add the necessary markings, so watch this page!

[variousactionfigures]

Turbo Copter and Drag Bike - G.I. Joe Adventure Team (1972)

[variousactionfigures]

#26

Airman First Class Jensen "Pete" Moss is an Air Policeman from the very early 1950's. He would likely have been one of the very first to have graduated from Lackland AFB and not Fort Leonard Wood.

The departure from the Army is especially noticeable in the early Air Force uniforms, which are more often than not simply Army uniforms with some Air Force insignia put on. If not for the blue, Pete could very easily be mistaken for a Military Policeman.

One of the main differences is his choice of weapon. The Air Force decided that their Air Police would have the classic Smith and Wesson Model 10 instead of the Army's M1911A1.

Pete was also given a badge, though until the 1970's Air Police were only allowed to wear it while on duty. The Air Police armband was another holdover from the MP's. A unique touch was the white laces, matching the white scarf. I wasn't originally intending to have the real laces, but the boots turned out to be incredibly hard, to the point that there was simply no other way to get the boots to fit on his feet. To get at least some benefit out of the hardness, I added nail polish to the heel and toe to create a mirror shine.

Pete started life as a GI Joe US Army Pacific. However, when I finally got my hands on him, I found that both his box and uniform were moldy. I don't particularly care about a moldy box since it's going in the trash anyway, but the uniform was a serious issue. Naturally I tried to wash it, but even three different washes didn't do anything. So then I had to buy a whole new uniform. Which means y'all get to see Pete in a much more deluxe uniform than I was planning on. Almost every part of his development was filled with issues, from making it to the post office to even assembling all his gear together. But now that he's finally been put together, I'd say the effort was worth it.

[variousactionfigures]

#25.5

As promised, it's Sgt Caulfield in the new flak vest!

This particular vest is supposed to be the M-1955 vest, which was only issued to marines. Unlike the Army, the Marine Corps was far more insistent on its members actually wearing body armor.

The main protection was provided by several plates sewn inside the best made of Doron, which provided nominal protection against shrapnel & fragmentation munitions. In no way was it intended for protection against small arms fire, though on occasion it would stop certain rounds.

This version made by Ultimate Soldier is fairly accurate, though the addition of pockets to the front were sorely needed. The vest does suffer from an apparent lack of foresight regarding how it would be worn, as it only closes comfortably in the absence of any other clothes.

I did also make some minor tweaks to his equipment, such as obtaining a black rubber band for the helmet band and situating the holster more correctly.

[variousactionfigures]

#25

On deck next is another marine!

This time, instead of being just after the Vietnam War, my newest artilleryman is just at the beginning.

During the initial landings in Da Nang and even up until 1967, marines were often seen wearing the exact same sateen utilities that they wore stateside or anywhere else. The white shirts were initially the only option, leading to many instances of marines attempting to dye their undershirts themselves, which led to mixed results.

Sgt Jarret Caulfield appears to be a more resourceful marine, having acquired an official Army issue foliage band instead of the more common inner tube which was unique to marines.

More likely than not Sgt Caulfield would mainly be carrying his pistol around camp, as most photo evidence shows artilleryman rarely wore their field equipment while actually loading and firing. Another peculiarity of the early war was less frequent wear of the M-1955 vest, which by later stages became far more standardized. While I have bought one, it hasn’t arrived yet, but I will update as soon as I can.

Arguably the main piece of this set would be his shell, a 105mm high explosive round. Adopted during World War Two and used through the Korean War, by the 1960′s the M101 howitzer was firmly entrenched in US artillery and battle doctrine, serving as the primary feature of the firebases scattered across South Vietnam. These guns could fire the usual HE, shrapnel, smoke and even chemical rounds, and were not replaced in service until the 80′s.

[variousactionfigures]

24.5

It had recently come to my attention that Lt Palacio’s helmet was anachronistic for the time, so of course I set about correcting it.

This type of helmet is most famous (or infamous) for its ubiquitous use by just about every helo pilot during the Vietnam War.

Initially these were issued in factory-issue white, however experience in-country showed that olive drab was the much smarter choice. As the war went on, a wide variety of paint schemes were also utilized, never authorized but tolerated by commanders who had bigger things to worry about than the paint on a helmet.

While many parts of Ultimate Soldier equipment are quite good, they have unfortunately dropped the ball a little for the aviator’s equipment. For instance, the visor isn’t very easy to slide up or down and it will often move to the left or right, getting in its own way. In my experience the GI Joe helmets rarely have this problem. In addition the visor is supposed to be made out of a polarized lens and as such should be shiny. As you can see the visor is instead duller than new boots.

[variousactionfigures]

#24

Getting a new marine presented a unique challenge. I didn’t want to fall into the usual (fairly tired) rhythm of equipping an infantryman. And the more I looked, the more it came clear that most field gear made him look more or less the same. It took a while but the solution came to me:

And so 1st Lieutenant Janus Palacio was created.

He has turned into a big blob of olive drab, but well that’s the early 80′s for you.

I rather think he looks better with the cover on anyway - that was half the reason I bought him to begin with!

He doesn’t come armed as his bag is heavy lift; artillery, MUTT’s, other helicopters are all fair game for him.

An unfortunate effect of his gloves happens to be a fairly severe rub off of the dye onto his hands. But not too big of a problem.