US Special Forces
ESCI 1:72 Scale Figure Review
ESCI 1:72 scale US Special Forces wearing Tiger Stripe Pattern battle dress uniforms and a variety of headdress, including green berets, bandanas, Jones hats, and steel helmets. The miniatures are mounted on Crossfire stands representing fireteams, snipers, mortar sections, and platoon commanders. The bases were covered with spackling compound, painted earth brown, drybrushed yellow ochre, and partially covered with static grass. The sandbag emplacements pictured here are made of DAS Pronto modelling clay.
Contents
50 Figures in 15 Poses – 24 mm equal 173 cm Height
- Soldier with M16 and M203 Grenade Launcher, wearing green Beret (1)
- Radiotelephone Operator with M16 Sniper Rifle (1)
- Rambo-Type with M16 rifle, advancing (1)
- Soldier assisting wounded Buddy (1)
- Wounded Soldier wearing Flak Jacket (1)
- Grenadier with M79 Grenade Launcher, seated, firing (3)
- Rambo-Type with M60 Machine Gun, kneeling, firing (3)
- Soldier with M16 and M203 Grenade Launcher, wearing green Beret (3)
- Soldier with Flak Jacket and M16, running (3)
- Soldier with Pump-Action Shotgun, standing, firing (3)
- Soldier with Flak Jacket and M60, running (6)
- Soldier with M177 Carbine, kneeling, firing (6)
- Soldier with M16, standing, firing (6)
- Soldier with M16, standing (6)
- Soldier with M16, advancing (6)
Evaluation
Good choice of subject, US Special Forces are unique in this scale.
Uniforms, weapons and equipment are well defined and paint up nicely. The miniatures seem to be wearing “Tropical Combat Uniform”, which may be distinguished from the “OG-107 Utility Uniform” by additional cargo pockets on the coat and trousers. Hidden buttons and the lack of shoulder straps point to “3rd Pattern Jungle Fatiques”, introduced in 1967, and made available in olive green (OG-107), or printed with green-dominant (»lowland«) or brown-dominant (»highland«) ERDL pattern (»leaf pattern«).
Suitable wargame poses which convert well to add even more variety.
Compatible with Altaya, Atlas, CDC, De Agostini, Dragon Models, Eaglemoss, ESCI, Hasegawa, Italeri, Orion, Revell, Zvezda.
Some flash and mould lines need to be removed prior to painting.
Less than 20 percent of the figures are wearing the ubiquitous vietnam era flak jacket, making them unsuitable for the typical firebase defence scenario.
Most of these figures are travelling lightly, without packs and with surprisingly little equipment and ammunition on their bodies, considering that they are supposed to be Special Forces operating behind enemy lines. Dropped packs and cached ammunition might have been a nice addition to this kit, allowing the diorama builder to model a patrol and ambush scenario.
The Rambo-type figures, half-naked and wearing bandanas around their heads, have a certain Hollywood appeal, but they are out of place in a typical Vietnam War era combat scenario.
Mortars and Claymore mines are not included in the set.
The 15 poses included in this set are enough to raise a Special Forces A-Team with 12 unique figures. Wargamers may deploy their Special Forces A-Team as a unit of three fireteams, one sniper, and one platoon commander, or as individual soldiers attached to Company Command Stands of indiginous infantry battalions.