Mars Figures U.S. GI’S Vietnam
We saw yesterday on TSSD site that they were showing a photo of the Mars Figures GI’s from Russia. TSSD showed only four of eight the poses. Today we received word from our friend Denitz of Russia with more information and photos on the Mars Figures U.S. GI’s Vietnam. Also the photos compared the Mars Figures U.S. GI’S Vietnam with Mars Figures Vietnamese. Tentative date for these figures is June.
Figure Poses
The first pose of Mars Figures U.S. GI’S Vietnam is a soldier walking with M16at side. The second pose of Mars Figures U.S. GI’S Vietnam is a soldier is standing firing M16. The photo has the Mars Vietcong figure.
The third Pose is Mars Figures U.S. GI’S Vietnam is a soldier kneeling firing M60. The figure is compared against the Mars Figures Vietcong kneeling firing rifle.
The fourth pose is Mars Figures U.S. GI’S Vietnam is a soldier kneeling firing grenade launcher compared to the Mars Figures U.S. Vietcong kneeling firing rocket launcher.
The fifth pose of the Mars Figures U.S. GI’S Vietnam is a soldier with automatic weapon at waist. The sixth pose Mars Figures U.S. GI’S Vietnam is GI in soft hat with shotgun. The figures are compared to pose of the Mars Vietcong that are similar.
The seventh pose of Mars Figures U.S. GI’S Vietnam is a GI firing rifle. The eight pose of the Mars Figures U.S. GI’S Vietnam is a GI looking through binoculars . A Mars Vietcong is shown for size comparison.
The figures are shown painted. The figures will be sold unpainted. There are some interesting poses, I like the GI with shotgun at waist. The GI with binoculars is a pose needed for your Vietnam scenes. these figures are coming at the right time to work with the upcoming TSSD Vietnam series.
We would like to thank Denitz for sharing these photos with us.
OK, I’ll say it before Erwin does. There’s no M-14s there. They have M-16s. The M-14 is what the Marx GIs have as opposed to the M-1 Garrand. The ‘automatic rifle’ for the third pose is the M-60 Machinegun, which is also the MG that the Marx GI has on a tripod. The GI next to the bino man looks to have an M-1 Carbine, which was still used for Advisory Teams on occasion. Not a front line weapon for the US at this time. We were giving them away to the Montagnyards by the bushel. There. I’ve done my nit-picky History geek duty for today.
Greg
Thanks for the corrections. I will go correct it right now. I thought the M-1 carbine seemed odd.
Stoner 63??
Interesting, surely a large number of lefties on the American side there.
I agree too many lefties 🙂
Looking carefully at the sculpts I would say that the first two poses shown are done by a different sculptor than the rest as the human proportions and height differences are reasonable. The others look more like TSSD sculpting with out of proportion hands and other features.
If the configuration of the set is the same as the others by MARS the Binocular poses won’t be a good one as you might get as many as 4 in a set, if you are unlucky or lucky if you have loads of artillery and mortar groups 🙂
I haven’t picked up the Vietnamese yet, so if anyone has them can you tell me if they are 54mm or smaller, the height of any standing pose would be fine.
Thanks.
Yeah I HATE binocular poses almost as much as musket ramrod loaders,LOL.
Any info on un-painted colour?
They look pretty good, nice addition !
Greg observation 100 % correct of course.
Ed.I thought same.Maybe artist is left too.
Poses are well designed.However in my opinion base in criticism.The figures looks like coming from HQ to pose x pictures.
Uniform and sleeves are too well done x real combat.
Same time nice add and very welcome;and is a shame that vietnam era Gi’s are done x first time by russia and not us.
Once again russia is ahead and bellond in making new figures .
Just took a look at the photo of the first four poses on the TSSD site, and weirdly they are all right handed – Firing gas gun, Shotgun at waist, M16 at waist and Firing Carbine from the shoulder.
How’s that work !!
FYI The “Gas Gun” is an M79 Grenade Launcher sometimes known by various nicknames such as “Thumper”,”Blooper”.
Maybe the picture is flipped causing the left-hand/right-hand problem.
Agree, they look too kind of “out of the bandbox, in a tropic environment even fresh-starched fatigues wilt within minutes due to the sweat – give it a day or two? But then again, that’s been a problem with most toy soldiers – how many pix of German soldiers from the war do we see looking as neat as Marx’s guys? The one thing I liked about some of the MPC Germans were they at least looked like they were in the kimshi – not all of them, but some.
I can forgive the M-16s, after all that is the weapon most identified with the war in the average mind, but I agree an M-14 for the early war wouldn’t have been out of place, gee we are still using the M-14 for sniping. I wonder if a detail shot would reveal a forward-assist mechanism – that would make it an M16A1 and make it an even later date on those guys. A minor detail, but for the button counter.
But these guys are usable and face it, what have we had besides the Timmee guys for all these years? I will probably get at least a box though I prefer 18th and 19th Century stuff.
Erwin, I agree with you about the irony, but that war in particular has been such a tender spot to many of us who lived through it it is understandable why no American has been too willing to approach it until recently. An interesting note concerning the manufacturer’s nation: when my brother’s squad checked the bodies after his first firefight in Nam, he discovered the first “VC” he killed stood about six feet tall and had blonde hair. He was in black “pajamas” though.
Saw the closeups – they have the forward assist; M16A1 – so 1969 and later, if one wants to be picky.
I thought about the picture flip but that would mean that the Gas gun man and Shotgun man would be left handed in the pics on this site.
I think it must be photoshop used to put the US guys in the pics with the Vietnam.
In the TSSD pic the shotgun guy is shorter than the M16 guy and in these ones he’s taller !
I’m not so familiar with the weapons used in the Vietnam War ,do you think if the front of the carbine had been painted brown it would look more like an M14 or is the hand grip that gives it away as a Carbine ?
It’s really too short for an M-14; but then again, so is the M-60 – but with the magazine (a bit large for an M-14) and the length I’d say it’s an M-1 carbine or supposed to be.
French instructor perhaps leading the VC?
Soviet.Many fought as instructors.
I would agree it looks like a M1 Carbine to me.
it is an M2 with 30 round mag. It was used often till mid 70’s in Vietnam, most by SV army ,some Americans used and kept x long against standard M16 issued.
The M1 -w short magazine was mainly distributed to South Vietnamese soldiers and others .
The most common used by US personal was the M2 with long mag . LIFE magazine 1964 show a US captain(Robert Bacon) walking in the fields with it.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/285697170082419825/
1967 LIFE show two more jumping from helicopters with them in hand.
Try this page, as you link doesn’t work for me, Erwin. https://2neatmagazines.com/Life-Magazine-Covers/1964/Life-Magazine-1964-06-12.jpg
Yeah they saw it already,is an old post, it work x most us, don’t know Pinterest web site link why not working in yours. That is odd.!!?
thanks any how
The following blog link if scroll down show some pictures of it used at Vietnam by US
and others.
phttp://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/23872-m-14-use-in-vietnam/ersonel and others.
sorry is this.
http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/23872-m-14-use-in-vietnam/
It could be an M-2, but that would be a minor difference physically as the only difference was the M-2 could fire “rock and roll” while the M-1 could only fire semi. But the giveaway would be the magazine, not to say one couldn’t use the same mag in both weapons.
Good catch Erwin and a definite possibility.
Well, technically the Viet Nam era soldiers were done by Timmee long ago. Timmee is or was an American Company. They didn’t do Viet Cong, but they did do GI’s.
Ed. You right technically they were done.
Same way Aurburn GI’s were done x Korea ,but not N Korean or Chinese ever done x then.
ESCI did Soviet Afghanistan war era SPRZ and others too but not afghans/Taliban.
TM did rare soviet/Russian in green and red (odd for allied and foes?) as neither represent Korean too.
TM generic late 60’s army guys were poorly intent to represent era as modern army in my opinion not as direct x Viet Nam war.
Never the less the only best done till now with the later variations that come after.
I understand Viet Nam had been a taboo, but I thing as history is been long enough that some one could had brake it already by now; ironically it has to be a non American toy soldier company.
In fact only in 1.32 plastic because in metal is been years I had seen then done and in the HO plastic scale are out x long too.
Soviet- afghan war is also a painful experience X Russians ,still they get over it and start making toy soldiers for some time about that war for some time already.
Update : http://toysoldiers.spb.ru/blog/soldiers/mars/mars-gi7.jpg
So just 15 figures in box. Only one figure with binoculars and mixed quantity of other poses.
Looks like all the men with weapons are right handed except the M60 guy, so the other pics with the Vietnam figures included must have been photo shop.
This company is making some odd choices with packing their sets, 15 figures in 8 poses instead of 16 figures in 8 poses would indicate to me that they are having moulding issues with these figures too. So lets wait and see what content people get when they come out in June.
Has anyone heard any news on the CTS North Koreans? We’ve gone from “Fall 2015”, to “late 2015”, to “early 2016”, to ………..?
In the year 2525?
Marx Miniatures actually did a set in 1964 or 1965 called Guerilla Warfare, it had Viet Cong and a Mix of the Marx GI’s ,Marines and I think 60mm in HO. That may have been the earliest set done, while everyone knew it was Viet Nam they didn’t put the name on the set. It may not have had the Marines and the Army figures actually worked since they were mostly equipped with M14’s.
That patisan generic set was HO .
Jungle warfare playset.definetely a good try
,specially with ww2 mix figures.
It remaind me more or french indochina war …
Cherilea and other Uk,French brands did too Vietnam era British/french colonial soldiers.
No one dare to call it
Viet nam war or even Indochina.
Too much fear to be call it.
Im wonder why Marx do not venture from the generic jungle set HO set to make it large scale.
They knew well what will happen.
Well, I think Marx knew enough not to call it a Viet Nam set and since it wasn’t real popular they never ventured into a full sized set. I had two of the Guerilla Warfare sets and even in crappy boxes I made a good buck off of selling them.
Personally I think kids would have loved a full sized set, but I don’t think their parents would have bought it for them. I can see anti war demonstrators outside of the Marx factory now. Well, in my head I can.
You KNOW who Louis marx’ daughter hooked up with! http://www.biography.com/people/daniel-ellsberg-17176398
‘
But WHY was the Miniature masterpiece ALAMO playset called “Border Battle”?
The fact that old Marx jungle guerrilla playset HO sold good tell me the long waiting for this war to be redone .
That was my point ,it has take soo long .
When since 90’s all new companies making start producing all repeated WW2 German American Japanese sets all over till now ,always made me wonder when they will come out with Korea and Viet nam.
It was not till last year CTS -60 years after broke ice and did the first Korea era war figures sets with more coming ,hope soon.
Then now Russian Mar did with Viet Namese and now GI’s .
That is the sad part I see ;that took way too long to come with both war.
Korean war had been forcible forgotten from TV, Cinema ,even much less books than many other smaller wars .But we can not forgot that is cost over 50 000 US plus many others in less than 3 years and was proportional more bloody than Viet Nam long war.
Viet Nam .I can understand the time and after the wounds, but history and war history are full of wounds from all sides. And if had been done from the 80’s till now in metal and HO it was not excused had it so long waiting to be cast first by a non direct former belligerent. Thanks God the figures are not made in VN .
At the end this hobby is not longer for kids x long. And if kits 1.35 scale and else are making VN war figures and else for many years with out taboos why not regular toy soldiers!?
Mid generation will play more with VN war figures than WW2 ,in gamers I see a lot same too. My thoughts.
What we’ve all been waiting for —- Viet Cong proportionately smaller in body size than the taller, heavier Americans (just like Airfix made its WWII Gurghas physically smaller), but with weapons all the same size.
MARS releases photos of its figures already painted, so we can’t see from the images what color the plastic is actually going to be in.
But Rick, since you apparently speak to Sergey, could you mention that many of us don’t paint our toy soldiers, and would appreciate realistic colors for the figures. For instance, on the first release of Viet Cong figures, I could see brown, tan, and black as all being appropriate colors — but the figures were released in gray.
In any event, I think everyone appreciates MARS for coming out with opposing sets in quick succession — Viet Cong, U.S. Marines, U.S. Army etc.
And is CTS providing any information on their North Koreans. We’ve gone from “Fall 2015” to “late 2015” to “early 2016” to “……?”. I’m now planning a big Korean War set-up and need those North Koreans!
Don I agree in body/type ethnic comparison and observation that so few had ever take and done.
Yes Airfix did correct on Gurkhas ,but mess in German paratroops and alpine set ,as well American GI’s and later most modern sets with down size the figures.
So Airfix Gurkhas were a great observation. Hope MARS do same .I had not see the figures in hand but base in pictures looks like it was done correct.
Will like to compere armies in pictures to see it.
Sample ;CTS Koreans are tall ,unless they make taller GI’s/marines will be a bit odd put a hand to hand combat scene between the two. Again that will bring another out scale GI’s or match with EXF scale if done by CTS .
So we will always had to wait and improvise.
That’s a very good point Don. I just emailed him about it. He told me back when he first planned these that he would purposely do the Viet Cong in 54mm and the US in 60mm to compensate for the size differences in real life.