1950's Us military figures

[Lillen]

Hi,

 

I'm looking for some high quality tanks and millitary personel and equipment for my layout. I don't need a lot so price is not the most important. Looks are. They need to be U.S troops, trucks, tanks and so on around the 50's. Any tips would be great. It's HO.

 

Magnus

[orsonroy]

Search the Walthers catalog for Roco, Trident and Preiser. All make WWII-era figures and vehicles (the US Military, with few exceptions, hung onto 1940s equipment and uniforms well into the 1950s). There are other companies that also make 1940s-1950s equipment and personnel, but their overall quality is poorer.

[DSchmitt]

This on-line store offers a large selection of HO military.

 http://www.reynaulds.com/

[lvanhen]

Search the Walthers catalog for Roco, Trident and Preiser. All make WWII-era figures and vehicles (the US Military, with few exceptions, hung onto 1940s equipment and uniforms well into the 1950s). There are other companies that also make 1940s-1950s equipment and personnel, but their overall quality is poorer.

Whaddaya mean '50's!!  I was eating 1953 C-rats in 'Nam in '65-66!!  Steel pot the same!  M14 didn't look much different than an M1 for model purposes - except for magazine.  Out medic jeep was a WWII thing!  Tents, water trailers, deuce & 1/2's and who know's what else!!!  Not like today with $600 toilet seats & running out of body bags!!!

[orsonroy]

Whaddaya mean '50's!!  I was eating 1953 C-rats in 'Nam in '65-66!!  Steel pot the same!  M14 didn't look much different than an M1 for model purposes - except for magazine.  Out medic jeep was a WWII thing!  Tents, water trailers, deuce & 1/2's and who know's what else!!!  Not like today with $600 toilet seats & running out of body bags!!!

I've heard the 1950s C-rat stories before, from my uncle for one! But just about everything else you guys were issued was a lot newer (believe it or not) than you think:

• I've used both M-1s and M-14s. The M-14 is more like an assault rifle than a true combat rifle.
• Your Jeeps were most likely an M38 or M141, authorized in 1951 and 1962 respectively.
• If your tents snapped together, they're post-WWII.
• Water Buffaloes were designed after WWII.
• Your deuces were M-44s, not WWII-era M-35s.
• Believe it or not, the M-3 steel pots were redesigned three times between 1940 and 1965!

So while most of the equipment LOOKED and FELT a lot like the stuff used 20 years earlier, it was technically "new & improved". Be glad that dress wools were finally retired by 1962!

[Lillen]

Thanks for all the tips guys. I apreciated them all.

 

Magnus

[back_pack]

I am looking for some 1940s/50s US Navy sailors in HO for a military shipyard scene. I have not found them anywhere. The standard navy blue/white uniforms with white hats would work.... Thoughts?

Andy

[MisterBeasley]

Check some of the wargaming shops.  There's a shop near my LHS called 3 Trolls at http://www.3trolls.com/ in Chelmsford, MA.  They do on-line sales, it looks like.  I went there once looking for a cobblestone pattern.  They didn't have one, but they were very helpful in suggesting other resources.

They have an "in-store layout" of sorts, too.  In keeping with their products, though, it was mostly ocean and was being set up for a naval wargaming exercise with cruisers and destroyers and that kind of stuff.

They also have a very good selection of Woodland Scenics stuff in stock.