Falklands War bits 'n' bobs?

[Rick]

After all the hard work you chaps have put in to the Falklands War range, I'm going to sound like an ungrateful swine, but is there any chance of these models:

British LMG gunner with L4 (straight mag) Bren in Beret (only used by RM and Para alongside the Gimpy)
British kneeling gun team with SF GPMG on tripod in helmet/beret.
Argentinian kneeling gun team with SF GPMG (FN MAG) on tripod.
RM or SAS rigid raider with crew?
Civilian farm tractor and trailer ((or just the tractor!).
Falklands civilians?

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Some of those are on the way, ask Techno!

[Techno]

No.....don't ask me.
http://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,8256.0.html should show the Falkland's 'extras' that haven't been released yet, though.
The 50mm mortar has been 'rejigged'.....and is waiting to go back to Pendraken HQ.
Hope that helps ! 
Cheers - Phil

[Rick]

Hadn't seen that thread, but it does help greatly. I'm guessing that we should see the guns and some of these appearing over the next few months?

Cheers!

[Steeleye]

I hate to sound picky and it might just have been the photos, but I thought that some of the British helmets (on the Falklands war extras) looked a little too much like old WWII 'battle bowlers' with scrim/cam nets!

On a more positive note, it does occur to me that the figures for the Argies could be used as a 'generic 1970's/80's western army'.

[Rick]

I hate to sound picky and it might just have been the photos, but I thought that some of the British helmets (on the Falklands war extras) looked a little too much like old WWII 'battle bowlers' with scrim/cam nets!

The British Army helmets (Mk III/IV/V) were extremely similar, with only minor differences between the Mk.V (up to 1986) and the Mk.III (1941+). The only other helmets used were the WW2 era airborne steel helmets.

So, yes - they do look like WW2 helmets, but that's really OK!

[Techno]

Hi Steeleye.

The helmets on those chaps are supposed to be '44 pattern types which were worn by all the troops, except the paras, and would have been scrimmed and camo'd.
They should look very similar to WWII helmets from the info I've been given.

Hope that helps.

Cheers - Phil

[Steeleye]

Erm...I think we might be talking about different helmets here.

When I say 'Battle Bowler' I mean the helmet worn by British troops from 1916 and on into the 1940's.

When I was in the army in the 70's the only 'tin hat's' I came across where the ones based on the Canadian WWII helmet and the old Airborne helmet... BTW I was on Chieftains and we were issued the old airborne helmet which we never wore and when they weren't tied to the baskets on the sides of the turret we used them to wash in.

By the Falklands...and I'm willing to be corrected here...I was under the impression that most of the helmets worn were the new style ones similar to the type worn today. I would guess there might have been a few Canadian style helmets around. But I'm betting that there were no early forties helmets worn...I certainly didn't see anyone wearing them in the 70's nearly ten years before the Falklands.

[Rick]

Ah - think we might be talking past each other here. When I was talking about the Mk III/IV/V helmet, it was the 'turtle-shell' or 'turtle-back' helmet style I was talking about, not the earlier WW1 to 1943ish 'battle bowler' style. The 'new style' helmets (Mk. VI, ballistic nylon weave) weren't issued until 1986 at the earliest - however, they did look a bit similar to the WW2 Airborne helmets. The WW2 Airborne helmets were used with some minor modifications by the Paras, then Armoured units until after the Falklands. The Navy had also adopted a helmet similar to this, and the Marines got a similar derivative (I think they just changed the lining, or somesuch), although not enough to equip everyone in the Falklands. So, basically, in the Falklands - the Guards/Gurkhas were issued with the 'turtle-shell' style, while the Paras, Marines, Navy and Blues and Royals had some version similar to the WW2 Para helmet.

However, although I've been able to Google much of this info, it would be nice to have someone else verify it!

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Bazookas for Argentinian forces please, needed them tonight!!!

[Sunray]

Ah - think we might be talking past each other here. When I was talking about the Mk III/IV/V helmet, it was the 'turtle-shell' or 'turtle-back' helmet style I was talking about, not the earlier WW1 to 1943ish 'battle bowler' style. The 'new style' helmets (Mk. VI, ballistic nylon weave) weren't issued until 1986 at the earliest - however, they did look a bit similar to the WW2 Airborne helmets. The WW2 Airborne helmets were used with some minor modifications by the Paras, then Armoured units until after the Falklands. The Navy had also adopted a helmet similar to this, and the Marines got a similar derivative (I think they just changed the lining, or somesuch), although not enough to equip everyone in the Falklands. So, basically, in the Falklands - the Guards/Gurkhas were issued with the 'turtle-shell' style, while the Paras, Marines, Navy and Blues and Royals had some version similar to the WW2 Para helmet.

However, although I've been able to Google much of this info, it would be nice to have someone else verify it!

You will find a good discussion about helmets and lids on "Modelling the Falkland's Para ..getting it Right"  on the General discussion board. 20th Century section.   In my service career I wore a wide variety of lids.   

Three brief comments -

1. Tankers  wear their own special AFV helmets fibre glass with built in mike and earphones for the Larkspur. It induced a headache if the Velcro was too tight on the ears,- and you were inclined to keep it tight so as to hear above the engine din,  so many CVR crew wore berets.

2.  Royal Marines when south on that Pussers holidays with any lid they could find.   In this era, helmets were  generally not worn unless under fire. The colder it got the warmer the headgear worn.

3. The Guards did it by the book as they tend to do. 

[Steeleye]

This is what I found, but my experience is for one regiment (The Queens Own Hussars) in the time period 1974-78.

The 'Larkspur' helmet; Our CVR troop had them while we were at Lulworth but not when we went to W Germany afterwards.

As a Chieftain crewman I was never issued with one (Larkspur), we had the old Para helmet (interestingly often painted with a Soviet star on the front) these were never worn and I seem to remember most were too small!

All the infantry (at that time) wore the 'turtle back' style tin hat, usually heavily covered in sacking and scrim.

In Northern Ireland we wore berets unless there was a riot on in which case we wore the 'Turtle back' helmet with the clear visor fitted and a new style of strap that was supposed to stop the thing falling off your head.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Argentines still need 'Super' Bazookas though! 

[Techno]

You'll have to petition 'Da Boss', Will. 
Cheers - Phil

[Sunray]

For Rick's benefit, I have refreshed the Helmet discussion thread on "Falklands Paras"

The term Battle Bowler - although originally referring to the WW 1 Brodie pattern - has been transferred to most protective head covering.

  A modified civvie helmet (NATO Code Motor Cycle Helmet)  was called the Riot hat and was used in Op Banner until the MK 6 and M76 came in.

I have also heard the term 'Tin Toby' although this may have been restricted to one unit.

The Queens Own ! Brings back memories of the dust and smoke of the Sennelager charge. Or the long evenings on the prairie on Op Medicine Hat.

As Phil and I have discussed, the superior field craft in the 1980s British Infantry/special forces would have meant that every effort was made to hide the "shape" and "shine" of the helmet, so Brits have ample helping of scrim, hessian and foliage which means the actual model does not have to be precise.

Hope this is useful. 

Da Boss might be interested that a US/Argentine type with a Super Bazooka has lots of Post war applications  and thus sales.