Marine Doberman , with Handler

Hi all , I don`t quite have the knowledge of the U.S Marines during the Pacific war with Japan , as I do of the Marines in the Vietnam war . However , as I was once the owner of a Doberman , this is kind of a tribute to the Dog breed and those Marines . It appears it was during the the Pacific War , that U.S Dog units found their place . A large percent at that time , of the dogs used were Dobermans . Built like athletes , with fine looks , these dogs were intelligent too . Often trained with two handlers , as the dogs were used both for message running as well as seeking out the enemy . The handlers were split between units , so that the dogs would recognise and respond to each individual handler over long distances , this was important as the humid heat often played havoc with radios , the dogs run these messages often under fire . The Dogs were used for " on Point " duties too , it is said they could sense Japanese snipers and Machine gun nests up to and exceeding a distance of 100 yards . The Dogs were trained to alert the handlers in silence , a couple of instances I read , that if the Dog stopped , looked left and right this was a sign that the enemy had been detected . I assume this one was at night in a fox hole , that the handler had to gently place his hand on the Dogs throat to " feel the growl " , that their was enemy movement out front . The kit is a mix of BBi and Dragon kit , the handler has souvenired a Japanese sword . I made a custom harness with pouches from British webbing, along with a custom lead for the Dog . The Doberman is from an old G.I Joe set , which was pretty cool in it`s own right . I did look for a more realistic Doberman , but they worked out quite expensive , maybe some time in the future . Hope you like them anyways .

Certainly a great set up Mark!
As for knowledge about the marines in the Pacific, I can thoroughly recommend reading "With the Old Breed" (Eugene Sledge) if you haven't already done so. Excellent book.

I too have been looking for a couple of Dobermans to go with my proposed Higgins figure (Magnum P.I.).
Why are the damn things SO expensive? It's just a little plastic dog!

LeStryge wrote:

Why are the damn things SO expensive? It's just a little plastic dog!

Could be worse. You could be looking for a hyena: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/144035901235

Excellent figure, Chip, and a bit different than most of what's out there in WWII era figs. Good to see something this specialized, and kind of fun to see you branching out from the 'Nam era.

Your bamboo background is being put to good use, as well!

Another great figure, Chip! I think the Hasbro Doberman is nice and in looking around I found several including one by that Gangster series that Dal likes.

also this one by DiD that I bought that I really like a lot and came with a leash. It wasn't too much and I can't believe it isn't available somewhere for a reasonable cost.

https://www.did.co/portfolio/did-as001doberman-pinscher/

Great figure Chip, and as usual the attention to detail is fantastic!

They look perfect together Chip! quality mate .

SCU_HQ wrote:

Could be worse. You could be looking for a hyena:  https://www.ebay.ca/itm/144035901235

I thought THAT was bad, until I saw the price on a Japanese Shiba Dog! (Two heads obviously costs a whole lot more?)
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/144035897601?
What the hell are those things made of?
Rhodium plated Jadeite?
It's STILL a little plastic dog!
THIS is the cheapest version on eBay, the others are up around the $100 AUS mark, and yes, they are STILL little plastic dogs...
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/362682500162?
This is the pair I probably want but again they are as Mark said, pricey.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/362719428690?

I like the one in your 2nd link Barry , to me they look closest to the real thing , I might bit the bullet one day . Thanks for the DiD link Gilbri , wasn`t aware of those .

Thanks for the other kind words Peeps , was nice to put the Jungle dio to some use as you mention Dave .