NVA Officer " BU "

Hi all .
             This is my NVA officer " Bu " .

    Down in a tunnel complex dug out by the Vietcong . " Bu " is planning a trap to lead in U.S forces that will give him an advantage . He intends to hit hard and fast , and then disappear back in the tunnels before any air strikes or artillery can be called in ....

     It was not always easy to distinguish NVA officers , often rank was shown by the number of pens showing in a top pocket . Wearing a watch was often a sign of authority too . But it was often the officers would have leather belts and accoutrements too . The star on the buckle was often painted red  as here , but not always . The whistle was used to rally troops and give commands , particularly to the heavy weapon teams like RPG teams and machine gunners . On his belt he carries a holstered Takarov Pistol and ammo pouch , over his shoulder a map case . I gave my officer sandals instead of boots , I felt they suited him better .

Very cool chip! As always it's the attention to detail that sets your figures apart from others! Great use of the table too!

Certainly another of your masterpieces of detail Chip!

The story of the "tunnel rats" is truly scary. I really cannot imagine how they managed to go down there and fight, despite the booby traps etc.!

Thanks for kind words Dal , Barry . I wouldn`t of like to of lived in those tunnels either , some were were not just for hiding in . They had hospitals and living quatres in some of them , I read that some of the Vietnamese occupiers begged to be let up to the service and often got refused through risk of the tunnels being discovered .

Another impressively crafted figure. The level of detail takes it up to being a work of art. Great minimalist setting.

I worked with a former "tunnel rat" years ago. My other co-workers cautioned me, when I was a new hire, about treading carefully around him, as his war experiences had left him borderline unhinged. I'm sure he would have had some interesting stories, but one of the strong cautions was to never ask him about the war, at the risk of triggering a meltdown.

Seeing your figure gives a real feel for the kinds of soldiers the "tunnel rats" were dealing with - skilled professionals who were fighting for their lives and, in their viewpoint, for their country and their families and friends. Motivated fighters. The kind who never surrender. There was only one way to win a fight in the tunnels.

I'm fascinated by the wristwatch. Is it actually modeled after a Vietnamese watch? What kind of watches did the NVA wear? I know that US issued watches were often Timex, although individual soldiers wore other models (a Seiko features prominently in the movie "Apocalypse Now," to the point where Seiko recently reissued an updated version that watch collectors are calling the "Captain Willard" after the character who wears it).

Chip wrote:

 I wouldn`t of like to of lived in those tunnels either 

Never mind living in them, it's the blokes who went nearly naked down into an unfamiliar labyrinth in very close quarters to find the soldiers in their own environment!
There was literally a danger every metre, ...and mostly in the dark!

Your attention to detail is amazing. How you find the tiny details (like the whistle) is beyond me.

Great figure…

Great figure Chip …what line is he from?

The conversation about the tunnels gives me the hebe gegies Back in my TA days I remember doing an Urban weekend that involved mostly sandbag filling .. but some really unnerving section moves through drains…I remember being in the middle of the section while some one up front started to panic…

How those tunnel rats did it I don’t know…respect.

Thanks for all those further kind comments .

Nice to see you back Dave . I do have a few different types of watches , but not really looked at them in great detail , just choose what I think looks best to suit the figures who get them.

Barry , The Tunnels of Cu Chi , is a great book to read if you want to know more about Tunnels . Some U.S soldiers enjoyed going down those tunnels , if I remember correctly they were all voluntary , I agree you definitely had to be of a certain character to go down those tunnels , maybe the adrenalin out weighed the fear for some .

Gunner Munro , he is made up of a modern head sculpt fitted on a worldbox body , the uniform is from 21st century / ultimate soldier series . The sandals are from 21st but upgraded a bit by me . The leather belt ect are from some other recent Chinese released figure I believe . When I get a figure in mind , often this is set off by seeing a head sculpt on eBay or something clicks when looking through my tin of heads , if I don`t have all the kit , then it`s a case of searching for it and punishing my wallet to pick up the necessary kit .

Glad he got you all talking and commenting , makes it all worth while taking the time spent putting him together and photographing .

Chip wrote:

Barry , The Tunnels of Cu Chi , is a great book to read if you want to know more about Tunnels . Some U.S soldiers enjoyed going down those tunnels , if I remember correctly they were all voluntary , I agree you definitely had to be of a certain character to go down those tunnels , maybe the adrenalin out weighed the fear for some .

I will definitely search out that that book Mark. Thank you.
At the risk of hijacking your thread, I have often wondered why anyone put themselves in so much danger by entering those tunnels.
Why not just blow them up, thus burying all inhabitants without endangering the US soldiers?
Or probably even more effective, use the same gas we used as kids to eliminate huge rabbit warrens? It was heavier than air (but deadly) and so sunk down and flooded the whole burrow, thereby asphyxiating all the rabbits. They died even before they could use any other exit.
It's banned now of course, ...(why is everything we handled so freely and without incident as kids now illegal ), but I'm sure it could have been used in the war effort!

LeStryge wrote:

Chip wrote:

Barry , The Tunnels of Cu Chi , is a great book to read if you want to know more about Tunnels . Some U.S soldiers enjoyed going down those tunnels , if I remember correctly they were all voluntary , I agree you definitely had to be of a certain character to go down those tunnels , maybe the adrenalin out weighed the fear for some .

I will definitely search out that that book Mark. Thank you.
At the risk of hijacking your thread, I have often wondered why anyone put themselves in so much danger by entering those tunnels.
Why not just blow them up, thus burying all inhabitants without endangering the US soldiers?
Or probably even more effective, use the same gas we used as kids to eliminate huge rabbit warrens? It was heavier than air (but deadly) and so sunk down and flooded the whole burrow, thereby asphyxiating all the rabbits. They died even before they could use any other exit.
It's banned now of course, ...(why is everything we handled so freely and without incident as kids now illegal ), but I'm sure it could have been used in the war effort!

No need for apologies , not so much of a hi jack , but a side step .

The Vietnamese who designed and built those Tunnels were nothing short of geniuses . There was very often attempts to blow and gas the tunnels , they seldom worked completely , particularly in the bigger deeper tunnels . there were always escape routes , but clever use of water levels often prevented the Gas from getting through the entire tunnels , in some cases you had to dive swim in a kind of U- Bend to continue into the tunnel . Hidden trap doors going deeper or veering off to one side , also helped against such attempts from the U.S . Coloured smoke was pumped down to reveal exits and entrances , but was definitely not fail proof . Many U.S forces when they found tunnels , just threw grenades down them and moved on , again the way they were designed it simply blocked one of the entrances / exits which were opened up again once the occupiers felt safe again to do so . Knowing these methods were far from ideal , the only real option left was to send some one down there , the designated Tunnel Rats were definitely an Elite team . It`s a very interesting subject .

Interesting! I definitely need to read that book.
I'm amazed that a U-sump filled with water did not just collapse the saturated soil above, specially with the constant disturbance of bodies wriggling through.

That's a great figure Chip. The 21st century stuff is very custom friendly isn't it ?
Your knowledge of the historical details of the era are most impressive too.

Thanks Kev , yes I love 21st stuff , if I had the time and money I could spend so much time upgrading the 21st century figures , they done some cracking items and figures . Thanks for the further kind words .