1stlooey
Platoon Leader
My 1:6 story is probably a lot like everybody else's here.
My father was a WWII veteran. A 2nd lieutenant, then 1st, he commanded a 81mm mortar platoon. He fought in the Ardennes, and received the Bronze Star for his actions in combat. He was in combat for about 6 or 7 weeks, and then spent about 4 months as a guest of the German government, when he was liberated by US troops. I heard his stories often.
(There is an open invitation to all SAG members who are interested in reading his war memoirs. PM or e-mail me and I'll send a copy in .pdf format.)
Many of my neighbors were also WWII vets. My next door neighbor skippered a Higgins boat at Omaha on D-day, the neighbor behind me was a Navy Hellcat pilot trainer (he was too short for combat), and so on. I heard their stories, too.
In about 1967, I got my first GI Joe for Christmas. He came in an orange jump suit and a plastic fatigue cap. I think he may have been a pilot. (Today he looks like a convict!) It became my favorite toy for years.
I remember vividly when I broke this Joe. I was sliding him down the banister when his leg broke at the knee. I cried for days. My mom tried to fix it with her hot glue gun, but it wouldn't bend anymore and it still broke off from time to time. Later, I did a "head transplant" with the body of one of my flocked head Joes. I still have that Joe (and the flocked head, too). I promoted him to Lt. Col.
It was a childhood dream to have a whole army of GI Joes. I guess that dream is being fulfilled today.
The fever passed, and all my friend's Joes ended up blown up, melted, run over, etc. I kept mine. And from time to time, I looked at the odds and ends of Joe stuff that I kept, and thought: wouldn't it be cool if they made these things again? only really accurate?
One day in about 1999, I was in TRU looking for a present for my son, when I saw a 21C German figure. I bought it immediately. I haven't stopped since. When I found the online retailers, then the web boards, that just set the hook deeper.
Whether for lack of funds, or of space, or of imagination, I have a very narrow focus for my collection: Fouhren, Luxembourg, on December 17th, 1944. This limits me to US infantry (109th regiment, 28th ID); US armored (D company, 707th Tank Batallion, 28th ID); German airborne (5. Fallschirmjager Division), and German infantry (Tank hunters, 916. Grenadier Regiment, 352 Volksgrenadier Division). My goal is to have about a platoon of each except the armored. So far, I have a full platoon of Volksgrenadiers, about 2 squads plus NCOs of Fallschirmjagers, and a similar amount of US infantry. I have 3 Stuarts, with 2 of them crewed.
(So, I pass on: SS, Russian, most German armor, {although late on Dec. 17th some Stugs came into action at this location}, Nebelwerfers, Japanese, Italians, DAK, British & Commonwealth, etc. Not that I don't like them, I just don't own a warehouse!
)
My vehicles also fall largely within what could be found at this place and time.
I am originally from Minneapolis, where I lived almost all of my first 30 years. Eleven years ago I moved to Florida. I have been married for 17 years to a wonderful lady from Brazil. I work for a large builder of new homes.
I am COMPLETELY addicted to this hobby and this board. I really only spend time on one other board, which is a site for Brazilian 1:6 collectors.
My father was a WWII veteran. A 2nd lieutenant, then 1st, he commanded a 81mm mortar platoon. He fought in the Ardennes, and received the Bronze Star for his actions in combat. He was in combat for about 6 or 7 weeks, and then spent about 4 months as a guest of the German government, when he was liberated by US troops. I heard his stories often.
(There is an open invitation to all SAG members who are interested in reading his war memoirs. PM or e-mail me and I'll send a copy in .pdf format.)
Many of my neighbors were also WWII vets. My next door neighbor skippered a Higgins boat at Omaha on D-day, the neighbor behind me was a Navy Hellcat pilot trainer (he was too short for combat), and so on. I heard their stories, too.
In about 1967, I got my first GI Joe for Christmas. He came in an orange jump suit and a plastic fatigue cap. I think he may have been a pilot. (Today he looks like a convict!) It became my favorite toy for years.
I remember vividly when I broke this Joe. I was sliding him down the banister when his leg broke at the knee. I cried for days. My mom tried to fix it with her hot glue gun, but it wouldn't bend anymore and it still broke off from time to time. Later, I did a "head transplant" with the body of one of my flocked head Joes. I still have that Joe (and the flocked head, too). I promoted him to Lt. Col.
It was a childhood dream to have a whole army of GI Joes. I guess that dream is being fulfilled today.
The fever passed, and all my friend's Joes ended up blown up, melted, run over, etc. I kept mine. And from time to time, I looked at the odds and ends of Joe stuff that I kept, and thought: wouldn't it be cool if they made these things again? only really accurate?
One day in about 1999, I was in TRU looking for a present for my son, when I saw a 21C German figure. I bought it immediately. I haven't stopped since. When I found the online retailers, then the web boards, that just set the hook deeper.
Whether for lack of funds, or of space, or of imagination, I have a very narrow focus for my collection: Fouhren, Luxembourg, on December 17th, 1944. This limits me to US infantry (109th regiment, 28th ID); US armored (D company, 707th Tank Batallion, 28th ID); German airborne (5. Fallschirmjager Division), and German infantry (Tank hunters, 916. Grenadier Regiment, 352 Volksgrenadier Division). My goal is to have about a platoon of each except the armored. So far, I have a full platoon of Volksgrenadiers, about 2 squads plus NCOs of Fallschirmjagers, and a similar amount of US infantry. I have 3 Stuarts, with 2 of them crewed.
(So, I pass on: SS, Russian, most German armor, {although late on Dec. 17th some Stugs came into action at this location}, Nebelwerfers, Japanese, Italians, DAK, British & Commonwealth, etc. Not that I don't like them, I just don't own a warehouse!
)My vehicles also fall largely within what could be found at this place and time.
I am originally from Minneapolis, where I lived almost all of my first 30 years. Eleven years ago I moved to Florida. I have been married for 17 years to a wonderful lady from Brazil. I work for a large builder of new homes.
I am COMPLETELY addicted to this hobby and this board. I really only spend time on one other board, which is a site for Brazilian 1:6 collectors.
