Welcome To My Paratrooper & Doorway Page.

This text is from the Trigger Time website regarding the picture below right.

This daredevil, Dick Knudsen of F/506th jumped into France with a Brit-made leg bag containing his bazooka rocket launcher.

When his chute opened, he didn't have time to release the bag before hitting the ground. Upon landing several hundred yards from St Mere Eglise, he broke his pelvis. Knudsen laid unaided in no man's land for several days before being discovered and evacuated. photo c/o Charles Young 439th TCG

This page is my kitbash based on the picture on the right, and it came about after being given the DML C47 doorway by Sean (Into the Blue) many thanks. I was surprised to say the least when it arrived in the post, and I thought that I would never be able to use it. But then I found this picture and a kitbash idea formed in my mind about how I would. And it was not until I mentioned it to Terry (The Bhoy), did he come up with the idea for the doorway being mounted in a frame and then onto the wall.

The headsculpt for this figure is the DML Bobby Dalton one, which I repainted including the eyes which took about 5 attempts to get right. The uniform is from Corbin Black along with the parachutes and gasmask bag, the rifle bag is from the DML Frank Laird figure, the and bazooka shells bag is from DML, the gloved hands are from a bbi figure I think.

The helmet is from DML, with a bbi inner helmet fitted inside with the elastic straps cut off and replaced with webbing straps. I also fitted a helmet net and a first aid pouch plus some jute strips which I repainted to camouflage it.

The pictures above show four views of the figure, which is a real hotch potch of various parts to get the figure I wanted. The uniform was assembled the same way that I have done with my Corbin Black figure. The worst part of it all, was working out what went where. The order for it all was belt and webbing straps with the attached equipment, the gas mask bag held by the belt and tied around the leg, the bazooka shell bag went over the head, the Mae West vest and finally the parachute.

Again as with the Corbin figure, I had to move around some of the belt kit and the bazooka bag to get the straps on the parachute done up. It was at this point I wanted to see what the figure looked like in the doorway, this is when I realised I had a problem... The figure won't fit....

After I had said words like.. gosh, flip and oh dear... (but a bit stronger). I realised that now I had no alternative, but to try and pose the figure as if he has just left the aircraft. As I still have to fit the British drop bag and the bazooka to the figure. So an idea I have come up with is using fishing line around the waist, to hold the figure in place in the doorway, which will be mounted onto the frame. I got hold of the British leg bag that I was after for this kitbash, which then allowed me to place the bazooka inside it. This now made me realise just what I put myself in for, as I really have to plan just how I am going to pose this figure.

One of the things that are missing from this figure that I wanted to add is a gas brassard armband. I made this from brown paper cut to size, with double sided tape holding the joints together under the arm, with a thin strip of the tape under the part that goes towards the epaulette. The purpose of this is to keep the brassard in place, with the figure's arm bent. The other missing thing I have added is a Hawkins mine, which I have got hold of and tied onto the figure's leg.

Bazooka Cover

This is one item that I have kept putting of until now, as in the picture above of the soldier he has a cloth cover over the top of the bazooka. In the pictures below you can see the stages of how I made the cloth cover. The picture below left, shows a square of tissue paper folded down around the bazooka end. Which I then painted with a PVA & water mix and then tied a piece of thin string around it. The purpose of this is, that as the PVA dries the string will pull in the tissue making realistic folds.

The second and third pictures show the tissue after is has been painted, with a strip of tape applied around it to look like it is holding it in place. Because I used enamel paint to cover the tissue, I have had to give it a coat of Dullcote to dull down the shine.

Update

I have just had two excellent pieces of kit sent to me today by Ray Cranmer (raycxr2), and the parts have just amazed me. One of them is a US cloth brassard, this is something that I never thought I would ever see again, as this to me is like the equivalent of the Holy Grail. Because I have never seen it for sale or trade anywhere since the Soldat 2 figure came out. 

The other part is the Hawkins mine, this I have attached to the figure's leg and now I am classing the para figure as fully loaded now.

Many thanks Ray you are a true gentleman and fellow modeller.

I have been trying recently to get a picture frame for the doorway. But the problem that has arisen as a result of measuring the outer edges of the doorway frame. Is that it is about 16 inches long by 13 inches high, which is not a standard frame size. So the only alternative I have now, is to have a frame made up so that the fuselage body sits inside the frame. Which of course now is a matter of cost, as I have to take the fuselage body to the shop and then choose which type of frame I want.

Update

I have finally been able to track down a frame that is near to the size I wanted, without having to pay out a fortune for a specially made one. The picture above left is as it when I got it, and it is slightly over sized on the length, but on the other picture on the right. I have cut it down so the length of the doorway fits in snugly. But for me to do this and then put the frame back together again, I have had to use superglue and model filler for the corners. I am not worried about this problem, as the frame is made out of resin, so once the filler has been sanded smooth and the frame repainted, I should not really notice any differences.

The other thing I have to do is cut the back board down to size, and then fix some black card inside the shape of the doorway on the back. Then fix the doorway to the whole frame. I also have to make a card insert for the floor of the doorway, as there is a slight gap between it and the back. Regarding the figure, I have been using grout and pastels to age the uniform, this is explained in my Dusty Uniforms page.

This to me has added an extra effect to the figure, as it was really bugging me that the he looked so clean. But, one thing to remember about this figure is, that he is fresh from the airfield in England. So I have only lightly dusted up the uniform and equipment. Compared to how he might look after a couple of days in the field, where he might have a torn, dirty and dishevelled uniform.

These are pictures of the doorway and the frame together, the above left picture shows the doorway placed into the frame. The other pictures show the left side (middle picture) and the right side of the doorway against the frame sides.

All I have to do now is put some kind of wire across the door, to hook up the static line to. Then paint the frame some kind of colour, not sure what yet to cover up the filler and sanded areas. And fix the doorway to the backing, and then paint the gap inside black.

Update

I have just had an idea about how I am going to fill the space, between the doorway and the frame back. The only problem is I have to find the item... What I want to do is use a colour photograph of a WW2 US paratrooper or two, that are standing in the doorway, without touching the doorframe. Ready to step forward to take the place of my figure that is in the process of parachuting out. So as a result of this little gem of an idea, I have now had to e-mail just about everyone I can find, hoping to find a suitable photograph. (I am pinning my hopes on some of the US airborne re-enactors, as they are exactly what I am after).

Latest Update - Amended

I have sent numerous e-mail's, posted on forums and filled in a couple of online forms, but unfortunately I think my quest for the background picture for this diorama may be to avail. As I have some feedback, but nothing has come back so far of a colour picture that I could use. I must say though, that I have had some offers of help regarding the errors that I have built into the figure. And as I post this update I am awaiting a reply to one of them, and I would like to say that I am very grateful to the people who take the time to contact me regarding my figures.

Update

I have had some help back with my request for paratrooper figures, but unfortunately I could not use any of them, as they were just not the right one's for what I want. So, I have had to go with a plain black card inside the doorway. I just cut out the marked shape from the sheet, and stuck it down with double sided sticky tape.

The floor of the doorway was made from the card that came with it as a stand, I just cut it down to size so that it fits between the doorframe. I removed some of the thickness of it at the front, so that it looked in scale on the bottom of the doorway. I also made some marks and cut the card down, so it butts up against the frame backing. This I stuck down in place and fitted the whole plastic part back into the frame to check it had all lined up.

All that needs to be done now, is to make some holes in the frame backing, thread the fishing line through them and around the figure to hold it in place. Once I have that set with the pose, I will fix the plastic doorway onto the frame backing permanently and tie the figure in position.

Update

I made the holes in the back of the frame that I wanted, then cut some thin fishing line. Tied that onto some thin string behind the frame to stop the line pulling through the frame, threaded the fishing line through the hole and around the figure. The holes and the fishing line can be seen in the picture on the right. It is just beside the sergeant stripe on the figure's arm.

This is where I suddenly realised that although I can feel the thread, at times I can't see it! I tied it around the figure to see if it would support it and I found out that I would have to double up on it to get the strength I wanted. As when I bought the fishing line I went for the thinnest I could get, which was a 10oz line. And thinking about it now, I wish I went for a thicker one, as it is almost impossible to tie a knot in it...

I have also fixed the doorway to the frame itself, and I am just waiting for the glue to set so I can finally finish off this diorama.

Finished at last

I have finally finished the figure and the doorway, and to be honest it has not been a labour of love. If fact doing the last bits to get it finished, nearly made me throw the whole lot out. As I had to get some more fishing line, as the one I was using was not strong enough, so I had to get myself some 4lb line. Then thread it through the backing around the figure, around his legs and then through the backing again, this had to be done twice. Then before tying off the ends, I had to get the pose right and then secure the line ends. The drop bag is not tied to the leg, and is held in place by the fishing line. In the bottom picture above left, you can just see the line that goes around the leg. And in the picture above right, is how it looks on my wall above my desk.

Many thanks to Sean for the doorway, Terry for the  frame idea and Ray for the brassard and Hawkins mine.

Many thanks to the All American Pathfinders for all their help.