Flags of Our Fathers: Heroes of Iwo Jima (1 Viewer)

[Alexdakar]

Do you think the K&C Iwo Jima line will become popular and old sets become scare with Spielberg and Eastwood's new movie?

 

[gk5717]

I don,t think the movie will make any difference, but I wouldn,t wait to long if you were thinking about completing this set as it is one of the nicer sets, especially the Japanese.
Did you know some of the Marines & Japs were done in plastic.
They were included in an IwoJima playset done by another company, BMC. Also in that set were plastic versions of K&C,s landing craft & tractor.
Gary

 

[CannonFodder1971]

I'd have no problem with Andy licensing a plastic version: what better way to get kids to play with them? I'm sure they'd then graduate to collectors' pieces. It'd also allow the more able collector to customise a plastic version of a figure with unique paint job rather than taking risks with high quality limited edition sets as is the case at present.

"Downfall" has probably worked well for the Berlin series thus far so I'm sure that Spielberg or Eastwood will do wonders for Pacific Theatre sets.

 

[Alexdakar]

The BMC LVT is almost identical to K&C's LVT. I wondered which came first when I custom painted the LVT for ebay.

 

[binder001]

I agree that the movie may spark interest, but I think the "high end" figures like K&C will benefit much. I wish I had the extra bucks to get these, I tend to focus on the ETO American sets. These are the best Marines that I can remember seeing in painted toy soldiers. The poses and attention to detail are remarkable.

As far as the BMC Marines, I had a strange idea one time about painting these to closely match the K&C figures and using them as "background fillers" for an Iwo Jima scene. I never got very far with the project though. I ended up selling the metal figures and the plastic ones are waiting in their box for a suitable project.

 

[Louis Badolato]

Andy often seems to have an insider's view into what's happening with Hollywood. For example, the D-Day series came out right about the time that "Saving Private Ryan" premiered. He is also often influenced by movies. For example the personality set in the second Arnhem release has figures which look suspiciously like Sr. Anthony Hopkins, Edward Fox and Sean Connery (who played these rolls in "A Bridge Too Far"); the Air Cav Colonel from VN02 is a dead ringer for Robert Duval from "Apocolypse Now" and the "Bogart" figure cradling the Tommy Gun with the M3 lee tank is right out of one of the publicity stills from "Sahara". His Alamo series was heavily influenced by the John Wayne movie from the early '60's. I think Andy views Hollywood movies as free publicity for historical figures, and I suspect that the Iwo Movie will raise interest in this area of collecting.

 

[DMNamiot]

I hate to be a nay sayer on this but I have to say the figures in questions may look a lot like the actors but I will tell you that if you look at the pictures in Cornellius Ryan's book A Bridge too Far you maybe surprised to see that the actors did look quite a bit like the actual soldiers they depicted. Now I will say I have only looked at these figures and have no opinion on the other sets. So I will go out on a limb here and say maybe hollywood did a good job on the casting and make up of these characters mainly due to the massive amount of actual photos of the senior leaders involved in this mission.

 

[Louis Badolato]

I was not aware of that fact. I love that movie, and have it on both videotape and DVD, but I have never bothered to read the book. I am going to try to grab a copy off Amazon.com, read it and have a look at the photos. Thank you for pointing that out, it had never even occurred to me to try to get a copy of the book. What did you think of the casting of Ryan O'neal in the role of Jim Gavin? I thought the entire cast did a fantastic job, and never understood why the critics here in the United States panned the movie.

 

[DMNamiot]

You know its hard to say why the critics here panned the movie other then it was a long movie. Of course I usually dont listen to the critics toomuch and like to go and see for my self. I liked Ryan O'neal as Gen Gavin. He did a good job with the character. I also enjoyed the detailed uniforms and equipment employed during the filming. Did you know they had to scratch build the gliders from pictures since there are no surviving examples. I guess the prefered method to recover them during the war was to burn them where they landed(crashed) since recovery was too difficult and it was cheaper to build new ones. You also may want to read Gavins book, On To Berlin, Battles af an Airborne Commander 1943-1946, I doubt it is still in print, came out in 78, but a good library may have it. He devotes about 60 pages to Market Garden. It also has some really good photos of him preparing for the drop putting on all of his equipment and some of him with various leaders including LTG Browning and General Horrocks. Hope you can find it.

 

[jazzeum]

Here's a link to Abe Books (which is a great source of out of print books, btw):

http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?bx=off&sts=t&ds=30&bi=0&an=james+m.+gavin&sortby=2

 

[DMNamiot]

Hey Brad, Thanks for the link its a good one. I will see if a few of the books I am looking for are on it. Great chatting with you.

Dave

 

[jazzeum]

Dave,

That is a great site. Found Max Hastings' Das Reich through that site.

 

[DMNamiot]

Hi Brad,
I just spent a few minutes on it and already located a book I have been looking for that has been out of print since 1935. Martels book on WWI Tank warfare and development In the Wake of the Tank So I am going to be on there a lot! Thanks again!

Dave

 

[jazzeum]

Dave,

I'm really delighted to have been of help. That's what this site is all about: to help us all out.

 

[Louis Badolato]

Brad,

Thanks a million for the website, I bought the Gavin Book, "On to Berlin" immediately using the hyperlink. And thanks as well to the gentleman who suggested that I read the book. I have been trying to get a copy for some time, and read Gavin's other book on the tactics of airborne command some time ago.

Regards,

Louis

 

[Peter Reuss]

From Andy Neilson - Movie Lover!

Andy just e-mailed us this to put on the forum:

"A Bridge Too Far" --- also one of my favourite war movies --- pretty accurate attention to detail. They "mocked-up" Panther tanks by using modern German Leopard I tanks of the Dutch Army. They put on side skirts and at least put "slab-sided" units on the turrets to make them vaguely resemble wartime Panthers.

On the Allied side they actually had about 6 "real" Shermans of various marks. To make up the numbers they made fibreglass molds of Sherman hulls and turrets and mounted them on top of Land Rovers. They got an extra 12 that way which look fine when static and even moving --- as long as you cannot see the tracks which, of course, cannot operate.

I believe they also used 8-12 actual Dakotas (C47's) for the aerial 'drops'. The British Paras used for these scenes were regulars of either the 1st or 2nd Bns. of The Parachute Regiment. They were "loaned" (for a fee) to the movie company for 10 days.

Re John Frost...Roy Urquhart..."Boy" Browning --- personally I think Anthony Hopkins...Sean Connerry and Dirk Bogarde were pretty accurate impersonations.

From articles I've read there was heaps of great scenes left on the cutting room floor. Originally the movie ran to almost 4 hours before final editing.

What price a 'real' Director's cut version?"

Also:
"Flags of Our Fathers" --- great book I only hope it will make an even greater movie. We desperately need a good US Marine WWII movie after the pathetic and diabolical "WINDTALKERS" --- What a pile of crap!"

 

[DMNamiot]

Re: From Andy Neilson - Movie Lover!

Peter,
I would have to agree with you that the equipment mock up of the tanks were without a doubt the best I've seen! I am an Armor nut and it makes me crazy when the movies dont even try and get it close like the old Henry Fonda movie Battle of the Bulge. At least in Kelley's Heros they used a real set of Shermans and a couple of nicely mocked up Tigers built on Russian T34's. Thankfully Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers came along. I really liked the realism of those flicks especially details like the soldiers being filthy having been a soldier I always had a ton of dirt on me and under my nails so the added realism of those flicks was great! As for a real directors cut of A Bridge Too Far. Who do we need to email! It would be awesome!

Dave

 

[Louis Badolato]

I would also kill for a directors cut of "A Bridge too Far". By the way, as far as actors in that film, I loved Gene Hackman as the Polish Airborne General.