WW2 costumes to be done FRIDAY. I'll be suiting up about noonish and be in uniform most of the day. But I'll probably change out when I go back to my room (about 7pm) to prepare for the Zombie Prom.

(not Sat, we'll be in USCM gear / uniforms most of that day after the parade and then to the AL dinner).

Then back in WW2 stuff again on SUNDAY, but changing out in the evening. I hate going to after-parties in costume.

Hey guys, I have an idea for a group costume. Keeping with the military tradition. I'm putting together a WW2 impression. Kinda like in 'Saving Private Ryan'. But it would be cool to have Brit and Canadian impressions too. Here are some websites you can find some uniforms. Ebay is good to find used stuff. I'm sure Google will reveal more. I have 2 others that will prolly do this costume. I hope I can get more onboard with this.
However, weapons are a challenge.
Replica WW2 guns are hard to come by, some are available in airsoft but expensive. Brits and Canadians can prolly make up resin sterlings or have some of our fellow marines have something here in the US.

http://www.atthefront.com/

http://www.whatpriceglory.com/

http://www.imperial-fleet.com/BBC/commu ... hp?f=4&t=2
(how to make sterling blaster from PVC)

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"Even a man that has nothing, can still give his life."

DHS
NYANG, MAJ Ret.

Atlanta Cutlery has some pretty decent dummy guns:
http://www.atlantacutlery.com/s-79-dumm ... ?pagenum=1
They used to have Lee Enfields too, but I guess that they sold out.

Also this remains the definitive Resource List for Airsoft and Reenacting WWII to Modern:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=10893

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BANNED USER

Bravo, Aaron! Outstanding find.

I really hope some more guys jump onboard for this.

Any ladies up for doing pin-ups??? (not USCM, but actually WW2 era types)
*** I'm talking to you, GirlSpectre!***

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"Even a man that has nothing, can still give his life."

DHS
NYANG, MAJ Ret.

I've got too much WWII gear over here... Not that I'll sell any... But I can help you guys find anything you need.

I don't mean to hi-jack... If you're into the WWII thing, you might want to see this movie that I'm in. I get killed as an extra!
I think it's coming out this year...

One Way Home - Movie Shoot (First time I'm on set)
https://picasaweb.google.com/1069964560 ... MovieShoot

One Way Home - Battle of Bulge
https://picasaweb.google.com/1069964560 ... tleOfBulge

One Way Home - Homefront
https://picasaweb.google.com/1069964560 ... eHomefront

One Way Home - B Roll
https://picasaweb.google.com/1069964560 ... yHomeBRoll


And then just last month, the cast went out to support a WWII Bomber "Fly-In"
https://picasaweb.google.com/1069964560 ... domMay2012

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BANNED USER

There's usually a fair number of reenactors at D*Con. I'd be interested in putting together a kit one day, but I have nowhere near the funds to start a new costume right now.

I'll run this by my sister, but I think she's already bogged down with trying to reduce the 15 or so costumes she wants to do down to a reasonable number.

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"Screen what? I wouldn't know screen accurate if it were driving a bus and ran me over during the parade."

LCpl. Av "Spectre" Taylor
Long Range Infantry Support

i wish i could bring all my kit over! just not going to have enough weight allowance though

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M/SGT Rich Hyatt-Dowling (Retd)

UKCM Black ops

Triumph;

I portray WW1 -HM's County of London Yeomanry-Palestine
&
WW2 - 13th Battalion Australian Infantry (Tobruk Defenders) - North Africa 1941-1942

I could bring the Aussie uniform to DC ; let me know............

Bull Shark

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LCPL Rick Reichard (Bull Shark) Pilot -Drop Ship Bug Stomper 03
CPL "Red" Ferro's wingman ....... " Red, I've got your 6"

If I were there I could be just about anything from varying types of G.I's to Grossdeutschland and FJ's to Glorious Nippon.

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"The worth and value of a man is in his heart and his will; there lies his real honor. Valor is the strength, not of legs and arms, but of heart and soul..." -Michel de Montaigne

+ one for atthefront.com. got my airborne uniform from them a long time ago.

anyone got a m1911 pistol holster or to ebay i go?

im in and ill bring my airsoft 1919 as well.

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the kilted smartgunner

Give me absenth I turn British.

At The Front has good stuff... If it's ever in stock!

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BANNED USER

Same here. I'd actually prefer to represent the Axis forces to add some variety. I've got USMC gear my dad brought back from the war in the Pacific along with other pieces I've collected over the years, plus some replica uniform items that were used in "The Pacific" mini-series. Also have a nearly complete LW Fallschirmjäger uniform & kit (only lacking a non-lethal primary weapon), as well as a rare unissued Japanese winter tank crewman's uniform I picked up in Japan a couple of decades ago, but putting it all together for a con appearance would probably take more time and effort than I could manage on short notice. Sounds like a great idea and I'd be totally into doing it if I had some more time to prepare everything, especially tracking down non-lethal versions of my primary weapons. Definitely open to future possibilities though!

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GySgt Gustafson, Dru R.
Callsign: Mud Shark
A06/TQ0.0.32122E1

Yeah, I was looking for a replica FG 42 a few years ago. Had little luck finding anything not horrifyingly expensive.

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"Screen what? I wouldn't know screen accurate if it were driving a bus and ran me over during the parade."

LCpl. Av "Spectre" Taylor
Long Range Infantry Support

Nakata-Shoten. Main source for any period of Imperial Japanese Military.

Had a friend take me to his stores while I was in Tokyo. Then later without me he saw his originals collection...

AMAZING!

I've got more impressions than I should.

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"The worth and value of a man is in his heart and his will; there lies his real honor. Valor is the strength, not of legs and arms, but of heart and soul..." -Michel de Montaigne

I've refrained from replying to this thread, until I could find a way to phrase this hopefully without causing (too much) offense:


If you're gonna do this, just remember to do it right.
There's been a lot of people around who like to play 'dress up as Airbornez', having seen Band Of Brothers and go out looking like absolute dicks...

Dressing up like the USCM or some other fictional character is fine and dandy, no quarrel there - But wearing a real historical uniform like this, you are essentially portraying a REAL person. Many of the people who wore these uniforms are still alive and kicking today.

Now, while *I* may choose to be 100% all-out accuracy with my Living History, some of my good friends here do just do the dress-up thing and we happily mock each other's choices - But they wear it with the same respect and regard. I'm not suggesting you go the same '100% accurate' way, from your haircut to your underwear... but *do* give it some of the same attention to detail as you would, say, the number of vent holes on your Pulse Rifle and don't just wear what you see in the sales catalogue.

I meet quite a few veterans at events and their opinion of the aforementioned Bandwaggon-Of-Brothers 'dick' re-enactors (a US Army guy toting a Thompson on one hip, sunglasses on, smoking a cigar and acting like he's in Vietnam while attending a Remembrance Day being the ultimate example) ranges from quietly shaking their head, to physically making it clear what utter disrespect they're showing!

Also be aware that in certain countries, wearing particular military insignias and decorations are actually illegal unless you've actually earned them for real. This is still an actual uniform, so wear it with the respect due.

as a vet, id like to comment on that comment. and you said everything right, just wanted to clarify a few things.

as long as your not acting like a dick and dont have deployment patches on your right shoulder you should be ok. if you have a patch on your right shoulder, you had better have served in that unit or you can expect someone to call you out.

also, unless its part of a impression you are doing, dont have ranger or mountain tabs.

it wont be physical but it would be ear-drum shattering loud chewing out.

ive done it a few times with airsofters, including busting people claiming they were SEALS when they haven't finished high school.

oh and dont ever wear medals unless you have earned em. THAT is very much illegal here in the states and you WILL go to federal prison.

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the kilted smartgunner

Give me absenth I turn British.

Great points to bring up and as a long-time reenactor and current serving Devilyut, I can echo them.

But there is a caveat to the laws as reenacting falls under "theatrical production" in terms of wear of the uniforms.

If you are wearing WWII uniforms and "doing it right" even mostly right you'll actually be surprised at the nods you'll get from veterans you encounter.

Something about the feel/smell/look of the gear will bring most of them back and don't be surprised if you get sat down and hear some war stories. Thats one of my favorite things about the hobby, to hear things you'll never read in a book from someone that was there, and you can reshare their experiences to others as part of their own learning experience.

Other vets just want to leave the war back in the 40's and are well within their rights to. Some don't quite get the hobby, why we do it, etc.

I wear my 442nd RCT and 34th ID patches with pride because 442nd vets go nuts when they see their patches. Someone remembers what the Nisei did and through my unit leader I've met and stay in contact with the veteran's association for the 442 in California.

Believe me, a correctly worn "impression" (as we call them) goes a long way. If you're a 10th Mountain or a Ranger, or Marine, or Airborne, or plain ol' G.I. or their foreign counterparts you'll usually get a lot of praise. But the most important thing is to look the part. Serious reenactors pay the same amount of attention to detail that hobbyist costumers do. My 442nd impression can cover every minor uniform detail from the 100th Battalion's first deployment to Italy to the later stages of the war including when the regiment went to the Vosges Mountains in France to the end of the war.

If anyone is doing this and wants assistance there are plenty of reenactors around the forums as I've noticed and we can help you at least look the part without going too overboard moneywise. A basic impression is good enough. And heck you can always get into that hobby as well, and if not, you are usually guaranteed the ease of selling your stuff, repro items are always in high demand.

Claim that you are portraying ______ not that you are _____.

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"The worth and value of a man is in his heart and his will; there lies his real honor. Valor is the strength, not of legs and arms, but of heart and soul..." -Michel de Montaigne

I've bought stuff from Nakata-san for many years, but only by mail order. Never been to his stores, but hope to one day. That must've been a real treat. Do you happen to have his book of WW2 Japanese Imperial military uniforms based on his awesome collection? There have been a few good books published since, but that is still one of the best references I've ever seen. I got a copy of it years ago but I think it's been reprinted a few times. Definitely worth tracking down if you don't already have it.

Btw, I met a guy in Nara about 25 years ago who had a virtual gold mine of original Japanese uniforms & gear that he'd collected and was selling out of his home. He had some incredible stuff that he'd start pulling out and showing me every time I visited him. Totally blew me away. He was the guy who first showed me the book of Nakata-san's collection. He also had a book of outstanding B&W illustrations by Nakanishi Ritta which he kindly photocopied for me.

He's the one who sold me the unissued winter tank crewman's coverall, jacket, and gloves, and a summer version tanker's helmet. This stuff probably should be in a museum, so wearing it to a con or reenacting event is not really something I'd be anxious to do. Anyway, I'm not Japanese or even remotely Asian looking, so I'd feel weird wearing a WW2 Japanese military uniform. I'd prefer wearing my FJ uniform if I were to do anything like this, but like Spectre said, trying to find a FG42 replica runs into some serious cash. Probably have to go with a MP40 instead. I don't think there are many ex-WW2 Fallschirmjägers in the states I might offend by doing that impression, but I'd definitely want to remove or cover any Nazi-related symbols that may be offensive to someone. That would suck!

Edit: In '91 Nakanishi published a book of color illustrations - "Japanese Military Uniforms: 1930-1945" which is also a must have reference for all types of Army, Navy & Imperial Naval Landing Forces uniforms, insignia, & combat gear. I highly recommend this book too if you don't already have a copy.

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GySgt Gustafson, Dru R.
Callsign: Mud Shark
A06/TQ0.0.32122E1

I'm always surprised at how many German POWs ended up staying in the UK and US. Three of our guys just in our one little unit have fathers as a result of this.

I'm also surprised at how many people want to do Airborne or something else 'special', when standard Infantry were far more common and only an approximate 20% of any Allied military unit was a combat one. I've seen a Catering Corps portrayal and a couple of Quartermasters ones, the occasional engineer, but they're as rare in portrayals and they were common back then.

Mudshark. Actually I own his Volume Two. Said friend has some weird Japanese family tie-in to him and he treats him very well. Gave him a bunch of copies of his book to "get the word out" I guess. I ended up with one.

The Volume Two (which is apparently very recent) apparently is just an overhaul of his original volume, but the completionist in me wants the first one too. I'm sure some things were dropped/replaced, etc.

I also own two of the Nakanishi books, the uniforms one and his weapons & gear one. I really would like to get his volumes on Samurai as well. Shame he's passed on, I really like the way he draws and presents the information. I think I spent $20 on each of the books I have at the Yasakuni Shrine museum and thats a steal compared to what they go for in Western Markets.

EDIT: Actually just saw going prices on ebay when I was looking for pictures... Wow I saved like $60-70... EACH.




Ttaskmaster: Amen to that. My 442nd impression will always be my pride and joy. Thanks to the old movie "Go for Broke" I've sorta known about them, but never *learned* their history until I reenacted the unit and became familiar, and met the veterans too. Amazing men that I don't think are as well known as they should be compared to say E/506 101st AB. But I think all of them are men that have quite earned their time a few times over.

I've known a few people who get well into some of the more historically common impressions. One guy became a paperwork fiend, another has an extensive engineer collection, and yet another loves doing correspondents and is a bit of an expert when it comes to Bill Mauldin in particular. Then again why is one of our SS units out in SoCal "Xbox Huge" compared to even the US Airborne units (*cough*101st*cough*)? Might be the fact they can wear a hodge podge of camo which appeals to guys who want to look different. Could equally be that their unit has a smattering of halftracks and a Hetzer to play with. They certainly have a clean bill at keeping the riff-raff out (if you know what I mean) but for units portraying regular ol' GI's, Heer, or Tommies, its a hard bit to bring guys in, they want to be Paras, Airborne, Rangers, Waffen SS, etc. I personally think because the latter groups "get the cool stuff." Which what it really shouldn't be about, but different strokes...

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"The worth and value of a man is in his heart and his will; there lies his real honor. Valor is the strength, not of legs and arms, but of heart and soul..." -Michel de Montaigne

See that's why I do 1st Inf Div - They fought in most of the major campaigns, have an astounding history and are still regular frontline GIs.
I loved 'Go For Broke' and actually enjoyed the modern take - 'Only The Brave' with Mark Dacascos. Same concept, but more character-based.

The bit that gets me are the Railway Shows and '40s-themed' dances where all the women dress up in the finest furs and fancy hats, while the men are almost always 101st Airborne officers in full Class A, aviator sunglasses and all the medals... Almost nothing like what you'd have really seen at these dances.

Excellent! I figured you probably already had 'em all. Didn't know about the revised edition of Nakata-san's book, but as you say, there's probably nothing remarkably new (I think the first edition has been reprinted several times already too), but now I'm curious... I'll try to locate a copy somewhere and see for myself! Meanwhile, I'll check some of my usual sources for any copies of the earlier edition and let you know if I come up with anything.

You definitely did well to buy those Nakanishi books here! I had no idea they cost so much outside Japan. I'm not sure what book my photocopied line drawings originally came from, but it must've been a much older publication. I'd really like to have a copy of that book if I can find it... the illustrations are much larger than in the later books and there are lots of notes and some material that wasn't included in the later volumes. If I manage to dig up any information on it I'll be sure to pass it on. Sounds like something you'd like to have as well.

I'm pretty sure I have his samurai book here somewhere too... a large portion of my Japanese books are historical & martial arts related. I had to send some back to the states 'cause I was running out of space! I'll keep an eye out for another copy of the samurai book if you want, sometimes books like that turn up in used book stores for very reasonable prices.

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GySgt Gustafson, Dru R.
Callsign: Mud Shark
A06/TQ0.0.32122E1

Thanks but said friend zips to Tokyo often. His grandmother lives in Okachimachi (forgive the spelling). Of course we walked down the Meji-dora to Akihabara and checked out some of the places. And my hotel was in Shibuya. I got to experience Tokyo quite well inbetween climbing Mt. Fuji. But he goes there often enough that he'd probably be back at Yasakuni or some other place he can pick up those books.

But I'm totally interested in Nakata's earlier book! Actually Taisho's family lives a short walk away from his main store.

Apologies in advance for thread derailment. Can we call this the reenacting/historical thread or start a new one?

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"The worth and value of a man is in his heart and his will; there lies his real honor. Valor is the strength, not of legs and arms, but of heart and soul..." -Michel de Montaigne

Awesome to hear the interest here! I reenact Rev War and don't really do WW2, but I like the idea of putting together this kit. But only for the con. I'm trying to do a D-Day/Saving Private Ryan uniform. Just think Capt. Miller (Tom Hanks). As a veteran myself, I'm always proud to pay homage to my fellow vets. I don't intend to be a 'dick-head' in costume. I recognize that this costume also represents heroes of our nation. Anyone who wants to suit up with me as group is welcome to it. I know there are other groups at the con that do WW2, but they are not us, and I don't see too many of them. It would be awesome to see other ally nations in the group. Lets do it guys!

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"Even a man that has nothing, can still give his life."

DHS
NYANG, MAJ Ret.

Any particular infantry unit you are looking at? 2nd Rangers? I'm sure there's plenty of experience here to help you get something together effectively and cheaply.

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"The worth and value of a man is in his heart and his will; there lies his real honor. Valor is the strength, not of legs and arms, but of heart and soul..." -Michel de Montaigne

2nd Rangers. Like I said, 'Saving Private Ryan' impression, give or take. Won't be 100% screen accurate of course.

_________________
Cowards hide behind keyboards



"Even a man that has nothing, can still give his life."

DHS
NYANG, MAJ Ret.