Lead Legionaries: Vietnam 'Personalities' Pack from the 28mm Back Sun Line

Friday, May 30, 2025

Vietnam 'Personalities' Pack from the 28mm Back Sun Line

The 'Personalities' pack of U.S. troops in Vietnam from Crucible Crush's Black Sun range

Hollywood movies about Vietnam seem to have larger than life personalities in them. From Col. Kurtz in Apocalypse Now to Sgt. Elias in Platoon (the nice sergeant), memorable characters are the "go to" for movies about this conflict. Even bit characters seem to have an outsized presence on the screen, such as R. Lee Ermey's drill sergeant in Full Metal Jacket. So, it is no surprise that Crucible Crush's 28mm Vietnam line has U.S. Army's Personalities #1. That said, I'd be happy if they added more characters and released a pack #2!

One of my favorites from the pack, a bald, cigar-chomping soldier inspired by Col. Kurtz possibly?

I had to double-check with my friends on the Lead Adventure Forum to clarify exactly who these personalities were, though. I had some guesses, but wasn't 100% sure. I didn't want to mislead people and claim one figure represented someone when it was actually another character! Either way, this pack was a blast to paint. Each figure wears its own unique uniform (or lack of), and all five have their own look. I bought only one of these packs in my initial order because the figures are so unique. A duplicate on the tabletop would stick out like a sore thumb.

I love this M-60 gunner pose - it has so much character with the sunglasses and shirtless uniform

I used essentially the same methods to paint these that I used for the other batches of U.S. infantry. If you haven't read the previous posts, check out this one for a detailed description of the process. That "process" is buzzing along, too. I have only three unopened packs of figures sitting on my desk now from the ones I bought from Crucible Crush. As usual, I have two other batches in progress right now, both Viet Cong. It looks like I will definitely make my goal of having all the Black Sun figures done by Historicon in July. With that in mind, I have also begun to mix in more other stuff besides Vietnam figures. Once I get those other three packs of miniatures going, I will probably begin working on the Vietnam buildings that I bought from Miniature Building Authority at Buckeye Game Fest last month.

It's been awhile since I watched 'Platoon,' but I think this figure is inspired by one of the sergeants

Right now, I'm reading a novel set in the Vietnam war called Matterhorn. It is by Karl Marlantes and is really well done. It was written by a Bronze Star decorated marine who served in Vietnam, so I am trusting it is a fairly accurate portrayal of the experience of U.S. soldiers serving there. I know true historians would not necessarily use novels as a source, but I think wargamers can be a little more lenient on what they use as research for their scenarios or rules. First-person experiences of someone who witnessed the event are always a valuable source of information. It is only the second novel of the more than half dozen books I've been reading to prep for my games. Since I am writing my own rules (or at least attempting to), I want it to recreate the squad level experience of soldiers in Vietnam.

I think this figure was meant to represent Charlie Sheen's character in the Vietnam movie 'Platoon'

I'm really happy with how this project is coming along, so far. That includes this batch of miniatures, which is definitely one of my favorites. It is hard to pick out a favorite from this batch as they all look so cool to me! The black M-60 machine gunner is definitely one of the ones I like the most, as is the bald headed one holding his helmet in his hand and chomping a cigar. I haven't started naming the individual poses, yet, but I will be tempted to name him "Jim" after one of my gaming friends, who is also a fellow Army veteran and cigar smoker. Or -- since I will probably go by nicknames or last names -- perhaps his last name will be "James"?

I like how this pose looks completely different than the others, in t-shirt and floppy bush hat

So, who is who, of these personalities? There are only two that I felt I was pretty sure about, assuming they DO represent characters from Hollywood movies. The bald guy with the cigar is (my guess) Col. Kurtz from Apocalypse Now. The headband and towel wearing soldier that I painted with the blond hair is Charlie Sheen's character in Platoon. I am thinking that maybe the character with what appears to be an AK-47 and pointing is Staff Sgt. Barnes from Platoon, as well. Equally, it could be his rival, Willem Dafoe's character, Sgt. Elias. Otherwise, I would love to hear from my blog readers on who you think each personality was sculpted to resemble (without infringing on copyright, of course!).

A look from above at the five figures from Black Sun's 'U.S. Army Personalities #1'

What else is on my desk at the moment? A lot! It is getting pretty cramped! The next batch of Vietnam figures in the pipeline is nearing completion. It is a batch of Viet Cong, as is the next batch in line, which has only just received a base coat. Coming along very nicely, though, is a group of a dozen 3-D printed miniatures from JS Wargamer Printing. They are Alien Grays, which I bought at some point last year when I was putting in an order with him. They were definitely an impulse purchase, as they are completely different in feel from the Sci-Fi miniatures I have been painting up. I am thinking I will sell them once they're done. Origins Game Fair is running a consignment store this year, and they charge only $1 per entry and the consignment fee itself is only 10%. I can easily build that into my asking price. If they don't sell there, I will take them to the Historicon flea market.

The overgrown temples in the background are more of my scratch-built ones from my Pulp games

I have also assembled two 4 Ground Stalingrad ruined buildings. They can be used for World War II, of course, but also as any generic ruins, for post-apocalyptic or modern. Plus, there is a whole line of various other terrain or buildings ready to be painted up for my flea market booth. The more I have to sell, the more of my expenses (and dealer room purchases) they will cover! So, hopefully, I'll be cranking stuff out at a steady rate for at least the next couple months. We shall see, though...!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025