Soldier Story USMC 1st Battalion 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade PREVIEW

The title is a mouthful - Soldier Story USMC in Afghanistan: 1st Battalion 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade - but the figure is going to be FANTASTIC. Soldier Story has done it again and hit another one out of the ballpark. This one's a winner for sure and there will be many happy campers out there when they see this :) Finally a CONVENTIONAL grunt, a good ole fashion modern interpretation of the Marine Grunt.

In related news, the US-led coalition have as of yesterday matched the Soviet Union's time spent fighting in Afghanistan: nine years, 50 days.


The Soviet War in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan at their own request against the Mujahideen Resistance when on December 27, 1979, 700 Soviet troops dressed in Afghan uniforms, including KGB and GRU special force officers from the Alpha Group and Zenith Group, occupied major governmental, military and media buildings in Kabul, including their primary target—the Tajbeg Presidential Palace. The mujahideen found other support from a variety of sources including the United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt and other Muslim nations through the context of the Cold War. [source: wiki]

The initial Soviet deployment of the 40th Army in Afghanistan began on December 24, 1979 under Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. The final troop withdrawal started on May 15, 1988, and ended on February 15, 1989 under the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Due to the interminable nature of the war and the damage it is perceived to have caused the USSR's international standing and military morale to deteriorate, and thus the conflict in Afghanistan has sometimes been referred to as the Soviet Union's Vietnam War.

What started out on Oct 7, 2001, as a supposedly fast war by the US and its allies to wipe out Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the Taleban has instead turned into a protracted and onerous campaign. Now, about 100,000 troops are fighting a burgeoning insurgency while trying to support and cultivate a nascent demoncracy. [source: The Straits Times]

On the other hand, we shouldn't be discouraged because since the US-led coalition went into Afghanistan, the world has been a better place with less terror attacks on the scale like that of September 11, 2001. So the brave men and women who are putting their lives at risk in Afghanistan are definitely putting up a good fight to end terrorism and they should continue to have our support and we wish them well and safe return to their loved ones back home!

Back to the Soldier Story USMC 2nd MEB figure: The 1/6 headsculpt of this Soldier Story USMC in Afghanistan: 1st Battalion 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade grunt looks a lot like Bradley Cooper, most recently seen as Templeton "Faceman" Peck in the 2010 movie "The A-Team" - now out on DVD.

The details and load-out is insane :) he's packed but not overloaded. A more sensible and realistic approach than Crazy Dummy's offering and I LIKE IT!

Check out this link for a GREAT looking Marine - lots of reference pictures and very detailed assembly instructions :)