Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Preview DAM 1/6 Delta Force Support Rifleman, Task Force Ranger, Op Gothic Serpent, Somalia

DAM Toys is on the roll. Right after announcing that they will be releasing their FOURTH Black Hawk Down / Operation Gothic Serpent 12-inch figure (see pictures HERE) which is a Delta Force Sergeant First Class just late last week, they have gone and revealed pictures of their FIFTH Task Force Ranger figure and it's another Delta - this time it's a 1/6 scale DELTA Force Support Rifleman from Task Force Ranger, Op Gothic Serpent, Somalia 1993.

Operation Gothic Serpent was a military operation conducted by special operations forces of the United States with the primary mission of capturing warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. The operation took place in Somalia, Africa from August to October 1993 and was supervised by the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). As part of the operation, the soldiers were deployed in a mission to arrest two of Aidid's lieutenants. The result of that mission – executed under the command of Gothic Serpent – became known as the Battle of Mogadishu, or "The Battle of the Black Sea" to those who fought in it.


On 8 August, Aidid's militia detonated a remote controlled bomb against an American military vehicle, first killed four American soldiers and then, two weeks later, injured seven more. In response, President Bill Clinton approved the proposal to deploy a special task force composed of 400 US Army Rangers and Delta-force Commandos. This unit, named Task Force Ranger, consisted of 160 elite US troops. They flew to Mogadishu and began a manhunt for Aidid.




On 22 August, Task Force Ranger was deployed to Somalia under the command of Major General William F. Garrison, commander of JSOC at the time. The force consisted of: B Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment; C Squadron, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D); A deployment package of 16 helicopters and personnel from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (160th SOAR), which included MH-60 Black Hawks and AH/MH-6 Little Birds; Navy SEALs from the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU); Air Force Pararescuemen and Combat Controllers from the 24th Special Tactics Squadron.


Black Hawk Down was a 2001 American drama war film depicting the Battle of Mogadishu, a raid integral to the United States' effort to capture Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. The film is based on the book of the same name by Mark Bowden, which chronicles the events of the battle. It was co-produced and directed by Ridley Scott, the director of Gladiator (2000). The film features a large ensemble cast, including Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner and Sam Shepard.


Richard Tyson plays SSG Daniel Busch, a sniper flying on Black Hawk Super Six-One and this FIFTH DAM Toys Task Force Ranger figure (and the THIRD Delta Force operator) is supposed to represent Richard Tyson since DAM has been basing the likenesses of all their Operation Gothic Serpent military figures on the actors rather than the actual persons.


DAM 1/6 Delta Force Support Rifleman, Task Force Ranger, Op Gothic Serpent, Somalia 1993 will come with 1/6 scale Real-like Headsculpt and 12-inch figure body, Pro-Tec Helmet, TC-Goggles, OD GI T-Shirt, Desert Battle Dress Uniform 3-color desert, US Flag patch, PT Body Armor, SF Chest Rig, Nomex Flight Gloves, Holster, Knee Pads, GSG9 boots.


He will also have the LC2 S Belt, LC2 Y Harness, LC2 Canteen and canteen cover, LC2 Ammo pouch x 2, ALICE Butt-pack, Compass / First Aid pouch, MX300R radio and radio pouch, Single Side TRAVELER Headset, double pistol magazine pouch.


Delta Force SSG Busch (Richard Tyson) is armed with the Colt Model M727 Carbine with suppressor, Surefire tactical light (with flashlight pressure switch) attached via duct tape, Aimpoint Comp M2 red dot scope, M16 Magazine X 8, M1911A1 .45 Pistol, .45 Pistol Magazine X 3, M67 fragmentation hand grenade X 2, Flashbangs (which should have been AN/M14 incendiary grenades) X 2


Once again, DAM isn't exactly Hot Toys in the head sculpt department or perhaps they intentionally decide to make the head sculpt NOT resemble Richard Tyson so that they can get away with any legal wrangles. Some companies' 1/6 scale products have fallen by the wayside because of unlicensed head sculpts that just look too good and too much like the actual person.


Here you see the full layout of DAM Toys 1/6 Delta Force Support Rifleman, Task Force Ranger, Op Gothic Serpent, Somalia 1993.


And here is the final reveal of the SIX figures that DAM Toys intended to release in their Operation Gothic Serpent series. The first THREE (from the left) have already been released, the FOURTH and FIFTH revealed with ONE more to go. That's two Rangers and four DELTAs. I would have preferred more Rangers seeing as they formed the bulk of Task Force Ranger. Guess I'll just have to add my BHD (Black Hawk Down) figures to the group ;p

Click to see LARGER ;p

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting this, but to clarify, this figure is a representation of the actor (played by Danish actor Nikolaj Coster Waldau)who portrays Master Sergeant Gary Gordon in the film. This is **NOT** a sculpt of Daniel Busch as you state in your post MSgt Gordon was a Delta sniper, who along with Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart (DAM figure 93006) attempted to secure the second blackhawk crash site. Both died defending the position. They were both also posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

alex teo said...

thanks for the clarification ;p the head sculpt didn't look like Danish actor Nikolaj Coster Waldau to me CHEERS

alex teo said...

i think also because DAM called this figure a Support Rifleman and NOT marksman or sniper which is what MSgt Gordon was. Delta Force SSG Busch (Richard Tyson) was playing more of a support rifleman role ;) CHEERS