Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Incoming: DAM 1/6 Delta Force Marksman, Task Force Ranger, Op Gothic Serpent, 1993 Somalia

Already this figure is winning praises from many quarters, not just for the variety and quality of parts but most importantly because DAM Toys has managed to do what some big companies cannot and that is, COMPLETE the series. DAM has been able to finish what they started, which is more than can be said for some companies that turn tail and run the moment they hit a small bump.

Continuing from the previous post, DAM has revealed their last figure in the six-figure set of Task Force Ranger, Op Gothic Serpent, 1993 Somalia. The final 12-inch figure is a 1/6th scale Delta Force Marksman and he is meant to be Johnny Strong as SFC Randy Shughart, a Delta Force Marksman flying on Black Hawk Super Six-Two in the film "Black Hawk Down (2001)", an American drama war film depicting the Battle of Mogadishu, a raid integral to the United States' effort to capture Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid.


Sergeant First Class Randall David Shughart (August 13, 1958–October 3, 1993) was a soldier in the United States Army special operations unit, the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1SFOD-D), or "Delta Force." Shughart posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Mogadishu in October 1993. [source: wiki]




Shughart was deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia in 1993 as part of Task Force Ranger. On October 3, 1993 during Operation Gothic Serpent, an assault mission to apprehend advisers to Mohamed Farrah Aidid. Super Six One, was shot down in the city. A Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) team came to secure it. Then, Super Six Four was shot down.


Shughart, Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Brad Hallings had been providing sniper cover from the air. Gary Gordon wanted to be inserted to secure the crash site and hostile Somalis were converging on the area. Mission commanders denied Gordon's request twice, saying that the situation was too dangerous for the Delta snipers to protect the crew from the ground. Command's position was that the snipers could be of more assistance by providing air cover. Gordon, however, repeated his request until he got permission. Sergeant First Class Brad Hallings, stayed to provide cover.


Shughart and Gordon were inserted approximately 100m from the crash site, armed with their sniper rifles and sidearms, and made their way to the downed Blackhawk. Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant was already defending the aircraft with an MP5 but was unable to move from his chair due to a crushed vertebra in his back and a compound fracture of his left femur.


When they reached Super Six Four, they extracted Durant and the crew members from the crash and defended the aircraft. It is believed that Gordon was first to be shot by the mob, which had surrounded the crash site. Shughart retrieved Gordon's CAR-15 rifle and gave it to Durant to use. Shortly after, Shughart was killed, the site was overrun and Durant was taken hostage.


According to Michael Durant's book "In the Company of Heroes", the Somalis counted 25 of their militia dead after the firefight.


DAM 1/6 scale Delta Force Marksman, Task Force Ranger, Op Gothic Serpent, 1993 Somalia 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 Canteen and canteen cover, LC2 Ammo pouch x 2, ALICE Butt-pack, Compass / First Aid pouch, CQB belt, MX300R radio and radio pouch, Single Side TRAVELER Headset, double pistol magazine pouch, M18 Smoke grenade and pouch, M67 fragmentation hand grenade X 2, M14 rifle sporting a camouflage paint scheme with 1907 leather sling and Aimpoint Comp M2 / M68 reflex sight, M14 Magazine X 3, M1911A1 .45 Pistol, .45 Pistol Magazine X 2.


As an added bonus, DAM's packaging box can be used to create an urban background scene. What you see in the background (in the picture below) is what you can expect when you put all the boxes together. Already I have the first THREE background scenes and will complete the entire scene when the last three are released :)

Click to have a bigger and better view!

3 comments:

Lawrence said...

maybe they can launch a 1/6 black hawk next. hehe.. on the down side, their price increased for the final 3 figures.

alex teo said...

ONE Hot Toys figure can buy TWO Dam figures ;p

Anonymous said...

One small problem: the Aimpoint CompM2? My mind is getting fuzzy with age, but it don't remember them being available back then. I have a vague sense that when I picked one up was maybe a dozen years ago and it was a pretty new item then. The Black Hawk down action was way back in '93.
-Peter