Hey guys,
I've been working on a World War II Pacific Theater USMC loadout for a while now. It's pretty much complete, just missing a few things I plan to pick up in the next few weeks.
Here's a photo:
List:
ATF repro reversible P42 camo shirt
ATF repro USMC Boondocker boots
ATF repro P42 camo helmet cover on Vietnam-era M1 helmet, with ATF repro helmet repair kit used to fix the liner to WWII standard
Original M1936 pistol belt plus 2x original aid kit pouch, original canteen cover, original .45 mag pouch, 1950s-era black leather holster, anachronistic "US ARMY" Ka-Bar that probably won't stay
WE M1911A1 + 3 mags
CYMA Thompson M1A1 with one 30rd stick mag (hicap) and one 50rd drum mag (hicap)
I ordered a pair of HBT light sage trousers (after reading that Marines were issued HBTs in large quantities), but decided to return them to ATF in favor of P42 utility trousers that have actual pockets. The lack of pockets on the HBTs bothered me. I had also ordered an M1943 HBT cap that was too large, so expect that sometime next week. For now I am using OD BDU pants that somewhat fit the look though they are too green. There is a big gun show in Tulsa, OK this weekend that I'm going to and I hope to find some of those USMC 30rd Thompson mag pouches, an OD No.3 pistol belt, a jungle first aid pouch, and other miscellanea.
I had ordered USMC leggings from a guy on eBay but got sent two right-leg leggings, so I had to send them back. Then I found out I had ordered the wrong size, so I'm just going to get some ATF repros next go around.
I'm basing most of this from The Pacific, Flags of Our Fathers, etc.
Thoughts?
Nice kit! ATF stuff just screams "quality". I hope you can find some nips to shoot at with that Thompson!
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
ok, small thing, but my KA-BAR says USMC on it..... yours says army.
not having a go,,, but the KA-BAR is a typically USMC iconic bit of kit(yes i know they were issued to the army, navy, marines and coast guard so relax folks ) also, black 1911 holsters=vietnam, brown for ww2.
but it looks very very good. i just hope yith ( as our only jap ) doesnt get fed up up getting the shit kicked out of him by 3000 US marines once the pacific hits the screeans. 
nice load out mate... please forgive my stitch counting, its meant as advice, not criticsm.
Looks great but ditch that Kabar sheath(ARMY???????) and the plastic canteen 
Yes, I probably won't end up using the Ka-Bar, just threw it on there because I had it. And unfortunately my aluminum 1944 dated canteen has some sort of god awful something in it that listerine, soap, and bleach will not remove... so I'll use my veteran $0.25 canteen, thanks 
.
I know the holster is wrong, but I don't have $75 to drop on a repro that I'll then have to break in etc... I've had this one for ages and it's very beat up but I like it and it fits both my real M1911A1 and airsoft one great.
Add a Thompson sling to my list of things to buy, right now it's an M1 Carbine sling I got cheap at a gun show.
If listerine, soap or bleach won't remove it then it'll probably not get in your water either. 
Well at least that's my theory... lol
With the holster, what you could do (as I have done) is scrape off, with a knife and sandpaper, the black finish, until you get to the raw leather, and then put a few coats of dubbing on it. it looks amazing, and a lot more authentic than most repros I have seen.
Well, headed over to the gun show in Tulsa today. The largest one in the USA. Aside from 340 rounds of Radway Green 7.62mm NATO ammo, I picked up quite a few militaria items. A LOT of overpriced crap, one guy tried to sell me a 1952 dated "USMC" canteen + cover for $100! Yeah right. Saw a lot of M1 rifles, Arisakas, Mosins, Springfields, and Nazi crap. One table had 500 lever action rifles. Lol.
Anyways, got the following:
- Great condition original M1936 OD No.3 pistol belt
- Original 3-cell Thompson 30rd mag pouch OD No.7 (Korea but could find no khaki ones that were affordable)
- Transitional M1 Carbine mag pouch dated 1944. Since it's transitional OD No.3/No.7 I got it for $10. Great shape.
- "LCC & Co. 1918" .45 mag pouch dated 1918
I also bought a large box of stuff for $100 from a guy.
- 4x M1936 OD No.3 pistol belts in various conditions
- Beat up Pattern 37 small pack being sold as an "M1939 Haversack".... lol.
- 6x M1924 and M1942 aid kit pouches in various conditions
- "Mills" cartridge belt. Can anyone tell me anything about it? It's a very light khaki, probably from lots of use. Quite a few torn threads and a broken lift-the-dot but I like its beat up look a lot. I think Mills is a British manufacturer?
- A pilot's kneeboard. Lol. No idea why it was in this box.
- A really dirty "Meat can pouch" dated 1942
- Extra-Small set of M1956 h-harness suspenders
Needless to say most of this will be going on eBay or for private sale. If you're interested let me know, I have more than enough militaria items and would love to get rid of some of this!
"Mills" cartridge belt. Can anyone tell me anything about it? It's a very light khaki, probably from lots of use. Quite a few torn threads and a broken lift-the-dot but I like its beat up look a lot. I think Mills is a British manufacturer?
Everything (nearly) you need to know about Mills web equipment is on the KarkeeWeb website: http://www.karkeeweb.com/patterns/1908/ ... ridge.html
nice to see more marine loadouts, am sure The Pacific will grow our numbers! i am betting that some new AEG's will come in to production on the strength of the mini series too.
i was lucky enough to get Sgt stones costume from Pacific, minus the helmet, but just used my US infantry helmet with a camo reversible cover on it.
i notice that all your webbing pouches have lift dots, i know most of the marine waterbottles (early cross over flap type and later shorter flap type) both had press studs, my Pacific webbing has lift dots too, lot easier to source i presume 
now , we just need more Japs! there is one Japanese guy who wears his IJA uniform at gunman games, looks so good with the sword too
there is one Japanese guy who wears his IJA uniform at gunman games, looks so good with the sword too
Really!? As a guest of the Reich!? How does that work in Gunman's NW Europe games?
I think anyone who makes such a wholehearted effort on kit should be more than encouraged at a ww2 event, he had his uniform made in japan, which isn't easy! Nobody wanted to make it for him due to them trying not to wave that bit of history around.
But if you have any questions about the gunman game mechanics, better ask Josh, I am just a paying player
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nice to see more marine loadouts, am sure The Pacific will grow our numbers!
I already know one site operator - and the site he runs is a bloody good one as well - thats planning on doing a series of Pacific games soon. Was chatting to him yesterday about it as a matter of fact.
As to IJA at a Western Front game, well, IMHO thats pushing it a bit.
When we were a Kingdom it was run by a King
When we were an Empire it was run by an Empress
Now we're a country we're run by a..........
Well, here I am yesterday at a game. Terrible pictures but I don't think they were actually trying to take pictures of me... I'm the guy in the USMC outfit obviously.
Sucks that I wasn't able to get a proper photo. Later I reversed the camo and went Green Team for a while complete with helmet. Oh well.
Well, here I am yesterday at a game. Terrible pictures but I don't think they were actually trying to take pictures of me... I'm the guy in the USMC outfit obviously.
Sucks that I wasn't able to get a proper photo. Later I reversed the camo and went Green Team for a while complete with helmet. Oh well.
You cannot rely on open day pictures, the cameraman is always obsessed with all that modern jazz 
and never gives one the attention truly deserved .
Here's a teeny tiny group picture from Sunday:
You can see me sort of in the middle with the Thompson. A lot of people were saying to me how cool the setup was and that they were interested but I'll be surprised if they actually commit.
Anyway I was reading somewhere that there aren't any Japanese army players... to be honest that does not surprise me, given that from just about everything I've ever read there was absolutely nothing "cool" about the average IJA soldier, quite vicious little bastards actually, and from what I saw they got the majority of their bayonet practice from Chinese civilians... anyway just what I had heard.
...given that from just about everything I've ever read there was absolutely nothing "cool" about the average IJA soldier, quite vicious little bastards actually, and from what I saw they got the majority of their bayonet practice from Chinese civilians... anyway just what I had heard.
Maybe you should work a little on your sources? While the IJA without any doubt committed terrible atrocities i would not call all of them "vicious little bastards". 
So I know it's not exactly correct to use movies for reference, but I noticed this when watching Letters from Iwo Jima today.
The Marine Lieutenant who takes Kuribayashi's M1911 has OD No.7 gear. I was under the impression that the Marine Corps were only issued OD No.3 (khaki) gear and not the later OD No.7 (green) gear. His pistol belt and the right M1 Carbine mag pouch are green. I'm wondering because I have a LOT of green gear I got for cheap since it's not "band of brothers"...
...given that from just about everything I've ever read there was absolutely nothing "cool" about the average IJA soldier, quite vicious little bastards actually, and from what I saw they got the majority of their bayonet practice from Chinese civilians... anyway just what I had heard.
Maybe you should work a little on your sources? While the IJA without any doubt committed terrible atrocities i would not call all of them "vicious little bastards".
What I meant was that it's not a particularly interesting army to reenact. To most people, I guess. I'm not saying they were all bad but they certainly committed more than their fair share of war crimes.
The average view of the IJA during World War II is not a good one... whereas people are at least able to feel *some* connection with the Germans, I don't really think many people really have any empathy for the Japanese.
So I know it's not exactly correct to use movies for reference...
Correct! 
With very few exceptions (Jungle first aid pouch for example) forget about USMC OD7 gear.
