Introduction

The French Naval Assault Division or Dinassaut was formed in 1947 at the request of General Leclerc and comprised units of the French Navy who were engaged on policing the inland waterways during the Indochina war.

Their role was to transport, land and support French Infantry Units and they used a variety of WW2 vessels and craft to do this. Unlike regular Naval personnel the Dinassaut were kitted out in khaki uniforms. So successful were their operations that from an initial 2 units in 1947 by 1951 this had grown to 12 units.

U models have produced a number of these troops and a conversion set for the Italeri LCVP to help model craft and figures in this time frame. The vessels were usually WW2 landing craft of various makes that had been up-gunned.

The figure

The figure comes packed in the standard U Model snap plastic box. The box contains a paper coloured image showing the manufacture/product detail and inside the figure is packed in a small zip plastic bag. SO the parts are well protected and mine figure arrived without any damage.

The figure is case in a grey resin and is a simple figure of 3 parts, the body and left arm being cast as a whole with only a separate right arm and head to add. The sculpting is excellent with sharp detail. The figure is dressed in shorts and shirt with short sleeves, socks and boots. The shirt is open form the chest down. I would describe these garments as khaki drill but I don’t know the official French specification for the uniform.. All these Garments have excellent detail and the uniform has nice normal looking folds and creases. Around the waist the figure wears a thin belt with a buckle.

The head has also excellent detail with sharp facial features and wears a jungle or floppy hat. The right arm is also very nicely case.

Little clean up is required other than the removal of the pour stubs on the boots/head and arm. The parts seem excellently cast and I could see no cause for concern. Normal safety precautions apply when working with resin.

The figure measures 44mm from heel to shoulder and has good overall body proportions so should be very acceptable in the 1/35 scale range.

Conclusion

Frankly a cracking figure with terrific sculpting and casting. Most impressive. This one should be of interest to figure painters and model builders alike and of particular interest to builders who have an interest in this specific time period.

Looking at the figure I think it could be easily adapted for WW2 either in the desert or jungle with just a simple change of head.

This is one of a range of figures that Rudolphe from U Models has released thereby opening up lots of additional modelling possibilities for the early period of conflict in Vietnam.

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