Army is Not All About Guns - Medical Team from Miniature Stories

The story of Desmond Doss inspires us to be better people - watch Hacksaw Ridge and you will understand why.

But I digress - just a little. The good people at Miniature Story remembers the medical staff - the army is not just about guns and ammunition but also about the people who save lives - the doctors and the medics.

Lest you think the combat medic is a "switched off" vocation, I tell you it is not.

Carrying the stretcher and medical supplies is no joke.

Add to that an injured soldier, you have to be truly combat fit to be a combat medic.

Again, the details of the figurines are top notch. The stretcher details are great.

And so is the insignia patch on the sleeve.

The next medic is less known to the more "lao jiao" servicemen - the Medical Response Force Medic.

Clad in his Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) suit, he is as critical in today's army as the soldiers in the fighting suits.

The medic is in a pose about to put on his protective mask.

The mask protects the medic by filtering harmful chemical and biological agents.

Strapped on the left leg is the mask carrier that will contain additional filters too.

The detail on the mask is fantastic.

I am happy that Caleb and Terra did take notice of the medics in their collection. You may buy these figurines and the entire collection directly from the Miniature Stories website. For those with their NS50 vouchers, you may use them too. I had an earlier article showing the details of the figurines. I hope you like them.

GPMG Gunner & Commander - Miniature Stories

Following the initial figurines, the folks at Miniature Stories released a few more figurines.

For the new series, there are four new figurines - actually two sets. This is a follow up on the initial offering which you can find in my initial blog.

For this blog, I am featuring the GPMG Gunner and the GPMG Commander.

The set is sold separately as two figurines - one GPMG Gunner and the other the Commander. For those who are not familiar, GPMG refers to the General Purpose Machine Gun. The Gunner is full of details as one would expect from Caleb and Terra from Miniature Stories.

The Gunner in prone position.

The realistic set up of the gunner and the GMPG

Notice how the gunner is depicted aiming with one eye shut? That's how detailed the figurines are.

Face painted with camouflage - and since this is hand painted, no two figurines are alike.

Even the cartridge box and the bullets are flushed with details.

You can even see the Dangerous Goods "Explosive" label on the cartridge box... how's that for details!

Even the grass turf is realistic to say the least.

The Division insignia - you may choose from the different divisions and they will be applied to the figurine.

The GPMG Commander carries the SAR21 assault rifle and is posed looking through a pair of binoculars.

Again, exquisite details on the figurines.

The metal figurine is well painted and detailed - you can see each finger on the binoculars.

The details of the SAR21 are amazing right down to the air vents and muzzle.

Similarly the details of the badges on the figurines are applied after you order and specify which one you want.

A nice pair to have. Great details on the figurine as you can expect from Caleb and Terra.

You may buy the figurines directly from the Miniature Stories website. For those with their NS50 vouchers, you may use them too. Happy collecting!

Prone, Aim & Fire!

One of the most exhilarating part of live firing is the firing of a machine gun. The recoil, the butt hitting the shoulder and the sound of the rounds rattling on and on as you depress the trigger... For those who may not have the chance of firing the General Purpose Machine Gun aka GPMG, firing a SAW light-machine gun is just as fun.

The Section Automatic Weapon (SAW) gives the section of soldiers some extra fire power compared to the assault rifle be it the M16 or the SAR21. Featured here is the miniature figurine from Miniature Stories, a Singaporean company dedicated to making miniature SAF soldier figures in various poses. In my earlier post, I had featured the Section Commander in an attack pose, leading the way.

As with the Section Commander, the details of the SAW Gunner is excellent. From the prone position...

To the aiming...

No details are spared. Take a look at this face of concentration... pay attention to the grass on the left sleeve of the uniform.

Or for that matter, the boots... same level of details.

The tiniest of details are well defined. Take for example the sole of the boots and the toggle rope on the back... The realistic grass on the back - who has ever ran on the field, prone and have no grass bits on their uniform? Now that is attention to details.

Even the SAW gun is well detailed.

And the 6 Div insignia is also hand painted as is the Marksman badge and the IPPT badge on the left arm.

This is one of the figurines I like a lot. And just in case you are wondering, all the die cast metal figurines are hand painted which means no two figurines are a like.

What's more, you may customise the badges - from Division formation on the right arm to the other individual performance badges on the left arm. You may choose from Marksmen, IPPT or even Guards unit. If you are all three, then three badges it is.

Honestly, for this level of detail and realism, I believe these figurines are worth what you are paying for. In the age of mass production, the details in the miniatures made by Miniature Stories is a breath of fresh air - much needed. For more information visit the Miniature Stories website. Both Caleb and Terra, the company's owners believe each figurine will tell a story of every NSMen's adventure during their stint in the army. And I cannot agree more. Sure brings back those good old memories...

Miniature Soldiers - Small But Not Lacking In Details

For all Singaporean males, serving the National Service regardless of vocation is a rite of passage. This year (2017), Singapore Celebrates 50 years of National Service otherwise known as NS50.

The road from boys to men is transformational - I can vouch for that having served and also seeing my sons go through the same. NS is something all Singaporean men can proudly speak about and amongst brothers, we are proud to have served. With celebration in full swing this year to recognise present and past NS Men, I came across this miniature figurines made by a company called Miniature Stories.

The company is started by husband and wife team of Caleb and Terra. The figurines are made to 1/30 scale and at its tallest, measures 60mm. Each figurine is cast in a metal alloy and hand painted. Featured here is a Section Commander with a SAR21 assault rifle in camouflage uniform.

Because the miniature is hand painted, not two figurines are alike. From the rank epaulette, to the SAR 21 rifle to the camouflage painted face, the details are incredible.

Side profile of the Section Commander in action, leading the way.

The SAR21 in it's full glory. I used the M16 during our days and never had the chance to use the Singapore developed SAR21 Assault Rifle. As we understand it, the SAR21 (Singapore Assault Rifle) was made for the SAF by the then Chartered Industry of Singapore. Even the Division insignia is painstakingly hand painted. Here, the folks at Miniature Stories allow you to choose the different formation insignias. From 6 DIV to 9 DIV to Guards or Commandos to even Armour. All figurines are die cast in metal and gives a heft - a joy to hold in your hands. Caleb and Terra got it right - down to the uniform, weapon, uniform and all the gears.

Even the boots and the grass is hand painted in great detail. Remember those days of parade boots? Burning the spoon and smoothing out the toe cap? Fun nights using the candle after lights out, burning the spoon and then applying it to the toe cap to smoothen it before apply coat after coat of black kiwi (polish). Then you had to polish them to a spit shine - no teeth no count during stand-by parade. I am sure those of us who have gone through that understand what I am saying. Then there was the change parade... but then I digress...

Take a closer look at the details which include knee guard - something we never had in our earlier years in the army. Come to think of it, the welfare of the soldiers today are way better compared to the earlier years. Remember those starched uniforms and rubber boots? Bee hoon (vermicelli) we called rubber bands? Green bean soup (mung beans) with sand? Those were the good old days and I am sure many of us look back with pride having gone through the hard times.

Now for the back. Accurate details again. I recalled the toggle rope - we all called it "togo rope"... never really knew how it was spelt until now...

The figurines are of a high quality as the details will show. These are my first pictures and I have not fully explored the other figurines. But I am confident they are of equally good quality.

I will be posting more of these figurines and sharing the joys of the memories these figurines bring back. For more information, you may visit the Miniature Stories website. Currently, they are having a promotion - if you buy any 6 figurines, you can get one figurine free (conditions apply). And if you have already received your NS50 Vouchers, you can use it to purchase these figurines. The cost of each figurine ranges from S$59 to $75 for those featuring soldiers going through the Standard Obstacle Course (SOC).

Look out for more features of the figurines I purchased from Miniature Stories. Support local and buy something unique. Something that will remind you of those good old days, those days that will bring back a smile. And I understand the folks at Miniature Stories are making more such figurines. Stay tuned!