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SAS Borneo 1963-66: Jungle Fighters Kit

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  • SAS Borneo 1963-66: Jungle Fighters Kit

    Well…

    Some time ago now, I was looking for a wee side project away from my usual 70s-90s interests, but definitely wanting to keep things British themed of course.

    So I thought...hmmm, what to do? Then it hit me. Why not turn my attention to the Borneo Confrontation (1963-66) for a wee change? It gives me a chance to develop an SAS impression I'd merely toyed with but never really followed through on some years ago. But not just that, it means my kit collection goes back even earlier which is always a good thing. After all... there's no school like the Old School.

    And so, over the last while now, I've been re-reading a Lot of the reference material I’ve got covering Borneo (& the Malayan Emergency in the 50’s too), as well as picking up some new interesting books along the way to gain a more wider appreciation of the Confrontation (or ‘Konfrontasi’) in general. As a consequence of all that this is my 'SAS Borneo' kit...

    British Army Jungle/Bush Hat's...



    Two hats dated 1945





    Two hats dated 1966





    For some, though, there was a bit of an issue with these...

    “Whoever designed the Standard British Army “bush” hat had obviously never been in the Jungle...The brim was so big that it actually blocked out what little light the jungle offered, and when moving through dense areas of jungle it often caught on branches. To solve the problem we employed the standard regimental answer to problems: cut it off”.

    So I did...







    Of course, not ‘everyone’ did this…



    Inspired by the lad in the above picture, Ive added a piece of white cord to one of my ‘45 hats...





    Ive also had a strip of red material put inside a couple for that extra touch of detail...



    Described by Peter Dickens in his book...

    “'Turn your hat inside out' Jake said (to show the recognition band, which was red), and then started shouting 'Jake Vaughan, John White' at the top of his voice; and there were a couple of guys ready to open fire, but one of them said, “Hold it! I can see the band.”




    In ‘SAS Operations’, James D. Ladd also mentions that in fact a “yellow band sewn in the lining would be a recognition sign to friendly forces, when the hat was put on inside out.”

    So, taking another hat…





    This field recognition practice dates back to the Malayan Emergency in the 50’s, with the SAS, as we can see from Geordie Doran when recounting his experiences there: “we all had red cloth bands sewn around our jungle hats for identification.” Indeed, in the Osprey Men at Arms book ‘The Malayan Campaign 1948-60’ John Scurr also mentions, during Operation ‘Cato’ 1953, the SAS wore yellow recognition bands as well.

    But of course, this was not just done by Them, throughout the 50’s & 60’s, but by other regiments too & not always with a red/yellow band or even on the inside of the hat, it has to be said. For instance, some bands were white, blue, orange, some also had white crosses, yellow patches, white squares & so on. The Royal Ulster Rifles had even Shamrock on theirs along with a black band...



    To date, I haven't seen any reference pictures of the SAS in Borneo clearly showing their hats with the red/yellow recognition bands visible. But we can get an appreciation of how this might have looked from this picture of a Gurkha…



    The only things remotely close Ive seen yet is this picture of Corporal 'Old Joe' Lock in which you can see red thread on his hat, perhaps from the red band on the inside...



    & this picture in which the band appears to be black...



    Of course, a simple head band was used too…



    “...many of our people, wore a sweat band-Geronimo fashion- rather than the usual jungle hat.”

    Naturally, (and after plenty of airsoft experience) this isn't exactly the best option for incoming bb’s come game day!

    - - - Updated - - -

    Aertex Shirts…







    T Shirt…



    We can see an SAS lad wearing one here during hand to hand combat training in Santubong, Sarawak…



    50 Pattern Jungle trousers (trousers drill green)...





    Dated 1953, good to go for Malaya...



    & another pair, with a more faded label dated 1965. Again, in decent 'Man' size...









    This crossover (x over) buckle would be carried on into the windproof trousers design...



    It would appear this clothing didnt fare too well in the harsh environments of the Borneo Jungle, or ‘ulu’ as it was known. After a two week patrol men “looked like emaciated scarecrows, bearded, smelly and with their clothes in tatters”, as described by Anthony Kemp.

    Whilst most (if not all) of the known pictures show a sense of uniformity in the clothing used, we shouldn't forget that “variations in dress and equipment are as wide as you would expect of experienced jungle-fighters and individualists given complete freedom”.

    We can actually get an appreciation of this dress variation from Peter Dickens when he writes:

    “He was a qualified interpreter, but something about him-perhaps his white bearded face surmounted by a piratical yellow sweat band, the civilian shirt he wore for comfort, or his speaking Malaya instead of Javanese- terrified the man.”

    - - - Updated - - -

    One of the most interesting & somewhat controversial aspects of SAS kit in Borneo is boots. So lets take a look...

    An item thats been on ‘The List’ for some time is the infamous British Army Canvas & Rubber Jungle Boots...





    & seen here with these regular squaddies...



    However, there was a serious issue....

    “Canvas boots to allow the feet to sweat were issued, but early designs suffered due to the poor quality of the material.”



    Of course, for obvious reasons, mine are really for display only & perhaps some impression pictures- they're certainly not for gaming. I have something else, more pragmatic & robust in mind...

    As a consequence of this poor quality, the guys often looked elsewhere for footwear. This ranged from acquiring a pair of US or Australian Jungle boots to even using a simple pair of DMS boots…



    Now much has been said in the reference material concerning DMS boots. But interesting to me is the idea of them being modified...

    “Almost every man in the SAS who operated in Borneo had, at his own expense, his Army boots modified to suit jungle conditions.”

    “Some blokes used their initiative and got cobblers in Singapore, who could make you a pair of shoes in an hour, to stitch a piece of soft leather to their DMS (Direct Moulded Sole) boots”.

    So with that in mind, I used my initiative & got mine modified too (albeit not in Singapore) along the lines of the British Army jungle boot design.

    Boots, DMS, Modified





    So far, I haven't seen any reference pictures conclusively showing the details of how some of these modifications might have looked in Borneo, which I imagine would have varied from man to man in the Squadrons anyway, over the years. However, this 60s SAS reference picture might just provide an interesting clue…



    Note the obvious DMS boot & the line around the ankle area of where an additional piece of leather has been added to give the boot some height.

    But these modifications were not restricted to suiting the jungle conditions, though. Its also mentioned that the soles were modified too...

    “...Corporal Spike Hoe and Lance Corporal Bill Condie were already engaged in changing the tread-pattern of their directly-moulded boot-soles from standard British Army to Indonesian”.

    This practice would have been significant from 1964 onwards during the ‘Claret Operations’-the highly secretive cross border operations into Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo) whereby the SAS earned the nickname: ‘The Tip Toe Boys’.

    One of the lads taking part in these ‘Claret Operations’ reinforces the significance of this boot modification when he mentions...“It was impressed upon us that there was to be no evidence left in Kalimantan that British troops had been operating there.”

    “Steps were taken to disguise the standard tread pattern of issue boots which might have revealed the fact that the British were at large on the wrong side of the border.”

    ...I don't feel the need to go that far with my DMS boots though.

    Last, but not least. What isn't really mentioned in the usual reference material & what I suspect a lot of you will not know is the fact that there was an experimental boot on trial with the SAS in the latter stages of the Confrontation, as shown & described in Soldier Magazine (May 1966)...



    “The boot is classified as high combat-quartermasters please note! - and is pictured after five months of jungle wear without so much as a whiff of polish. The green leather upper shows no sign of surrender and soldiers who have tried them in jungle, desert and West European conditions have given the prospective all-theatre boot a strong recommendation. It makes gaiters or puttees redundant and getting in or out of it is the work of seconds.”

    “Ideal, said one of the wearers with a wink, “for the easy livers who like to take their boots off at night.”

    Despite having favourable results, however, these boots didn't make it beyond the trials stage. Its just a pity none make an appearance in the usual reference pictures (especially in colour) for us to get a better appreciation of their peculiar design.

    - - - Updated - - -

    In the reference material, much has also been said detailing the particulars of the webbing, the pouches used, their contents & what some of the men carried on their persons in Borneo. Whilst we get an interesting insight, we shouldnt forget that this was not standard to all & would have varied from man to man...

    “On his person would be his escape compass, 100 Malay dollars sewn into his clothing for soliciting help in emergency, field dressings, morphine, plasters, torch, notebook and pencil, map (never to be marked with his true position, but a fictitious track entirely in Sabah to imply a genuine navigational error), loo paper, matches, knife, watch, and a wrist compass for those luck enough to own one”.

    “Basically, water and ammunition are carried on a hip-slung webbing belt heavily and untidily reinforced with insulating tape.”

    “On his belt would be his compass, “parang”, two full magazines, water bottle, mug, sterilizing tablets, two days’ rations in his mess tin, spoon, cooking stove with hexamine fuel tablets, more matches, paludrine, wire saw, insect repellant, rifle cleaning kit & a hand grenade.”

    “Belts were a ‘hodge-podge’ of all sorts. Spare water bottle carriers were a favourite type of belt pouch.”

    “In the main, we used the ‘44 Pattern webbing which has top fasteners to allow easy access to the water pouch. We usually combined these with Aussie bits of kit….The thing was, in the early 1960s the Regiment was reduced in strength and we didn't have the priority for equipment that other units had. As result, we sometimes looked like a bunch of military misfits, having begged borrowed and stolen a lot of our personal equipment’.

    Whilst not useful for gaming, even bergen contents & rations are described in some detail…

    “The bergen’s contents varied from man to man. Hoe was the signaller, carrying the radio with its spare battery, aerial and codes, and the Sarbe, which at last was issued. Those were heavy items, so most of his food was shared around the others leaving him with his spare shirt, trousers, socks, boots, poncho, sleeping bag of parachute silk, nylon cord for contingencies, and a book for beguiling the hours when not on observation duty.”

    “Condies extra load was the medical pack, containing surgical scissors, forceps, thermometer, syringe and needles, scalpel blades, suture needles and thread, extra morphine syrettes, sterile water, assorted plasters and bandages, and a comprehensive pharmacy.”

    “England and Manbahadur took the binoculars, camera, and two large water bags. The latter were carried empty; on passing as stream all would replenish their personal bottles and drink their fill-and more.”

    “Rations were keenly debated and whittled down, for it would surely be acceptable to lose weight for a maximum of twelve days rather than carry an incapacitating and tiring load. England further reduced the weight by specifying the daily allowances for two men rather than one, thus saving two containers: two oxo cubes, 1oz; two oatmeal blocks, 2oz; one tin of sardines, 4 ½ oz; one packet of biscuits, 3oz; two tins of cheese, 3oz; salt, 1oz; two dehydrated meat blocks, 12oz; four vitamin tablets; sugar, 2 ½ oz; milk cude, 2 oz; and of course tea, ¼ oz; without which no Briton can face his future. The total was 16 ounces a day per man giving 2,000 calories instead of the 3,600 they really needed.”

    “Everyone carried curry powder to add to their rice and meat, but lots of the lads might take a few small onions, or even some ikan bilis which were small dried fish much favoured by the locals and the old Malaya hands from the Regiment.”

    Just taking that last quote & out of sheer & utter curiosity…



    Curried Ikan Bilis. Mmmm. Yummy. But will it feature as part of my lunch on game day? I wouldn't count on it.

    ------------------

    Perhaps the only things I already had in my collection, which were good to go for this impression, were some of the various bits & pieces of webbing. So, starting with the basics...

    Roll pin belts, fashioned from heavy-load RAF straps were very much in vogue with the SAS as they could quickly be adjusted to suit the substantial weight loss the lads experienced in the jungle.

    But not just that…

    ..."we could jettison the kit quickly if we had to run like fuck after being bumped. However, the overriding factor was that every piece of kit could be easily fitted onto any set of webbing carried by other members of the team if the need arose”.

    However, this practice by no means originated in Borneo, though, as can be seen in this Malaya newsreel in the 50’s & with the SAS…



    Its also worthwhile mentioning that conventional forces used these too, its by no means something unique to the ‘SAS’, as can be seen with these Royal Marines in Borneo…



    *Note the Armalite AR-15 too. Again, not just used by Special Forces.

    Here, we can see some of those load straps being used in Borneo…



    A couple I've had in my collection for some time….



    Some of these belts were slightly more tailored than others though. A great example of this variance comes from Simon Howlett’s cracking book ‘British Post War Jungle Webbing’ showing a more tailored belt with an adjustable spare end loop, alongside a more quick ‘field made’ job…



    Being intrigued by the rustic look of the ‘field made’ belt above & knowing the guys had kit locally made & repaired all time I've had my own made...



    Of course, like most things, not ‘everyone’ wore one of these or did so in the exact same fashion. For instance, we can see here on the left a lad with a 44 pattern belt, with an Armalite pouch attached & on the right Corporal ‘Old Joe’ Lock with a 58 Pattern belt which might even have been modified to have a roll pin buckle, as was the fashion certainly in the 70s & 80s…



    Which would have looked something like this...



    - - - Updated - - -

    Despite the many pictures of the SAS in Borneo toting Armalite AR-15’s & with it's noted advantages in jungle environments, the L1A1 Self Loading Rifle (SLR) was Far from being phased out when it came to operations in the ‘ulu’.

    Prior to the issued (& much later commercial) 'drop loop' SLR magazine pouches, there were quite a few custom or what has been described by some as 'locally produced' pouches used-not just with the SAS in Borneo, but with conventional forces too.

    So let's take a look…

    Just as I mentioned Geordie Doran's book a few weeks back, we can see a cracking picture of him with the SLR in the 60s, whilst out on operations in the 'ulu'...



    Indeed, the decision to carry the SLR over the Armalite could come down to several factors- one being the availability of the latter believe it or not.

    Seemingly, the AR-15's weren't as plentiful as we might imagine throughout the entirety of the ‘konfrontasi’. In their books, both Pete Scholey & Lofty Large recall the time when only two Armalites were available for the SAS in Borneo. One was being used by another patrol & the other was “being touted around as a piece of male jewellery by a certain officer whose job at the time kept him well away from the front”.

    Another factor might be what the operation itself entailed. For instance, during Lofty Large’s cross border operation, to the Koemba river in 1965, it's mentioned that…“each man on this patrol carried an SLR, for its hitting power was more likely to damage river craft than the high velocity lighter bullets from an Armalite.”

    From my collection, I already had a few of the early L1A1 magazine pouches which we can see being used with the SAS in Borneo...





    & compared to the later issued ‘drop loop’ version…



    It's worth noting that the origins of these two cell SLR pouches can be traced back to the Malayan Emergency. On the left, we can see one with the SAS showing a single cover over both cells & secured with Quick Release (QR) tabs. On the right, the same style of pouch was still being used in the 60s as can be seen on this SAS lad in Aden...



    Infact, just as i'm mentioning Aden (& to go off topic for a moment) we shouldn't forget that others had custom pouches/kit made too at the time, not just the SAS. Whilst visiting the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Museum at Stirling Castle last year (worth a visit) I found this peculiar but very interesting two cell L1A1 pouch on display...



    Going back to Borneo, we can also see conventional forces with similar styled two cell SLR pouches. On the left is a Royal Marine from 40 Commando seen in footage from 'Jungle Green' (1964) & on the right, we can see a lad from the Royal Ulster Rifles with the same style of pouch...



    *note the band around the jungle hat & with the Shamrock on the front as seen in the opening post.

    There are many other pictures showing the same style of pouch in Borneo with conventional forces & even a similar one was also used when carrying the Armalite AR-15 as well...





    So then…

    Back to the SAS, this is my SLR belt kit...



    -------------------------------------------

    For the time being, I'm none too fussed about adding wooden furniture to my ARES L1A1 to feature it with this impression. This is partly because I've always preferred my beloved G&P M16vn (Armalite AR-15) with all its upgrades over it.

    What also cemented the choice for me was reading about fellow Scotsman Ian ‘Jock’ Thomson (of Eddie Lillico’s patrol) when ambushed at close quarters, in what is known as the ‘Incident on Melancholy Mountain’, described by Peter Dickens ...

    “I thought, Christ I’m hit!”... “I sat up, and as I sat up another Indo sat up too and he was that close I could see the tigers head shoulder flash”... “I found my Armalite, which still had the safety-catch to automatic, and gave him a long burst and he went down”.

    “Thomson reorientated himself from his new position by noting the tree whence the guy had shot him. He could scarcely believe his eyes, for there was the guy coming out from behind it, clearly under the impression that he had eliminated his enemy. It was an error of judgement. “Bugger-r-r-r-U!” The staccato roll of Scottish “R’s matched the merciless clatter of the Armalite and the guy fell, dead.”

    I’ll need to bear that in mind the next time I blat someone on auto with my Armalite...



    - - - Updated - - -

    As I've established which rifle I’ll be using with this impression, this is my ‘Armalite AR-15 belt kit’...











    Now, you might be scratching your head at these magazine pouches thinking they look different to the norm...







    Thats because Ive had these two completely custom made exclusively for my airsoft 20 round Armalite mags, based on the ones seen in the reference material & more importantly an original one I'd actually seen for sale on SASS's ebay store way back in 2009. These existed just before the more common 'drop loop' ones that we've all seen which became available slightly later in 60s & prevalent throughout the 70s & 80s…



    In fact, the earliest drop loop Armalite pouches I've seen so far are dated 1967, as seen on Karkee Web & going through all the available reference pictures I've collated over the years I've actually yet to see them make an appearance in Borneo with the SAS. So for something a bit different & to raise some awareness of them I had these run up for my impression & to be used with other things in mind too.

    The benefits about having my own pouches made means I can ‘use & abuse’ them for gaming without fear of damaging them, which Id be Very hesitant about doing with an original (should I ever source one) given how extremely rare they've proven to be.

    Evolution of a pouch...

    As I wasn't just modifying an existing pouch or screwing about with my original drop loop AR-15 pouches (heaven forbid) I had to have these made completely from scratch. But with no template to work from the pattern had to come from somewhere. So that's when I got to work 'Art Attack' style & constructed my own ones from card based on just the pictures & the measurements of my Airsoft mags.

    Here's one I made earlier...



    The originals being used...



    This is the very one I'd seen for sale on the bay about 6 years ago, which I saved, listed by SASS as a ‘magazine/grenade’ pouch...



    To date, in all the years since, I haven't seen another one listed on ebay or anywhere else & rarely (which is to say never!) does anyone ever bring them up when mentioning Borneo/ Old School SAS belt kits. They don't feature on Karkee Web nor in Simon Howletts book..or anywhere else for that matter. Like some of the early L1A1 pouches, these seem to have been completely overlooked/forgotten about. So this will be a first.

    Unless you saw the listing yourself way back then, won it, or have one like it (in which case you're keeping helluva quiet) chances are you won't have seen such cracking detailed pictures of one till now. So when these start to do the rounds elsewhere & folk talk of early SAS Armalite pouches...you’ll know where they found it

    So far, in all the reference material, I haven't seen any specific mention of these particular pouches other than this more general but nevertheless interesting quote from Lofty Large…

    “Our magazine carriers were locally made in the Far East, and in short supply, so that the ones we had were repaired time & time again.”

    Here, we can begin to appreciate this need of repair…



    Even this artist's impression of ‘Old Joe Lock’ & his magazine pouch touches on it too…



    One thing I've omitted from my SAS Borneo belt kit(s) is the ‘parang’, mentioned earlier, or machete. For obvious reasons, I won't be featuring an edged weapon come game day & just as importantly we know from the reference material that these weren't in fact always carried on belt kits anyway. For instance, in these pictures we can see one tied to this SAS lads bergen straps...





    In fact, it would seem that no bits of kit were immune to the conditions of Borneo. We've already looked at boots, clothing & pouches suffering from usage & the environment, but this would also extend to bergens as well now that Ive mentioned them…

    “...frames of the stout British-made Bergens are rusting and the canvas is white from incessant beating rain. (A consignment of Bergen's from Hong Kong fell to pieces after 14 days in the jungle.)”


    We can see this here with the discolouration of the bergen lid in this picture…



    - - - Updated - - -

    Taking everything together, this is my impression kit set-up as it stands...

    Rustys Rigs & Old School SAS/SBS Airsoft on Facebook & Old School SAS Airsoft on Instagram

  • #2
    Re: SAS Borneo 1963-66: Jungle Fighters Kit

    Lovely stuff.

    I did a very early malaya impression and had no end of trouble sourcing 50s/60s' jungle kit in my size, a lot of it was just burnt or left in theatre as it was easier than shipping it back.



    Jungle boots for sure were very hard to find. Also aertex shirt in my size. the only common item was 44 pattern webbing and i'm using 'common' as a relative term there.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: SAS Borneo 1963-66: Jungle Fighters Kit

      Wow, a long read, but certainly an interesting one!

      Loving the kit, and the dedication that must have gone in to sourcing it
      Originally posted by Nun-Chuck
      I'm down every games day at EAG buddy just give me a shout and I'll whip it out, can have a squeeze too if you like.
      Originally posted by deanfirst
      why not use zeroone's escort service?

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: SAS Borneo 1963-66: Jungle Fighters Kit

        Nice thread, lots of interesting kit - Thanks

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: SAS Borneo 1963-66: Jungle Fighters Kit

          Great write up Brendon. One question to which you'll know the answer to. I see these belts with drop pouches - presumed so you can use a rucksack hip belt (if they had those back then?) and still sport your belt kit comfortably. Yet doesn't the addition of the water bottles ruin this whole set up?
          AIRSOFT WEAPONS M4 (recoil)sigpic

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: SAS Borneo 1963-66: Jungle Fighters Kit

            Cheers & thanks for taking the time to read through all that. I realise it could a bit of a wtf moment for some folk looking at this thread, especially if theyre just expecting to see a few impression pictures.

            To answer your question, yeah that was the general idea with the assortment of 'drop loop' pouches seen used with Them. No, not at all. Provided youre wearing your bergen correctly theres not issues & these belt kits & they were in use from the 50s till largely the late 80s. So I guess They didnt have a problem with them either. Ive worn these sorts of belt kits with A Frame Bergens, SAS/PARA Rucksacks, Bergahus Crusaders, PLCE bergens & such with no problems.

            Just as the thread has been given a wee bit of a revival I figure now is a good time to add some more updates Ive made with this impression, which is still on going....when does it ever stop? So brace yourselves fellas

            Just speaking of bergens...

            I had a bit of a rummage through a cracking army surplus store down in Lanark & happened to stubble across this old 60s A Frame Bergen, buried beneath a stack PLCE types...









            Buried right at the bottom behind this lot!



            Seeing the condition this bergen was in, I immediately thought back to what was mentioned in an article of Soldier Magazine (May 1966) regarding the SAS in Borneo...

            “...frames of the stout British-made Bergens are rusting and the canvas is white from incessant beating rain. (A consignment of Bergen's from Hong Kong fell to pieces after 14 days in the jungle).”

            Speaking of them falling to pieces, as you can see as well, one of the straps is missing here...



            For an extra ally touch, I had actually thought of placing two Khaki ones on the shoulder straps to make them look more like 'Old' Joe Lock's...



            But, then I realised that if you look closely at this bergen on the ground you can infact see that it has the same one missing too (...could it be?)...



            Then I figured, it would be better with it missing-gives it that 'character' & adds to the notion of them falling to bits as mentioned in the above quote

            Despite having quite a few A Frame Bergens in the collection already (both WW2 & post war) I thought everything about this bergen matched that quote perfectly & it definitely appears as though it's been through a few cross-border ‘Claret Operations’... to say the least! Despite the fading, rust & with the general impression of being in a bit of a Shit state, it's actually in good nick. There is a few small repairs here, there & what not. But overall, its in good working order & life left in it yet.

            I was gonna say ideal for that 'end of tour' look, but given the above quote more like...ideal for that 'end of patrol look'...



            - - - Updated - - -

            Last year, I had a black medic cross stitched one of my 44 Pattern waterbottle pouches to make my belt kit that wee bit more different looking. This was of course inspired by what can be seen on a guys belt kit. But, when you look at a few of the other reference pictures of the time you'll actually find others doing the same thing with other pouches as well...



            So, to update my Borneo AR-15 belt kit & make it that wee bit different looking again Ive used one these guys belt kits as inspiration & made yet another medic pouch, this time from a single modified 58 Pattern kidney pouch...





            - - - Updated - - -

            Pimp my Armalite...

            Well, to make my AR-15 stand out a wee bit more for my 'SAS Borneo' impressions & because Ive yet to see it done Ive had this improvised foregrip run up to see how it would look inspired by what is seen in the reference pictures...











            Inspired by the likes of...







            - - - Updated - - -

            At last, some impression pictures featuring all the kit & the new AR-15 grip...













            - - - Updated - - -

            Despite being a Huge Armalite AR-15 fan & prefering AR platforms in general for gaming, I felt a wee change was due. Having had an ARES L1A1 SLR for the last 6 years or so I decided some time ago that I would revamp it & source the original wooden furniture, for those more 'vintage' impressions like this.

            As such, earlier in the year, I managed to get my hands on this lovely complete matching set for a pretty penny...









            By now, I'd long planned on having all the parts changed over, with the exception of the pistol grip ofcourse. But...after hearing that I might have to screw around & modify the stock to make it fit my AEG I was real hesitant about going ahead with it - given that this set would look the biz on a deact SLR a mate has told me he might let go in the future. Normally, I dont go in for deacts as its All about Airsoft for me. However, at the potential price mentioned, well... I could be very tempted. So, I put the the idea on hold & the parts have largely remained in the box in storage whilst I considered it.

            Before I did this, I took this 'SAS Borneo' kit set-up months back literally after receiving the set. As you can tell, I was that eager to see how this might look I didnt even wait to finish my tea ...



            But! Seeing ARES are set to introduce a wooden furniture SLR & with the strong possibility of a seperate set becoming available too, well, I guess its: problem solved. So, recently, I brought the handguards & carry handle out from storage & put them on the SLR...



            Over to ARES now for the stock & pistol grip.
            Rustys Rigs & Old School SAS/SBS Airsoft on Facebook & Old School SAS Airsoft on Instagram

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: SAS Borneo 1963-66: Jungle Fighters Kit

              great update. Always fun reading your updates. Cheers
              AIRSOFT WEAPONS M4 (recoil)sigpic

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: SAS Borneo 1963-66: Jungle Fighters Kit

                Yes Brandon your equipment/weapons pictures and attention to "Getting the look right" is an insightful read always.......keep it up mate!

                Richie.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: SAS Borneo 1963-66: Jungle Fighters Kit

                  Really well done. Top show.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: SAS Borneo 1963-66: Jungle Fighters Kit

                    Thanks guys. Well, as it happens I do have a wee bit more to add in here.

                    Realising it could be some time before ARES release their separate wooden furniture set for the SLR, I decided just to go ahead & feature mine with an impression as is with the original handguards & carry handle...













                    With this latest impression, its actually the first time Ive been out & about & wore one of my pairs of 'bata' jungle boots at any length...



                    Despite their reputation & how utterly useless they were in jungle environments I actually really like them, I have to say. Theyre far more comfortable & obviously more lightweight than wearing a pair of DMS boots & such. Although, admittedly, I can certainly appreciate why the guys looked elsewhere for footwear when it came down it.
                    Rustys Rigs & Old School SAS/SBS Airsoft on Facebook & Old School SAS Airsoft on Instagram

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                    • #11
                      Re: SAS Borneo 1963-66: Jungle Fighters Kit

                      An absolutely fascinating read. Attention to detail pays off big time & shows in your pics. Thanks for this thread, I'll look out for future updates.
                      Da Posh Boi, innit

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                      • #12
                        Re: SAS Borneo 1963-66: Jungle Fighters Kit

                        If anybody is looking for a pair of the jungle boots and 1950 Patt trs,have a pair of each going spare. Thanks

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                        • #13
                          Re: SAS Borneo 1963-66: Jungle Fighters Kit

                          What size are the boots. May be interested

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                          • #14
                            Re: SAS Borneo 1963-66: Jungle Fighters Kit

                            Originally posted by Gadge Europa View Post
                            What size are the boots. May be interested
                            Will have to dig them out but from memory 8. Thanks

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                            • #15
                              Re: SAS Borneo 1963-66: Jungle Fighters Kit

                              Ah no good for me, i could squeeze into a 9 but an 8 would just be too tight. I found a pair of size 8s at stoneliegh last year and was very dissapointed i couldnt get into them

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                              About the Author

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                              Brandon 35 Years old been playing airsoft since i was 9- the days before AEGs were the norm. Find out more about Brandon
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