The Marine Corps came late and reluctantly to the M16. Through the mid-1960s its riflemen carried the M14 — a heavy, wood-stocked battle rifle firing the full-power 7.62mm NATO cartridge, accurate and punishing at long range. When the lighter M16 began reaching Vietnam in 1967, many Marines distrusted the new weapon, especially after early models jammed in combat, and held onto their M14s as long as they were allowed. The M14 in this Marine's hands represents that older, hard-handed school of Marine marksmanship — descended directly from the M1 Garand — which the Corps surrendered only when ordered to.

W. Britain poses the Marine standing alert, the M14 carried low in the right hand, eyes lifted as if a patrol has just halted. He wears the M1955 flak vest over olive utilities, an M1 helmet with foliage band, and web gear with magazine pouches at the waist. The M14 — introduced in 1957, built on the lines of the M1 Garand and chambered for the 7.62mm NATO round — was standard until the M16 replaced it. He pairs directly with the No.2 Marine carrying the M16, the two figures tracing the Corps' Vietnam from one rifle to the next, and stands in the long line of riflemen behind legends like Chesty Puller.

W. Britain model 13062. 1/30 scale (approximately 60mm), solid metal hand-painted in a matte finish. Single foot figure on a sculpted groundwork base. Supplied in original W. Britain packaging.