Someone had to be first, and in the American squad that someone was the scout. "Scout" was not a rank or a specialty — it was a job handed to one or two of the squad's steadiest, most experienced riflemen, who walked ahead of everyone else as the eyes of the advance. The lead scout's task was as simple as it was terrifying: move out front, watch and listen, and find the enemy — often by being the first one shot at. He drew the fire that told the squad where the danger lay, and then it was on him to spot it, take cover, and point it out before it killed him. It was among the most dangerous roles a rifleman could draw, and it usually fell to the men most trusted to survive it.

The scout presses forward at the front, M1 Garand held low and ready, pack on his back and the 2nd Division patch on his shoulder — a rifleman out ahead of the pack, watching. Place him where he belongs, several steps in front of the others: the Sergeant who sent him out, the Advancing Rifleman and the rest of the squad following his lead, and the Sniper he would team with as a second pair of eyes. In a diorama, spacing tells the story: put the scout well forward and a static group of figures suddenly reads as a squad advancing into the unknown.

Model: DD404 / King & Country / 1/30 (60mm) scale / matte finish / 1 piece set