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Band of Brothers "Field Pack" LE (Korea)
written by Juice / photos by Juice
One of the most famous Limited Editions out there, the Band of Brothers LE has images of it spread all over the web. It's time for SKULLFACE to take a good look at this LE, and see what makes it stand up there with some of the more recent, high-priced LEs that are being released.
Limited to 6000 copies, it's widely out of stock, but can be found if searched for. Priced in at the same amount as the R1 tin version, this LE sold fast and is still in hot demand.
Right away, we are hit with the attention to detail that this set holds. The entire package is wrapped in a heavy cotton "field pack", designed to mimic the gear worn by the soldiers showcased in Band of Brothers.
A strap that wraps around the set locks down by threading it through the front. Printed on the front is "Band of Brothers". This easily looks like it could sit on a soldiers hip and look absolutely realistic as some sort of carring pouch.
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| The flaps are wrapped over the middle of the box. The left flap holds recreations of authentic field maps given out to the American soldiers before Normandy, and something everyone wants and loves, a numbered LE certificate. The middle of the pack, under a fold that snaps shut, contains; the case holding the 6 DVDs, a booklet with images ranging from recreations of their gear to actual images of the soldiers in action, and a Top Secret folder which houses recreates of leaflets given out to both the Axis and Allies before and during the American invastion. On the right side of the set, tucked under a pouch, are Band of Brothers dogtags. A ton of incredible extras fill this set. |
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Tucked into the main pouch is our case the 6 DVDs are held in. The case is made out of our standard heavy stock paper. The cover has a quote, the Airborne seal, and informs us that this is the LE version. The paper is textured, which matches the texture of the fabric of the field pack. Opening up the box, we see that it folds almost in half. Images adorn both sides, as does an embossed Spade symbol, the Band of Brothers regiment symbol. Excellent detail work, even on this case. Folding the case open again, we are treated with a great spread. The background is a recreation of the Normandy coastline map, which was given to officeres before the battle. The full recreation of this map is included elsewheres in the set. Directly in front of us is the true case that the DVDs are kept in. They are held down by a khaki strap and buckle. On the left side we have a pouch, which holds a excellent book. The book showcases a ton of information, if only it was in English! Still, the imagery of the regiment insignia, hardware recreations, costume recreations, weapon lists, images of actual battlefields, stills from the movie, etc. are incredibly interesting. |
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| Resting behind the DVD case is a manilla folder with the words "TOP SECRET" emblasoned across the front in red letters. It comes complete with a tie string to hold it shut. Inside rest a bunch of recreated fliers, informational sheets, propoganda sheets, and maps. There is a small peice of paper that numbers and lists each of the fliers included in the Top Secret folder. They are all exact recreations, and even come on different types and weights of paper. Amazing stuff, it's incredible to read the fliers passed out to the French warning them to leave their homes, and the fliers passed out to the American soldiers trying to boost their morale while letting them know many of them would not survive. The attention to detail with the recreated maps is fantastic, and even though there are only a few, you can sit down and look over them and discuss them for hours with your friends. They impressed me so much that I originally began to take a picture of each one, but realized that I was going a bit overboard with the shots on this set. Suffice to say, the contents of the Top Secret folder are wonderful. |
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| Let's not forget the left side of this set! There we have, again under a nice snapped fold, two maps and the LE certificate. The LE cert is printed on thick paper, with the number printed at the bottom. There are also two maps, both doubled sided and oversized. They have a map on one side, showing the plan of attack, stronghold information, hand written notes about mine placement, deep water, etc. It's amazing to see that these maps were really used, and how much responsibility the officers had. On the back side of the maps is a list of information that was important for the attack. Everything from beach gradients, to plotted tidal stages and how strong the currents were at specific times of the month and day. Again, absolutely amazing to see how much information went into coordinating this invasion. |
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There is little doubt
why this set is so highly revered by collectors. The quality of it is
top notch, the attention to design and detail is incredible, and the extras
are fantastic and match the mini-series perfectly.
- Juice's Verdict -
- Build
Quality: 10 -
The stitching is dead on, the buckles wear nicely, the booklets
are top notch. There is nothing wrong with this set!
- Content
and Extras: 9.5 -
Not only does this LE come with a great amount of extras, they're
incredible extras, showcasing incredible content. If the book had been
in english, this would get a 10.
- Overall
Rating: 9.5 -
If you are a fan of military history, then get this set. If you
enjoyed BoB and have the tin, sell the tin and get this set. If you like
well made and stylish LEs, get this set. Get this set!
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