WWII British mechanics / engineers

Most British WW2 figures seem to be tank crew or Infantry. Miniart has a set of Royal Engineers but they are all looking for mines. Not sure what sort of scene you are looking for. But there are a couple in this Bronco AFV crew set that might work.

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/bronco-cb35098-afv-crew--134365

Cheers Bish, 

Got bogged down with idea of mechanics at work , spotted the guy with a cuppa. Stopping for a brew would flesh out the image I have in mind much the same way. Great how a certain kit can grab the imagination and this forum and it's members can incourage movement out of the comfort zone. 

Look at Resicast and Ultracast figures. They do lots of Resin 1/35 commonwealth troops. While most are combat arms types, they have some that are more relaxed and would work. 

Here is a Resicast figure set that might work...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Resicast-1-35-British-Tank-Crew-in-Denims-Repairing-Tracks-3-Figures-355551/202367929092?hash=item2f1e118b04:g:XYwAAOSwuehbR5CU:sc:USPSFirstClass!90046!US!-1

Thanks Stik, 

I've gone with the Bronco set and a figure from LZ Models. Which ever way this turns out I'll post pictures. 

This thread made me wonder-apart from specialist equipment, and insignia, how much visible difference would there be, between the average Tommy and a combat engineer?  That is, would it be an easy conversion to get the regular infantry figures that are out there, and modify them as necessary?

the Baron

This thread made me wonder-apart from specialist equipment, and insignia, how much visible difference would there be, between the average Tommy and a combat engineer?  That is, would it be an easy conversion to get the regular infantry figures that are out there, and modify them as necessary?

 

Not too much. They will be in whatever uniform is appropriate for the theater of operations and time of year. A combat engineer is going to wear field gear close to what the infantry wears. Helmets will be worn when near the front lines, and unit appropriate head gear in places not requiring the “tin hat”.

stikpusher

 

the Baron

This thread made me wonder-apart from specialist equipment, and insignia, how much visible difference would there be, between the average Tommy and a combat engineer?  That is, would it be an easy conversion to get the regular infantry figures that are out there, and modify them as necessary?

 

 

Not too much. They will be in whatever uniform is appropriate for the theater of operations and time of year. A combat engineer is going to wear field gear close to what the infantry wears. Helmets will be worn when near the front lines, and unit appropriate head gear in places not requiring the “tin hat”.

 

That's pretty much what I figured-no pun intended, but I'll take it.

That's probably true of combat engineers in every army since the beginning of the 20th century.  You have to go back to the mid- and early 19th century, to find engineering troops with uniforms that had significant details different from the infantry.

I think of the aprons, for example, and the grenadier caps, or fusilier-style caps, that were used in many European armies to identify such specialists.

In the German armies, they were known as "Zimmerleute"-carpenters, as well as "Pionniers" (a word borrowed from the French).

Officers were "Ingenieurs"; in the Prussian army, they were considered distinct from the infantry and cavalry officers, as semi-civilian specialists.  They were allowed to wear distinctive laced waistcoats, long after it was banned to the others, as a sign of their status.

Yes, and when armies went to common earth tone cloth uniforms, those distinctive items went away in the field. I can only speak for US Army troops, but from that point on, it was pretty much just branch of service collar brass and uniform piping that set them apart in uniform that displayed such items. Nowadays, there is a “Sapper” tab worn by US Army combat engineers who have graduated that particular course. (Everybody wants a tab and combat badge nowadays)

But even looking  the D-Day assault troops, aside from helmet markings and shoulder patches, you would be hard pressed to tell apart the Engineers from the Infantry in the initial landing assault waves.