1:35 Gefreiter Signals 1941

A figure of the signals service in the year 1941

A single figure in the large military scale from the manufacturer Royal Model, set according to the name in 1941 and with the signals service. The rank of Gefreiter corresponds roughly to a private first class, that is a more experienced soldier without non-commissioned authority. In a scene it comes in useful wherever it is to be apparent that a headquarters is keeping in touch with the advancing units.

Nachrichtentruppe: what signalmen dealt with

The signals troops provided the transmission of orders and reports between staffs, the artillery and the fighting units. Besides radio sets they worked mainly with the field telephone and with kilometers of cable, which was unreeled from drums and wound back up again during a retreat. The equipment included headsets, portable switchboards and line-laying tools, and the operators tended to be drawn from infantry as well as motorized units. The year the name carries meant enormous distances and improvisation for this branch, because the length of the lines grew faster than the stocks of material.

Painting and setting it into a scene

The kit of the early period tends to be richer in color and better tailored than the later variants, and the coloring matches that. It pays to set the headsets, the cables and the bags apart in tone as well as in sheen: rubber completely matte, leather semi-matte, metal with a hint of reflection. Around the figure a reel of cable run along the ground or hung on a post looks credible, because one small extra object often explains what the figure is actually doing.

Where the figure fits

• a scene at a command post or a staff car
• dioramas from the first year of the fighting in the east
• a showcase for a less usual military specialization
• a display case with figures of the early phase of the war

Neither the finish nor the gluing is done in advance, and the package does not include the materials needed.