1:35 U.S. Infantry 36th Engineer Combat Regiment

A soldier of an American engineer regiment in 1:35

This figure from the Italian workshop of Royal Model captures a member of the infantry of an American engineer combat regiment, whose number the name of the item gives. Collector's figures of this type tend to be the element in a diorama that decides the nationality, the period and the mood of a whole scene, even when the vehicles around them are neutral in themselves.

Engineer combat regiments of the American army

Engineer combat regiments were not rear-area units. They built and repaired bridges, roads and crossings, cleared mines, carried out demolitions and, when necessary, fought as infantry, because they were armed and trained accordingly. It is exactly this combination of tools and rifle that makes depicting them a rewarding subject, since a figure can carry both at once. The kit included a steel helmet, work clothing of sturdy cotton or a field blouse, a belt with support straps and bags for small equipment.

Tips on the finish

American olive differed a great deal in practice according to wear and the number of washes, so feel free to mix the various pieces of equipment in different tones. Dust on the trouser legs and the boots gives the impression of work in the field, and a fine pigment or a dry brush in a light earth tone suits that. Leave the metal parts of the tools dark and suggest polishing only on the edges, where the metal really does get burnished.

What kind of scene it suits

• building a bridge, a passage through a minefield, repairing a road
• accompanying American vehicles and armor
• a subject that appears less often among figures
• a display case devoted to Allied units

Supplied without paint and unassembled; all the modeling materials have to be obtained separately.