Engineers come in all shapes and sizes, militarily. We often use the term for assault troops armed with specialist weapons such as flame throwers or who are equipped to break through hardened defences or clear mines … or built positions and/or lay mines.
Engineers build bridges, fix things (and break things) manage decontaminations and of course deal with wire … emplacing or removing …
Not all of these are strictly engineering … but are all part of a range of technical support services that expand or enhance what the basic soldiers can do.
For operational games it is useful to have markers or distinctive figure groups that show which troops can employ these extra technical skills and perhaps have access to special equipment.
My ‘go to’ figure for engineer capabilities in 15mm is a stormtrooper carrying wire from Peter Pig’s WWI German range. With a suitable head swap.
(Red Army engineers on a stick for painting … and finished: the men with wire are bottom left and 4th from the right)
The other figures are adapted to be carrying tools … axes, spades etc.
These figures are mostly to make up 4-figure ‘work parties’ …
Additionally, I want some motorised engineer battalions to add into mechanised divisions and I decided to represent these the same as I have represented similar German formations … in a truck with an extra base available if necessary to represent them deployed as fighting troops.
(work parties and trucks)
I decided to make the engineer’s trucks distinguishable from other generic trucks by adding the frequently seen A-frame hoist on the back of the vehicles …
(hoists made from alloy tubing and brass wire being added to Peter Pig resin Gaz AAA trucks)
This simple bit of modelling was finished by using modelling putty to indicate the brackets and rollers etc.
(finishing details and adding figures)
(trucks, work parties and combat-deployed bases textured in and ready for the vehicles etc. to be painted)
Prominent amongst the figures are some of Peter Pig‘s new Assault Troops in body armour – a very welcome addition.
(Soviet Assault Troops in body armour)
(Peter Pig Assault Troops in body armour)
I think they look the part.
Anyway, here are some photos of the finished figures and trucks
The final batch of work parties:
The guys at the front are a work party for a trains unit (hence carrying a section of rail) and the chaps with blue trousers are to go in the cavalry division.
I either made the added tools or raided them from a pack Donnington do as part of a Medieval camp. Whether you can get the pack of tools separately I don’t know (maybe try having a nice word with Damien).
(Red Army T26s refuelling from a tanker)
P.B.Eye-Candy 