Preview: Miniart looking for more bang for your buck with 35th scale Royal Engineers, Special Edition
Royal Engineers. Special Edition
from MiniArt
Kit No #35292
1:35th scale
The kit contains four figures, weapons, mines, detectors equipment & decals
The subject: Corps of Royal Engineers
Formed in 1716, this corps helps keep the British Army in the field by providing engineering and technical support. Known as ‘Sappers’, Royal Engineers have served in all of the British Army’s campaigns.
Formed in 1716, this corps helps keep the British Army in the field by providing engineering and technical support. Known as ‘Sappers’, Royal Engineers have served in all of the British Army’s campaigns.
Two sappers sweeping for mines in the aftermath of the 8th Army's attack on Rommel's forces in Egypt, 1942
During WWI, the British Royal Engineers duties expanded into tunnelling, trench-building, forestry, quarrying, gas warfare, inland water transport, aerial survey, topographical photography and camouflaging techniques. Given these wide-ranging tasks, it is not surprising that the Royal Engineers expanded from about 25,000 men in 1914 to 315,000 in 1918.
The Kit: Royal Engineers. Special Edition
The Special edition kit also adds mines, mine detectors, infantry weapons and the soldier's equipment with extra sprues.
Royal Engineers with a mine detector, Middle East, 1942
Many of these roles continued during the Second World War (1939-45). But new roles were also added, including bomb disposal, mine clearance, airfield construction, laying Bailey bridges, and the use of tanks adapted for battlefield engineering known as AVREs (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers). Engineers also helped build and operate the Mulberry Harbour during the Normandy campaign (1944).
British Army sappers clearing a beachfront in Normandy (1944)
Mine detectors were introduced for the purpose of mine clearance from 1942 onwards. The mine-clearing teams consisted of six men, comprising a detector operator and assistant, a marking tape layer, a controller and two reserves. The teams could advance at the rate of three metres a minute. By the Second World War, land mines had largely replaced barbed wire as the principle defensive military obstacle
This new kit from MiniArt contains four figures of Royal engineers, although these could be used as any commonwealth nation as long as they wore the regular outfit of the "Tommy" of WWII. The kit is actually an adaptation of their earlier kit, number #35083 "British Royal Engineers". That kit had the figures and their mine detectors.
The original #35083 "British Royal Engineers" this kit is based on
The sprues of this kit - The figures:
Round mines are included in this kit in three different types.
Two sprues of equipment of Commonwealth equipment is included, ammunition and utility pouches, bayonet & knives, three types of helmet are included.
Three types of Lee Enfield .303 are included on the weapons sprue as well as ammo pouches for the gun.
Mine warning posts signs, shovels, ground prodding spike and mine detector with counterweight is included.
This kit is due next month. See more about all of MiniArt's kits on their website...
New MiniArt Kits Available September 2021:
Status Changed – Again Available:
