Period: Eagle Eyes
Dates: 1981-c.83
Cat No: Various
The Royal Engineers was introduced in 1981 and is perhaps a more authentic attempt at a life-like battledress than the British Infantryman of the previous years - because of the detailed plastic webbing. It came with a non-working mine detector, but no metal mines to find like before! He was equipped with the soldier's favourite Lee Enfield Rifle and a 'commando knife' for helping dig out mines.
ACTION MAN ROYAL ENGINEER: Battledress jacket, trousers, helmet, scarf, plastic webbing, water bottle, Lee Enfield rifle, commando knife, scabbard, mine detector, information leaflet. Equipment Manual.
The Royal Engineer is one of the most attractive of later uniforms. As the mine detector did not work, the base of the detection head is very different to the preceding Mine Detection set of the 1960s. The weak joint issue still had no been address and as a result, many of these pieces are broken. The scarf (or 'muffler') is a nylon period issue and found in other sets of the period. The webbing belt can break at the buckle (like all plastic webbings) and the canteen was not silver, but a bottle green with this issue. The 'commando knife' and scabbard was held withing this webbing set. The battledress is of a thin material and the trousers have elasticated ankles. The 'current' Action Man in 1981 was the dynamic body Eagle Eyes figure.