online source for 1930s "Orient" uniforms?

[mikedemana]

Hi,

Anyone know of an online source for uniforms that would have been worn in the early 1930s in China, SE Asia, etc.?  I'd be looking for what U.S., British, German, French, South American, etc., sailors or embassy guards might have worn.  They're going to provide the muscle for the various factions in my 1930s Pulp games I getting started on.

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

Mike Demana

[argsilverson]

I am not sure if there is any source for the uniforms of the thirties. Anyhow most of the armies at that time used to have more generilised and similar uniforms.
In general sailors looked like the WW2 era sailors and tropical white these days was in general use. Most of the armies of the world, were already clad the various khaki uniforms. A good start point would be the early WW2 uniforms, noting that minor powers still copied the uniforms of the great powers of the day, mostly on the grounds of their political and commercial relations.
Another point is that even today south american armies present similarities to the great armies of the time. One point of interest is that some of them used to have german-alike helmets etc. This is also the case for the spanish army, who had for example a helmet of spanish design which has the shape of the german one.

As a starting point and understanding that you need some more colourful units I suggest to use:
US marines in blue/sky blue uniforms, like the ones used at beginning of the century, pulp figures germans with filed insignias etc. For a minor inspiration see :
 http://www.pulpfigures.com/new.php?custID=79167191651317031575
it is the conversion bob murch provides.
for the british of the time see the interwar section of LAF and GWP
http://gwargamesp.18.forumer.com/index.php?act=idx choosing
http://gwargamesp.18.forumer.com/index.php?s=b8febfcbff8a7851170d8c2afa1895fb&showforum=4
where you can find a host of information about the prewar uniforms.
SCW sites with uniforms also can give you some inspiration.
Info about South american armies is rather scarce and maybe some other members can give you more details on that.
Germans of the time it is easy to find. I would recommend those chaps by 'Pulp figures"  like those you can find here:
http://www.pulpfigures.com/cat.php?range=Wierd%20Menace&catalog=PWM&custID=79167191651317031575

Also, remember that many of the  minor powers of the time were very conservative and their armies still had WW1 vintage equipment with minor modifications. Another good inspirational thread is:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=29611.0
for making a south american army.

[mikedemana]

Thanks for the detailed response!  I will be checking out the links you provided.  I have a number of different miniatures already, I'm just trying to figure out which ones will work best...

Thanks!
Mike Demana

[argsilverson]

thanks.
If you need I can still try to help you with some more ideas.

BTW if you see the old movie "55 days at peking" the introduction is what you want but in 1900.
However I doubt that minor states had any embassy or consulate needed to be guarded. Even Spain in the above movie had only a couple of civilians as staff.

What I suggest is: Build some small forces for US, Britain, France maybe another force like Portugal or Spain and add a fictional southamerican force for spicing up. Note that US marines and soldiers carried at that time montana hats and tinhats, helmets similar to the british. According to tintin the Japanese also had tinhats around 1930. French used to have kepis and adrian helmets. Pulp era is also a good excuse to use some white russian as mercenaries just to help guarding one embassy or two.
If you fancy a turkish embassy you may use pulp figures (istanbul constabulary) and tiger miniatures balkan war turks, already outdated but never mind (you also may add some LAM miniatures)
I just noticed that you are in the US. Askari miniatures has some interwar/pulp french foreign legion.

A good inspiration for the era is the film "sand pebbles" and the various "san pablo" projects around the famous gunboat, like this one: http://bunkermeister.blogspot.com/2011/03/san-pablo.html
Good sources for her crew is again Pulp figures:
http://www.pulpfigures.com/cat.php?range=Americans&catalog=PYS&custID=79167191651317118887
and tiger miniatures:
http://tigerminiatures.co.uk/page8.htm
beware: they do not mix together. Tiger miniatures are larger and taller than Pulp.

[carlos marighela]

British troops would be mostly in khaki drill. Greybackshirts  were still worn, as were the old tunics until the very late 30s. Copplestone's British would be your best match for the 1930s. Indian troops had started to wear '08 Mills web equipment by the late 'twenties so head swaps onto suitable Brit bodies would be the best way ahead. Bear in mind that in China at least, during winter use was made of standard serge uniforms.

US troops can be sourced from Pulp, Brigade or OG. The summer uniform didn't alter that much between the early 1900s and 1941. All produce figures suitable for China, Mexico or Nicaragua.

Finding suitable French troops seems a little bit harder but I suspect the new Artizan FFL in helmets might help. From the mid 1930s the tropical helmet changed to more of a Wolsley style but even there you could just do head swaps with the Woodbine heads.

The only Italian troops in China were marines from the San Marco battalion. IIRC they wore a sort of naval rig in China, not sure but pictures of them in Abyssinia show them in khaki with solar toppees. I suspect the Empress Italians would fit the bill.

[mikedemana]

Thanks again.  I already own most the figs I'll probably need for this project.  I needed pictures, more than anything else, to select the proper ones to paint up.  Your links to pictures of miniatures that would be appropriately garbed are perfect!

Mike Demana