1:35 Německý hrnec na menáž

Hot food right up to the forward edge

The field kitchen stood at a safe distance behind the line and the food reached the men in position in closed containers that carriers dragged the last stretch on foot, usually in the dark and with snipers in mind. A pair of such containers by a trench, on the bed of a supply truck or stacked beside a cauldron reveals more about the rear of a unit than another weapon does, because the ability to feed your own men decided the fighting value just as much as ammunition did. The moments around the handing out of food were also one of the few times the men from different squads came together.

The set for 1:35 scale holds two pots. The pair is practical: one can be set up closed and the other open with a ladle leaning against the rim, which makes it immediately clear in the scene that food is being handed out and a line of men is forming around it. Mess tins and canteens are worth placing beside them, so that the scene does not stand on a single object.

A surface with traces of use

Kitchen containers never stayed clean in the field. Complement a dark gray or olive base therefore with greasy smears under the lid, with dried traces of overflow on the side and with wear down to bare metal where the container knocked against equipment and the sides of a truck.

It is a good idea to darken the inside into a brown tone, otherwise an open container looks empty. The handles take a richer shade than the shell, because a carrier gripped them on every journey, and it is precisely on them that the wear shows most. Do not forget the small dents either; thin sheet metal bent at every fall to the ground.