1:35 U.S.Dřevěné bedny na kondenzované mléko

A crate from long-life milk

Condensed milk was a basic item of supply during the war and it was carried in crates built for the weight of tins. A crate was therefore usually smaller and sturdier than the boxes for bulkier goods, with the battens set more closely together. In a scene it serves excellently as an accessory to a depot, an issue point or a loaded vehicle, and its size allows more pieces to be stacked on one another without the pile taking up half the base.

What damp does to a wooden model

This is the main difference from resin and it deserves attention before a brush is even picked up. Wooden veneer takes up atmospheric moisture and changes its dimension across the grain as it does, whereas along the grain it barely moves. A part moistened asymmetrically therefore bows and a glued corner opens. It is not only water in the paint that is dangerous: water-thinned washes, a plaster base and water-based glues add damp to a whole base for the whole time it is curing. The safeguard is to seal the wood with a thin primer on all sides before building and to paint in thin coats that have time to dry.

The material wants a different tool

The tabs holding the parts in the carrier are cut through with a sharp blade led along the grain. Pressure against the grain tears out a splinter that cannot be put back. Sanding needs to be very fine, because veneer is thin and coarse paper quickly turns an edge into a wedge.

Building a scene

The crates look best in a group and with a little disorder around them. When one lies crooked and another has its lid tipped open, the whole view gains movement at once.