1:35 US krevní konzervy

Eight containers and one small scene

A set of eight identical containers hands the modeler a rhythm. Identical objects set side by side form a row that leads the eye in one direction, whereas split into two unequal little heaps they look as though somebody had just been working with them. The second option is almost always the better one: perfect alignment is a rarity even in an army, and on a diorama it looks artificial. One piece knocked over or pushed aside does more for credibility than all the rest of the package.

Supplying the wounded

Transporting and cooling blood units was a logistical task on which the survival of the wounded far from hospitals depended. The containers therefore belong near dressing stations, ambulances and landing strips, that is where the combat part of a scene ends and the rear area begins. Set them by the rear doors of a vehicle or in the shade of a tent and the scene gains an explanation of why people are converging there.

Painting and markings

The decals carry a decisive share of the result. An unmarked container is just an anonymous little box; only the lettering and the symbol turn it into medical material that the viewer recognizes. A gloss base belongs under a decal so that no white edges form around the film, and once it is dry a matte overcoat follows. It works well to bring the metal parts out with a fine rub on the edges, because containers that get carried chip first exactly where hands and the side of a vehicle press against them. The containers also benefit from being raised slightly on a board or a tarpaulin, because nobody would set material like that straight into the mud.