1:35 Winter War 1939-40 - Finnish Army - Old Soldier with Reindeer

Winter War 1939-40, Finnish soldier with a reindeer, 1:35, Toro Model

A resin set in 1:35 scale depicting an older Finnish soldier accompanied by a reindeer, a typical scene from the northern winter landscape of the turn of 1939 and 1940. It is not a kit of a piece of equipment but a figural addition to a diorama. The castings are supplied unpainted and unassembled.

Uniform and gear

The figure is rendered in winter clothing with a warm cap and an outer coat, completed by personal gear. In the north the reindeer served as a draft and pack animal in terrain where motor transport failed; the pairing of figure and animal therefore gives a diorama an immediately readable story and a sense of scale. The combination of a person and an animal is also rewarding compositionally, as it creates a natural diagonal around which the rest of the scene can be built, for instance a snowy plain with sparse growth.

Building and painting tips

Wash the parts in lukewarm soapy water and remove the casting blocks with a saw or a knife; sand resin with respiratory protection. They are glued with cyanoacrylate glue. After the primer, paint the winter clothing in warm muted tones and build the reindeer's coat up from a darker base through a dry brush to light tips of the hair. For the snow in the diorama, a texture paste or modeling snow works well, with a gloss medium added where a frozen crust is wanted; dust the edges of the boots and the hooves with pigments.

Who the set is for

• Builders of winter dioramas of the northern front
• Modelers looking for an unusual figural motif with an animal
• Collectors of resin figures in 1:35 scale
• More experienced modelers used to working with resin

The figures are supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.