1:32 German WWI Oxygen Generator A&H 1918 (Large)

The bulky form of the oxygen outfit

Of the three dimensions offered this is the largest, as follows from the designation in the name. Besides the equipment of a cockpit it suits as a prop for an airfield scene too, where such vessels stood by a hangar or on a cart. The machine itself is not part of the item; you are buying a standalone component.

The support without which high flights could not be made

Supplying oxygen meant a whole chain of operations at a frontline airfield: bringing the vessels in, storing them in the shade, checking the fittings and filling them before the start. That is exactly why photographs have survived in which these cylinders lie under a tarpaulin or mechanics roll them to an aircraft. For a modeler this is a welcome way to fill an empty area of a base with something that has a story. The vessels were moreover marked according to their contents, so that the crew would not mistake the gas, and their surface quickly rubbed against the wood of carts and against the ground.

Ideas for using the part

• stand it upright against the side wall of a cockpit
• lay a pair of pieces on a wooden rack by a hangar
• complete it with a cart and a figure of a mechanic
• use it as a strong element in the foreground of a scene
• leave it leaning against a crate with tools

Painting and surface

Cylindrical surfaces take a darker base with a fine transition of shade from the top down, which suggests the curvature. Rubbing around the neck and dried traces left by the hands of the crew turn a smooth component into a used object. Leave the descriptive labels only suggested, so that in a reduction they do not look coarse.