1:35 Canadian tank crew in Afganistan N°1

The real subject

A Canadian tank crew during service in Afghanistan, rendered in 1:35 scale. It is the crew that gives a scene with a modern armored vehicle the right scale: beside the vehicle you can see at once how high above the ground the hatch is, how narrow the opening of the turret is, and how differently a soldier sitting on the rim of a hatch holds himself from one standing on the ground. The number in the name tells the individual variants within the range apart, so a scene can be put together from several poses.

Preparing the parts

Cut the excess material off with a sharp blade a little away from the part and carefully sand the rest down, so as not to damage the edges of the equipment. Join the parts with a glue suitable for the material; on small figure parts super glue applied with the tip of a pin works well. Before painting, wash the figure in lukewarm water with a drop of detergent and let it dry thoroughly, as both primer and paint hold considerably better on a degreased surface.

Painting

Work from the large areas to the details: first the primer, then the uniform and the equipment, and finally the face and the hands. Shadows in the folds and highlights on the edges will do more for the result than an exactly matched shade, because the area of cloth is small at this scale and without contrast it merges into a single blob. Leave the face until the end, when you can already hold the figure by the finished parts, and work on it in good light.

Terms of supply

The item belongs among the figures for 1:35 scale and is intended to be painted and set into a scene. Paints, brushes, glue and other modeling aids are not supplied with it, unless stated otherwise.