1:35 Pacific Sherman turret base

1:35 Pacific Sherman turret base, a Black Dog diorama base

This set is not a tank kit but a diorama base in 1:35 scale from Black Dog. It is a section of terrain into which the turret of the American Sherman medium tank is built, in the setting of a Pacific battlefield. It serves as the foundation of a scene: you stand figures or small vehicles on it and build a whole composition around it.

The subject

During the Second World War the Sherman was the main medium tank of the US Army and the Marine Corps, and in the Pacific it was deployed in the landing operations on the individual islands. The terrain there was completely different from Europe: volcanic sand, coral gravel and dense tropical vegetation. Often only the turret of a knocked-out machine was left in the landscape, with nature quickly closing the space around it, and it is just such a composition that this base recalls. For a modeler it is a rewarding subject, because it sets rusty metal and lush greenery side by side.

Finishing tips

First clean and degrease the surface, so that a primer holds on it. Painting goes most easily from the darkest tones in the crevices to the light ones on the edges; a dry brush will bring out the texture of the terrain as well as the surface of the turret. Thin washes will add depth with rust and streaking, and pigments applied at the end will add dust and mud. Complete the vegetation according to your own idea, so that the scene does not look empty.

Who the base is for

• Modelers who want to give figures in 1:35 a setting rather than a bare plinth.
• Anyone interested in the war in the Pacific and American armored vehicles.
• Builders of small display-case scenes, where detail decides.
• Those who want to try weathering on terrain and on a vehicle at once.