1:35 '40 - French Cavalry Officer

1:35 French Cavalry Officer from Dynamo-Models

A figure set from Dynamo-Models in 1:35 scale out of the range the name marks with the year 40, that is the period of the French campaign of 1940. The same manufacturer writes the same period with the full year 1940 on its other sets, so the reading is unambiguous. The figure is a French Cavalry Officer, an officer of the French cavalry. It is a diorama accessory, not a vehicle kit.

The real subject

The French cavalry of 1940 was in transition: alongside classic cavalry units there were already units with armored and motorized vehicles, so very different images hid behind one term. An officer figure is therefore rewarding in a scene - the gesture and the stance of a commander give the scene a focus and allow further figures or vehicles to be arranged around it. The numbered figures of the French cavalry stand in the same sub-range of the brand, so they can be lined up side by side.

Tips for painting and placing in the scene

If you paint the figure yourself, work from the khaki palette of the French army of 1940 and make sure that the shades of the cloth and of the leather equipment differ clearly - it is precisely the contrast of leather against cloth that makes a figure readable. Officers' distinctions tend to lie in the details, so it pays off to pick them out with a fine brush and a discreet lightening of the edges. Apply the undercoat in thin layers so that the sharp features of the face are preserved. Before settling it into the scene, check whether the stance suits the terrain and the surrounding figures.

Who the set is for

• modelers building a scene from the French campaign of 1940
• anyone interested in a command figure as the focus of a scene
• collectors of the Dynamo-Models figure range in 1:35
• builders of dioramas with French vehicles of the same period