1:35 British crew Defender Wolf Afghanistan

The crew of the Defender Wolf, a 1:35 set

The set of the crew of the British Defender Wolf vehicle in 1:35 scale from Black Dog follows on from the single figures of the same line, but the name speaks of a crew, that is of several figures at once. The manufacturer does not specify the exact composition.

A manned vehicle changes the whole scene

A vehicle with a full crew tells a different story from a model parked empty. A division of roles arises, with one driving, one looking around and one watching the rear, and the viewer understands at once that the group is on the move. It works especially well with open off-road vehicles, where the figures are visible in full and neither a roof nor side panels hide them.

Fitting the set into the model

With a multi-figure set the order of work decides the outcome. First lay all the figures out dry and only then deal with the paint, otherwise it can happen that two of them compete for the same spot. Mix the base shades of the equipment for all the figures together so that the group looks consistent, and leave the differences rather to the skin tone and to small details. Apply the dust only once they are seated, so that it follows on from the vehicle model. One last thing that gets forgotten: check the relative height of the figures once they are standing in their places, because a difference of a few tenths of a millimeter is surprisingly conspicuous in a finished scene.

Who the set suits

• Modelers building modern British hardware
• Collectors of figure sets in 1:35 scale
• Those who want a vehicle manned by several figures at once
• Builders of scenes from the Afghan deployment