1:35 British soldier Christmas truce WW I

A British soldier, the Christmas Truce, 1:35 scale

A standalone figure cast in resin, from the figure range of Black Dog. The name places it at one particular moment of the First World War, the Christmas Truce. It is an accessory for a scene being built, sold singly, so you put the surrounding composition together to your own intention.

The historical background of the scene

At the turn of 1914 a short informal lull in the firing occurred on several sectors of the Western Front. The men came out of their shelters into the ground between the positions, exchanged small items and carried away the fallen. For a diorama it is an unusually rewarding subject, because the scene rests not on combat but on a meeting. The figure itself therefore shows best at the moment when you place the other side opposite it and leave open space between them.

Painting the woolen uniform

British field cloth of the period comes off best as a muted khaki tone with no gloss at all. Work from a dark base toward brightened edges of the folds so that the fabric gains volume; a matte varnish at the end unifies the surface and suppresses the reflections that give away every unevenness on figures at this scale. Acknowledge winter mud on the boots and the lower part of the trouser legs; pigments or a thicker earthy wash applied only to the bottom third of the figure suit well.

Who the figure is for

• for scenes of trench warfare on the Western Front
• for modelers who build a diorama from individually bought figures
• for anyone interested in painting faces and woolen textiles
• for collectors of figures in 1:35 scale