1:35 Courland / Kurland # 1. Tigers and Halftracks.

Courland / Kurland, Tigers and half-track vehicles in 1:35 scale

A decal set from the Star Decals brand in 1:35 scale. According to the name it focuses on German Tiger heavy tanks and on half-track vehicles deployed in Courland, that is in the western part of present-day Latvia. This is not a kit or a plastic accessory but printed markings, which you transfer onto a finished and painted model yourself.

The theater

After the Soviet breakthrough to the Baltic in the autumn of 1944 the Courland area found itself cut off from the rest of the front, and the fighting there carried on until the very end of the war in Europe. The equipment deployed therefore differed from that of the units on the main front. Formations isolated over a long period received replacements irregularly, and on their vehicles a mixture of older and later ways of marking held on, including painted-over numbers and overlaid insignia. The Tiger was a less usual and all the more conspicuous type in this area, while half-track vehicles made up the everyday backbone of reconnaissance, liaison and infantry movement.

How to work with the decals

The markings stand out on a smooth and glossy base. A matte surface from an airbrush holds a decal less well and a pale frame easily appears under its edge. The proven procedure is to go over the place with gloss varnish, seat the marking, press it into the relief with a softener once it has dried and finally unify the whole model with a matte varnish. Press a decal onto large rivets and welds with a soft brush, not with a finger. Always proceed according to the manufacturer's directions on the packaging.

Who the set suits

• builders of German equipment of the Eastern Front in 1:35 scale
• modelers who want to place a vehicle in a particular area rather than in a generic camouflage
• dioramas from the last months of the war in the Baltic
• as an accessory to models of the Tiger and of half-track carriers