1:35 German soldier with accordion+officer WW I

An accordion player and an officer, the First World War, 1:35

A resin figure set from Black Dog capturing a scene behind the Western Front. Two figures are given in the name: a German soldier with an accordion and a German officer. The whole point of the set rests on the relationship between them, so it is meant to be built into one composition rather than separately.

The motif of music in a wartime scene

An accordion was among the few things that could be taken along and still break the monotony of long waiting. That is exactly why it is a rewarding subject: it brings into a diorama a moment of respite that otherwise reaches a military scene only with difficulty. The set suits a scene behind the lines, a field kitchen, a rest beside a parked vehicle or the ruins of a village.

How to work with the castings

First wash the parts in lukewarm soapy water so that the residue of the mold release agent disappears; without that the base coat will not take. Cut off the casting blocks with a fine saw rather than with nippers, because resin cracks. Join the parts with cyanoacrylate glue, fill the seams with putty and spray the surface with primer; only over a uniform ground will you see what still needs sanding. The finest work waits on the faces and on the bellows of the accordion, where thin glazes and a final emphasis with a dry brush pay off.

Who the set suits

• builders of dioramas from the 1914 to 1918 period
• modelers looking for a quiet moment in a scene instead of combat
• figure painters interested in the detail of faces and hands
• collectors in 1:35 scale with an appetite for an atypical subject