1:35 GERMAN WEHRMACHT JERRY CANS

The real subject

The German standard twenty-liter jerrycan is among the most widespread small items of the Second World War. You recognize it at first glance: three handles side by side on the top, cross-shaped stiffening ribs on the sides and a lever closure on the filler neck. The design was so successful that the Allies copied it, and in English they named it after the period nickname for German soldiers. On vehicles it hung in holders on the fenders, at the rear and on the side panels, and hardly any period photograph manages without one.

Where the set comes into its own

Jerrycans belong on vehicles and off them: in the holders on a bed, in a heap at a field workshop, beside a figure topping up fuel, or simply in the corner of a scene so that it does not look empty. It is exactly such small things that separate a model built strictly to the instructions from a model that looks like a machine in service. In 1:35 scale the cans are already large enough for the markings and the wear to show on them.

Building and painting tips

Cut the excess material and the traces of manufacture off with a sharp blade a little way from the part and sand the remainder back. Wash and degrease the parts before painting. Choose the base shade according to the vehicle the cans will be on, and bring the ribbing out with a dark glaze run into the hollows. Battered edges and rust at the bottom give the cans their age. The particular method of preparing the parts is given in the manufacturer's instructions.

• 1:35 scale, German Wehrmacht jerrycans
• an accessory to vehicle models and to a diorama, not a kit
• it suits the holders on a vehicle and a small detail in a scene
• the number of pieces and the version are given in the manufacturer's instructions

Terms of supply

The vehicle model, figures, paints and glue are not included in the delivery, unless stated otherwise.