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A kennel by the gate as the sign of an inhabited yard

Kennels stood by the gate, by the barn or under the windows of the dwelling house, and they varied according to what was at hand: boards from a crate, a piece of sheet metal on the roof, a chain driven into a beam. In a wartime scene such an object carries a special meaning. By it the viewer works out that somebody was still farming here not long ago, and the contrast between everyday life and the vehicles that drove into the yard gives the scene a tension that cannot be achieved with the best-built vehicle.

The set holds three resin parts and laser cut wooden parts, from which the kennel is assembled.

The joint between two materials

The combination of a casting and wood has one weak point, and that is where the two surfaces meet. Resin is smooth, wood is porous, so the joint stays visible even after gluing. Apply modeling putty into it with a brush dipped in thinner and wipe the surplus off before it dries; sanding would tear up the porous side. Anyone who wants to avoid filling can own the joint as a transition between boards and sheet metal and scratch it out with a blade into a gap through which the darkness of the interior shows.

Wood and a casting soak up paint differently, so first unify both parts with a thin coat of primer from a spray can.

Do not seat the kennel on a flat area. Prop it on one side with a small stone so that it leans, and add a little trodden soil with a worn circle around the foot. It is precisely the traces of use that turn a model into an object that really served somebody every day.