1:35 Royal engineers modern pipe fascine for anti tank ditches

What the real thing is for

An antitank ditch stops a vehicle more reliably than a minefield, and that is why engineer equipment has always included a way of bridging one quickly. The classic fascine of withies has today given way to a bundle of thick-walled pipes lashed together into a cylinder. A vehicle carries it at the front or at the rear, drops it into the ditch and drives over it; the pipes are not crushed in the process and water can go on flowing through them. British engineers use this equipment on machines that advance at the head of a column and open the way for it.

What the set contains

An accessory in 1:35 scale representing this bundle of pipes. It is not a vehicle kit but a separate object that is fitted to a model of an engineer machine or laid into a scene as prepared material. The number of parts and the way it is fastened to a particular vehicle are given in the instructions supplied by the manufacturer.

Building and painting tips

Cut the excess material and the marks left by production away with a sharp blade a little way from the part and sand the remainder. Before painting, wash and degrease the part. Cyanoacrylate glue joins all the usual materials of accessory sets reliably. In color it pays to set the bundle apart from the vehicle: fresh pipes tend to be a single pronounced color, whereas a used piece is scuffed and clogged with soil. Build the mud from the bottom up and add shadow inside the pipes so that they do not read as flat.

• 1:35 scale, a bundle of pipes for filling in an antitank ditch
• British engineer equipment, modern pattern
• fitted to a model of an engineer vehicle or placed in a scene
• the way it is fastened is given in the manufacturer's instructions

Terms of supply

A vehicle model, paints and glue are not part of the delivery, unless stated otherwise.