1:35 US paratroopers before jump set

A group of paratroopers before the jump, a 1:35 set

A figure set in resin from Black Dog. The plural and the word marking a set in the name say that this is a multi-figure box, not a single figure. The theme is the moment before the jump, when the men have their complete equipment on them.

What the set solves as a scene

A group of waiting men is one of the few views where stillness is not a disadvantage. The tension comes from nothing happening: the figures stand, they wait and the viewer knows what is coming. The set therefore completes a diorama with a transport aircraft, a dispersal apron or a truck well, but it also stands up as a composition of its own on a small base. When arranging them, leave unequal gaps between the figures; a regular interval looks like a muster rather than waiting.

Assembly and a consistent finish

Clean the mold release agent off the castings and cut the blocks off with a saw; with a multi-figure set it pays to mark the parts as soon as they come out, so that they do not get mixed up. Paint the figures one at a time, but all of them from the same palette and the same base, or they will fall apart into inconsistent colors within the group. Provide the small differentiation only through the degree of wear: one figure dirtied more, another less. Apply the final matte varnish to the whole arrangement at once, so that every figure has an identical surface.

Suitable for

• modelers building a scene with several figures at once
• dioramas with a transport aircraft or an airfield apron
• anyone interested in a view built on waiting rather than on action
• collectors of figure sets in 1:35 scale