1:35 US soldier patrol in Iraq

US soldier on patrol in Iraq 1:35 (Black Dog)

A figure in 1:35 scale from the figure range of Black Dog. The name sets it into patrol work during the Iraq deployment, a subject built on movement. That gives a diorama a different dynamic from a static stance beside a vehicle, and at the same time it makes different demands on building the base.

Patrol as a motif

A foot patrol is a repeated routine, not an exceptional event. That is exactly why it models well: it has no strained expression, but it has direction. Once the viewer can tell where the figure is coming from and going to, the scene starts to work even without further elements. It helps to suggest the destination of the movement, perhaps a passage between walls or the end of a curb at the edge of the base, so that the movement does not end in a void.

A base that supports the movement

With a walking figure the groundwork is half the result. A rectangular base laid with its longer side along the direction of the walk supports the movement, while a square one holds it back. It pays to split the surface into at least two materials, for example cracked asphalt and a band of windblown sand at the shoulder. Apply wear and dust more heavily to the footwear and the trouser legs, and only suggest it higher up. One last small thing that changes a great deal: leave a slight build-up of material around the feet so that the figure does not look stuck onto the board.

Suitable uses

• Vignettes with a moving figure in a street setting
• Completing a patrol scene beside a wheeled vehicle model
• Collections of figures of modern deployments in 1:35 scale
• Practice in working with a base and the transition between surfaces