1:48 British tank helmet

1:48 British armored vehicle crew helmet - an accessory for figures

A modeling accessory of its own in 1:48 scale: a casting of the British helmet meant for the crews of armored vehicles. It is not a kit or a finished figure but a single small object with which you alter a figure of a tank crewman or fill out a diorama scene, for example a helmet set down on the turret or on a fender.

The real subject

The helmets of armored vehicle crews differ from infantry ones in shape and in purpose. They are not meant to protect against splinters from a distance but above all against knocks inside a cramped fighting compartment, and that is why they have a smaller, more compact shell with no wide brim that would get in the way in a hatch. That is exactly why mixing one up with an infantry helmet is so noticeable on a model: a figure of a tank crewman in an ordinary helmet looks wrong at once. The 1:48 scale is rewarding with British vehicles: the model takes up less room, but the details of the crew are still visible on it.

Building and painting tips

A casting in 1:48 scale is really small, so separate it from the casting block with a saw or a sharp knife and work over a surface where the part is easy to find again. Wash a resin part in lukewarm water with detergent before painting and glue it with cyanoacrylate glue; a plastic one is joined with ordinary modeling cement. Wet-sand and do so with respiratory protection. Apply a primer and then only very weak coats of paint: at this scale a thick coat floods the shape at once. Choose the shade according to the unit and the period. A light dark wash and fine drybrushing of the edges will pull the detail out; finish the surface with a matte varnish.

Who the set is for

• Builders of British armored vehicles in 1:48 scale
• Modelers who alter figures of crews
• Diorama builders who want equipment set down in a scene
• More experienced modelers working with very small castings

The accessory is supplied unassembled and unpainted. The figure, glue, paints and other accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.