1:35 Scammell Tank Transporter Crew in North Africa #2 - Gunman Sitting

A second seated gunman figure for the Scammell tractor

This resin part in 1:35 scale represents another of the crew of the British tank transporter operating in North Africa. In the range of numbered variants it is the second figure; together with the driver and the observing crew member it will fill the cab and the area around the vehicle.

Who rode on the tank transporters

Moving and delivering armored equipment was the business of the supply and workshop services in the British army, not of the tank regiments. The crews of the transporters spent long hours on moves between the fighting line and the repair shops in the rear, often at night and without escort. The crew kept a weapon to hand mainly because of aircraft and chance encounters in the open desert, not for close combat.

Tips on shades and weathering

Take the mold flash off with a scalpel drawn across the surface; resin is softer than plastic and it is easy to cut away more than is good. When painting, start from the flesh and work outward to the clothing, so that you do not dirty the surfaces you have finished. A fine dusty cast on the boots and the bottoms of the trousers does more for the result than the best-mixed shade of cloth.

Muted accessories around the group also suit it: crates, a tarpaulin and jerrycans break up the monotonous surface of the bed.

Where to place the figure

• In the cab or on the fender of a heavy tractor
• In a scene with a tank being loaded onto a semi-trailer
• In a group with further members of the same range
• On a display-case plinth as a miniature in its own right

It is supplied as a bare part without paints; a plinth and the vehicle are not included.