1:87 German Spitterschutzzelle-Einmannbunker

The Splitterschutzzelle one-man shelter, scale 1:87

An accessory for a diorama and for a model railway layout in 1:87 scale. The real subject is a German one-man shelter, listed in German as a Splitterschutzzelle or an Einmannbunker.

The real subject

A one-man shelter is a small standing cell for one person, barely wider than the shoulders. It did not protect against a direct hit, but against splinters and the blast wave, that is against what endangered most people during an air raid. They were built at the entrances to factories, at railway stations, by airfields and everywhere somebody had to stay in place even during an alarm and had nowhere to go. That is precisely why it is a rewarding element for a scene: without a single word it explains to the viewer that the action takes place in a threatened rear area, and it takes up only a bit of space.

How to set it into a scene

• The shelter belongs where it makes sense: by a gate, by a switch, by an apron, not in the middle of an open space.
• Wash and degrease the element before painting, so that the paint holds.
• Choose the glue according to the material the maker states on the packaging.
• A gray or dark green coat forms the base; light edge highlighting and a dirty band at the foot, where water splashes, will help the believability.
• In 1:87 scale the element is small, so work with thin coats of paint, so that the shapes are not lost in them.

Who it is for

For builders of dioramas and for modelers of layouts in H0 scale who put a scene together out of small things and are looking for an element with a story. It will come into its own with industrial and station buildings just as with military objects, because a shelter like this was not tied to a single environment.

Paints, glue and a base for the scene are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.