1:72 DAK tankers

A crew for desert vehicles, 1:72

Tankers are among the most useful figures of all: a figure in an open hatch tells you at once that the machine is manned, and a single well-turned torso is enough for it. This set aims at German units in North Africa, a subject that has long been a favorite at a small scale.

The North African campaign in brief

The fighting in Libya and Egypt ran from 1941 to 1943 in surroundings that destroyed equipment almost as reliably as the enemy did. Sand got into the engines, the daily swings in temperature were enormous and supplies came across hundreds of kilometers of desert. That is where the typical look of the vehicles comes from: repaints, stowage on the hull and dust everywhere.

Painting and fitting into a hatch

First dry-fit the figure in the turret opening. The lower part of the torso often has to be shortened so that the shoulders come out at the right height, and this step is done before painting, not after. Paint a uniform in the desert lighter than you would expect, because the sun pulls the shades out considerably. Blend the dust on the collar and the shoulders with the same tone you use on the vehicle.

Who the set is for

• for builders of German tracked vehicles of the North African campaign
• for those who want a crew in the turret instead of an empty hatch
• for makers of desert dioramas with a simple base
• for modelers who like adjusting a pose by trimming and adding

The castings are sold unpainted and adapting the torso to a particular vehicle is normally to be expected.