1:72 M11XR7 Stryker snow beaver

M11XR7 Stryker snow beaver in 1:72 scale

The model represents an invented winter version of a wheeled armored vehicle whose shape refers to the well-known eight-wheeled carrier. It belongs to the science-fiction line of the Black Dog brand, where real equipment is shifted into a form that so far exists only in a designer's head. The epithet in the name suggests that the machine was conceived for operating in snow.

Where the shape comes from

Wheeled armored personnel carriers made their way because they move quickly on paved roads and can still carry decent armor protection. Their tall, angular hull with long side panels offers a large surface on which it is good to work with reflections and with wear. A fictional winter offshoot of such a vehicle is therefore rewarding: it allows you to try approaches for which there is usually no reason on an ordinary vehicle.

Building and painting tips

Winter paint was historically applied in a hurry and wore off quickly, so it is precisely a scuffed white surface that makes the scene believable. Spray the base shade, let it dry and add the white layer over a separating medium, which you then uncover in places with a damp brush. Slushy mud belongs on the lower parts; the upper surfaces, by contrast, take clean, untracked snow.

Who the model is for

• modelers who want to try winter paint chipping
• builders of snow-covered dioramas in a small scale
• enthusiasts of wheeled vehicles in an unconventional treatment
• anyone interested in a subject that will catch the eye in a display case

The kit is sold unassembled and unpainted; the necessary tools are not enclosed.