1:35 Saigon Sandbarrel Roadblock Obstacle Set (1960s - 1970s)

Gecko Models 1:35 Saigon Sandbarrel Roadblock Obstacle Set

A diorama accessory set in 1:35 scale from the brand Gecko Models. It holds barrels filled with sand from which a street roadblock or a checkpoint is built. It is not a vehicle model or a figure: it is scenery with which the scene around the equipment and the figures is filled out. The set follows on from the manufacturer's Saigon range, which also includes the three-wheelers, street stalls and vendors of the same era.

The real subject

Barrels, drums and baskets filled with sand belonged to the most common equipment of urban checkpoints in the time of the Vietnam War. They were available at once, they stopped fragments and direct fire from small arms, and they could be rebuilt in a few minutes: it was enough to move them and the roadblock had a different shape. That is exactly why they appear in period photographs of the streets of Saigon at practically every intersection and entrance to a compound.

Building and painting tips

• Do not set the barrels in an even row: irregular spacing and slightly turned pieces look truer.
• Paint the metal with a base color, then add worn edges and rust; set the sacks and the filling apart with a matte, dusty shade.
• Washes and pigments run into the gaps tie the barrels to the base and rid the scene of the impression that they are merely standing on it.
• You can sink some of the barrels into the ground or heap sand around them; the transition will then not be so abrupt.

Who the set is for

• For builders of dioramas from the Vietnam War and from urban fighting in general.
• For modelers of 1:35 equipment who are missing the scenery around a finished vehicle.
• For figure modelers looking for believable cover and support for a scene.

The set is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.