1:48 RAF B Bomb Trolley with Armourer (3D-Printed)

The real subject

On the wartime airfields of the Royal Air Force, bombs were moved from the bomb dump to the aircraft on low trolleys. These were coupled behind a tractor into short trains, on the flight line they were pushed around by hand, and the armorers lifted the bomb from the trolley under the wing or into the bomb bay. A trolley with its crew therefore does the same job on a diorama of a British airfield as fuel drums or a step ladder by the fuselage: on its own it is inconspicuous, but without it the scene looks empty.

What the set contains

A bomb trolley in British form and an armorer figure, both in 1:48 scale. The parts were made by 3D printing, as the name of the set states outright. They are therefore not on sprues and have no casting blocks; instead you will find thin print supports on them. The material is not polystyrene, and ordinary cement for plastic will not hold on it.

Building and painting tips

Cut the supports away with a sharp blade a little clear of the part and sand the remainder carefully, so that the fine edges of the frame and the wheels do not suffer. The thin printed sections are fragile, so work on them calmly and do not lever them. Wash and degrease the parts before painting, because on an ungreased surface the paint only seems to hold. They are glued with super glue, and it pays to put a primer coat under the assembly. Paint the figure separately and fit it to the trolley last, because that way you reach the face and hands more easily with a brush.

Who it is for

For the modeler who is building an airfield scene around a finished aircraft, and equally for anyone who just wants to liven up the base under a model. The set does not include an aircraft kit, paints or glue, unless stated otherwise.