1:35 Das Maschinengewehr ist dort!

The set

Figures give a military diorama both scale and action. Without people the viewer only guesses at the size of a vehicle and the scene stays static; as soon as there are people standing among the equipment, the picture starts to tell a story. The name of this set is German and refers to the moment when one of the soldiers points a machine gun out to the others, so the figures are caught in action rather than in a motionless pose.

What the set contains

The figures are supplied unassembled and unpainted, on sprues. The body is usually divided into torso, head and limbs, so that the modeling of the folds of the clothing can be preserved. The exact number of figures, their poses and their kit are given on the packaging and in the instructions of the manufacturer.

Building and painting tips

Cut the parts from the sprue with a sharp blade a little distance from the part, sand the remainder off and run over the mold seam around the whole figure, above all across the hands and the face. Try the assembled figure dry first and stand it in the scene you are planning: that shows whether the angle of the head and arms is right. Wash and degrease the figure before painting, then lay down a base coat. Add a darker glaze into the folds and a lighter tone on the raised edges of the flat shades of the clothing; a small figure gains from that the depth that flat color cannot give. Finish the face and hands before you glue the figure down for good.

Who it is for

The set suits builders of dioramas in 1:35 scale and modelers who want to add a crew or a gun team to a finished vehicle. The package contains only the figures; the vehicle, the base, the paints and the glue are not included, unless stated otherwise.