1:35 Waffen SS Ardennes

A figure for a winter Ardennes scene, 1:35

Winter battlefields are among the rewarding diorama themes, because snow, fog and bare trees give a scene its atmosphere at once, without a complicated composition. This figure from Royal Model is set, according to the name, in the Ardennes fighting and represents a member of the Waffen-SS units. It is a separate item intended for building a scene or for display once painted.

The Ardennes offensive in brief

The German attack in the Ardennes began on 16 December 1944 in the wooded border country of Belgium and Luxembourg and was the last major German offensive on the Western Front. The weather was decisive: dense cloud at first prevented the Allied air forces from being used, frost and snow made the movement of vehicles harder and supply was hampered by a shortage of fuel. The fighting ended in January 1945 with the front returning roughly to its starting line. For a modeler it is a period characterized by improvised winter clothing, white overpainting of vehicles and muddy forest tracks.

A winter scene and the finish

White is almost never painted on a figure with pure white paint; a grayish or yellowish base with white highlights gives a better result, because both snow and cloth reflect the surrounding tones. Snow on the ground is made from modeling paste or powder, always after the painting is finished. The contrast between dark equipment and light surroundings holds the whole composition together.

For which modelers

• winter scenes from the end of the fighting in the west
• completing vehicles with a white winter finish
• practice in painting white and light cloth
• collections of figures with a particular historical setting

The package contains the figure itself without a surface finish; paints, putty and material for terrain are bought separately.