Stowage for military vehicle models turns a scrubbed machine into a tank that has been on campaign. Rolled tarpaulins and bedrolls on the engine deck, packs hung from the hull sides, satchels, helmets and the crew's personal kit: these are the details that separate a model from the box and a machine from a photograph. The resin sets cover armies from the Second World War to the present in sizes from 1:72 to 1:16. Below: how to choose stowage and how to seat it convincingly.
Crews lived with their machine. Tarpaulins against the rain, bedrolls, packs, rolls of canvas, boxes of personal belongings and the occasional trophy all travelled on the armour. That is why vehicles in period photographs look so thoroughly inhabited, and why a bare model looks sterile. Sets here offer rolled tent sections and bedrolls, groups of packs and satchels, and complete personal equipment for named armies, Soviet, American, British and modern alike.
Stowage must match the machine for size. Most sets are made for 1:35 military model kits, with rolls and bundles also available for 1:48 military model kits and 1:72 military model kits. One set will usually dress one or two vehicles, so for a supply column plan on several.
Pack shapes and webbing materials differ between armies far more than you would expect, which is why titles name the country and the era; a wartime American bedroll on modern Russian armour would stop a knowledgeable viewer in their tracks. Civilian packs and suitcases allow more freedom and suit refugee vehicles. If you are unsure of the era, take plain rolled tarpaulins, which pass almost anywhere.
Resin stowage is cast lying flat, but you can still make it sit properly: sand the contact face so a roll does not appear to float, and add retaining straps from thin foil or paper. Glue it on only after both model and stowage are painted.
One simple rule helps when painting fabric: no two pieces of stowage should be the same shade. Put a green roll next to a sand one and a brown one, each faded differently, and the rear deck suddenly looks like a month at the front.
