1:16 Tentpacks and bedrolls part 1

Rolled tent sheets and blankets, part one

A set of the load that crews carried lashed to the armor: rolled tent sheets, blankets and rolled shelter halves. The castings are of high-quality polyurethane resin and their 1:16 scale makes them for large kits of tanks and vehicles. The manufacturer has split the range into two parts, so a vehicle can be loaded without repeating the same shapes.

Why a load on the armor turned up

The inside of a fighting vehicle was full of ammunition and there was nowhere in it to put personal belongings. Crews therefore fixed their kit on the outside, on the engine covers, on the turret or on the fenders, and added improvised protection against projectiles as well. A model with clutter like that on it looks lived-in at once, unlike a clean piece straight off the production line.

Working with loads

Try the arrangement dry first and look for the places where a crew would really have tied things on. Glue the castings on with cyanoacrylate and suggest the lashing with thin copper wire or thread. Textile is painted from the base tone, then comes a dry brush on the raised edges and finally a dust filter, which brings the load into line with the vehicle.

Who the set is for

• for large kits of armored vehicles that lack convincing baggage
• for vehicles whose armor stays uninterestingly bare
• for modelers who collect accessories in one scale part by part
• for dioramas with a camp or a crew at rest

The accessory is supplied unpainted; neither a vehicle nor cordage is enclosed.