1:35 Britské batohy WW I

The equipment of an island army on a continental front

A British infantryman of the Great War carried his world in the few pieces of a set he wore day after day and set down only when he had a reason to. In a scene from the Western Front a set of equipment laid aside therefore works as a marker of time: soldiers who are wearing it are on the march, soldiers who have it stacked at their feet have been here long enough to sit down. A model that can show that difference is able to tell a story without a single explosion.

Twenty-one resin parts

The castings hold both the soft shape of filled fabric and the harder edges of the buckles and clips, two surfaces that meet on real equipment. It is precisely the difference between them that decides whether a finished piece looks like textile or like a stone with straps.

Practical recommendations

• Wash the castings, or the paint will not hold on the mold release agent.
• Cut the pour lugs off with a saw and level the surface with abrasive paper.
• Choose a darker base; the canvas is then easier to lighten.
• Stipple the metal parts separately, right at the end.

Putting a scene together

A little heap against the wall of a trench, one piece thrown over a crate, another leaning against a gun wheel. If you are building a counterpart to the German version from the same brand, you can set the equipment of both sides side by side and the difference in its design will itself explain who was here. A muddy bottom and lighter wear on the edges will then settle the whole scene into particular weather and a particular season.