1:35 Erwin Rommel

Erwin Rommel as a 1:35 scale figure

The resin casting captures the best-known German field marshal of the Second World War. The figure was designed by Roberto Reale and Royal Model casts it in polyurethane resin, which holds the sharp edges of the equipment as well as the fine folds of cloth. It is supplied unassembled and unpainted, without a base.

The man the subject portrays

Rommel made his mark as early as 1940 at the head of the 7th Panzer Division, which was nicknamed the Ghost Division for the speed of its advance. He built his legend in North Africa in command of the Afrikakorps, where he earned the byname the Desert Fox. From the end of 1943 he was responsible for strengthening the defense of the Atlantic coast, and in Normandy he commanded Army Group B. After the July 1944 attempt on Hitler's life suspicion fell on him too, and in October he was forced to commit suicide.

Before you reach for the paint

First wash the casting in lukewarm soapy water so that the mold release agent disappears. Cut the casting blocks off with a modeling saw, level the remains with a file and finish the sanding wet with your airways protected. Join the parts with cyanoacrylate and then spray on a primer, because without it pigment holds poorly on smooth resin.

Who the casting is for

• For builders of dioramas from the fighting in North Africa
• For collectors of command figures in 1:35 scale
• For modelers who want a human reference beside a vehicle
• For figure painters with experience of resin