1:35 German soldier who sleeps

A sleeping soldier for a quiet scene, 1:35

A resting figure is rarer in diorama work than a firing soldier, and yet it does more for a scene. Royal Model casts it in polyurethane resin in 1:35 scale, that is in the size in which most armored hardware is built. The figure is conceived as a German soldier caught asleep, with relaxed limbs and his head drooping toward his shoulder.

Rest as part of the front

Wartime daily life consisted mostly of waiting. Crews and infantry alike slept wherever they could: on the fender of a vehicle, on a pile of crates, in a makeshift seat of canvas. It is precisely such scenes that give a diorama the scale of human time and set a contrast against the tense hardware. Soldiers rarely took off all their equipment, so even a sleeping figure usually stays in uniform and in boots.

Advice on the work

On seated and lying figures the parting line often runs across the folds of the cloth, where sanding is harder; a round needle file and polishing the surface afterward will serve. The loose folds of the uniform come out when a dark glaze is let into the hollows and the edges are lightened slightly. A face asleep has softer shadows than a waking one, so be sparing with contrast.

Where the figure will serve

• In dioramas with a crew at rest
• In scenes by field kitchens and posts
• As a contrasting element beside a vehicle model
• In a vignette of its own with a single figure

Sold as a raw casting without paints.