1:35 Obergefreiter Russia 1943

A German Obergefreiter of 1943 in 1:35

A single figure cast in resin, intended to bring a kit of an armored vehicle or a smaller scene to life in the standard military scale of 1:35. Royal Model designs figures of this type so that they can be assembled easily and at the same time offer more crisp detail than modelers are used to from the plastic figures packed with kits.

What that rank means

The Obergefreiter was an experienced private in the German army, ranking above a private first class and below the non-commissioned officer corps; in practice he was often the most experienced man in the squad, who had served several years and knew the ground and the weapon better than a newly arrived commander. The recognition mark was the chevrons on the left sleeve. The year 1943 on the Eastern Front is a period of worn-out equipment: faded field gray, patched items and improvisation of every kind.

Building recommendation

Wash the surface of the casting so that no mold release agent clings to it, and cut the casting remains off instead of breaking them. It is bonded with cyanoacrylate, not with cement for plastic. Start the painting with a thin primer; with a figure in this scale it is then contrast that decides: slightly lightened edges of the folds and darkened recesses will give the uniform the modeling that a flat coat can never create. Paint the rank chevrons rather than using a decal, which only rarely works on a small sleeve.

When to reach for it

• when a kit of a vehicle needs a human scale
• when building a scene from the Eastern Front
• for practicing the painting of a uniform in 1:35
• as an addition to a larger group of figures

The castings are raw and unpainted; the painting and the assembly stay up to the modeler.