1:35 Plastové lahve

Plastic bottles as a small witness to the period

The plastic bottle changed the look of a military encampment more than many a weapon. It turns up by supply trucks, in crates, thrown around posts and in soldiers' hands, and its presence immediately dates a scene to the postwar decades. That is exactly why it suits builds from the present day and from the conflicts of recent decades.

The package contains four different kinds of bottle and a decal sheet with labels. The variety of shapes matters here: identical bottles in a row look like a molding, whereas a mixed assortment looks like collected litter.

The castings are among the smallest parts worked with at this scale, and handling follows from that. Work over a light surface with a raised edge; a part that jumps away is searched for in vain on a dark table. The pour lug tends to be placed on the bottom of the bottle, that is, on the surface that will be sanded flat anyway, so the mark left by it disappears of its own accord.

A full container can be faked without drilling and without clear material. First spray the part with silver paint, which behaves like a mirror under further layers, and over it apply clear varnish tinted with a drop of a translucent shade. Light reflects back off the metallic base and the bottle lights up as though something were in it. An empty piece, by contrast, only needs a flat coat and the rim of the neck brought out with a thin line.

The labels on the decal sheet are tiny and curl easily during transfer. Lift them out of the water only once they have come completely free, lay them on with the brush held flat and only then slide them. Finally dust the bottles with a thin layer of pigment, so that they fit into the surrounding terrain.