1:35 Protitankové betonové zátarasy-ježci

An obstacle belongs where traffic has to pass

An obstacle makes sense only in a place that cannot be driven around. In an open field it looks like a backdrop, whereas at the mouth of a street, on a bridge approach, in the passage of a town gate or on a narrow road between slopes it immediately explains why a column has stopped. The four polyurethane castings in the package are enough for exactly such a narrowed place.

A layout that looks convincing

Real obstacles are never set out in a regular grid. They tend to be offset against one another so that a zigzag gap is left between them, which a guard closes as required. One piece is usually lying overturned or pushed to one side, because it has been moved. It is exactly that kind of detail that gives a scene a layer of time.

Surface and surroundings

Concrete is a rewarding material to paint. A base in a gray tone, a lighter tint on the edges within it, darker running into the hollows and finally traces of damp at the foot. Where the obstacles meet the ground, caked mud, grit from broken-off corners and ruts around them all belong. Barbed wire, sandbags, a road sign or a guard post all go well with them. Avoid, by contrast, perfectly clean edges: an element meant to withstand the impact of a vehicle tends to be battered.

It is also worth remembering that an obstacle never stands anywhere without a reason. If you add a trace of whoever brought it there - ruts, a discarded length of reinforcement or the remains of formwork - the scene will gain more in credibility than from adding another figure.

The set contains four obstacles, not the terrain or any accompanying equipment.