1:35 Water storage tank

A water tank for modern scenes, 1:35

This resin casting of a water tank is built for present-day scenes, explicitly for the setting of the Middle East. There it belongs to the ordinary equipment of roofs, yards and field bases: drinking water is delivered by tanker and stored in exactly such vessels. The accessory is made by the Italian brand Royal Model.

Why a tank settles a scene into a place

The credibility of an urban diorama from Iraq or Afghanistan rests on the small things of everyday operation. A water tank on a flat roof, a satellite dish and a distribution box say more about a place than the most careful patina on an armored vehicle. The tank also works as a tall feature that breaks up a flat area and gives a composition a second plane. That is exactly why it pays to lay such small things out before the vehicles.

How to work with the casting

First wash the surface so that no mold release agent is left on it, and let it dry. The plastic of these tanks tends to be black or blue with a faded, chalky surface; you achieve that with a matte paint which, once dry, you go over lightly with a dry brush in a lighter shade. A thinned wash will add the darkened streaks under the flanges, and a weathered surface is helped along by light vertical runs from rainwater.

Where the accessory fits

• in urban scenes from present-day conflicts
• on the roofs and yards of kit-built buildings
• at field bases and checkpoints
• in scenes with civilian buildings and flat roofs

In the package there is the casting of the tank and nothing else; obtain coating materials separately.