He certainly hasn’t missed out on many meals lately
and it looks like very generous meals as well
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The Englander would not be standing that close to the barbed wire; he’d be in East Berlin if he was. You can see in the period picture that the deadline was set back a good meter from the painted demarcation line, probably to prevent an accidental incursion while setting it up. There might also have been regulations as to how closely British personnel could be to the line, for similar reasons. No one wanted a photo of a British soldier with his boots halfway on the paint to be on the agenda of an occupation administration meeting.
KL
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I am aware that the DDR set up the barriers on their own turf (I originally thought that some walls were erected on the night 12/13th) using barbed-wire before they started building more permanent features during the ensuing week.
I did plan this to depict an initial contact say, on the Sunday morning, but by utilising a wall section scuppered my own plan. I could of course just leave the wire up and have done with it. The RMP patrols would be perfectly within their rights to find out what was going on, on the morning of the 13th; I do of course, have to compress distances due to (admittedly self-imposed) base-size constraints.
I will now re-set the scene say, during the following week; the RMPs may well have been sent out to map the revised boundaries - they would certainly have been equipped with a patrol map in any case, and I’m fairly sure would have been tasked with noting amendments and routes for ultimate staffing back to Brigade HQ, as this cataclysmic event unfolded.
I do take your point about the distance for any conversing, as I say I have to compress distances including any painted road marking. RMP were also low-level gatherers of intelligence, and included several German speakers amongst their numbers; they were in fact strongly encouraged to attend the available language courses.
Junior NCOs in the British Army are also given considerable latitude in using their initiative; it is not inconceivable that a Corporal would engage an officer of the NVA in conversation, even within so fraught a time, not least to glean what he could as mentioned above; you’ll have to close your eyes and squint a bit and forgive the distance artificiality, but that’s where I’m going.
Assuming I manage to complete it of course(!)
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None of that should be a problem. For the sake of “compression” you could paint a crude demarcation line just in front of the barbed wire barrier, or leave it off entirely. Observers will still get the message.
Ken
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Roger that Ken - I do plan to do just that. Thanks for the support(!)
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I feel it’s necessary to install the Driver before I fit the windscreen and the blue light stanchion to the Munga, so I thought I’d tackle the two Royal Military Police figures next.
The Battledress needs modifying to the 1949 pattern, and that means a collar and tie, lapels, and a relocation of the map pocket to the side of the left trouser leg; I then have to provide a holster, ammo pouch and pistol lanyard to the Driver figure, as well as a new head. The standing figure also needs his pistol lanyard re-locating, and pouch adding.
I couldn’t find definite evidence of the small ammo pouch for the pistol but decided to go for it. I think at the time (1961) the pistol was still a revolver type - I don’t think the 9mm Browning came into British Army service until the mid 60s.
These 2 figures are in 1:24 from Kit Form Services and I see they’ve gone for the full-rig; not a confirmation perhaps, but that’s where I’ll go too:
I’m also prepping the personal weapons - the 9mm Sub-machine gun (SMG in Brit Army parlance; aka the “Sterling” but never referred to as such in the Army - always “SMG”). I don’t know if these were only carried by patrols after the Wall went up or not, but certainly pics of the time show them in use, so I’m going with that. The ones I’m using are from Italeri and I added slings from lead foil and a buckle from an etched set.
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I re-checked my references and found the very confirmation I need (re the ammo pouch and holster set-up):
Anyway, that’s where I’m at, at the moment.
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I just came across this and thought of your diorama. OK, it’s a bit too new, but here’s what at least some of the guys in the diorama are doing it for! 
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Thanks Jakko; perhaps I shouldn’t say it but I miss my Cold War(!)
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The two RMP figures now in primer; I sometimes think they look better like that than painted up(!):
The Driver figure is a slightly awkward configuration so I think I’ll have to paint his arm separately, install the main body then add the limb.
I also seem to have bodged the Driver’s collar and tie so may have to revisit that (or, more likely, obscure it somehow); hmm. Clearly I’m no figure Ninja, yet I feel figures always add to well, just about any project.
I’ll see what he looks like after I’ve attempted a paint-job.
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I think we all miss our youth …
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Looking goodmate
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Thanks Terry; I’ve got a base coat of khaki on but to my horror discovered I’m out of matt white for the webbing. Aaaargh!
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As always when it comes to figures, slow, slow progress. Don’t look too closely as I’ve still to do lots of touching up and tidying, let alone finish them off:
I had quite a problem getting this done; I don’t think it was a loss of dexterity as such, and I certainly hope not; perhaps more that I’m not used to such contrasting colours. Anyway, they took some doing and are still far from finished. I need to install the driver figure before I can complete the vehicle, but as I say, it’s all held me up.
Also shown are the two Sub Machine Guns (SMGs) complete with slings painted.
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I second that, things were easier that days.
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Fantastic job with those figures! My memory of the caps is that the peaks might have been a bit flatter.
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They were indeed, but I’m no figure sculptor so I’ve really got to run with what I’ve got, so I’ve left the Resicast figure alone and used a WW1 head for the Driver (which technically should be the same headdress) so in 1:35 they’ll have to suffice.
(filched from the www for discussion purposes!)
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Never mind, you have done a great job with what you have to work with.
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Definitely look like Monkeys to me! I wonder if they would have blancoed the SMG slings too, knowing the level of BS? Very impressive results on the vehicle, knowing what you started with.
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Your figures are looking great so far Brian as is the whole project.
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