What the heck is a kubelwagen? It’s a German light-utility military vehicle designed by Porsche and built by Volkswagen in World War II. It was air (rather than water) cooled, making it an ideal vehicle for use in the desert, though it was also successfully tested in cold climates. And, according to Wikipedia, the lack of a radiator made it less vulnerable to bullets.
The Kubelwagen diorama is one that I was inspired to put together from one kit that led to another. My online hobby supplier, Sunward Hobbies has a minimum order amount to qualify for free shipping. So I needed something small and interesting that was around 10 dollars. The Tamiya Military Miniatures series is ideal for this purpose. These are small little kits featuring everything from brick walls, sandbags, even oil drums, and one was this tent set with a radio operator. Tamiya has been making this series since the 1980s and they offer excellent quality at a value price. The kubelwagen itself is an intriguing and unusual build, but it would have looked unfinished on its own now that I’ve refocused on building scenes versus stand-alone models.
The first part I assembled was the tent and radio operator. This would add interest and purpose to the scene – not just a soldier out hot-rodding in the desert, but a dude on a mission who needs to share intel. Let’s dive in.
The kit itself – I liked the intensity on the soldier’s face, and the different sized elements to work with.
Not gonna lie, the Afrika Korps weathering set was especially delightful and key to making this scene look great! It’s a four part process from Mr. Hobby and Mig Ammo, each one adding amazing depth and realism to the scene. 10/10 would recommend.
The tent itself was a simple construction and painted with the sandy yellow that will dominate the scene.
The radio was a special pleasure to construct. The wiring, I felt, needed close attention as it added realism. That being said, it didn’t exist and the radio would just look like a small wooden box. I stripped the wires from an old USB charging cable, then painted them German Field Grey. Using a very tiny bit in a pinvise drill I drilled holes in the radio box and secured the wires with super glue.
Note the mic – without it, our shorts-wearing squaddie is just talking to himself.
And here it is, attached to the radio itself. Of course like the wires, the mic didn’t exist so I fabbed one up out of good old Milliput sculpting putty.
The final product: a key piece of the overall kubelwagen scene! AK wood acrylics made plastic into an old wooden chest and dusty radio. Super pleased with how that turned out.
Next, I focused on our man with a plan: soldier standing surveying the scene.
The various flesh-tones to work with were a delight. Lots of opportunity to bring this lad to life. I’m not a Warhamster guy, but I will only use Citadel Games Workshop paints for figures.
This gent began life on the sprue, getting his yellow-toned kit on, and a healthy ruddy flesh tone to start, Citadel Bugman’s Glow for the base and that just brought the desert sun into the scene.
To facilitate painting, he stands tacked onto a hand-held pillar as I add additional shading and details.
And here he is in his final glory! Shading on his skin brings him to life. No pasty northern European here – he’s tanned!
Then, we have the kubelwagen itself: ready for some hard-living in the desert!
The star of the show: the kubelwagen! A fresh coat of our ubiquitous sand-toned paint helps it blend into those dunes.
Tires – including spare – in place and ready to rock and roll. The seats will get a lighter colour to help them stand out.
A close-up of the finished ‘wagen. Note the scratches to reflect life in the desert. Also installed is tarp at the rear.
Finally – construction of the sand dune set that I envisioned at the very beginning. This turns the model into a scene and gives visual interest: multiple heights and textures – action!
The scenery is built within an inexpensive picture frame. Crumpled paper creates the height of the dune on the left.
First, a coat of yellow primary to keep it in the same family as the rest of the scene actors.
Then a darker tone to act as actual sand. I also hit it with loose grains of dirt to add texture and realism.
Then: the tent. I piled sand up around the opening of the tent to indicate that it’d been there a while.
And all the elements are in place! I was pleased at the way it all looked desert-y without being just a single colour. The conceit here is that the officer has asked his radio operator to order a pizza from Mussolini Pizza in Rome.
Spotlight on our radio operator. The radio itself is a beast, but he’s hunkered down to get the job done.
Another perspective, the beat-up ‘wagen looks desert-warn, while the standing lad keeps lookout from his dune.
The final product!
