1:285 WW1 Models

1:285 scale WW1 Models

I have made a number of models in 1:285 scale. This is a scale associated with war-gaming. I adapt commercial figures, but scratch-build the scenery and equipment. It's a tiny scale with figures being about 7mm high.

Somme Trenches in Sepia

We are used to seing black and white photos of the trenches.

Somme Trenches in Colour

It was not usually a sea of mud and in the Somme the disturbed soil was full of chalk.

British Front Line Trenches, Somme 1916

Traversed trenches were safer, as they offered shelter from gunfire and shelling.The machine gun emplacement is far too obvious and would be shelled in reality. It would be camouflaged to blend into its surroundings. But then you you would not be able to see it!

Aerial looking from No Man's Land

Front and Support Lines linked by Communication Trenches.

German Lines are to the right of these two lines of Traversed Trenches.

In the centre is a destroyed farmhouse. I have tried to show that this land had a previous history.

Front Line, showing Vickers machine gun emplacement, sap and latrine

The machine gun emplacement is far too obvious, but if I camouflaged it, noone would see it!

British Front Line showing a Lewis gun team.

There are about 100 tiny figures on this model.

Traversed Front Line with a Supervision Trench behind it.

Supervision trenches allowed a quick passage to pass sideways along.

Work Party reparing a damaged Communication Trench.

This work would be done at night time to avoid being shelled. Enemies would hamper any improvement made to each other's trenches.

Latrine and Support line.

Latrines were smelly and not somewhere to dwell in. When full they would be covered over and another dug nearby. Rations Carriers with containers on their backs pass through the communication trench nearby. Also note the telephone wires pinned to the side wall.

Labelled Lid

The model has an labelled acrylic lid which explains what is going on below.

Model, showing Labelled Lid

Model with Labelled Lid. Spot the DH2 flying low to take a look at the crashed Eindecker. (Unlikely to happen this close to the front, but I wanted to show that the war continued in the sky above.) i've made a couple of typos on thge lid! Doh!!