Model Builder International Pilot Issue Model Builder International Pilot Issue | Page 20

An extending bipod was added to the rifle stock
using small brass tubing and straight pins. The rifle
sling was made from thin strips of masking tape
and photo-etched buckles from the spares box.
While the vests and plate carriers worn by
the figures aren’t necessarily up-to-date with the
period I wanted, I was able to hide and camouflage
them with pouches and other equipment. I think
the busy ACU camouflage pattern of the uniforms
also helped to hide the dated vests.
Other equipment included with the kit includes
one-quart canteens in covers, “butt” packs, and
magazine pouches. Since sniper teams need to be
equipped for extended missions, I included these
into the build rather than scrapping them.
The Base
Sticking to my usual building techniques, the base
is made up of a simple wooden plaque from a local
hobby store while the walls are made from ¼ inch
Styrofoam sheet. The wooden base was given a
light sanding to smooth the grain then stained to
add some character; Nothing too spectacular. There
are, however, things that I’d do differently with the
layout if I had to do it all over again.
The walls of the structure are constructed with
sheet Styrofoam, cut and glued together with white
glue. After this was allowed to cure overnight the
windows and the general “cutaway” shape were
made using a #11 blade. The edges were then
roughed up with a Dremel tool. Once the walls were
fit to the base I “stucco-ed” and sealed them with
a couple applications of lightweight wall spackling
smoothed out with a putty knife, ensuring adequate
time between applications for each layer to fully
dry. With construction methods used in the Middle
East, I wasn’t too concerned with getting the walls
perfectly smooth. Imperfections just added to the
overall look. The only thing that I’ve noticed about
this method of making structure walls is