Thought that working on a somewhat off-topic would be nice for a change.

This year 2021 marks 60 years of the Berlin wall. This separation of East and West Germany took effect in August of 1961. I was not born then, but when it finally lost its meaning in 1989, my late father told me - then a 13 year old boy - that day in November of that year would go down in history... And he was right...

For modern Germans, there is a "before" and an "after" when the topic of the fall of the Berlin wall is raised. They call it "Die Wende", or the big change. I can't imagine Germany being separated. By the time the separation of East and West Germany ended, I had never been in Germany. Now, more than 30 years later, I know too well what it meant. A few years after that, the cold war ended too.

East Germany was a socialist experiment, raising from the ruins of WWII when the Soviet block and the Allied powers divided not only the city of Berlin, but the rest of Germany as well. For various reasons, mainly mass emigration and loss of human capital, a physical wall was built in 1961. In fact, it divided Germany over a length of over 1100 km totals. There were over 600.000 border guards that "defended" the line between socialism and the Imperialist West, so the story goes.

This is an attempt to recreate a command tower of which there were very many both in Berlin and in the countryside between the two divided Germanies. Some of them were demolished after 1989 but others remain to this day, some as a museum, others as a reminder of the divide slowly being reclaimed by nature.

Here are some pictures of the original in the first two pictures. I lived near one in Berlin, Kieler Strasse. It always intrigued me standing in between living quarters near the Landwehrkanal. What an absurd time it was...

Here is the status of this build. I found some main dimensions researching the web. The other ones I inferred. I will embed it in a little diorama - you know me - and see where it goes adding some figures and a vehicle.

Hope you like my little new scratch project in 1:35 scale!

Stay tuned for more!

So far, it has been a fun build, I used Balsa mainly for the main structure and then Styrene to cover it.

I love this project, Michel @michel-verschuere, as well as the intro text.
It is nice to see maquettes like this, reminding of some not extremely easy times.
As usual, your excellent craftmanship is evident.
Looking forward to it!

Hi Pedro, No I meant the command post. The rest is not visible so I won't waste my time with it. These command towers were pre-fab and most of exactly the same design since they were built within a period of a few years. There is a basement with a generator and stock, a ground floor with sanitation and first floor with living quarters. The second floor is the command post, continuously occupied. This is the one behind the window openings you see. Some work ahead, but the main challenge will be in the painting. The walls must get a sort of concrete appearance. I think I will sand the styrene and then use Mr. Surfacer before priming and painting.

@wimfi 70'er - 80'er Jahre denke ich mal.

@stellan Sorry mate, my name is not Vladimir, I don't have 1:35 of the surface area of Germany at my disposal...

@lgardner, thanks for your comments. I know the Friedrichstrasse well, one of the main shopping boulevards in Berlin now but decades ago the one standoff point between East and West. I think this picture was taken 26th of October 1961. Here is a video about that standoff between Russian and US armor:

The flashpoint was about civil US ARMY servants being checked by Soviets when crossing into East Germany, against the established practice. Cold war...

I really like Berlin and know it quite well. It is a huuge city, but with a equally rich history!
As for this scene, would love to model it I count 4 M46/48 and then Soviet IS plus other vehicles. Really nice. I am quite like you: 120% ambition but with 10% space. As soon as I bought a bigger house, will start the build, haha!

Take care buddy!

Wow, really impressed with the 3D vents, Michel @michel-verschuere!
Nice sanding at the tower!

Michel, @michel-verschuere
Thank you for sharing the video with us. Dad told me they had M-48A2's when he was there last. Yes I agree, I do seem to have a lot of "enthusiasm". If we both had larger homes, I'm sure we would fill them up with some incredible ideas with various dioramas.

Having a 3D printer and the ability to make things identical is definitely a huge advantage, especially with a project like this. Having that tool available in your modeling arsenal is going to make this build even more epic !

Now I can't wait to see the next episode... 🙂