This is more of an observation than a question, but why are fuel drums the "space filler" of choice for dioramas? I can't say how many times i've seen a nice dio and for no apparent reason I can see there's a barrel thrown into the mix (and almost always they're in really good shape, rarely a bullet shredded or dented/crushed one???). Anyone else out there notice this phenomenon or have any ideas on why they're such a universal choice? seems on par with always having a pointing fig in a dragon kit, laugh!!!!

Humm, good point. i assume durring WWII and i am not that old to prove one way or the othere but, they were around a lot. you always see some one burning something in one in a lot of movies and video's. Joe's standing around one or in the street. do not know where they came from! and in VietNam well they used them as latriens most of the time.

hit the button to soon, but i guess they just make good fillers. But you are right. they are never damaged or beat up or rusted. heck every time you need one it is hard to find one becasue they always have a darn hole in one!!

speculation on my part because I don't use them much at all.

They are big, take up a lot of space, they are easy to come by, and you can mold them and pour your own easily. And to justy in your mind the mold and cost for the resin and everything, you cast a lot of them and them you want to use them.

I agree with the Hollywood angle too, you see them in all the movies so you toss'em in.

There not always space filler. Take Vietnam for instance. Khe Sanh and fire bases would have them stacked everwhere. There also used as cover/ and make shift walls. So this case there not all space fillers. But as Slodder said. Most of them are poorly moulded so its best to make your own or use PE ones.

Totally see your point on vietnam, but in that case they do fit the scene (unless the scene is a rice paddy with a barrel just sitting in the middle of it for no reason, chuckle). When I phrased the question I had WWII in mind. Just struck me as odd that so many perfectly good barrels would litter the European countryside (in many cases stacked nicely to boot).

here's another take on it. Tanker trailers were not available to haul fuel to the front areas nor were there many of them. Hence, fuel drums from the beachs to the Rhine, and that's a
whole lot of them laying around. and yes, when you need one, there's always a dam hole in it.

Interestingly I had asked a similar, related question a month ago when I had the opportunity to talk to the only person I'd met who actually was on a tank in WWII. I had two fuel drums on the back of an Sdkfz 234 in a diorama and since making that had noticed that in wartime footage you rarely saw drums on the back of vehicles and asked therefore if my depiction was unrealistic.

The response was interesting, if you could get them you would not only have them on there but they would be chained/tied on to stop anyone else stealing them as the only way you got them was to steal them or find them and they would more often than not get taken off you to send back with the refueling trucks for refilling so if you wanted to use one as a brazier you shot big holes in it.

He reckoned you'd be more likely to see a tank with a dozen jerry cans than a couple of fuel drums. Drums were bought up on trucks and needed pumps to put the fuel in so were best suited to planned refueling stops, jerry cans could be used by the crews to top off when the opportunity arose.

So I would assume unless it was flattened or in an industrial area you really wouldn't see that many just sitting around.

Drums and discarded weapons make good 'props' to fill small spaces, and it can be a good or bad thing depending on the dio. I agree, if there is no real reason for it is is not a positive addition to a diorama.

This discussion reminded me that the loss of jerry cans in the ETO in 44-45 was so serious they had to tell troops not to discard them when refuelling. There were something like a million and a half lost jerry cans !!!!

In the case of US tank units, they weren't refueled directly from drums, but via jerry cans, thousands and thousands of five gallon cans, which were moved to the front via two and a half ton trucks, usually. There are photos of Red Ball Express trucks loaded to the gills with jerry cans. One can question the logic, since a lot of somebodys would have to fill those cans one by one, but at least with small cans, pumps were not needed at the receiving end.

Interesting info & facts. I know the germans were desperate for fuel, so I doubt they'd just dump the drums helter skelter. They'd try to hold onto them & fill them wherever they could.

Gerald, where are you located in Florida?

Southeast Florida.

I'm in the Sunrise/Plantation (Ft Lauderdale) area. You anywhere near there? I've been looking for any clubs or groups in the area. Know of anything?

FUEL DRUMS ARE LIKE TRIBBLES ON STAR TREK,,,,,,,,,,,THIER EVERYWHERE.

Just accept the fact that we have been invaded by aliens posing as fuel drum and are strategically placing themselves to OVERTAKE THE WORLD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There's an IPMS chapter. Don't have time for clubs myself, as I work most nights.