1:35 Mechanical Workshop

Workshop machines in 1:35 scale

This is not a model of a vehicle but equipment for a scene. The set from the Ukrainian manufacturer Miniart brings two machine tools in 1:35 scale, a lathe and a milling machine, and two operator figures with them. Together they make up a setting that explains what is going on in a diorama: a repair workshop, a field workshop near the front, a factory hall or a depot.

What the set is good for

A diorama succeeds or fails as a story on whether the work in it is visible. A vehicle standing on an open surface says nothing, but a vehicle in a workshop, with someone standing at a machine and a dismantled part lying beside it, carries a story on its own. Machine tools are also striking in shape and work in a scene as a fixed point around which everything else can be arranged.

Building and painting tips

Machines of that period were painted dark green or gray and wore it for years, so chipped edges and a metallic sheen in the places that get handled suit them. Bond the parts with liquid cement for plastic and paint the machines separately from the figures. The floor under a machine tends to be the dirtiest part of the whole scene, so it pays to work oil stains and metal filings into it. Assemble the figures on their bases and only then prime them with a dark color.

Who the set is for

• makers of dioramas with a workshop and repair setting
• modelers who want to add human activity to a scene
• builders of military and civil subjects in 1:35 scale
• those interested in industrial machinery of the first half of the 20th century

The set is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.