1:35 Ruined Street Corner

A corner that is a scene in itself

The fighting in European cities between 1943 and 1945 took place mainly at street corners. A corner covered the approach from two directions at once, an intersection could be controlled from it, and after a hit what was left was a torso of wall with the floors laid open. That is exactly the situation this part captures, and it offers a composition that a builder otherwise puts together laboriously from individual walls.

How much work it saves

The basis is finished, including the way the masonry meets the surface of the street. That removes the most demanding part of a diorama, the building and fitting of architecture. What remains is the color scheme, the dust, the soot and the setting out of vehicles or infantry, which is also the part where every builder has his own hand.

What it can all be used for

Damaged buildings are not tied to one period. The same corner stands up for the Second World War, for post-war conflicts, in a modern infantry scene and in a post-apocalyptic setting, because rubble in itself carries no date. In tabletop games it serves as a terrain piece for figures of comparable size.

How long it lasts

A finished piece is not used up. Once painted, the ruin stays usable indefinitely, it can be carried between shows and used as a backdrop when photographing other models. The only thing that will harm it is a mechanical knock during transport, so a soft case pays off. Inside a case with foam padding it survives repeated travel across the country without a single broken edge.