1:35 Trafika

A newsstand as the anchor point of a city scene

Newspaper and tobacco kiosks stood on street corners, by stops and in front of stations in European cities from the interwar years well into the postwar period. In a diorama it brings in exactly what vehicles on their own cannot: a trace of the people who came past in the morning for their paper and cigarettes.

The material make-up of the package

The set rests on ten resin parts, with a photo-etched metal fret and printed paper to go with them. Cast resin will hold the sharp edge of plank cladding and a molded cornice, metal can handle grilles and fittings in a thickness a casting cannot come near, and the paper carries the flat graphics that printing on a plastic part could only imitate.

How to work with the parts

• Cut the castings off with a fine saw while wet; resin dust should not be breathed in
• Washing in warm soapy water takes the mold release residue off and the paint then holds
• Super glue will reliably join both the brass etch and the resin; on larger areas epoxy helps
• Bend the metal part over a sharp edge in one movement; repeated bending will fatigue the material
• Attach the paper parts only once the paint is dry; PVA glue will cockle them less than a water-based one

A base coat that will take to a smooth surface is a condition on cast parts, otherwise the paint rubs off the edges. The kiosk will hold up as a focal point in its own right on a small base and as a scenic element in a row of buildings in a larger scene.