1:35 Billboard / Werbetafel (Text: open / closed)

A billboard with the texts open and closed, MAiM, 1:35

This advertising board (Werbetafel) with the English words open and closed from the manufacturer MAiM is a classic prop for shop frontages in 1:35 scale. A sign by a shop door is a detail the viewer reads at once and one that gives a scene a definite time and action: the shop is in business right now, or it is past closing time.

Use in a diorama

You place the billboard by the entrance of a shop, a diner, a cafe, a service station or a gas station; the English texts predestine it for American, British and generally Western subjects from the middle of the 20th century to the present. In post-apocalyptic scenes the word open on a boarded-up shop takes on the ironic undertone that MAiM dioramas are fond of. The board can be fitted to a wall, on a stand or into a shop window to suit the particular architecture of your scene.

Tips for working it

Clean the casting, prime it and paint it to suit the mood of the scene: a clean enameled look for a working street, or faded colors, rust and chipped edges for a shabby location. Sponge chipping around the edges and a fine rust wash around the mounts will turn the sign into a veteran of street service.

Who the accessory is for

• builders of street and shop scenes in 1:35
• modelers of modern, retro and post-apocalyptic subjects
• makers of dioramas on American or Western themes
• anyone who wants to give a scene a readable narrative detail

The accessory is supplied unpainted. Paints and glue are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.