1:35 Camel

1:35 Camel — a printed sheet for a diorama in 1:35 scale

This sheet from ETA diorama belongs to a family of printed paper accessories for scene builders. You do not get plastic parts or a decal sheet but printed paper from which you cut the individual elements yourself and place them in a diorama. The 1:35 scale matches the usual figures and vehicles in that scale.

Why paper and not a decal

A decal sticks to the surface literally and copies every irregularity, so it looks like part of the molding. A paper element, by contrast, keeps an edge and a minimal thickness of its own, and so in a scene it reads as a separate object — a pasted-up poster, printed matter put aside, a sign on a wall. That is exactly the effect these sheets serve in dioramas. The drawback is that paper does not forgive an inaccurate trim, so it is worth working calmly and with a sharp blade.

Trimming, folding and gluing

Cut with a scalpel against a metal ruler, leaving the smallest possible white margin, and darken the cut edge with a pencil. If an element runs over an edge — the corner of a wall, the edge of a crate, a post — fold the paper dry over the blunt back of a saw first and only then glue it; the fold then holds its shape and does not crumple. Use a thin layer of PVA or matte paper glue brushed onto the surface. Once it is dry, age the element: a weak wash, a light pass with a dry brush and matte varnish. A glossy print is the most conspicuous mistake on a model, and matte varnish removes it reliably.

Who the sheet is for

• Builders of dioramas and vignettes in 1:35 scale
• Modelers who want to add a small printed detail to a scene
• Those who like to cut out and weather the elements their own way
• Collectors of accessories from the range of printed diorama sheets

This is a printed paper accessory for a diorama. Glue, paints, a model and figures are not included in the package.