1:35 Králíkárna

The small thing that settles a scene

In a scene it is usually the smallest object that decides the credibility. Vehicles and buildings say where the action takes place; only an animal hutch by a wall says that somebody really lived there. A rabbit hutch in 1:35 scale is exactly this kind of accessory: unobtrusive in itself, but it gives the scene a reason why it looks inhabited.

The set is made up of five resin parts and a photo-etched fret. The photo-etched parts here take care of the wire mesh, which is essential, because any cast substitute for the mesh would be unacceptably coarse at this scale and the whole object would lose its character.

Where to put it

An animal hutch is never built freestanding in the middle of a yard. It abuts a wall, a fence or a shed, because it needs shelter from the wind, and on a diorama it thereby becomes a natural tie between the building and the open area. Placed in a corner it fills a spot that tends to be empty in scenes, and at the same time it offers the viewer a reason to look into the corner at all.

Working with the wire mesh

The photo-etched fret is bent over a sharp edge, not in your fingers, and glued with cyanoacrylate glue applied off the tip of a piece of wire. The mesh is painted with a dark base and only lightly gone over with a lighter metal shade, otherwise the wire texture will be flooded over and disappear. Paints, straw and animals are not in the package.

The little roof of the hutch is the smallest surface of the whole set and at the same time the most visible. A slight bow and a darker edging around the perimeter will pull it out of its flat appearance.