1:35 Semafory

The vertical that directs the gaze

Traffic signals do something in a scene that most accessories cannot: they pull the composition upwards and at the same time mark the place where roads cross. The viewer reads a scene in much the same way a pedestrian reads a street, and a traffic signal is a landmark for them. Wherever it is placed in a 1:35 scene, a crossroads comes into being, even if no other street is suggested.

The package is made up of resin castings and a fret of photo-etched parts. The photo-etched parts here take care of the flat and thin sections, that is, the hoods above the lights and the bracket arm; in resin those would have to be several times thicker than they really were.

What to do with it in a wartime scene

In a battlefield diorama the signals are strongest when they obviously do not work. A bent post, torn-out cabling or a ripped-off hood tell you that the order of the street has ended, and that is a message the tank beside it will never deliver. In a peaceful civilian scene, by contrast, signals that are upright and whole are enough to make the street look alive.

A note on the build

It is advisable to reinforce the thin vertical elements with a wire running through the post into the base, otherwise the first clumsy touch will show up as a break. Photo-etched parts are bent over a sharp edge, not in your fingers. Lighting, cabling and paints are not included in the package.

The colored panels of the signal are created with a drop of clear varnish on a white base. Covering paint applied directly gives a flat patch without depth.

A short stretch of curb made of plastic profile under the foot of the post makes seating easier and at the same time suggests where the sidewalk runs.