1:35 Set of 20 medium insulators

Aber 1:35 set of 20 medium insulators (a photo-etched set)

This is not a kit but a detail accessory for dioramas. The package holds twenty photo-etched insulators of the medium-stem type, that is, with a stem of medium length by which the insulator is fixed to a bracket or to the crossarm of a pole. The medium variant is the all-round choice for ordinary distribution and telephone lines along roads, in a village and at a railway station. The manufacturer is the Polish firm Aber, which has long devoted itself to photo-etched and turned metal accessories.

What the insulators are for

A line pole without insulators looks like a bare stick in a diorama and the scene loses its credibility. Fitted insulators, on the other hand, carry the strung conductors and give a scene both depth and a direction of view. Twenty pieces in one package are enough for several poles, so a continuous stretch of line running across a whole vignette can be built. The set combines well with photo-etched construction sections and other diorama accessories in the same scale.

Building and painting tips

Separate the parts with a sharp scalpel and sand the burrs away with a fine file. Use cyanoacrylate glue for gluing; the gel version gives you time to position a part. Degrease the brass before painting and spray it with a primer for metal, or the paint will not hold. Porcelain insulators are painted white, light gray or brown, while glass ones are imitated with a translucent varnish with a cast toward blue-green. You make the conductors from thin thread, tinted dark gray once strung.

Who the set is for

• Builders of dioramas and vignettes in 1:35 scale
• Modelers building village, urban and railway scenes
• Enthusiasts of the small details that heighten the realism of a scene
• More advanced modelers with experience of photo-etched parts

The accessory is supplied as a photo-etched set, unpainted. Poles, conductors, glue and paints are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.