1:35 Well

A well in 1:35 scale

A diorama accessory from the Czech maker Hauler that brings into a scene one of the most typical elements of village and small-town building. A well is a rewarding object: it gives a view scale, it explains why a column or a group of figures has stopped at it, and it offers plenty of surfaces for patina. It is supplied on its own, without a base, figures or equipment.

Where the accessory suits

1:35 scale is the home of military vehicles and figures, so a well will come into its own in scenes from central and western Europe, in the rear of the front, on a village green and in a farmyard. It works well as a second plane behind equipment, but it will also bear the role of the main motif around which a whole view turns. Besides military subjects it will serve in a purely civilian vignette too.

Preparation, seating and painting

First clean the parts up carefully. Wash resin castings in lukewarm water with detergent, so that the mold release agent disappears from the surface; with photo-etched parts degreasing is enough, as without it the primer will not hold. Then sink the well into the base so that the surrounding terrain runs on from its foot, rather than the object merely standing on it. Build the painting on a dark base: lighten the stone and the plaster by drybrushing, tone the wood with thinner glazes and let the metal parts rust only where the rain would really fall on them. Final pigments at the foot and a hint of moss in the joints will do more for credibility than an exactly matched shade.

Who the accessory is for

• builders of dioramas and vignettes in 1:35 scale
• modelers who want to set equipment into a setting rather than display it alone
• those interested in village and civilian subjects of the first half of the twentieth century
• more advanced beginners who want to try working with terrain and patina

The accessory is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints, a base and figures are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.