1:48 Country Line - Three Cows (Chianina)

Three Chianina cows, resin figures in 1:48 from the Country Line range

This set in cast resin from the Polish maker Toro Model belongs to the civilian Country Line range, which adds farm animals and rural motifs to modeling scenes. According to the manufacturer's catalog it holds three cow figures. It is not a kit of a piece of equipment or a military set; it is a diorama addition, supplied unpainted and with casting blocks to be removed.

The real subject

The Chianina is one of the oldest Italian cattle breeds. It is marked by its great size, long legs and light, almost white coat with darker skin around the muzzle, the eyes and the hooves. It is precisely that contrast of light coat and dark areas that makes these animals a rewarding modeling subject. In a diorama they suit a rural scene, a farmstead, a pasture, a roadside or a southern European setting; animals give a scene calm and a sense of scale better than another human figure would.

Building and painting tips

Wash the castings in lukewarm soapy water to remove the mold release residue. Cut the casting blocks off with a saw or nippers, sand the parting lines wet and protect your airways. Painting a light coat is easier if you start from a cream base and build the shadows up with thin glazes in the folds and under the belly, instead of trying to lighten the white afterward. Put the dark areas around the muzzle and the eyes on last with a precise brush. Dirty the hooves and the lower legs to match the terrain of the base. Unify the whole with a matte varnish, leaving only the eyes and the muzzle slightly glossy.

Who the set is for

• builders of rural and civilian dioramas
• modelers who want something other than soldiers in a 1:48 scene
• railway and aircraft modelers working with landscape
• collectors of animal figures

The figures are supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.