1:48 HORSESHOES

Horseshoes 1:48 for dioramas (Hauler)

An accessory set of small horseshoes in 1:48 scale. It is not a model and not parts for a particular kit but a free diorama item that you place in a scene to your own design: hung on the wall of a barn, scattered by a blacksmith's forge, stacked in a box on a wagon, or nailed to the hooves of horses from another set. It is exactly such small things that tell a finished scene apart from a group of models standing side by side.

What it is suited to

Even in the Second World War the horse remained the main source of traction for most European armies and for farming, so horseshoes make sense in a considerably wider range of scenes than might be expected: by a field kitchen, by a supply convoy, in a farmyard and in civilian dioramas from the first half of the 20th century. In the same scale they can also be used simply as scrap metal at the edge of a scene.

Tips for painting and placing in the scene

Horseshoes are so small that spraying turns them into nothing but a dark smudge. It is better to paint them a base dark steel shade and then add shades of rust with a brush, especially on the pieces that should look discarded. A piece in use, by contrast, has its underside polished to a shine; carefully running a graphite pencil or a dry metallic pigment over it does that convincingly. To glue them to the base, use super glue or a thin modeling adhesive for materials; then work dust and soil in around the point of gluing, so that the part does not float on the scene.

Who the accessory is for

• builders of dioramas and vignettes in 1:48 scale
• modelers who put together scenes with horse teams and farm wagons
• anyone interested in civilian and rural subjects of the first half of the 20th century
• everyone who fine-tunes a scene with small things at viewing distance

This is a diorama accessory. The base of the scene, figures, glue and paints are not included in the package.