1:35 Central Railway Station [Diorama Base]

The main station after an air raid

Central Railway Station is among the most extensive diorama bases this maker offers. It captures the bombed-out station hall of a large city in 1:35 scale, that is, a setting that was among the most frequent targets of air raids and at the same time among the strongest images of the close of the Second World War. The designation in the square bracket is the usual convention of this numbered line.

What the scene captures

A station used to be a junction fought over until the last moment: a breached vault, twisted steel structure, rails and infantry in among it all. It is precisely such a tableau that the base offers, and above all it gives it scale, because an armored vehicle placed under what is left of the hall suddenly looks small. The western and the eastern front of 1945 alike will suit the setting.

Building recommendation

With a unit of this size, preparation decides. Plan out in advance where the viewer's gaze will be led and where the main figure or vehicle will be, because moving them afterward will no longer be possible. Dust from the plaster will unite the whole surface into a single tone and it is the strongest tool for joining the building to the floor. The steel beams, by contrast, should be left darker and with a hint of rust, so that they stand off from the masonry.

Who the base is for

• experienced modelers with room for a sizeable tableau
• competition dioramas and display pieces
• scenes from the last months of the war in Europe
• collectors looking for a real centerpiece

The station is unassembled and without a surface finish, and paints are not enclosed.