1:35 Diorama-Base: European Farm

Diorama-Base: European Farm in 1:35 scale

Scenic diorama groundwork from the German brand RT-Diorama in 1:35 scale, with a European farm as its theme. It is not a model of a vehicle or a figure but the foundation of the whole view. The groundwork determines the shape of the terrain and the layout of the area, and with that it decides the composition - where movement will run, where the vehicles will stand and from where the viewer will look at the scene.

The subject: a rural farm

The farmsteads of Western and Central Europe are among the most common settings for dioramas from the Second World War. A yard enclosed between the living quarters and the farm wing, a gate onto the street, a surface both paved and churned to mud - all that gives the modeler a natural frame for a scene without having to invent an artificial boundary. Farms in Normandy, in the Ardennes and in the Rhineland were repeatedly the site of temporary positions, vehicle repairs and civilian scenes between 1940 and 1945, so the subject will carry a wide range of themes.

Placing it in the scene

The groundwork can be combined with diorama buildings and with vehicles of the same scale; in 1:35 the choice is widest. When laying it out it pays to leave part of the area clear - an empty space lets the main element stand out and keeps the view from looking crowded. It also works well to settle the main line of sight in advance and to choose the angle of the vehicles and the direction the figures look accordingly.

Who it is for

• Modelers who want to set 1:35 vehicles into a continuous rural scene
• Anyone interested in the Western Front of 1940 to 1945
• Competition modelers looking for a prepared foundation for a composition
• Collectors building a series of dioramas in one consistent scale