1:35 Diorama-Base: Grudinin Mill Stalingrad

Diorama-Base: Grudinin Mill Stalingrad in 1:35 scale

Scenic diorama groundwork from the German brand RT-Diorama in 1:35 scale with the subject of a mill in Stalingrad. It is not a model of a vehicle or a figure but the foundation of the whole view. The groundwork determines the layout of the area and the shape of the terrain, 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: the mill in Stalingrad

The mill building in the center of Stalingrad not far from the bank of the Volga was turned into a shot-up ruin during the autumn fighting of 1942. The brick structure with its columnar window bays and a shell torn open by hits is one of the best-known images of the battle, and it survives today as a memorial - deliberately left in ruins. For a modeler it is a subject that needs no explanation: every viewer can tell that this is city fighting and building that has been through it. Soviet and German vehicles and infantry from the turn of 1942 and 1943 suit it well.

Placing it in the scene

1:35 is the best-covered scale for the subject of Stalingrad, so the choice of vehicles, figures and accessories is wide. When laying the scene 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. With city scenes it works well to use lines of sight: a narrow gap between walls turned toward the viewer gives the depth a flat view does not have.

Who it is for

• Modelers who build scenes from the battle of Stalingrad
• Anyone interested in city fighting on the Eastern Front in 1942 and 1943
• Competition modelers looking for a subject with an immediately readable story
• Collectors who are extending a diorama arrangement in 1:35 scale