1:35 Diorama-Base: Gun Factory Barrikaden

Diorama-Base: Gun Factory Barrikaden in 1:35 scale

Scenic diorama groundwork from the German brand RT-Diorama in 1:35 scale with the subject of the Stalingrad armaments works. It is not a model of a vehicle or a figure but the foundation of a view, into which the vehicles and figures are yet to be set. The groundwork determines the layout of the area and the shape of the terrain, and with that it decides the composition of the whole scene.

The subject: the Barrikady armaments works

The Barrikady plant was one of the three large industrial works in the northern part of Stalingrad, alongside the tractor factory and the Red October steel mills. Artillery armament was made here, and in the autumn of 1942 the sprawling halls became the scene of some of the hardest fighting of the whole battle; the front line here was measured in individual halls and in meters. German sources give the plant as Barrikaden, the form kept in the name of this product as well. An industrial scene offers the modeler a combination of elements that ordinary building does not have - wide spans, steel structures, crane runways and the wreckage of machines.

Placing it in the scene

1:35 is the best-covered scale for the subject of Stalingrad, so the choice of vehicles and figures is wide. When laying it out it pays to leave part of the area clear so that the main element stands out. With industrial views it works well to use a contrast of scale: a small figure placed under a large structure says at once how enormous a space the scene represents.

Who it is for

• Modelers who build scenes from the battle of Stalingrad
• Anyone interested in fighting in the industrial complexes of the Eastern Front
• Competition modelers looking for a more demanding subject in composition
• Collectors who are extending a diorama arrangement in 1:35 scale