1:35 Highway bridge for signs No.1

1:35 Highway bridge for signs No.1 - a sign gantry over the roadway in 1:35 scale

This is not a model of a vehicle but a diorama element in 1:35 scale. It stands for the gantry structure that arches over a roadway across the traffic lanes and carries directional and regulatory signs. It brings to a scene what flat road dioramas usually lack - height, a clear point of reference and a frame into which the main action can be set.

What the gantry stands for in a scene

Structures of this type have been typical equipment of expressways and main roads since the middle of the twentieth century. Sign panels are hung on them so that they are readable from all the traffic lanes at once, including where a sign at the shoulder would be lost. In a model scene a gantry therefore says at once that the action does not take place on a field track but on a traffic artery. Besides purely civilian road views it also suits scenes with a military column, a checkpoint or an evacuation, where civilian infrastructure creates a strong contrast with the vehicles and figures.

Tips for placing it in the scene

• Place the gantry rather in the back third of the scene so that it frames the main action instead of hiding it.
• Work the footings of the posts into the terrain so that the structure does not look merely set on the surface.
• Check the clearance height against the tallest vehicle you plan for the scene.
• Choose the look of the panels to match the country and the period the diorama shows - it is the signage that establishes the place of the action more precisely than anything else.

Who the element is for

• Builders of road and city dioramas in 1:35 scale.
• Modelers of vehicles looking for a vertical element in a flat composition.
• Anyone interested in civilian infrastructure as a set piece for military views.