1:35 Highway bridge for signs No.2

1:35 Highway bridge for signs No.2 - a sign gantry over the roadway in 1:35 scale

This item is not a model of a vehicle. It is a diorama element in 1:35 scale that in a scene stands for the gantry structure arching over a roadway and carrying traffic signs. Within the range it is the second version; what exactly sets it apart from the first is shown on the box.

What the gantry stands for in a scene

Sign gantries appear on main roads wherever a sign placed at the shoulder would not be readable from all the traffic lanes. They carry directional panels, advance signs before junctions and information about restrictions that apply across the whole width of the road. In modeling terms it is an element with unusually strong effect: a single structure can turn an anonymous strip of roadway into a particular traffic artery and at the same time give the scene the height a flat road does not have by itself. It comes into its own in civilian road views and in dioramas with military vehicles, columns and checkpoints.

Tips for placing it in the scene

• Run the structure across the roadway so that it frames the main action rather than hiding it.
• Work the bases of the posts into the terrain so that the element does not look merely set on the board.
• Check the clearance height against the tallest vehicle you want to put under the gantry.
• Match the look of the panels to the country and the period the scene shows.

Who the element is for

• Builders of road and suburban dioramas in 1:35 scale.
• Modelers who want to bring a vertical element of composition into a flat scene.
• Collectors of civilian infrastructure to complete military views.