1:72 Africa column base

An African setting with a column in 1:72 scale

The subject is an African setting completed with a column, that is with a vertical architectural item that gives an otherwise flat scene height. The combination of dry terrain and one pronounced building detail is among the proven recipes for a small display, because it catches the eye but does not overpower the model you stand on it.

How to work the scene into a whole

The base will carry a free-standing vehicle as well as a pair of figures, and it will serve just as well as the corner of a larger diorama. The column meanwhile fulfills a practical function: it balances the composition against a low and long model and offers a point the gaze returns to. If you place the model off the axis and leave the column to one side, the display will be livelier than with a symmetrical arrangement. Anyone who wants to go further will join the area to another base and create a longer passage; the joint then has to be evened out with terrain material, so that the edges do not strike the eye.

Sand, sun and faded shades

African terrain rests on a warm range from light sand to brown. It is a good idea to tone the soil in layers and to let the lower tone show through between them, so that the area is not uniform. The column calls for a different procedure than the terrain: stone will take a cooler gray with a warm cast and above all the sharp drawing out of the edges with a dry brush. Finally unify the area with a fine dust that joins the terrain to the vertical items.

Intended for modelers

• who build scenes from the North African campaign
• looking for a compact ground under a single model
• with an interest in warm sandy coloring
• who want a display with an item of height