1:72 Cobblestone street (130x70 mm)

A cobbled street in 1:72 scale

The section captures a piece of an old city road with stone paving, that is a surface which survived in Europe from the end of the nineteenth century deep into the postwar years. For a model in a small scale it is a rewarding setting: the regular grid of blocks gives the eye a sense of scale and gives away at once how big a vehicle or a figure is.

Use in a diorama and in a display case

The street serves as a free-standing baseplate under a single model, but it can also be worked into a larger whole as a stretch running through between houses. In 1:72 scale an armored vehicle and a group of infantry will come together on it and there will still be free area left over, without which a display acts overcrowded. Anyone who builds aircraft models will appreciate the paving as a contrast to the smooth surface of an airfield.

Painting the paving step by step

Stone paving never has one shade. Lay the base down in a neutral gray and then tone the individual blocks at random toward warmer and cooler registers; a few dozen stones are enough and the eye will fill the rest in. A dark glaze will flow into the joints and create the grid, while a dry brush will draw the tops of the blocks out. In the middle of the roadway the stone tends to be smoothed by traffic and dirt holds by the curbs, and once you suggest that difference the surface will gain depth.

The set will be appreciated by

• builders of city dioramas in a small scale
• modelers looking for a baseplate under a single vehicle
• collectors who want to display models in context
• photographers of models who are after a credible background