1:72 Mid Orient ruin

A demolished Middle Eastern house in 1:72

This building element from the brand Royal Model is, according to the manufacturer, cast in resin and represents the ruins of a house of the kind built in the warm belt of the Middle East. In 1:72 scale it serves as a finished core of a scene, around which the vehicles and the figures are only then arranged.

A building style that cannot be mistaken in photographs

Houses in this region stand on a load-bearing frame with infill masonry, tend to have flat roofs with a parapet, deep window reveals against the sun and coarse plaster in light sandy tones. When such a house collapses, a characteristic image remains: bare reinforcement sticking out of the floor slab, knocked-off corners of masonry and rubble poured into a fan in front of the frontage. A smaller scale suits that, because a whole street corner fits into a display case and not just one window.

Working with the casting

Wash the surface and dry it, then apply a continuous primer and only then the paint, or the shade will rub off the resin during handling. Masonry comes alive with a wash drawn into the joints and dry pigment at the foot of the walls, where dust collects in reality. You can widen the holes left by hits with a sharp knife according to your own intention.

Which builds it suits

• for present-day conflicts in the Middle East
• for smaller display cases, where there is little room
• as a background for vehicles in 1:72 scale
• for modelers building whole street scenes

The structure is supplied as a raw casting; paints and an undercoat do not belong with it.