1:35 Concrete Mixer Set

MiniArt 1:35 Concrete Mixer Set

A plastic diorama set in 1:35 scale from the Ukrainian maker MiniArt. It holds a concrete mixer and with it the equipment that belongs on a building site: sacks, buckets and building tools. It is not a model of a vehicle and not figures but a backdrop that gives a scene a story and a sense of scale. The set is part of the maker's line of building accessories and it goes well with models of buildings as well as with military vehicles.

What the set is for

A mixer and building equipment move a diorama on from a static display of vehicles to a scene with a story: a building under repair, the construction of fortifications, the rear area of a supply unit, postwar rebuilding. It is precisely the small props, such as shovels leaning against a wall, buckets set down or sacks stacked up, that tell the viewer what is going on in the scene. The equipment is universal in period, so it suits subjects outside the war as well, for example civil building scenes.

Building and painting tips

The parts are small, so leave them on the sprue until you really need them and cut them off with a sharp knife rather than with nippers pressed right home. Build the metal parts of the mixer up from a dark base, lay the color over it and then rub it back lightly, so that the base shows through. Dried cement mortar is well imitated with a light pigment or a thin layer of binder with sand on the edges of the drum and on the wheels. Paint the wood of the sacks and the crates in several closely related shades, because a uniform tone looks artificial.

Who the set is for

• Builders of dioramas and vignettes in 1:35 scale
• Modelers who put a scene together from buildings and accessories
• Anyone interested in civil as well as military building subjects
• Those looking for small props to keep in stock

The set is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and a base are not included in the package.