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Czechoslovakian Traffic Signs (35655) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd During WWII Czechoslovakia was under the control of Nazi Germany who had overrun their country early in the war. The Soviet forces fought their way through the country on their way to Berlin, and stayed there in body or in spirit for many years until the break-up of the Soviet Union. This set is full of signs from Czechoslovakia from the 30s and 40s, all of which are civilian in nature and some of the names might be familiar if you’ve been there. The Kit These signs relate to Czechoslovakian civilian roads, and the set arrives in end-opening, figure-sized box with a painting of what’s in the box on the front, and a set of instructions on the rear. There are six sprues of styrene parts, plus a large decal sheet with the sign fronts to complete the set. There are 24 signs, and although there are cruciform signs included on the sprues, there don't have any decals, presumably as the type was either unused or seldom used in their country. The posts are of a standard narrow format, and would have been easily bent or uprooted in the event of an accident. The posts are either straight box-section, or circular style, some with slightly wider bases and a round ferrule on the tip, which can be removed with a blade for some of the signs. The sign boards have cleats on the rear surface to attach them to the poles, with the straps moulded into the posts to guide you in marrying up the two parts. Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Under the instructions on the rear of the box is a paint chart that gives colour swatches plus Vallejo, Mr Color, AK RealColor, Mission Models, AMMO, Tamiya codes, and generic colour names to assist you in choosing the correct paints for your model. It seems that the Czechoslovakian sign post poles were almost universally bare metal, giving you plenty of scope for weathering and rust on the posts, as illustrated by the paintings. Conclusion Great diorama fodder, as the devil’s in the details. The printed decal signs are also so much better than most of us could do with a paint brush, and will add a little extra realism to any diorama or vignette. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of