MiniArt East European Home Stuff (35584) 1:35

**Mike** · June 12, 2018

East European Home Stuff (35584)

1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd.

Dioramas live or die based on the level of ordinary detail that the modeller puts into the background, from leaf litter to dust, from a broken coffee table to plates in the dresser. This set aims to provide the modeller with some of these items to populate their creations with, slanted toward an East European design, but with enough elements that are ubiquitous that they can be used in almost any situation.

The set arrives in a standard figure box with a painting of the parts on the front, sprue diagrams and painting guide on the rear, and six small sprues inside. One sprue is in white styrene, but the rest are in mid grey, with a small card envelope protecting the Photo-Etch (PE) parts that are also included. A further sheet of instructions are in the box to guide you through the more complex aspects of the items, and help with placement of the small parts such as the PE. From the box you can build the following:

1 x Sturdy wooden bench table

2 x medium backed dining chair

2 x dining stools

1 x stove with flue

1 x coffee/tea urn

1 x coffee pot

1 x large pan & lid

1 x ladle

1 x frying pan

1 x teapot

In addition there are cups, platter, a canister, water jug, slices of bread or cheese, sausage, and loaves in various states of consumption spread over two of the sprues, plus some spoons and a small shovel to feed the stove with fuel. On the PE sheet there are forks, a kitchen knife, plate, various handles for the aforementioned items, and perforated parts for the urn, which has a styrene and PE Fawcett set into the bottom. The painting diagram on the rear of the box gives suggestions as to the colours you could use, which is conveniently translated between Vallejo, Mr Color, Life Color, Tamiya, AK, HUmbrol, Revell, and colour names in (probably Ukrainian) Cyrillic and English.

The detail shown in the parts is impressive, and some care will be needed rolling the PE for the urn, but it will be well worth the effort. Even the food will give any scene that it is placed in an element of candour, as if the owners were disturbed mid-meal. The table has grain and scuffs moulded in, while the large pan is heavily dented as if from years of use and abuse – even the stove has the maker's mark in raised Cyrillic lettering on the front. Slide moulding has been used in places to create hollow pots, cups and stove parts, which is so much easier for the modeller than hiding seams from joining halves together.

Very highly recommended.

Review sample courtesy of