MiniArt German Road Signs Ardennes, Germany 1945 (35609) 1:35

[Mike]

German Road Signs Ardennes, Germanny 1945 (35609)

1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd

 

 

During WWII German forces loved to signport their way around the countryside, and often when they retreated there wasn't time to "scorched earth" everything.  This set is full of signs of this nature, and includes military signs to guide their troops, distance and direction of nearby towns and so forth as they didn't have the luxury of GPS and satnav back then, which is probably just as well.  This is one of their range of sign sets, in the shape of German road signs from the Ardennes, most likely used during their long retreat during the Allies' D-Day offensive and the following Defence of the Reich.

 

 

 

The set arrives in a shrink-wrapped figure box with a painting of the contents on the front and brief instructions on the rear.  There are five sprues in grey styrene in the box or four if you ignore the fact that the large one has been cut to fit the box, plus a decal sheet on thick paper that contains all the painted descriptive fronts of the signs.  As the box art implies, you also get a concrete telegraph pole alongside the signs, of which there are thirty-eight in total spread across two identical sprues.  Each sign is either metal or moulded with a restrained wooden texture that will show through the decals if you use enough decal solution during drying.  Some of the larger signs are also made from a few planks, so the joins will also show through the decal.  There are 48 decals on the sheet, so plenty of options that could be spread over multiple dioramas.

 

 

The telegraph post is made from two halves with lightening holes through the centre, and a pair of isolators on each side, for which you’ll need to add some wires either taut or cut and dangling from the post.

 

Conclusion

Dioramas rely on the minutiae of the background to give that "lived in" look to the terrain, and signage is essential for all but the straightest of roads.  The addition of the telegraph pole gives extra depth to any road scene, and the painting guide helps with painting the plastic parts.

 

Highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of