Mike Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 Checkpoint (35562) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd Checkpoints. They’re useful to stop people going where they’re not supposed to, and also handy to stop everyone to catch-out naughty people trying to sneak through them with nefarious deeds in mind. It’s also a good place to dump squaddies that have misbehaved and are deserving of a boring, soul-crushing job for a few hours. The Kit This diorama set arrives in a small top-opening box, and inside are twelve sprues in grey styrene, a small clear sprue and a sheet of decals. This will allow the modeller to create a booth, barrier, signposts and an area of hessian bags to hide in case of enemy action, all of which goes to make a checkpoint. Also included is a set of glossy instructions to help you build and paint your model. Construction begins with a chair. Your guard has to be comfortable, right? This is an old-style wooden kitchen chair with a curved and slotted back and non-too-comfortable seat. Your guard also gets a choice of telephones. An old-skool 70s bakelite type with a blank dial pad and wind-up handle to make a call, or a field telephone in an ammo-can style enclosure. A choice of oil lamps are also included, which both have clear parts to complete them, then the guard hut itself is made up from four sides, the front one having a large cut-out door, and the two sides with portholes that have slide open/closed hatches to stop the wind whistling through your ears. The walls and base are all planked, and before you drop the walls into place, the chair and your choice of lamp/phone are put in place. The roof is peaked, and looks to be made from lead flashing or roofing felt with ribs perpendicular to the front. The barrier is a long pole that needs an alternative pivot point removing, after which it is pinned between the two halves of its support so that it can pivot once the two-part counter-weight is installed on the short end. A sign is provided for the centre of the pole for people waiting in cars to read while the guard saunters across, and there is a single part for the support of the long end, but it’s not mentioned in the instruction steps. The eight sprues of sand bags can be used to create a C-shaped barrier by following the instructions, or you can figure out how to make any other shapes you might figure out by trial and error. Finally, there is a small desk with three-drawer pedestal and knee space, which you can place somewhere nearby if you fancy it. Mentioned on the back page are instructions for the signs, which are a subset of one of the many signpost sets that MiniArt have released of late. Each sign has a decal with the same alpha-numeric code as its part, and there are two posts included to attach them to, or you can make your own with a lolly stick, coffee stirrer or toothpick. The instructions advise you to paint the sign white before applying the decal to give it better definition. The text on the decals is German, and the suggested colour scheme for the booth is red/black/white, which further enforces the Germanic nature of the set, even though it isn’t mentioned explicitly. Conclusion A nicely detailed German checkpoint for you to wait to have your papers seen and your bumps felt for weapons or other contraband. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Cohiba Posted August 25, 2021 Share Posted August 25, 2021 Someone would have been assigned to clean the latrines for quite a period, if he would have written "Feldkomandantur" instead of "Feldkommandatur". German Feldkommandanten are known to be quite an unforgiving bunch of people. 🧐 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hook Posted August 25, 2021 Share Posted August 25, 2021 2 hours ago, Chief Cohiba said: Someone would have been assigned to clean the latrines for quite a period, if he would have written "Feldkomandantur" instead of "Feldkommandatur". Then again, someone would have been assigned to clean the latrines for quite some time if he would have written "Feldkommandatur" instead of "Feldkommandantur". Nice review! Cheers, Andre 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichG Posted August 25, 2021 Share Posted August 25, 2021 Ihre papieren bitte... Interesting, very interesting. A good combo with the MasterBox figure set "Checkpoint" perhaps. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Cohiba Posted August 25, 2021 Share Posted August 25, 2021 6 hours ago, Hook said: Then again, someone would have been assigned to clean the latrines for quite some time if he would have written "Feldkommandatur" instead of "Feldkommandantur". Nice review! Cheers, Andre You see me on my knees, swinging the mop... 🧹 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted August 25, 2021 Author Share Posted August 25, 2021 5 hours ago, RichG said: Ihre papieren bitte... Interesting, very interesting. A good combo with the MasterBox figure set "Checkpoint" perhaps. Better yet, the MiniArt set: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hook Posted August 25, 2021 Share Posted August 25, 2021 39 minutes ago, Chief Cohiba said: You see me on my knees, swinging the mop... 🧹 "Und you vill report immediately to Hauptmann Johann Gambolputty de von Ausfern-schplenden-schlitter-crasscrenbon-fried-digger-dingle-dangle-dongle-dungle-burstein-von-knacker-thrasher-apple-banger-horowitz-ticolensic-grander-knotty-spelltinkle-grandlich-grumblemeyer-spelterwasser-kurstlich-himbleeisen-bahnwagen-gutenabend-bitte-ein-nürnburger-bratwustle-gerspurten-mitzweimache-luber-hundsfut-gumberaber-shönendanker-kalbsfleisch-mittler-aucher von Hautkopft of Ulm!" Cheers, Andre 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Cohiba Posted August 25, 2021 Share Posted August 25, 2021 18 minutes ago, Hook said: "Und you vill report immediately to Hauptmann Johann Gambolputty de von Ausfern-schplenden-schlitter-crasscrenbon-fried-digger-dingle-dangle-dongle-dungle-burstein-von-knacker-thrasher-apple-banger-horowitz-ticolensic-grander-knotty-spelltinkle-grandlich-grumblemeyer-spelterwasser-kurstlich-himbleeisen-bahnwagen-gutenabend-bitte-ein-nürnburger-bratwustle-gerspurten-mitzweimache-luber-hundsfut-gumberaber-shönendanker-kalbsfleisch-mittler-aucher von Hautkopft of Ulm!" Cheers, Andre Jawoll, Herr Hauptmann! I will wisch ze dreck weg sofort! Jawollll! Se latrines will glänz like your stiefels, Herr Hauptmann! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichG Posted August 25, 2021 Share Posted August 25, 2021 58 minutes ago, Mike said: Better yet, the MiniArt set: Ah yes, not come across these lads before... nasty looking bunch. "Ihren Ausweis, bitte" "Good Luck" - "Thank you" D'oh! Gordon Jackson, he falls for it every time... (The Great Escape. Great scene. Superbly acted). Rich 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted August 25, 2021 Author Share Posted August 25, 2021 19 minutes ago, RichG said: Ah yes, not come across these lads before... nasty looking bunch. I'm sure their mothers loved them 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hook Posted August 25, 2021 Share Posted August 25, 2021 32 minutes ago, Chief Cohiba said: Jawoll, Herr Hauptmann! I will wisch ze dreck weg sofort! Jawollll! Se latrines will glänz like your stiefels, Herr Hauptmann! And to think my girlfriend is from Austria... All those MiniArt sets look pretty good. Cheers, Andre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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