Administrative building with Workshop

I try to put at least half of my armor models in a diorama, so I am constantly on the lookout for new items to use as a backdrop. Recently I decided to try one of MiniArt's smaller sets, which didn't quite convince for the full 100% as the box (and price tag) was rather big for the contents. My statistics professor once told me that a sample size of one is not sufficient to draw any conclusions, so I dove in and bought a second set; a bigger one this time. When it arrived, I immediately noticed that it was a BIG box, but this time when I opened it I noticed
that the box was barely big enough to hold all the parts. (In fact after inspecting the parts and trying to put them back in, I discovered that it was a proverbial can of worms.)
As you can see, the kit parts come in multiple colors, which are approximatively correct for the parts the represent (red for the bricks, orange for the tiles, etc.).

As the parts are so numerous, I decided to scan only a representative sample. (At least I hope my statistics professor agrees that it is representative.)

The instructions are the size of a small novel, sample pages of which can be found below.

It seems that most of the parts are to be clicked together, although some glue might help keeping them snugly together for eternity. Some parts that are in the box are not to be used and are probably shared with other kits from the same manufacturer. I believe some of them might actually be used in exchange for other parts.

Overall detail is nice and crisp, but I do feel the need to highlight some minor misgivings.

• The brick faces are very smooth and their alignment is very regular, creating an artificial look. Worse however is that the bricks are placed in stretcher bond, which is typical for facade bricks of modern buildings with double walls. While a present day diorama could get away with that, a WW2 setting might have been better served with a Flemish or English bond. Furthermore, as the walls come in sections, you are bound to end up with a very neat vertical joint between different panels which might be quite difficult to hide perfectly.
• Window panes are lacking. As there are a lot of windows, investing in firms producing clear acetate will prove a wise decision.
• There is no interior whatsoever. Combined with the abundance of windows this offers a challenge.
• For a no-frills administrative building the doors are somewhat posh.

All in all, this set seems to be rather good value for money, although I am still at a loss how I am going to integrate such a big building into a diorama.

Sample purchased by author.

Article Last Updated: 05 December 2013