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Prepping Plaster Diorama Kits

Both Verlinden and Custom Dioramics produce a fine and extensive line of plaster buildings for the most popular periods and setting - and while both have some overlap between them (the owners were partners at one time!), I find myself drawn to anything and everything released by either. For the purposes of this article however, I will be working with a wonderful piece that is a little more extravagant, from a company in Eastern Europe called Plus Model. The kit is a battle-damaged Abbey, and it will be the central focus of a scene I'm doing for a client called "Graveyard Duty".

This kit is comprised of about a half-dozen major plaster pieces, some resin details, and a small bag of rubble provided by the manufacturer. As this will be a museum-quality piece, I want everything to be exacting, perfect, and flawless. While I will agonize over minor flaws moments before the client comes by to pick up the finished piece in three months, we can ensure the best results by taking a proven step-by-step preparation procedure before assembling and painting the Abbey. Just like any other venerable 12-step program, we will use a similar routine.