A quick question about Miniart buildings - I purchased two (Ukranian City building and Ukranian country house), and they're really nice. But, in terms of overall size, they seem to be a bit large for the 1/35 figures (also Miniart) I have.
Are the real buildings "oversized" - i.e. - would this be standard in Europe?
Even if they are oversize, they're still wonderful little kits, and I'm seriously considering picking up a few more.
TIA
Grant
Hosted by Darren Baker
Question about Miniart buildings
GVoakes
Joined: September 04, 2007
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Posted: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 - 03:25 AM UTC
Plasticbattle
#003
Joined: May 14, 2002
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Posted: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 - 04:34 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Are the real buildings "oversized" - i.e. - would this be standard in Europe?
Define standard. Define Europe.
There´s no typical answers ... and none are needed for the above questions. Some of these buildings probably portray when times were better and affluent parts of town were built up with grandiosa buildings and architecture was a common way of showing off wealth and prosperity. High doors and high windows are not that unusal. Any of these houses/buildings in the proper situation/location are suitable and not overscale IMO.
They do look large though. I suggest you build the buildings you have before you invest in more. the Ukranian city building is one of their earlier offerings and takes a bit of work to get together. Then decide on how many more you´ll build.
slodder
Joined: February 22, 2002
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Posted: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 - 04:35 AM UTC
I have brought this up myself. I think some are scaled more to 1/32 than 35. Some items even bigger. I have seen great dioramas with them and even the smaller Tamiya figures, so don't let that discourage you, just work with your composition a bit.
sadodd
Joined: December 29, 2007
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Posted: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 - 04:47 AM UTC
Hi guys,
most AM buildings are being made to fit the 1/32 and 1/35 scale are actually the 1/32 scale, rather than make two different sizes, they sell it as workable for both scales. Some work with composition is need to make it not so noticeable.
Hope this helps.
most AM buildings are being made to fit the 1/32 and 1/35 scale are actually the 1/32 scale, rather than make two different sizes, they sell it as workable for both scales. Some work with composition is need to make it not so noticeable.
Hope this helps.
210cav
Joined: February 05, 2002
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Posted: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 - 04:47 AM UTC
They are a challenge to build and then flesh out with interior walls and ground work. I have two of their items and while not terribly displeased with them, there are better products out there.
DJ
DJ
bill_c
Campaigns AdministratorJoined: January 09, 2008
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Posted: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - 11:31 AM UTC
Quoted Text
They are a challenge to build.
You've said a mouthful, Brother.
Quoted Text
There are better products out there.
I'm taking notes-- please elaborate.
CReading
#001
Joined: February 09, 2002
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Posted: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - 04:41 PM UTC
Actually if you follow the build instructions on the Miniart website they are relatively easy to build.
I had the advantage of seeing the owner/designer do a seminar at the IPMS Nat's in Anaheim. After having struggled with one prior to that I found them rather nice kits (when I learned how to assemble them correctly)
Cheers,
Charles
I had the advantage of seeing the owner/designer do a seminar at the IPMS Nat's in Anaheim. After having struggled with one prior to that I found them rather nice kits (when I learned how to assemble them correctly)
Cheers,
Charles
Plasticbattle
#003
Joined: May 14, 2002
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Posted: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - 06:23 PM UTC
Quoted Text
I think some are scaled more to 1/32 than 35.
This may be so, but in my eyes ... the scale is acceptable. High doors and windows are not uncommon and will be suitable for most urban scenes. MiniArt figures are a bit on the big side as well. My recent dio had some Tirstar and Miniart figures, and the height was noticeable, but the bulk of the figures was incomparable.
bill_c
Campaigns AdministratorJoined: January 09, 2008
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Posted: Thursday, May 22, 2008 - 02:20 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Actually if you follow the build instructions on the Miniart website they are relatively easy to build.
They aren't complicated, but the parts don't line up properly and they require a lot of puttying to work right.
I suppose if compared to scratch-built or Verlinden ceramic "kits" they're a bargain.
FAUST
#130
Joined: June 07, 2002
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Posted: Thursday, May 22, 2008 - 03:09 AM UTC
Well I built the Ukranian Village house myself following the step by step on the Miniart site And it is actually not as hard as it looks. I have built a couple of Vacu Form kits now and I know they can be a bit intimidating.
I myself noticed it too that the door and windows of the Ukranian village house are a tad too large, but not too disturbing really. To add to the information of Frank about big doors and windows in city areas. As Frank already said a big door was a sign of status so were big rooms with high ceilings. But there was another reason for the big windows and the high ceilings. A lot of those buildings were built in a time when there was no electricity yet. And they made the windows big on purpose so you had advantage of a lot of sunlight in your rooms and save lampoil to light the room with the old oillamps. And big windows automatically lead top high ceilings. So in a city area when you have a citybuilding it is absolutely very possible to have windows and doors which seem to be too big.
With friendly greetz
Robert Blokker
I myself noticed it too that the door and windows of the Ukranian village house are a tad too large, but not too disturbing really. To add to the information of Frank about big doors and windows in city areas. As Frank already said a big door was a sign of status so were big rooms with high ceilings. But there was another reason for the big windows and the high ceilings. A lot of those buildings were built in a time when there was no electricity yet. And they made the windows big on purpose so you had advantage of a lot of sunlight in your rooms and save lampoil to light the room with the old oillamps. And big windows automatically lead top high ceilings. So in a city area when you have a citybuilding it is absolutely very possible to have windows and doors which seem to be too big.
With friendly greetz
Robert Blokker
Henk
Joined: August 07, 2004
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Posted: Thursday, May 22, 2008 - 04:37 AM UTC
Quoted Text
They aren't complicated, but the parts don't line up properly and they require a lot of puttying to work right.
I suppose if compared to scratch-built or Verlinden ceramic "kits" they're a bargain.
I don't know about the parts not lining up properly. The buildings that I have build did not have any fit problems. It is however imperative that you sand the mating surfaces absolutely flat, which is achieved by using a circular sanding motion on a large piece of sand paper, on a perfectly flat surface.
French Town House
Hungarian Country House
Park Wall
Like most MiniArt kits, you need a little care and attention, but the result is more than worth the effort.
As to the discussion about the size of the houses, If you compare these with other brands, often the other brands are to small. Just try to imagine adding some furniture etc, and see if there is any room left... The only problem with size is the doors. Because miniArt only include one size door, the doors are a bit to high for interior doors.
Cheers
Henk
dennish
Joined: October 30, 2006
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Posted: Saturday, May 24, 2008 - 04:48 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Quoted TextThey are a challenge to build.
You've said a mouthful, Brother.Quoted TextThere are better products out there.
I'm taking notes-- please elaborate.
Couldn’t agree any more…!!! Check this site http://www.helmuths-strongholds.com
bill_c
Campaigns AdministratorJoined: January 09, 2008
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Posted: Saturday, May 24, 2008 - 05:22 AM UTC
Fantastic stuff. Blows Miniart and Verlinden away....
viper29_ca
Joined: October 18, 2002
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Posted: Sunday, May 25, 2008 - 03:56 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Fantastic stuff. Blows Miniart and Verlinden away....
Yes but look at the pricing?? $25Euros?? Hell that is close to $50CDN, I can buy almost 3 Miniart buildings for that!
jargonking
Joined: May 08, 2006
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Posted: Sunday, May 25, 2008 - 04:21 AM UTC
I'd agree with Henk when he says that some other manufacturers buildings are too small. I've noticed that on several Verlinden offerings the doors and windows seem undersized making the building far less imposing than it should be.
I've travelled extensively in Europe and one thing that always strikes me is the height and width of the doors and windows are often much larger than those of a similar vintage in the UK...incidentally I'm in the building trade so I tend to notice these things
I also disagree that the MiniArt kits are difficult to build...time consuming maybe but not that difficult. I think too many modellers out there have been spoon-fed on Dragon and Tamiya kits that simply fall together, I actually enjoy the challenge in these buildings.
The major advantages these kits have are choice of subject, size versus price, detail on both sides of the walls, and the conversion/ combination possibilities.
My favourite is the Hungarian Country House which I found went together surprisingly easy.
I've travelled extensively in Europe and one thing that always strikes me is the height and width of the doors and windows are often much larger than those of a similar vintage in the UK...incidentally I'm in the building trade so I tend to notice these things
I also disagree that the MiniArt kits are difficult to build...time consuming maybe but not that difficult. I think too many modellers out there have been spoon-fed on Dragon and Tamiya kits that simply fall together, I actually enjoy the challenge in these buildings.
The major advantages these kits have are choice of subject, size versus price, detail on both sides of the walls, and the conversion/ combination possibilities.
My favourite is the Hungarian Country House which I found went together surprisingly easy.
dennish
Joined: October 30, 2006
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Posted: Sunday, May 25, 2008 - 05:45 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Quoted TextFantastic stuff. Blows Miniart and Verlinden away....
Yes but look at the pricing?? $25Euros?? Hell that is close to $50CDN, I can buy almost 3 Miniart buildings for that!
don't know were you bought your miniart , but if i want to buy 3 miniart buildings it cost here in europe ( 3X 21=) 63 Euro. And youl get some plastic that doesn't fit !!!
viper29_ca
Joined: October 18, 2002
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Posted: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 04:47 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Quoted Text
Quoted Text
Fantastic stuff. Blows Miniart and Verlinden away....
Yes but look at the pricing?? $25Euros?? Hell that is close to $50CDN, I can buy almost 3 Miniart buildings for that!
don't know were you bought your miniart , but if i want to buy 3 miniart buildings it cost here in europe ( 3X 21=) 63 Euro. And youl get some plastic that doesn't fit
Where do I buy it??
Heck man I sell the stuff. I buy it directly from a supplier in the Ukraine, have it shipped in and sell it locally at my shop. Even when factoring in the price of EMS shipping from the Ukraine I am selling them at alot cheaper prices than you apparently can get.
Just a sample of what I have in stock and its prices at the moment:
Mini-Art 1/35 35012 German Village House $17.50
Mini-Art 1/35 35015 Belgium Village House $17.50
Mini-Art 1/35 35024 Ukrainian Village House $20.00
Mini-Art 1/35 35503 Normandy City Building $22.00
Mini-Art 1/35 35505 French Farm Gate $16.00
Mini-Art 1/35 35513 French Cafe $20.00
Mini-Art 1/35 36001 Street w/Ruined House $14.00
Mini-Art 1/35 36002 Russian Street w/Advertising Column $14.00
Mini-Art 1/35 36004 Diorama w/Gun, Poland 1944 $27.00
Those are Canadian pricing.
bill_c
Campaigns AdministratorJoined: January 09, 2008
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Posted: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 05:20 AM UTC
Dragon USA (where I've bought my two MiniArt buildings so far) sells the Ukrainian Village House for US$30, FYI.
Pedro
Joined: May 26, 2003
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Posted: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 06:15 AM UTC
I have Miniarts dioramam base "Street with ruined house" which comes with spare doors, and those would have 245 x 98 cm if scaled up from 1/35, also the door handle is on the proper height of about 110 cm. This leads to the conclusion that those are indeed 1:35 buildings, the doors are of the exterior type and therefore can be a tad taller than standard 200cm.
Cheers
Greg
Cheers
Greg
viper29_ca
Joined: October 18, 2002
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Posted: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 06:15 AM UTC
The only real difference between the Mini-Art buildings I sell that I get directly from Eastern Europe and the ones that Dragon USA sells, is that Dragon puts a set of figures in the box with the building.
The ones I get direct from Eastern Europe don't have these in them. I am not sure about the building sets that you buy in Europe if that have these figures in them or not.
Either way, the figures don't come free, as you can see by the difference in price between mine and the one that Bill C got from Dragon USA, the one from Dragon USA is about $10 more, which would account for the figures, most of which either don't really go with the kit, or are from stockpiles of old figures as I can almost guarantee that Dragon isn't putting their newest stuff in them.
The ones I get direct from Eastern Europe don't have these in them. I am not sure about the building sets that you buy in Europe if that have these figures in them or not.
Either way, the figures don't come free, as you can see by the difference in price between mine and the one that Bill C got from Dragon USA, the one from Dragon USA is about $10 more, which would account for the figures, most of which either don't really go with the kit, or are from stockpiles of old figures as I can almost guarantee that Dragon isn't putting their newest stuff in them.
bill_c
Campaigns AdministratorJoined: January 09, 2008
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Posted: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 10:10 AM UTC
Scott, you're correct. And as I discovered from getting the same set of DML figures (Kharkov 1943) in two different kits. When I asked Dragon USA about it, they essentially said "sorry, MiniArt puts the figures in." They were NOT, BTW, Gen 2 sets,
viper29_ca
Joined: October 18, 2002
KitMaker: 2,247 posts
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Posted: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 04:06 AM UTC
Hey there Bill,
Dragon USA may not put the figures in themselves, but somewhere along the line someone in the Dragon distribution network is putting them in, as like I said, I get my Mini-Art kits from a supplier in the Ukraine, and they come with no figures in them.
Besides, why would Mini-Art put Dragon figures in their building kits, when Mini-Art make their own figures, and in some cases with their newer sets, are actually better than the Dragon figures. Not to mention the fact that some of their new Diorama sets are coming with figures in them, such as:
http://www.hobbyterra.com/product.asp?idProduct=1417
and
http://www.hobbyterra.com/product.asp?idProduct=1500
It would make no sense for Mini-Art to put Dragon figures in their kits when they make their own figures which for the most part are better!
Dragon USA may not put the figures in themselves, but somewhere along the line someone in the Dragon distribution network is putting them in, as like I said, I get my Mini-Art kits from a supplier in the Ukraine, and they come with no figures in them.
Besides, why would Mini-Art put Dragon figures in their building kits, when Mini-Art make their own figures, and in some cases with their newer sets, are actually better than the Dragon figures. Not to mention the fact that some of their new Diorama sets are coming with figures in them, such as:
http://www.hobbyterra.com/product.asp?idProduct=1417
and
http://www.hobbyterra.com/product.asp?idProduct=1500
It would make no sense for Mini-Art to put Dragon figures in their kits when they make their own figures which for the most part are better!
bill_c
Campaigns AdministratorJoined: January 09, 2008
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Posted: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 05:36 AM UTC
Scott,
I just pass along what Dragon USA claims....
PS. Your photos don't show up on the site.
I just pass along what Dragon USA claims....
PS. Your photos don't show up on the site.
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