Rick Cooper takes a look at Country Road, a 'diorama in a box' from MiniArt.

Link to Item



If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

Good review, though as pointed out, the lack of vegetation really kicks up the price for what is a limited array of scenarios: soldiers or a very small vehicle.

Good review.

I'm glad you mention the dimples, they are also (annoyingly) present on the cobblestone sets MiniArt has. Haven't tried sanding them, wouldn't this leave a small hole to fill in?

Cheers,

Christophe

Good review Rick. Looks like another winner by MiniArt.
In one way Im glad it doesn´t include vegetation ... they would all end up looking the same. What modeller doesn´t have the basic materials to add to this? We are given a complete base with background and a pretty nice detail/filler ... do we really expect companies to supply everything? Where does it stop? Will we demand paint and glue to complete the scene next?
In a way, this is two kits in one, where their cart is available seperatly, which might explain the higher price. I imagine this will be a lot cheaper in time to come. Adding the cart gives those who want to copy the artwork that possibility, and those who dont, can use the cart in any other scene they choose. Its a useful little item that could full out any dio or vignette.
The little dimples have been present from the start. I mentioned them in the Ukranian house review many years ago. They do appear to be more when there is more detail per area. In all honesty, they are not hard to remove. I usually slice them off with a small chisel blade. If this leaves a small hole, it can be filled from behind with putty ... so even a beginner can manage this. Id take this route any day, rather than having to remove a huge resin casting-block on the back side.
In my opinion, this is nothing more than a simple muddy road with a small wall, which again any beginner modeller could scratch build, so its not a "must buy". But what it does offer is a huge time saver and as Rick says "it sure beats just sitting a vehicle on a shelf".
If this was my review Id probably give it an even higher score, rewarding what it is, not deducting from it for what it isn´t ... but thats me. We all see things differently, but luckily we are presented with enough details to make our minds up ... which is why reviews like this work.

To me this is MiniArt's best diorama base to date, it has plenty to catch your eye, the base is a decent size, it can be a scene from just about anywhere in Europe and possibly a fair proportion of the US and you can pick a time period as well.

I just finished one of these.
I get to like them Mini Art bases better and better!



I'll be using the cart from some other project. I used a Verlinden "damaged tree" instead

Cheers,
Guido