The Bench

This review is the follow up "built" review for a previous "in-box" review. For that review check here. Overall out of the box was favorable, a good kit to have. This review will extend that review.

The Parts

The parts in this kit are light, thin and delicate. This is the nature of these diorama detail kits. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. There are parts for two full benches, eight parts. I began my kit by separating out four parts for one bench. These pieces looked good and normal. There was the typical resin block and a bit of flash in the gaps.

Sides

The sides were easy to deal with, I just cut the block off with a razor saw normally. No problems. The bit of thin flash was easy to cutoff with a hobby knife. There was a touch of clean up to do with the back of a #11 blade and the pieces were ready. No problem with warping or breakage.

Wooden Slats

These pieces were tricky. These are the back and seats of the bench. They represent the wooden slats that support people. They are molded to look like separate wooden rails connected with a small piece of wood running perpendicular to the main slats. They are just like their 1:1 counter parts. This left long skinny gaps between the slats with small connection points. This ultimately leaves you with very little holding it all together. Which means you have to be very careful with your razor saw. If you take an extra breath and an extra helping of care and patience the resin block will come off fine.
The flash was easy to remove with a hobby knife. There was no warping to deal with at all.

Assembly

There were no instructions, just box art. But there are only four parts to deal with so I think the art will be plenty. I cleaned the pieces with soapy water and used CA to glue them together. I went with CA because it's a light kit and doesn't need the greater strength of epoxy. The CA was fine and the parts went together very easily.
I let the CA cure a bit and I was done.

Finishing

I wanted to depict a wrought iron and wooden bench. To do this I planned black(ish) legs and green slats. I painted the legs a base coat of flat black and dry brushed many coats of gun metal over them to age them and highlight them. I painted the slats a base coat of hobby paint in a dark green. I then added a few layers of green oil paint mixed with a bit of burnt umber.
After that was dry I added some burnt umber washes the slats.

Impression

I'm pleased with this kit. It was a bit tricky during part clean up. Overall, it was nice and solid. The detail in the wood grain is nice. The shape is classic and timeless so you could use this over a wide timeframe of dioramas.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this if a bench is in your diorama future..

I'd like to thanks VLS for the samples they provide.