introduction

Matho Models has a printed set of US propaganda posters from WWI which includes some well-known and some more obscure items. We're all familiar with Uncle Sam, and with the Hun portrayed as a gorilla in a helmet, snatching up innocent women.

contents

Inside a zip-seal plastic envelope is a single sheet of paper 150mm high by 105mm across, with 22 different posters printed on it. Each is a different size, but most fall into ranges of scale 444"x30" (large) to 24"x18" (small), with some variations - all within the expected size range for posters.

comments

These posters are clearly photo-reproductions of the real thing. They look good to the naked Mk 1 Eyeball, but using a macro lens reveals a pixelated finish that is to be expected with any printed medium. (They haven't yet miniaturised the printers!) This is of course a symptom of our modern world, where everyone has a microscope in their camera, usually in their phone. The only way around it would be to silk-screen print these the way decals are made, on a glossy paper, but that requires more elaborate machinery.


My first thought was "won't these look great with the new ICM US Infantry set?", followed rapidly by "but I need a building to stick them on!" So, I set to with some Evergreen plastic to make a suitable backdrop. And having attached the posters with a smear of PVA glue, I like the way they look!


I'm not sure how wide-spread these posters would be, but some of them could be used in a US-held European camp or HQ setting, so the possibilities aren't as limited as they first seem. I can't help feel that these might have a much, much bigger US market if they were offered in the popular "railroad" scales of 1:48 (O guage) and 1:87 (HO guage), but at the moment the Matho website has no products for these scales.

conclusion

This is an interesting set of posters that may be a bit niche, but is still very welcome.