what is it

This kit is a nice addition to the Custom Dioramics (CD) line of 1/48th scale buildings. This is going to build into a two story urban oriented house. This represents a battle damaged buiding with both primary walls being affected with damage. The roof and second floor are very damaged. The first floor is a tile floor that is only damaged on the edges. On one sidewall is a very interesting dual story fireplace, with one hearth per floor.

coming across the workbench

This kit will come in a nice solid cardboard box with a box art sticker. Inside CD packs with a full complement of packing peanuts, bubble wrap and ziplock baggies. Your kit shouldn’t suffer any breakage during shipping. CD does a nice job alternating packing material and pieces to protect your investment.

When you break into this kit you will be presented with classic CD cream resin. There are 13 pieces all molded with one-piece molds and all have the resulting resin block.

As I inspected each piece I was reminded that these are 1/48th scale pieces by their size. They are all small, even the large two-story wall has a definite “Small Feel” to it. This is not bad, it’s just the way it is.

The second impression that really jumped out at me was the attention to detail and planning. This kit is detailed on every facet. Read more about this in the later sections of this review.

The kit does not leave me with an impression of being overly complex. There is a nice one-page instruction sheet so even a novice to resin kits won’t be put off by a lack of instructions

close inspection

I looked at each piece as it came out of the box and was very pleased with Dave Pomeranskis sculpting skills. Dave crafted detail into everything, tile floors, ceiling beams, roof rafters – all of it.

Starting at the bottom the floor has what can be used as a foundation, resulting in very small clean up. There is a nicely sculpted tile floor that has cracks along the edges showing off nice battle damage.

The next two pieces are the main walls, wonderfully scaled plaster over brick walls (plaster on the inside, brick on the outside.) The edges are battle damaged vary randomly which adds to the realism. The plaster covered walls are nicely detailed with a bit of a rough touch to it. You can always touch it up with sandpaper to smooth it out. The edges of everything have nice wooden details. The window sill is even a nice two piece molding. You will notice nice ‘fit recesses’, these show you where to connect other pieces.

The next major component is the fireplace/chimney unit. As mentioned the fireplace is a dual version. This means there is a hearth on the main floor, and one on the second floor. There is a bit of excess resin molded into the back, which will take a bit of sanding to remove. The detail is an exquisite mix of stone, brick, and plaster. The second floor boasts a nice marble mantle and an authentic offset opening. Above the fireplaces is a complete two-piece chimney. The two pieces test fit together quite nicely even without cleanup. There is battle damage on the top portion.

There is a plank floor over beam second floor. It is a tiny bit rough, having slightly over scaled grooves between boards (really minor nitpick). You will find nail marks at the ends of each board, underneath you’ll find nicely spaced nicely scaled beams. Each has an authentically broken end.

The roof part is roof rafters covered by lath. There is a bit of flash on this piece you will need to clean up. This will be your biggest challenge; these spaces are small. These parts are very well molded and very ‘in scale’.

There are two windows for the window openings. Each is molded nicely. There is flash on each. The smaller window is scaled down proportionally. Test fitting was good.

The last two pieces are ‘home run’ pieces you don’t see everyday. These are two very thin veneer pieces for the outside walls. They are thin brick walls to give you a full 360-degree viewing building. These are thin pieces and do NOT suffer from any warping – nice. The only thing you will have to do with these pieces is to cut out window holes. Test fitting these parts shows that this won’t be difficult. Clean up the excess resin, transfer the window shapes on the veneer pieces and cut them out.

overview

Wow, this kit is a winner. This is a full 360 kit, 360 in viewing, 360 in completeness, 360 in subject. This kit is nice because it focuses on the interior of a building first, then includes the outside. The dual fireplaces are unique ‘twist’ and will gain a lot of interest from viewers. Lastly, you get all three ‘flat’ surfaces, base floor, 2nd floor and roof. If you do 1/48th scale dioramas, this is a must have. If you’re curious, this will trap you in the small scale world. This is a resin kit and you will have clean up, resin blocks to remove, over-mold excess to sand off.

This kit has it all, even instructions. A modeler with even one resin kit under his belt will have no problem; a novice will only have to be mildly patient. This is well worth the money.

I’d like to thank VLS for providing this kit for review