Introduction

Great North Roads should be known to many who are diorama and scene builders. This is my first look at any of their buildings following on from a recent purchase.

Although entitled ‘French Street’ I would think this layout and the building could be found in many European Towns and Villages so there should be lots of scope for the modeller.

Great North Roads (GNR) make 1/35v scale Diorama Bases, Figures, Bunkers, Ruins, Bridges and Accessories so they have an extensive range of options to choose from.

The kit

The kit comes packed in a sturdy cardboard box. The front shows the manufacturers details and a small picture of the built kit. Each of the pieces was wrapped in bubble wrap for safety and the box was further enclosed and well packed with polystyrene infill pieces to ensure safe delivery. The base measures approximately 12 ¾ by 8 ¾ inches. No instructions are included in the kit as the parts should be self explanatory.

The kit contains 8 pieces made in dental plaster. The detail on the kit looks excellent and depicts a cobbled street, corner wall and pavement at one end and a ruined town house with steps at the other.

The back of the house wall and one side of the supporting wall are a blank canvas which can be a positive or negative depending on your view.

The base of the diorama shows good street detail, with two sections of cobbled street running at different angles, abandoned boxes and an oil drum are also built onto the base. To add to this you get two pieces of corner wall and a pillar with a nice feature on top. A curved pavement surrounds the wall. At the other end a ruined house wall with a support wall are provided with some nicely detailed steps that give some nice height and depth to the scene. In front of the house runs a straight section of pavement.

There is a raised area at the door entrance where the steps lead up to.
The wall and pillar have detail on both sides with the wall topped with capping stones. There is a nice feature to sit on top of the pillar.

The steps are also nicely done with a curved wall on either side.

Finishing things off are rubble/bricks that have been built into the base and some abandoned crates and an oil drum previously mentioned

Conclusion

I think this is an interesting and detailed diorama base, with good depth and angles for interest. The scene itself could most probably be in any European town or medium sized village. I don’t see anything that specifically indicates a ‘French’ Street so there should be plenty of opportunities for a finish of your choice.

The plaster can be drilled, sanded or carved. I personally like plaster buildings although the down side comes in the cost of postage as given their weight that can be quite high.

So something to consider if you looking for a nice useable street scene, this one may well fit the bill..