Stars and Stripes here we come! Custom Dioramics brings us a wonderful gem in kit #CD 6110, Still & Motion Picture Camera Set (WWII to Present). This Ben Jakobsen creation can be the focal point of a diorama or pull together different story elements in a diorama.

Packaging

When you receive your kit it will come in a nice solid clear styrene box. The box is about 2"x4"x1" and very light. There is a nicely painted 'box' art label showing the basic pieces. As a background image on the label is actual sepia tone pictures of the cameras in use in real life. Bob Letterman offers his rendition of how they can be painted.

Inside the box you will find a ziplock bag with the resin parts nicely contained.
As you can see from the pictures the ziplock bag is quite small compared to the styrene box. My first impression was that there would be substantial rattling of the resin pieces inside the styrene box. I think that the ziplock bag is the key to a safe arrival of the product if you have it shipped to you. Mine arrived safe, the size and shape of these pieces does not lend itself to breakage.

What you get

When you break through the ziplock bag you will find:

• three tripod legs


• 1 tripod base


• 1 tripod mounted motion picture camera – multi-lens reel to reel type


• 1 hand held motion picture camera – hand held reel to reel type


• 1 cartridge (billows) style camera


• 1 box style camera


• 1 older style 35mm SLR


• 1 newer style 35mm SLR

There are 10 pieces in all; six are cameras.

All are very well cast in resin with good detail. All of them come with the typical resin block. There was almost no flash in my kit, but there is the opportunity to get a bit on the tripod legs and hand held camera. No big deal, it’s easily removed if it does show up.

Impressions

When I saw this set my eyes literally lit up. This is a wonderful subject that can be a catalyst for an entire diorama. You can also use it to fill in a story gap on a diorama. And you can also simply use it as detail for a complete diorama.

Not only is it a great subject, it’s nicely done. Ben Jakobsen took care in providing a lot of detail on these cameras. On the cameras are the shutter releases, winding knobs, rewind levers, billow seams, viewfinders, you name the detail it is there. Just as you would find them on their 1:1 counterpart, see for yourself in the images.Note:The 1:1 images are not exact matches in make and model of the 1/35 scale pieces. The 1:1 images are to give you an idea of what details, shapes, sizes, etc you can expect to see.

These are some pretty small pieces so you will want to be careful with them. Some of the detail looks quite delicate. Be careful when you remove the resin block.

For all you scratch building strap nuts out there, here is your challenge. The 35mm SLR cameras are begging to have straps added. If you thought the size of a rifle strap was a joy to reproduce in 1/35th scale, try this.

One thing I did notice of some of the two motion film cameras was a bit of extra resin in a couple of spot. This could just be overflow from a de-molding seam or two part mold seam or even a ‘hitch’ in the mold. Both look like they can be cleaned up easily enough. It does remind you to do your homework and study a 1:1 version to know what detail should and shouldn’t be there.

In my background research I did come across one challenge. The challenge is to find a cameraman. There are few ‘stock’ cameramen in production by various companies. This set could easily enhance those figures with a straight part replacement or adding a camera strapped around the shoulders. With a little creativity and searching you can find a very workable alternate solution too. For example, imagine Tamiya’s 50 Cal. Gunner from the US Gun & Mortar Team (TA 35086) with a camera. Or the prone machine gunner in Tamiya’s German Machine Gun Team (TA 35038) with the hand held motion camera……

Summary

This one’s a gem. It will add that ‘extra something’ that will allow a non-military viewer to relate to your project. For that matter it can be used in a civilian diorama too.

I don’t see any problems with this kit other than the price, between $15 and $16 you won’t go buy a bunch of them. The impact value and the high detail of this kit ease the financial strain. Get your creativity flowing with this set and add some flair to your next diorama.





I'd like to thank Custom Dioramics for supplying this product for review.