6, June 1944 : Amidst the smoke and ruins, distant shelling and gunfire, Haupsturmfuhrer Fedor Von Schmidt orders his men of the 12th SS Hitlerjugend Division through the town of Lafiere…He pauses to gaze at a small monument to his direct left, and tries to read the writing on the blackened brass plate...but he still has not mastered the French language...

This story is fiction (based on facts) of course, and what does this have to do with modeling, you ask?...I used this story to highlight a new release from Firestorm Models, Australia, for the diorama modeler especially. Announcing the “FST 110 War Memorial”, brought to you in a resin kit from our mates down under. This is an “inbox” review of this great little attention getter.

Just think with a little imagination what scenario’s you could come up with to use this little monument, from a full blown diorama to a single subject vignette…It is an exact replica of a WWI War Memorial in France, and if you have a magnifying glass, (and can read French), upon finishing this piece you will be able to read the text and names of fallen soldiers that are listed on the plate of the memorial!...pretty neat, huh?

IN THE BOX

This resin accessory kit comes to you in a Ziploc bag, inside which you will find simply the two and only pieces of this kit respectively. Casted in heavy Ivory colored resin, extremely detailed, this piece will make a wonderful addition to your next diorama or vignette. Overall size of this piece is 13.5 cm high, x 5.5cm base width, and the text on the plate is a whopping 1mm high!!(And you can read each word clearly…see close-up photo)

The kit looks to be a breeze to assemble, with only two parts involved, as most of the work will be in painting and finishing the piece realistically. Very clear and clean casting will make the modeler happy, as the kit that I received looks to need only a little sanding in a few spots before finishing…No air bubbles visible on this subject, either. The exterior of the monument is cast to look like weathered stone (or marble if you prefer) with tiny cracks and crevices for extra added realism. The nameplate on the front of the monument is mounted with four round headed fasteners, clearly detailed and defined. The tiny ameplate on this piece is really cool, as you can read every word and name posted on it…My personal opinion would be to finish the nameplate in a weathered antique brass, as you have seen on the full size monuments.

I’m going to paint my subject a light middle stone color, and use an antique brass on the nameplate with an overall dark wash for a really war torn and weathered appearance…maybe even a heavy sludge wash for to really accentuate the fine detail of this piece.

CONCLUSION

Overall, I couldn't find anything about this resin accessory kit that was a let down, and I highly recommend this monument for your next diorama or vignette that it will fit into…Great value for the price, extremely detailed throughout, and a simple assembly makes this kit a definite 10 on all scales!

Many thanks to David Hay of Firestorm Model’s for providing this review sample sent from down under…G’day, Mate!

Keep Modeling!
Gunny