MiniArt 1/72 East European Farmyard
KIT #: 72020
PRICE: $
DECALS: None
REVIEWER: Scott Van Aken
NOTES:  

THE KIT

Here is a nice diorama accessory or something that will appeal to wargamers. Apparently 1/72 is a major scale for the wargaming crowd so this will fit right in with that. It is an east European farm yard that would be appropriate for WWII or Napoleonic wargaming and WWII armor kits.

The kit itself contains four identical sprues in grey and one in white. The four identical sprues are basically a long and short wall with a half roof section and end insert. Two of these will make for a full structure. These have the openings already marked on the inside and are what you'd use for the barn structure. Simply opening one of the holes will allow the large door to be installed.

For the house, there is a separate sprue for the two sections that have windows. It does seem to me to be a bit odd that only two walls of the house have windows, but then I've never seen these structures for comparison. Again, the inside of the door opening is separate. This sprue includes the chimney and the window shutters. The sprue image shows the inside of all the parts. Outside is pretty much a mud or plaster wall with a thatched roof section. For the barn, one can model the large doors open or just one of the smaller doors. Frankly, unless you have something inside the barn or house, I can not see any benefit in having these doors open.

Though perhaps a bit late in the preview, I should mention that the molding of the walls and roof and wooden parts is very well done, requiring nothing more than some good painting and a bit of dry brushing to allow the details to become  more prominent. The kit comes with a nicely done set of instructions and while there is no painting guide, one can use the box art as a reference.

CONCLUSIONS

A very nice addition to MiniArt's growing collection of 1/72 diorama/wargaming buildings and one that will very much enhance your next diorama project.

June 2010

Thanks to www.dragonmodelsusa.com for the preview kit. Get yours today at your favorite retailer or ask them to order it for you. 

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