European Masonry Bridge

Kit # CD8021

Disclaimer:
I had actually started writing this review back in 2013, only to discover that Custom Dioramics had gone the way of the Raphus cucullatus. As this set is currently almost impossible to find, I imagined I would have just been rubbing salt in the wound by publishing it.
However, since Tiger Productions has taken over the Custom Dioramics range in 2017 with the intention of re-releasing all the old sets, I decided to finally complete the review.

Contents

This set can be labelled as massive, with a 15 by 20cm baseplate and assorted bridge parts. Removing the pour stubs from the resin parts requires either a motor tool or lots of courage (or both), while aligning the various parts is a matter of faith and copious amounts of superglue. Once the fumes from the latter have cleared you will notice that filler will still be required for the joints and some pinholes, while steps between the three parts of the bridge deck will remain difficult to hide.

Assembly

I didn't use the baseplate of the kit for two reasons:

• the bridge parts wouldn't fit in the slots of the baseplate
• the bridge is not set at an angle with respect to the plate. (I like to put it at an angle as it creates a sense of dynamism to the diorama.)

Even if you keep the bridge without the baseplate, it will still be very difficult to get it to sit at an angle with respect to your diorama base, as the ends of the bridge are made of solid parts that will be very difficult to cut at a straight angle. They are also hollow (U-shaped) at their extremities and bereft of detail on the inside. I solved this by adding pieces of plasticard.

Detail is otherwise very nice, but only present on one side. The fix with plasticard solved most of that, as the blank side is hardly visible except from a very low angle.

The fences on the bridge need to be cut to length as they are a bit too long. This is best done after assembly. Some sections can benefit from heating in hot water to get a better fit.

Review sample bought with the reviewer's own pocket money.

Article Last Updated: 02 November 2017