IPMS/USA Reviews

Summary

This is a review of a base which is made of finely molded piece of medium grey resin base. I thoroughly enjoyed working with this diorama base. Unlike many of the bases I have previously worked with, the Tiger Werke base is (a) reasonably priced, (b) lays flat on the table without having to be sanded or otherwise manipulated, (c) takes a variety of paints and or primers (I used an acrylic by Mission Models, though I also tested a small patch with both Alclad's Lacquer and their Aqua Clear Gloss--both of which worked very well), (d) finished up with a patch work mosaic pattern of what to my mind resembles a cobblestone pattern and (e) used a number of Vallejo Model colors to paint the individual tile pieces. I suspect there is a multitude of cobblestone designs or patterns available, all the way from what I tried to represent to dusty or very dirty street scenes (see color and pattern notes below).

Also, worth mentioning, I could not find any scale or size references for the Tiger Werke bases. I have displayed my base with a 1/35th scale Takom Panther Ausf. D. in what I see is a typical European street scene.

From my observations, this base is a bit unusual in that there are two features somewhat unusual: the raised curb stone area and the modern metal sewer manhole cover. Both are great additions to the surface detail though the later detail is clearly more modern than I witnessed in my several visits across Western Europe. What does this mean? In my opinion, this cobblestone street scene can be used to portray typical scenes from western Europe, the middle east, northern Africa, Disneyland, and any number of other foreign locations by merely changing the color of the stones, sidewalk or the man-hole cover.

This base comes with several 'Hints & Tips' including these caveats:

• All resin items should be washed with warm water and adding a few drops of detergent. Let air dry.
• When sanding, grinding, or drilling resin, wear a particle mask or a NIOSH respirator approved for dust. It is important not to inhale the resin dust, which could potentially cause an allergic reaction.
• Wear safety goggles. If you are wearing a dust mask or respirator, you need to be wearing goggles as well. They are also necessary if you are working with power tools and resin, such as when drilling, sanding or polishing.
• The use of a suitable primer is recommended for bonding purposes. CA glue or epoxies need to be used for resin items.
• Not suitable for children.

References

Because of the huge number of stonework patterns and the wide variety of colors for such cobblestone, I would suggest diving into the literally thousands of photo images available on the internet. I recommend that you begin your research with such sites as 'European cobblestone patterns' on Google.

Overall Evaluation

I am impressed with this Tiger Werke cobblestone street base and recommend its use to enhance your dioramas. It can serve as the corner stone for a simple diorama base or with the addition of added vegetation, grass, sand or simple resin pieces and details I can imagine a more extensive diorama scene. I want to thank both Tiger Werke Resin and IPMS-USA for the opportunity to review this base.