At RailWells last summer I did the usual thing of buying various detailing bits which then languished in a brown paper bag until rediscovery last week. One of these was a nice pair of Shire Scenes etched brass kits for a K1 and K6 telephone kiosk. i decided to have a go at them over the last few evenings.

The K1 (as I've since learned) was an early 1920s design and the first real mass produced public telephone box. Although most have now gone, there are still one or two dotted around the country. With their distinctly period look, and white and red paint scheme, I think they make a nice contrast to the more familiar all-over red type.

The Shire Scenes kit is from the Dart range and goes together reasonably straightforwardly. The upper part consists of a pyramid sitting on a trough-like tray, and I found I needed a bit of filler here and there to get it all looking solid. Once complete, the model was painted all over white with Humbrol paint, allowed to dry, and then masked off for the red bits. There's a bit of interior detail which is nice. I painted the "telephone" bits red, and the dry-brushed over the top to make the letters stand out.

I didn't really have a spot in mind for the model, but having recently done a bit of work on The Swan pub and its environs, I thought it would look good next to the post box already present in this scene. Don't ask me if this type of post box would have coexisted with the K1 kiosk!

I also made a start on the K6 kiosk, and I thought it would be good to be able to swap them, so the K1 and K6 are both mounted on plugs of rectangular-section plastic rod which allow them to be swapped in and out of the scene. The K6 (basically the type we all know and love, at least if you're old enough to have used them regularly) is suitable for the 1930s onward. 

In a wider view, the kiosk adds a welcome splash of contrasting colour to the pub.

I'm really delighted with this little model, especially those fine etched finials (or whatever they are) which really add a touch of delicacy.

Cheers, and thanks for reading.