Entry posted by wombatofludham
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I don't normally do reviews of models, frankly opinions are like backsides, everyone has one, and like backsides, usually spout a load of hot air, but I thought I'd make an exception for these kits.
I found them on eBay and was immediately intrigued - three models of different post-war pre-fabricated bungalows! Not the most common subject for a kit model, they gave me an idea for a scene on the new Wednesford layout, where the "back story" involved the town having been badly bombed during the war. I actually remember "pre-fabs" in and around Walsall in the 1970s, so at £15 a kit, I decided to buy a couple.
The kits are produced by Dexter's Cove Models (www.dexterscove.com) and use a combination of laser cut acrylic and some 3d printed parts.
The parts come in a poly bag with an information sheet. There are some instructions but to be honest the kits are highly intuitive and everything is pretty much self evident as to what goes where.
Inside the poly bag are two smaller bags of details and windows. These are a softer material. The main parts, being laser cut acrylic, don't take liquid poly so ordinary contact adhesive does the trick. There's no glazing sheet, but that's what Bachmann's outer plastic casings are for. The parts have crisp edges, subtle panel lines and as can be seen, have slots and tabs which assist construction greatly. The long horizontals are a foundation / damp course base, but I didn't use them preferring to just stop at the floor plate.
I painted the parts before assembly, using POSCAR paint pens, using buff for the main concrete panels and a municipal green for the door. I left the window frames grey to simulate aluminium, on the other prefab I painted them white. The acrylic takes the water based POSCAR paint well, and being matt in finish gives a good rendition of painted concrete. The 3d printed doors and windows are excellent and fit really well, in fact the whole kit if of a very high quality in terms of fit and finish. I didn't find any parts needing filing or filling.
One slightly fiddly bit is the corner window of the "Tarran" design. If you are not careful it is possible to use the wrong window frame in the corner - one of the windows has a very narrow frame which allows flush fitting against the front window, and can be affected by any acetate sheet used for glazing. However, with care it will give a nice finish. You can see the subtle panel effect and the slots for the locating tabs more clearly here. The roof eaves also have locating lugs and recesses which combine to give a positive location guide during assembly.
The floor plate has the location lugs located in different locations for the front and back, so you can only put the front panel on one side and the rear panel on the other. It really is quite fool proof.
The rear face of the bungalow with side panel. Note the projecting support for the roof plate and how the front wall has recesses where the side roof gable projects. Very neat precision design.
All four walls in place. Note the notch in the middle of the front and back faces which will take an intermediate roof supporting beam
Roof beam and strengthening piece. I'm seriously considering designing a 3d printed interior so I can add internal lighting.
Roof temporarily resting on the structure. I've not glued it into place yet as I mull over interior detailing. The white squares are the locating tabs on the roof support beam. If you purchase from the website rather than the Bay of Tat there is a corrugated roof option simulating the asbestos concrete roof which would have been more typical, but with a bit more weathering the flat roof should work. 3d printed ridge tiles are supplied to hide the join.
And that's it. A simple, high quality kit of an unusual post-war design of emergency housing, designed for a fifteen year lifespan but which still exist in some numbers today. The two prefabs on my layout, which front a footpath alongside the railway, will hopefully be a small celebration of a truly remarkable achievement post war where despite austerity, rationing and a pressing housing crisis, enough funds were made available to build tens of thousands of these homes, on any spare land that could be found - and what is more, not just basic emergency accommodation, but properly designed homes with indoor bathroom, a small fitted kitchen with built in fridge, and proper heating. All features unheard of for working class housing of the era. That the Government could build such quality at a time of economic near bankruptcy really does put modern society to shame, so my two pre-fabs will be my little tribute to a truly heroic housing programme.
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