Aloha,
Like Bill and Vic, I participate in Large Scale Central's (largescalecentral.com) annual for fun and deliberately budget limited challenge. It is a good excuse to put theory to practice and to bring the crew into the hobby or at least to get them interested in making stuff. This year, the crew decided on a bakery, and, after some discussion about the concept of "chimney" (not a routine architectural component out here), we turned-to...
I had been aching to try insulation foam, but, lo! like chimneys, that seems to be the proverbial hen's tooth. A friend recently bought, of all things, and organ, and it came packed in a city's worth of the stuff. I also wanted to try and convert beverage cans into corrugated roofing, wich is still common on O'ahu and ubiquitous on the neighbor islands. All credit to Mr. Jack Verducci's "Building Structures for Your Garden Railway," as we referenced it liberally throughout the project!
Taking the rough guide off this post office on Kaua'i....
...we carefully crafted foam to fit the exacting standards fo 1:24-ish PLAYMOBIL scale:
Next, we cut up meat trays for flagstones....
...before turning the project over to the crew, augmented by Neighbor Girl Who Thinks She Lives Here, to seal everything below white exterior latex paint:
Plastic hotel keys became doors, craftsticks became walls, and aluminum cans run through a paper crimper became corrugated metal before it all went back for more paint and some trim. Oldest Daughter painted the chimney flat white, then smeared brick red over it. Local Niece joined in the finishing process, which included free-handed decorations and signage to anchor Mama's in time and place.
After I applied a heavy wash to the stonework and chimney, we placed it on the railroad and brough Mama's to life:
A few extra shots show the "cakes" Youngest Daughter made, so of the signage, and the impact of a good wash:
It took a bit of patience as the crew came and went from the project, and I had to incorporate the results of my miscommmunications along the way. Since the goal included involving them, however, this is more than acceptable. All in all a fun project that advanced our skills and hit the mark betwen toy and model, which is the level of detail and complexity where we need to be right now.
Eric
What a fun project !! It's great to involve the whole " crew", working towards the common goal!
Came out Great, too !
Paul
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