Yep, they're for wedding cakes. Mom used to make a lot of cakes back in the late 70's/early 80's and I fondly remember trips to the Mardi Gras cake decorating and candy making store. I could stand for hours in the cake topper isle and dream of all the things I could do with the little figures and whatnot. Strangely enough, it was always the little crowns that I wanted to play with! I guess it's because that was the era of D and D.
Becky
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
The columns you used on Lionel City look like the ones my wife uses on her cakes.
That gives me an idea for some supports on my teki bar set up. She uses small wooden dowels that she puts through the cakes if she is doing a stack type. I can get them in various sizes to.
We're not worthy!
We're not worthy...!
Good morning all,
Very cool, Becky.
Keep on training,
Mike C. from Indiana
Next stop.....Athen....uh, I mean Lionel City>
Not really based on anything specific, bit Grecian though.
Works with Gauge 1 too.
Beckius of the Heights of Parmathea
I think I just heard a collective chorus of "NNNNOOOoooooo....!!!"
Theory of Villa Evolution.
So here's my latest, a 191 villa. But it was also one of my first in the mid 90's:
Villa on the left: somewhere between O and Standard gauge in size. Villa on the right: closer to G scale. The original was made of spray painted posterboard with a few balsa pieces as internal bracing. It also had crappy windows which I "upgraded" a few years back. In it's day, considering the net was in it's infancy and all the resource material I had to work from was a few photos in a few books, it served it's purpose. But I surpassed it in quality ages ago and until this week hadn't built a replacement.
And now, I get to have a bit of fun! A friend of mine likes to dispose of his prototypes, test builds and outdated or inferior paper models in the fireplace. Personally I prefer to just toss them in the air and see if I can squash them between my hands on their way back to earth. Or maybe I should go Gomez Addams on it and try to smash a locomotive through the front door? But any way you look at it, it's time for this old house to go to the recycling bin.
You may also have noticed there's a third 191 villa in the photos. I built that one last year but hadn't got as close as I did this week to a true "fake". That 2nd version is a bit on the tall side and I also had to make it thinner to fit the real estate I had available.
I case you're wondering, the "brass" railings are strips of plastic canvas and basswood painted with Testor's gold. Plastic canvas is a plastic grid that can be found just about anywhere yarn is sold. I just cut out several rows of the grid to get the column style railing you see here. Not perfect, but a lot better than the one I built 15 years ago.
http://cp.c-ij.com/en/contents/3152/goju_no_to/index.html
I used the roof panels as a guide to cut my roof backing out of thicker stock.
Canon has a lot of fantastic models on their site, but not all of them are on the English page. If, like me, you don't read Kanji, just poke around the Japanese language version of their site to see a fair number of additional models including 2 fantastic steam locomotives: http://cp.c-ij.com/ja/contents/1006/
Penny Trains I may have an idea for you CB. For the Disneyland project, I built several structures with simulated thatched roofing. It's extremely simple, just unraveled twine glued to a cardstock backing. I used it to turn a Japanese tiered pagoda paper model from Canon into the polynesian tower at the Enchanted Tiki Room. I also made roofing for the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse and made a small info kiosk for Adventureland. The Tiki tower, as mentioned, is just a modified kit, but the treehouse used balsa and bass stripwood as well as bamboo skewers for the rest of it's components. Both bamboo skewers and twine are cheap enough to experiment with. Use Tacky glue because it's stronger and dries fast. For a backing you could use old greeting cards, index cards, cereal boxes, just about anything as long as you get 100% coverage with the twine. Cut the backing to the right size and shape before you glue down the twine, then trim away any excess twine after the glue dries. It's just that simple and it's surprisingly convincing! Becky
I may have an idea for you CB.
For the Disneyland project, I built several structures with simulated thatched roofing. It's extremely simple, just unraveled twine glued to a cardstock backing. I used it to turn a Japanese tiered pagoda paper model from Canon into the polynesian tower at the Enchanted Tiki Room. I also made roofing for the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse and made a small info kiosk for Adventureland. The Tiki tower, as mentioned, is just a modified kit, but the treehouse used balsa and bass stripwood as well as bamboo skewers for the rest of it's components.
Both bamboo skewers and twine are cheap enough to experiment with. Use Tacky glue because it's stronger and dries fast. For a backing you could use old greeting cards, index cards, cereal boxes, just about anything as long as you get 100% coverage with the twine. Cut the backing to the right size and shape before you glue down the twine, then trim away any excess twine after the glue dries. It's just that simple and it's surprisingly convincing!
That is a great idea! Thank you.
You mention a kit you modified. What kit was it?
Penny Trains True fifedog, boring is a constant. It doesn't even have to be for someone else in my case. All repitious tasks, like making palm trees for Disneyland for example, drive me batty. But more importantly, there's the cost to value ratio to consider when you sell any craft. Take something small like a bungalow for example. #1 I wouldn't be able to sell the litho style bungalows as-is because I didn't design the graphics. I could however sell solid color versions like the pink or blue ones shown in this thread. So if we go that route, here's a list of materials used: Cardstock in 3 colors. Avg. 7.5 cents x 8 sheets = $6.00 Corrugated cardboard. I used old usps boxes but I could use 1 sheet of illustration board at $6.00 Vellum paper at roughly 20 cents per sheet. So we're at about $6.20 for materials and I haven't included lighting yet because at the moment I don't have it. But a rough guess, add another $5 and bring it to $13. If we take the standard model and add 300% of cost for labor, glue and other incidentals, we're up to $52 for a paper and cardboard house with a lightbulb inside. Add 2 trees and hedges on a landscaped foamcore base and you add another $12. So now we're up to $64 and the question remains, would anyone actually pay it? And remember, we're just using a little 8 1/2 x 7 x 6" house with little detail and extremely low durability as an example. Move up to something larger like a 124 station (never mind the terrace) and then everything goes up by at least 20%. Once you cross that line, you enter the realm of bad condition original Lionel steel accessories which most of us would rather have. With the materials I'm using the cost to profit ratio turns negative at about $100. Beyond that point consumers (even in the target audience) wouldn't be willing to pay true worth for a cardstock structure. I've been asked to make Sleeping Beauty Castle models in the past as well. For that, I had to consider a special set of issues: I didn't design the kit. So before I did anything I'd have to get permission from the designer, which I can't get because he has a contract with Disney to never sell or allow to be sold any of his Disney themed creations. But even if I didn't have to worry about #1, a printed model needs a lot of toner. I wouldn't want to sell a model printed with an inkjet, which is what I have at home, because the toner isn't colorfast. One tiny droplet of water and the model is permanently blemished. So I'd have to invest in a laser printer or have the parts printed by an outside source. Lighting and lanscaping of the type I did on my castle module are labor and materials intensive. Producing that on a routine basis without a drop in quality would be difficult Let's assume I did try to sell a Disney castle, never mind the Disney lawyers on my backside, my best guess of what the true value of the fully landscaped diorama would be, is $500. Too much to ask for a simple paper structure. So, unless I find a way to bring costs down to a workable level, there just wouldn't be any point in trying to sell them. Anywhere. Ebay, train shows, craft shows, no matter what I wouldn't be able to make any money let alone survive on it. That's why I give away all the secrets for free. Becky
True fifedog, boring is a constant. It doesn't even have to be for someone else in my case. All repitious tasks, like making palm trees for Disneyland for example, drive me batty.
But more importantly, there's the cost to value ratio to consider when you sell any craft. Take something small like a bungalow for example. #1 I wouldn't be able to sell the litho style bungalows as-is because I didn't design the graphics. I could however sell solid color versions like the pink or blue ones shown in this thread. So if we go that route, here's a list of materials used:
So we're at about $6.20 for materials and I haven't included lighting yet because at the moment I don't have it. But a rough guess, add another $5 and bring it to $13. If we take the standard model and add 300% of cost for labor, glue and other incidentals, we're up to $52 for a paper and cardboard house with a lightbulb inside. Add 2 trees and hedges on a landscaped foamcore base and you add another $12. So now we're up to $64 and the question remains, would anyone actually pay it?
And remember, we're just using a little 8 1/2 x 7 x 6" house with little detail and extremely low durability as an example. Move up to something larger like a 124 station (never mind the terrace) and then everything goes up by at least 20%. Once you cross that line, you enter the realm of bad condition original Lionel steel accessories which most of us would rather have. With the materials I'm using the cost to profit ratio turns negative at about $100. Beyond that point consumers (even in the target audience) wouldn't be willing to pay true worth for a cardstock structure.
I've been asked to make Sleeping Beauty Castle models in the past as well. For that, I had to consider a special set of issues:
Let's assume I did try to sell a Disney castle, never mind the Disney lawyers on my backside, my best guess of what the true value of the fully landscaped diorama would be, is $500. Too much to ask for a simple paper structure.
So, unless I find a way to bring costs down to a workable level, there just wouldn't be any point in trying to sell them. Anywhere. Ebay, train shows, craft shows, no matter what I wouldn't be able to make any money let alone survive on it. That's why I give away all the secrets for free.
I understand what you're saying on cost. My wife decorates cakes and some of the customers freak out at the charge. Others who understand what goes into making it are happy to pay. Your work in this genre is amazing to say the least. I need to build a tiki hut type bar for my layout. I was looking to building it out of logs but this may be the way to go. Thanks for sharing your great work and how to's.
Becky,
Outstanding!
I am the monster in your head...And I thought you'd learn by now, It seems you haven't yet.I am the venom in your skin --- Breaking Benjamin
I am at a loss for words. You are very talented and I am really enjoying this thread. You have inspired me to try my hand at it. I hope to see articles about you and your work in CTT.
John
Becky......What a great gift you have!! Your structures are great.
Celebrating 18 years on the CTT Forum.
Buckeye Riveter......... OTTS Charter Member, a Roseyville Raider and a member of the CTT Forum since 2004..
Jelloway Creek, OH - ELV 1,100 - Home of the Baltimore, Ohio & Wabash RR
TCA 09-64284
Thanks guys!
Here are some websites with great listings of the free paper models that are out there on the net:
http://www.icebergbouwplaten.nl/linkse.html
http://www.ss42.com/pt-buildings.html
http://www.d1.dion.ne.jp/~hamanaga/ThumbLink/Thumb45.html
http://rocketry.wordpress.com/ultimate-paper-rocket-guide/
http://jleslie48.com/gallery_models.html
http://www.freewebs.com/moviecardmodels/
http://www.stumbleupon.com/old-browser#url=http://www.creativecloseup.com/100-exceptional-free-paper-models-and-toys
These days there's a printable model out there of just about anything, from toilets to a fully articulated Optimus Prime. Many of which I'm afraid to attempt! In my personal collection I've built radioactive waste drums for my MPC Three Mile Island boxcar, secret weapons Germany was developing during WWII, music boxes, teddy bears and even a Hal 9000 computer interface with little feet on it. (Mr. Hal 9000 sits on top of my computer monitor ) All you have to do is look, print and try. You may be pleasantly surprised how talented you are!
I have been involved in model and toy trains almost my entire life, and I have read articles by and about some of the greater names in the hobby. Your wizardy with cardstock is incredible. Thank you again for sharing your talent with us lesser mortals.
rtraincollector I'm a lost for words other than unbelievable great
I'm a lost for words other than unbelievable great
Same here!!!
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
Life's hard, even harder if your stupid John Wayne
http://rtssite.shutterfly.com/
That's really impressive. I wouldn't even be able to get started let alone tackle the more complex things you've done.
Jim
Wow, my jaw dropped when I got to the steam engine! You are really talented! Thanks for sharing.
A few more ideas as to what's possible with paper:
189 Villa
Here's the steam mill engine I mentioned. The original kit was 100% paper and could be made to run using compressed air. However that was a bit beyond me so my model is mixed media and contains wood and plastic as well as paper parts so they can be lubricated. I added the base, the boiler and the piping to the original model which used to be available for free download. I haven't looked in awhile, but if you search for Ed Bertschy's steam engine you may be able to turn up the kit.
Of everything I've built, nothing can compete with the sheer volume of paper rockets and spacecraft I've done over the years. I started building a complete collection of manned launch vehicles and spacecraft around 2006 and I'm about 75% finished. My favorites are the R-7 variations of the Russian (Soviet) space program. Excellent free models exist of them in the Sputnik, Vostok, Voskhod and Soyuz variants. You can even build experimental launch vehicles like the ill-fated Buran and Energiya which were cancelled when the Soviet Union collapsed and the infamously secret N-1 moon rocket built to compete with NASA's Apollo Saturn V.
Speaking of which, what you're looking at here is the business end of an S-1-C Saturn V first stage with it's 5 massive F1 engines. I started this model in January but needed a break from something so complicated and started building Standard Gauge houses instead. When completed, this Saturn V launch vehicle will be approximately 8 feet in length without any kind of stand to keep the weight off the engine gimballs. This is what O scale rocketry really looks like! Try putting one of these on a flatcar!
Another one of my favorite kits is the 1:48 scale LEM shown above between an Atlas Trainman EV caboose and the Thrust structure of the Saturn S-1-C. Pretty convincing isn't it?
That was the "Flying Turns" which was based on a bobsled track. The one you have on film was called the "Derby Racer". The top coaster was the "Thriller".
The one I'm playing around with for the layout is the 1905 double out and back cable drive "Scenic Railway" which had gentle dips but a magnificent station building. (Early cable drive coasters required a pair of brakemen on every run to grip the lift cables just like SanFrancisco cable cars.) At the moment I'm working up the station in 3D with Metasequoia and Pepakura. For the coaster bents I'm using techiniques used by Cheim for their tin clockwork toys of the 1950's.
I went to Euclid Beach Park several times as a youngster when we visited my Grandmother and other family in the Akron area. The roller coasters were awesome. I have some old 8mm home movies my father took on the racing coaster where my dad and I were in the rear of one train and my brother and sister were in the front of the other. There was another coaster where the train left the tracks and traveled in a wooden "half pipe". Very cool.
Regards, Roy
Here's the wall under a desklamp with the windows installed but neither the vellum or the backing.
It's easy to see how the darker peacock blue window inserts show through, but on closer examination you can also see the pencil lines between levels. So to summarize the procedure,
With the 110 lb card as a liner I was able to cut light penetration by 95%. Under a 15 watt compact flourescent desk lamp bulb light still leaks through. But the tiny 14 watt bulbs actually installed in the towers aren't nearly powerful enough to penetrate both layers.
Going back to adhesives for a moment, I like to apply tacky glue with a bamboo barbecue skewer. As for the other tools I use most often:
Which brings us to the last tip I have for you today: Computer aided drawing At the current time I use 3 programs most often, Windows Paint, Metasequoia and Pepakura Designer. Paint usually comes installed with windows and allows you to do fairly basic stuff like making window inserts. Metasequoia is for 3D modeling and texturing. I used it here to make the octagonal tops for my towers.
Pepakura Designer takes the shape I rendered in Metasequoia and turns it into paper model parts:
Here's the finished structure:
And now for the quiz! I was after a paper structure that could fit in with real Lionel prewar tinplate. And my question is, did I succeed?
Hope this little how-to helps anyone out there that's interrested in paper modeling. If there's anything else I can elaborate on let me know and I'll see what I can whip up! But for now, I'm going back to watching the Hobbit which came in my Easter basket!
PS, what's a classic mid-century amusement park without a roller-coaster?
As promised, here's a little step-by-step tutorial on simple paper modeling. Though the model I chose to use may surprise you.
Step 1, collect data about the item your'e going to model. Not only should you have good quality photos to work from, but it also helps to know something of the history of the structure, vehicle or whatever. So let me introduce you to my subject matter. Once upon a time, 1895 to 1969 to be exact, there was an amusement park on Cleveland's east side called Euclid Beach Park. Because of how much previous generations have talked about the park, which closed forever 39 days before I was born, I have always been intrigued with the place. And I decided the time is right to pay some small homage to it's glory days on my latest layout. It won't be a big section, the piece of land I have in mind is only 2 foot square, but just enough to create a special sense of place in what might otherwise be an unused section of the table.
So here's what I built first, the main gate arch:
Luckily for me, the arch is now a historic landmark and plenty of recent high res photos are out there to compliment the original postcard photos I found.
Step 2, scale, color scheme and function. As far as scale is concerned, I generally decide on one based on the size of an average door. For standard gauge, I've been using 2 inches for a door, and 2 1/2 inches for a story. For a project like this, a unified standard gauge layout, I try to use windows and doors of a universal size on as many models as possible. For example my red roofed villa with the bay window and the firehouse share parts. That mass produced look is important for making the models believable. One structure is subject to close scrutiny. The more you have, the more you suspend disbelief in the eye of the viewer because there's more places for the eye to look. Here are my doors and windows for the gate. I drew them up using a simple paint program and printed them enmasse to keep life simple. But notice that I cut them about a quarter of an inch wider than the window openings. This gives you a glue surface.
Color scheme also includes the texture issue. To elaborate, a photograph of a brick wall is always going to look the most realistic. But is it right for the job? In a tinplate environment, the answer is yes if you're after realism and no if you're after what I am; the look of painted steel. So I chose cream, blue and peacock cardstock as the primary colors for this project.
Function is where you have to decide how complicated you want to get. I've built a few operational paper models like a steam mill engine with an electric motor providing friction drive on the main flywheel, but as a rule I build static models 95% of the time. But that doesn't mean they don't have a function or aren't functional. Having a function means they're part of a specific purpose, which in this case is being representations of tinplate toys. (Remember that because there will be a quiz on it later! ) Anyhoo, function also includes wether or not the model includes lighting and how much and how complicated it is. On Sleeping Beauty Castle for the Disneyland project the lighting scheme is very complicated and fully integrated into the model. On this job however, it's very basic.
Two bolts provide terminal points for the bulbs which are replacable. They're mounted to foamcore inserts for ease of access. The notches aid removal and installation and on the one tower give passage to wires coming from the transformer.
As long as we're talking about lighting, I'll show you what I use in my windows.
Vellum gives a nice diffused glow, is stronger than tissue or tracing paper and less expensive than some plastics. It also takes glue well, which brings us to
Step 3; Adhesives Elmer's glue-all is nice for most applications, but it has a high water content which can warp paper and cardstock. I prefer Aleen's Tacky Glue for most jobs these days.
But for large surface laminations, I use either a Scotch brand Wrinkle Free glue stick or a spray adhesive. The photo below shows an inner liner for the tower I made by simply photocopying one with all of it's windows and doors installed. If you don't have a copier, trace the completed part from the back side to the back side of whatever you're backing the wall with. In this case it's 110 lb gray cardstock because #1 the tower is octagonal and #2 because there's a gazillion windows. But on most of the models I've done previously in this thread I used corrugated cardboard both to block light penetration and give the models structural strength.
Great stuff Becky, I just found this thread and find it amazing. Keep up the good work.
As always, extraordinary!
Thanks! It's a lot of fun!
It's possible, if enough interest is expressed that they might do a small how-to feature. Right now we're working on the article about my Christmas layouts.
I'll be starting a villa tomorrow and I'll be getting back to work on the hellgate soon so I can post a how-to on those. All I did on the bridge so far is draw the arch using a ruler with holes in it, a bit of plastic fiddledeedee and a mechanical pencil. That operation is pretty hillariously hinky so posting a photo of how I did that would be fun!
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