Modern ERA structures

[willy6]

After looking at "Biggie Smalls" Burger king structure i got thinking about why there are no modern era fast food, convenience stores, gas stations or resturant structures in HO/N scale or in any scale? There are about a gazillion Mc Donalds,BK's, Hardees,BP, Exxon, Shell,Amoco,Applebees,Wendy's,Pizza hut..........etc in the USA and other countries.

[eastcoast]

Most modellers are nostalgic and variety is the spice of life.
I would not want my city to look too new. Needs some history
for realism. I am all for having a FFjoint here and there.
Currently I am working on a brand new high rise in my city.
It is the "Folgers Building" named after the coffee I drink. I
was looking at the plastic container the mix came in and noticed
it had an odd shape that really appealed to me. I am cutting and
bashing these together along with styrene strips to hopefully create
a 10-15 story HO scale model. I like what the future holds for the ECR.

[Jetrock]

First--there ARE some modern-era structures around, just not very many, in comparison to the kits available after 70 or so years of model railroad kits. The problem with producing specific brand names (McDonald's, etc.) is licensing--most such places want permission, and payment, to use their names and likenesses.

It's pretty easy to scratchbuild modern structures--modern architecture is remarkably devoid of elaborate cornices or architectural detail, preferring stark, cheap surfaces. You can scratchbuild any number of such buildings very cheaply, and use a digital camera to photograph signs and print them on an inkjet printer, then simply glue them to your structure.

Another problem with modern structures is regional variation--while there are more big chains and fewer local specialties, there are many regional variants that wouldn't sell on a nationwide basis (for example: Hardee's is known as Carl's Jr. on the west coast.)

Plenty of structure kits on the market could be easily adapted to serve as a modern building. Use some ingenuity and you can have whatever kind of building you like, modern or not, without paying licensing fees!

[darkstar974]

i'm thinking of putting a wal-mart supercenter on my layout when i get it up probably gonna have to kitbash it though

Dark

[Jetrock]

Should be pretty easy to do--just take a pic of a Wal-Mart sign and print it out as mentioned above, slap it on a big cardboard TV box painted beige, and drop it on the layout. Don't forget to add a few readily-available "old-fashioned" local stores with OUT OF BUSINESS signs on the front for that authentic touch...

[brazos87]

QUOTE: Originally posted by darkstar974

i'm thinking of putting a wal-mart supercenter on my layout when i get it up probably gonna have to kitbash it though

Dark

No!!! Not the Borg of Retail--the Axis of Evil (Arkansas Division) on a layout? The cyanide tablet kept for just such an occasion has been consumed, may the end come quickly, and the light to which I'm drawn come swiftly. [:o)][C):-)]

[Jetrock]

The "kitbashing" I'd do on an HO scale Wal-Mart would probably require a baseball bat and some kerosene!

[DavidBriel]

One option for modern era structures is to put modern businesses such as Wal-Mart into older structures such as the HO Smalltown USA (now part of Rix Products) furniture store. I have modern business signs on older buildings, because a prototypical Wal-Mart is too big for most HO model railroad layouts, unless used as a backdrop.

[darkstar974]

wow i never thought of it like that now that i think of it wally world would put my Ames and kmart and all the other little stores on my layout to put up there going out of business signs up and you know what i can here the people on my layout saying no to wally world I think there going to start to protest! lol

P. S. my wife got me calling wal-mart wally world

Dark