Buildings for VSF London

[PeteMurray]

I still owe the guy I loaned the book to $10 for beers. I'm afraid if I try to collect the book, he'll collect the beer money.

I think Gibson wrote the parts where the language gets all baroque. Sterling wrote the sex scenes.

[Westfalia Chris]

I think Gibson wrote the parts where the language gets all baroque. Sterling wrote the sex scenes.

Hear, hear! ::

I still rate "The Differential Engine" as Gibsons second best work, right behind "Pattern Recognition".  

[Bullshott]

I'm glad to see so many of you guys rate The Difference Engine. I didn't mention it in my earlier post, but some of the descriptions of London in the book have certaily shaped my ideas of what VSF London should look like. I am thinking of a combination of Difference Engine, LXG and gothic architecture.

I think should have some older 'red brick' government or big institution type buildings whose classic looks have been spoilt by ugly steam tech add-ons (e.g. a metal lift shaft bolted on to the outside, with its own steam engine for power). Also some newer characterless gothic stone buildings where the steam tech is more integrated into the building design.

[Westfalia Chris]

I wouldn´t overdo it, though... as I recall from DifEng, they put quite some stress to make it look appealing, particularly with the steam cars... you might also check the Prince Regent´s palace in... ah... were was it... Bornemouth? One of those sea baths on the southern coast of England. Pseudo-oriental style meets steel girders. Just great.

[Malamute]

Brighton Pavillion is the one I think you are mentioning. That would be a really interesting model to make.

[Westfalia Chris]

Yep, that´s it, "The Royal Pavillion", Brighton. Thx! With a model, you could make the steel girders more noticeable, by painting them green or even cast steel to achieve contrast...

[Bullshott]

Another good set of inspirational buildings are the hot houses at Kew Gardens - lots of girders, glass and metal walkways. Unfortunately I lost the photos I took this year when my PC crashed in september.

[Skrapwelder]

Greetings Gentlemen,

This is my first post here but I recognise a lot of names from several forums.

One of the things that got me interested in VSF is how much more creative space there is for scratchbuilding devices, buildings and contraptions of all kinds. For a while now I've been considering expanding my Arnica, Montana line of buildings to include some Victorian buildings.  

I'd be interested in know what other people in the VSF world would be interested in seeing made available in the way of buildings. I'd also like to see  a list compliling all the different add ons that various modelling companies offer that could be used to add some steam tech flavor to models and buildings.

Thanks,

Mike

[Westfalia Chris]

Well, ordering from the US is usually off-limits to me, so I´d only like to give suggestions on what might prove successful:

1) Steam engines in various sizes, from tiny (to power sliding doors) over medium (for landships and other evil contraptions) to gargantuan (for those devilish generators that power up the death ray). But it would be nice if they are based on actual 19c designs rather than pure fantasy like the (nonetheless nice) Pardulon one.

2) Voltaic Columns for equipping laboratories... those of Ral Partha´s have become hard to find.

3) Steel doors with rivets in various sizes.

4) Steel pillars and girders to decorate brick walls with.