New Hotel

[Brian Smaller]

My first building attempt in two years - a lot of bits of balsa glued to my fingers, the kitchen table and dog.  Tried Col O'Truth's window glazing method which was quite fiddly but looks better than a black hole. Gives a nice 3-D effect.

[lone_gunmen]

Looks fantastic. I'm currently getting some western buildings together for my gaming club, this will definitely be inspiring.

[Drachenklinge]

really nice! The wood came out great!

I somehow dislike the roof, though. It looks too much like corrugated sheet iron* which is not quite fitting to the epoche. However, the hotel is great looking, all in all. I would steal it anyway. Roof or not.  

best wishes
Drachenklinge

* corrugated sheet iron?? ... gee ... You anglo-americans do not have something shorter for THAT one? It's just "Wellblech" in German ^^

via EDIT
by the way ... perry miniatures came out with some OldWest Houses
http://www.brueckenkopf-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/PM_NAS_Box.jpg
Could't really find it on the perry's pages.
http://www.perry-miniatures.com/index2.html
It seems to be the second after a farmhouse

[FifteensAway]

Must be something in the air because I just started working on my first wild west "blank" and detailing it.  I use a standard size "blank" as I call it and make them in one and two story versions and then detail them into different sized buildings.  Today's version was the three building version.  These are for false fronts.  I am working on other buildings as well, the biggest one right now is the courthouse and I'm still thinking that one through.  Your very nice model pictured above reminds me that I have some decisions to make about boardwalks and balconies and roofs.  I'm actually thinking to make them as separate pieces from the building.  In part this is to allow them to be rearranged to add some versatility but also to make the buildings less "fiddly".  Jury still out on this.

Nice work.  And don't worry about the roof - it is, indeed, quite in period.  Don't recall whether it was here on LAF or on TMP but there was a recent discussion on the material in question and its history goes plenty far enough back to fit pretty much the whole period of the West.

[Wirelizard]

I somehow dislike the roof, though. It looks too much like corrugated sheet iron* which is not quite fitting to the epoche. However, the hotel is great looking, all in all. I would steal it anyway. Roof or not.  

It probably is supposed to be corrugated iron, it was an available building material in the late-19th C "Wild West". Not as common as wood, tarpaper or shingles, but not at all rare, especially closer to the railroads (which could of course bring the stuff from the industrialized East).

Great hotel - does the roof come off for interior access?

[Drachenklinge]

@ wirelizard
actually that was my second thought (it being meant to), but never have seen anything like it on any pictures ever - so far.

So thanks for the statement!

best wishes
Drachenklinge

[Mo!]

OH baby nice hotel!!! Well done!

[Brian Smaller]

Perhaps I should have said that it is still a work in progress - still to do a bit of distressing on the roof and add chimney stack and a few other bits of detailing.  But...ran out of steam today.  Either been sniffing too much balsa glue or the fumes from the six sheets of balsa I stained got to me.   

Thanks for the comments.

[Colonel O Truth]

Very nice, Brian! Looking good!

My window technique is fiddly? Sorry about that!

[captain richards]

Real nice job on the hotel









http://captainrichardsminiaturecivilwar.blogspot.com/

[Brian Smaller]

I used a fairly dark stain on the scribed balsa and really gave it a good wiping to get the excess stain off the wood.  Col O'Truth has it right - stain your wood before building. 

This has a big advantage - stain doesn't take on glue so post-build staining can leave patches at joins where glue has leaked out. Not a problem if you are going to paint the model but if leaving the wood 'natural', it looks like a glued joint  

[Colonel O Truth]

A light drybrushing would really pick out the grain now.

Just a suggestion.

[Gluteus Maximus]

A light drybrushing would really pick out the grain now.

Just a suggestion.

Yes, whilst it's lovely now, that would really lift it into being a fantastic model

[Brian Smaller]

What colour would be best for drybrushing?  I am thinking an off white but colour palettes have never been my strong suit.

[Major Weenie]

Splendid, splendid, splendid,

My art historian friends tell me that the back & sides would be unpainted.  There's a cheap doll paint out there with a color named "Barn Wood" or "Old Barn," something like that.  It's a very light tan, almost khaki drill.  That might do nicely.

The art historian friends also say that the most popular colors for painting the front are white (white wash) and a dark, almost brown, red.  I believe that the red was made from white with the addition of... something.  Sometimes the story is 'cattle blood,' sometimes the story is 'rust.'

Did I mention splendid?

Regards,
MW