Western Buildings (in progress) (Updated July 9)

[archangel1]

I've just posted a mini-gallery of a couple of buildings I've been working on.  Eventually they will form a backdrop for Dixon's 'Noon Stage' vignette.  Please excuse the parallax in a couple of shots. (New camera!) The models are not that curved in real life!

Here's one shot as a sample.

[Furt]

Very impressive. 

A lot of effort put in for a backdrop! Can't wait to see your vignette.

[Captain Blood]

Gorgeous! Well done you.

Those are shaping into some of the best looking Western buildings I've ever seen. That's going to be a damned fine looking town.

Using real wood is painstaking (try building a WW1 trench from matchsticks! ) but there's nothing to beat the end product - it just looks so much more real. Lovely.

What are you using for the planking? Coffee stirrers, are are you actually cutting strips from sheets?

[Sendak]

Noicey-noice.

Texture and snappy construction are very appealing to the old peepers.

Extra pudding!!!

[Lowtardog]

beautiful fantstic detail and modelling, hat off to you

[archangel1]

...What are you using for the planking? Coffee stirrers, are are you actually cutting strips from sheets?

Glad you like them.  They're made from individual basswood planks, cut to rough length and glued on to a printed pattern from Eric Hotz's Whitewash City models, which have, in turn, been glued to black 3/16'' foamboard.  Each board is outlined with black magic marker.  The wood is stained by soaking it for 12 to 30 hours in a mixture of water, ink and Polly Scale paints.  Every couple of hours, you remove a few of the boards to dry, so it gives a variation in colour intensity.  Each strip of wood is run through fine steel wool several times to defuzz it and then run over lengthwise with a brass brush to give it a bit of grain.  Then, out comes the glue and, it's sticky finger time!  When everything's dry, you trim the overhang, give everything another going over with the brass brush and then use some fine sandpaper to give a bit more variation in tones.  More steel wool and you're done.  You can also go back and paint individual boards with the mix if you want.  Repeat until satisfied.  The roof is laid with individual shingles, cut from another printout of the Whitewash City buildings and given a coat of, in this case, Polly Scale Tarnished Black.

I still have to finish painting the roof and do a bit more weathering on the Livery's facade, particularly under the eaves and around the bottom where the building touches the ground.  More signage, wanted posters, the 'crane' over the upper window, etc.  The Blacksmith needs its doors (obviously!), roof tiles, sign and whatever else I can think of.  Then, I have to start thinking about a base.  I hope the two buildings will be enough to cover the back of the diorama because Dixon's 'Noon Stage' is quite long if you space out the six horses properly.  Guess I can always add a bit of fencing beside the Livery if I need a bit more backdrop.

I'm planning to build a few more buildings, using Eric's patterns, some as 'flats' and others full size.  I want to do a couple that are more 'colourful', not just plain wood.  The Barber, with its red and white pole; a Saloon (of course!); the Marshall's, and so on.  All I need now is lots of time and lots more wood! 

Cheers,
Mike

[Malamute]

Wonderful.

[MuleSkinner]

absolutely fantastic bud....so much attention to detail.
haven't felt this envious since the first time i watched Tommy Lee's holiday video.

[archangel1]

I added a few more pictures of the Blacksmith to My Gallery.  I guess it's about 95% finished.  Maybe some posters on the wall or a horseshoe over the doors?

Sample below.

[Paul E]

That really is amazing attention to detail - go to the top of the class.