The Little French House

[John Everett]

Do you not have your store up and running on your cold basement site yet. I could not find anything for sale yet?

Shawn

Not yet. Between Phoenix and Cleveland I've got two whole days of website building goodness planned. I'm deciding what items to keep and what to postpone on the site. Then there's the testing. I want to avoid the whole Obamacare computer fiasco when the site goes live. It needs to work correctly from the start.

[John Everett]

On a different note, do you have your store up and running on your cold basement site yet?

Shawn

Yes. Yes it is. http://www.coldbasementmodels.com

It's been a few months for this one. I did a bit of landscaping whilst waiting for paint to dry.
Seen here are the Humber armored car, the civilian Cabriolet and Tamiya's Universal Carrier which was constructed in the coldest days of last winter. (Last January in Milwaukee it was -50C when the wind chill was accounted.)
I've decided to continue with my common diorama theme involving multi-levels and buildings which require interior details. (No lighting planned in this one however.)










I'll put this one to the group: The Tamiya kit is mostly complete and will provide me a finished model in short order. The Riich kit is a better model but will take a long time to build. Which should I use?



I've never really found anything better than this for doing terrain modelling. It's cheap, simple, fast, and dries to a nearly indestructible surface.

[Shawn Ramsey]

The Riich kit of course.

Is that just packing paper with white glue>

What do you use to glue the sheets of insulation together?

And last but least do you ever have a problem with the insulation warping?

The building looks great. Funny thing is the day you posted this I was looking at some Mini art buildings to buy. It has been a few build since I built one plus I have not build a non destroyed building yet.

Shawn

[John Everett]

Thanks Shawn,

But it think I'll use the nearly built Tamiya. I'll save the Riich kit for something else.

Correct. Paper, water and white glue for the surface. The pink foam blocks are held together with hot glue. I've always used 2" thickness pink/blue foam; I've never had warpage. Thinner sections will bend as water based glue dries. If you're worried about bending use acrylic caulking compound for glue and surface texture. It doesn't shrink and takes paint easily.


Epoxy Putty stowage.

[John Everett]

Getting ready to do some serious "cobblework" over the next few days.

Both scenes need cobblestones.


About 800 I would guess. (about 1/3 of what I'll need.)


Graph paper works so well on the roofs that I've transferred the technique to the streets as well.






"I want an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle!"

Merry Christmas Everybody!

[John Everett]

Plugging along.

[Gary Boxall]

Nice idea with the graph paper

Gary

[Yngve Sjodin]

Agree on that graph paper idea,smart stuff Great progress btw

[Shawn Ramsey]

Nice idea with the graph paper

Gary

I agree but what did you glue it down with? I would be afraid over time the paper would come off the base and loosen up all the cork.

Shawn

[John Everett]

Nice idea with the graph paper

Gary

I agree but what did you glue it down with? I would be afraid over time the paper would come off the base and loosen up all the cork.

Shawn

Plain old Elmer's Glue. Just spread it out smooth and it's never given a problem. Sewing pins pushed through the paper can help anchor it to the foam if you're worried about things breaking loose.




Progress, just a bit.

I've decide on setting the diorama in Italy and depicting a private residence as opposed to a commercial business like a pub or cafe. There's a few reasons for that. But mostly it was because a private home just fit the scene better than would have a public business.








Water based acrylic to avoid chemical damage to the foam.



Also began the simplest of interior foundations for the house.




Once the painting of individual bricks is done, we'll be ready for grout!