Scratch-built card and styrene structures (based on real buildings around London Bridge)

[grahame]

And slowly I've been adding more details this morning. The tricky bit to undertake next is the cornice at mid height that wraps around the round corners (but not the side flank walls):

 

 

G.

[grahame]

A little more progress - the roof top coping is now cut and added in place along with the mid-height cornice. But it's slow as there's no rush. There's still the column capitals to make and add, although I'll keep them simple. There's no real need to go over the top with details as this building will be located against the back-scene at the back of the layout. And some of the details, such as the stripy brick/stone effect on the lower floor columns will just be painted on (like I did for those on Aston Webb House).

 

Roof details will be fairly basic, what I can discern from the pre-war aerial pics, with mostly a flat roof. One issue I'm not sure about is colour - the few photos I have are B&W and the brickwork looks dark so I'm not sure if it is the usual yellow London brick just grubby and stained with smoke or the more traditional red stock. The stonework will be a grey/limestone colour.

 

 

G.

[grahame]

Here's a pic of the two recent buildings I've been working on - they will be next to each other as shown. Neither are complete and both are still far from being completed. However, despite there being no rush, they have got to this stage in just a week from the decision to start making the first one.

 

 

G

[grahame]

And from the other (more dramatic?) angle:

 

 

G.

[grahame]

I've got some colour on Dominion House and fitted the windows in the central section. I think I might need to tweak the colours but without any colour reference photos I'm rather guessing the finished look. The stripes on the columns are correct and hand painted (no masking) but they should pass muster at the back of the layout:

 

 

G.

[sml1983]

I've got some colour on Dominion House and fitted the windows in the central section. I think I might need to tweak the colours but without any colour reference photos I'm rather guessing the finished look. The stripes on the columns are correct and hand painted (no masking) but they should pass muster at the back of the layout:

 

DSC_5655.JPG

 

G.

Where's the amazing button

[grahame]

Very slow progress I'm afraid, but here's another pic:

 

 

I'm starting to think about what next to start on (even though I seen incapable of finishing anything).

 

G.

[Mulgabill]

I just wish

 

Very slow progress I'm afraid, but here's another pic:

DSC_5682.JPG

I'm starting to think about what next to start on (even though I seen incapable of finishing anything).

G.

 I just wish I was that slow........and that good. Looks excellent to me.

[grahame]

It's a little while since I posted an update. I've spent the weekend down in Kent and went to the Dover Western Heights open weekend to visit the Drop Redoubt and Grand Shaft (Napoleonic war fortifications which are only open twice a year).

 

Since then I've been thinking about the next building and have almost decided that I need to bite the bullet and crack on with Emblem House. Consequently I've been looking at on-line pics and aerial views of it to ascertain how to compress it and the best approach to modelling it - bearing in mind it's fancy decorative complexity. I think I'll tackle Denmark House (the tacked on building at the left end) separately after Emblem House.

 

 

This second pic below also shows the relationship of Emblem House with the next door building 29-33 Tooley Street which I have already made:

 

 

G.

[grahame]

As usual I start with rough sketches on scraps of paper to check the size and location in relationship to other buildings. The plans aren't drawn up accurately although are to full size - the detailed drawing can be undertaken on the card that will be cut to form the structure but it's a matter of ensuring windows, door and floor sizes will be correct:

 

 

 

G.

[grahame]

With a freshly sharpened pencil and a knife with a new blade fitted I've marked up and cut out the three main floors:

 

 

I find it easier to measure, mark, cut out and fit the parts as I go along rather than mark up and cut all the parts required. Somehow, no matter how much care I take in marking them all out as a kind of kit, there is always some slight discrepancy that gets exaggerated and multiplied up so that the small inaccuracy becomes a big issue. But by measuring and cutting each subsequent part to fit the assembly as it progresses those problems seem to be much reduced.

 

And for example, the three floors that all need to be exactly the same, can be stacked and tapped in to a pile to ensure they are all the same - and any slight error can be trimmed off in that pile so they all become the same. Then that slight change in dimension by trimming wont impact other pre-cut parts and is taken in to consideration when subsequently measuring and cutting them.

 

G

[grahame]

The sides were cut and strips of card added at the floor heights to locate and support them. Then the floors were glued in place with triangles added at the same time to ensure they were at right angles - and voila; one basic mount card framework structure to hangs walls and details on and erect a roof on:

 

 

G.

[grahame]

It doesn't take long to cut a few bits of card and glue them in place. The pitched roofs will be covered in Redutex and much of the other either painted or covered with brick plasticard. The front walls need to be cut then detailed, the apertures cut and windows fitted before adding in place, but the building is already taking shape. There is, of course, much to do like the higher flat roof and roof structure on that, thickening up the chimney stacks and making the dormer windows as well as the fancy decorative architectural features:

 

 

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[grahame]

A quick dusting of grey primer shows where there is a need for some filing to eradicate card hairs, tidy things up and sharpen corners. I use a large soft sanding stick.

 

 

G.

[grahame]

Next I've cut a single sheet from brick embossed plasticard for the main centre front wall and where it is of block construction, rather than brick,(the ground floor and top floor) covered those parts with thinnish plain plasticard. Then I've cut the window and main door apertures (note I've compressed by reducing the number of columns of windows but hopefully it will eventually still look like something like the real Emblem House):

 

 

It won't be fixed in place until it has been decorated with all the various architectural features, painted and fitted with windows, but here it is simply placed (not glued) in location:

 

 

G.

[grahame]

I've been a bit busy today with other things but managed to get a little detailing started on the frontage this morning. The two right- hand end columns are a little short so I might have to replace them:

 

 

Tomorrow I'm off to hospital again, this time for two operations to be carried out under one general anaesthetic which will probably keep me in until the weekend, so I'll miss DEMU ShowCase. Damn.

 

G

[grahame]

Here's a pic showing how Emblem House stacks up and is located with the last two buildings I've started to construct (although none are finished). Attached to the left hand end of Emblem House will be Denmark House although I've not started that yet.

 

 

G

[grahame]

As I lay here in hospital bed I can't do any modelling but I am thinking through the process to build and add Denmark house so that, hopefully, when I get home it's straightforward and simple.

 

G

Edited June 2, 2018 by grahame

[Steadfast]

Glad to hear the surgery went well Grahame. Did you take pens and paper, to allow you to start sketching out designs? Sounds a productive use of bed rest!

 

Jo

[chaz]

I've got some colour on Dominion House and fitted the windows in the central section. I think I might need to tweak the colours but without any colour reference photos I'm rather guessing the finished look. The stripes on the columns are correct and hand painted (no masking) but they should pass muster at the back of the layout:

 

DSC_5655.JPG

 

G.

 

 

Wow! That looks tremendous. The paint has really transformed that model. Utterly convincing.

 

Get well soon!

 

Chaz

Edited June 3, 2018 by chaz

[grahame]

I got home this afternoon, but with two invasive ops under one GA I'm rather sore and swollen and can only shuffle around. I'm due back in two weeks for a check up and results.

 

Tomorrow I'll review what I can do modelling-wise and look at the options for progressing Denmark/Emblem house. I think there'll be very little else I can do, like gardening, shopping and so on, with the need to rest and taking it easy, so modelling looks like my recuperate way forward, although it will depend on how I feel.

;-)

 

G

[Diggers]

I got home this afternoon, but with two invasive ops under one GA I'm rather sore and swollen and can only shuffle around. I'm due back in two weeks for a check up and results.

Tomorrow I'll review what I can do modelling-wise and look at the options for progressing Denmark/Emblem house. I think there'll be very little else I can do, like gardening, shopping and so on, with the need to rest and taking it easy, so modelling looks like my recuperate way forward, although it will depend on how I feel.

;-)

G

Two weeks of wall to wall modeling at your rate of output Graeme will equate to the completion of a couple of entire London boroughs

[grahame]

Two weeks of wall to wall modeling at your rate of output Graeme will equate to the completion of a couple of entire London boroughs

;-)

 

And, apparently if I was still working I'd be signed off for at least four weeks before being fit enough to return to work. The only time since I 'retired' at 50 that I've regretted not being employed.

 

G

[grahame]

Up early this morning - the need to take some pain killers first thing gets you awake and up quickly. And I've been able to start some post operative therapy - modelling. This morning I've managed to work out the design for Denmark House and build and tack on to Emblem House the main structure framework for it:

 

 

G.

[grahame]

I've made the pitched roof to Denmark House and given things my customary dusting of grey primer. The roof tent is not fixed in place as I thought it might be easier to cover it with Redutex tiling while it is not in place due to the complex shapes and limited access around the chimney stacks:

 

 

I'm quite pleased with how the building is progressing. Although not an accurate representation, it is starting to look like the real building even with much simplification and compression. Well. at least I hope so.

 

Initially I thought it was rather complex and would be difficult to make a convincing model of, but the more you look at buildings the more they are just simple geometric shapes, like boxes and wedges, grouped together. It's how I usually try to tackle making structures by breaking it down to the basic shapes. The complexity of this building is probably less about the overall shape and structure but the fiddly nature of some of the decoration - and these are simply added on to the sides of the various boxes. That means they can be tackled separately after the main structure is formed and the walls added.

 

G.