The Sow's Ear - Borderizing the beast (vintage Heljan pub kitbash to you, RSS Fletcher)
Fortunately, I was on-message with research of my signature villages of the Waverley's watershed. In this case, Lilliesleaf (served by and named on the running-in board of Belses) and its one and only inn, The Plough.
Happily, the off-white and black decoration of Lakeland pubs (that I'd adopted to give the build some momentum) was borne out by some GCSE-level Googling. I'd stress at this point that my familiarity with Lilliesleaf is confined to driving thoughtfully along the village street no more than thrice. I have yet to sample the hospitality of The Plough in person.
My prayers were barely answered superficially, however, and on further reflection my heart well and truly sank. That chalet-style roof frowning over the kit's windows really had to go. Moreover, there's no room for bargeboard decoration of the gable-ends; au contraire, the end walls should stand proud of the slates.
This necessitated a rethink. Happily though, I'd been seeking a work-around for the roof in any case, to somehow address the effects of compounded distortion and permanent-set of the roof halves - it was proving nigh impossible to harness these elements without building a special jig for the purpose. And no, cookware would not do this time.
Biting the bullet, I opted to raise the end walls using microstrip, and painstakingly trim the roof to fit between the gables.
I had also decreed that sills were vital, not to mention a rich black nameboard for the front:
Notwithstanding the overspray that had afflicted the WC and bottle-store annex, a touch-up was in order at this stage to tie the whole decor together. This was a mix of Games Workshop acrylics (white with a tiny dash of bone I think) to mimic the Hobbycraft ice cream used at the outset.
And the place 'designed' to receive the bay window, has been bricked-in with breezeblocks (Wills sheet), and a small bar window aperture cut. The window itself is Dapol. This has also been tied-in with Games Workshop daub.
Not sure if the details are on in this photo - can't make out from the thumbnail. If they are, chimney pots and downpipes are Wills and ridge tiles are strips from N-gauge concrete block plasticard - I think. The gold lining of the front board is with self-adhesive gold strip from Letraset's D-I-Y birthday card pack, with bare edges inked-in black with a mapping pen.
There are still a few jobs to complete, principally the pub name, and no it won't be The Silk Purse .
It is presently sitting adjacent to Midlem Road station as a placeholder.
2 Comments
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now