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


grahame
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This afternoon I started to knock up the old hospital building behind the post office and that can be seen (as the white structure) over the top of the modern 'X' building. It's mostly built from card and fortunately doesn't require much brick embossed plasticard (as I've run out). It is mainly representational as it's mostly hidden. There is more to be done such as a raised narrow pitched roof. The football has just started so that's it for today:

 

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Edit: one nil down already!

 

G.

Edited by grahame
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I've got the raised pitched roof on now and some basic white colour on, although there is still detail painting and adding the windows to be done. Also the roof tile and brickwork walls (at the right end) will have to wait until after the weekend, assuming I can pick up some more modelling supplies at TINGS. And there's two skylights to be made and fitted as well as all the roof top paraphernalia and details. Then it will need a bit of dirtying down to match the left end section that fronts on to Borough High Street. The long front side will be hidden behind various buildings and the far long side will be close to other tall buildings and facing away from the viewing position so has no details.  

 

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G

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Mainly the styrene fascias are glued to the carcass framework so on the the edge of card (rather than laminated on to a flat surface). And yep superglue - usually Zap-a-Gap medium CA+ which has a gap filling formula - that the local model shop stocks.

 

HTH

 

G.

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I've now added a little weathering - hopefully not excessively - and started to make and add some roof details. The building will only be seen over the top of those in front: 

 

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so the roof details will be important. I'll need to make sure that the skylights (yet to be made) on the pitched roof will be well modelled. From a lower position the building can only just be seen peeping over the top but the roof is still in view:

 

post-33-0-33720600-1504698831_thumb.jpg

 

G.

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Here's the skylights under construction. They've made from styrene sheet and strip and have had a quick paint job but accuracy shouldn't matter as the black area will have a covering of clear styrene (to represent the glazing) and over that I'll add a thin frame (either from strips of self-adhesive label or thin styrene). They won't be glued in place until the roof is covered in redutex as they can then be used as a template to mark the necessary cut-outs before fitting:

 

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G.

 

 

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I'll be taking a rest from modelling today (plenty of other chores to do) and will be going to the TINGS event tomorrow (hopefully to stock up on necessary modelling supplies) so here's another shot of how the buildings dovetail together on the corner of Borough High Street and St Thomas Street and showing how the old hospital building just peeps over the rooftops:

 

post-33-0-70422700-1504949404_thumb.jpg

 

G.

 

 

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I'll be taking a rest from modelling today (plenty of other chores to do) and will be going to the TINGS event tomorrow (hopefully to stock up on necessary modelling supplies) so here's another shot of how the buildings dovetail together on the corner of Borough High Street and St Thomas Street and showing how the old hospital building just peeps over the rooftops:

 

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G.

 

A superb group of buildings, a very convincing slice of London. One of the best reasons I have seen for modelling in 2mm - I can't quite get my head round how big this group would be in 7mm but I do know it would be huge.

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I managed to get some brick embossed plasticard and Redutex tile sheets at TINGS yesterday but there was a lack of modelling material traders and I had to drive up to my nearest model shop today to get the rest of the bits I wanted, incuding some sanding sticks and Evergreen styrene strip.

 

So this afternoon I was able to make a start on completing the brickwork parts of the Railway Offices and 'tile' the roof. All the wall sections in the pic below are not glued in place, hence why they look a little out of place. They can't be finally fitted until they are all complete - painting, adding windows, etc:

 

post-33-0-37329600-1505157284_thumb.jpg

 

G.

 

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I've cut the exposed brickwork walls for the post office/hospital building from the embossed brick plasticard, primed it and got some basic colour on ready for detail and weathering painting. They are not glued in place so look a little 'loose' and ill fitting. I've also got the Redutex tiling on the pitched roof section - just the ridge to make and add (for that):

 

post-33-0-62654900-1505206399_thumb.jpg

 

G.

 

 

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I've been side-tracked by other activities so completion of the Railway Offices has somewhat taken a back seat. Nonetheless I've managed to get the ridge tiles on, made from thin strips of thin plasticard scored and folded down the middle, and to make a start on the chimneys:

 

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They are just lengths of plastic tube glued to rectangles of cardboard. Simple, but IMO so much better than the large diameter and fragile rolled paper ones on Metcalfe kits. However, they do need some weathering and toning down before being fixed on top of the chimney stacks.

 

G

 

 

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These buildings just get better and better Grahame.

I know it's partly down to the prototype you've chosen, but you'v replicated the mish mash of styles, colours and ages really well and it's something that is lacking on a lot of urban modelling. Lovely stuff!

 

Jo

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These buildings just get better and better Grahame.

I know it's partly down to the prototype you've chosen, but you'v replicated the mish mash of styles, colours and ages really well and it's something that is lacking on a lot of urban modelling. Lovely stuff!

 

Thanks.

 

I do find it interesting and exciting (to make and see) a range of building types and architectural styles (like 1960's brutalism, late 1700's neo-classical, Victorian Gothic and 1930/40s art deco) jostling and rubbing shoulders with each other. It helps provide a more representative and more realistic urban scene, certainly better than the usual generic types often seen on layouts.

 

G.

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The chimneys are now fitted on the Railway Offices and some of the hopper-heads and rainwater down pipes in place although there's still some more to make (but now I'm out of wire - damn):

 

post-33-0-66019600-1505739289_thumb.jpg

 

G.

Edited by grahame
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Do you ever get any problems with differences in expansion in mixed-material models like these, or is it not an issue on structures of this size (or is it just that they aren't going to be exposed to much variation in temperature)?

 

 

None I've noticed. The models are kept indoors which is a centrally heated house so the environment is controlled. And don't forget that many genres (particularly sci-fi) offer multi-media kits (and include plastics like styrene, acrylic and ABS, cast resin, white-metal, etc., parts) and even RTR railway models are produced from a variety of materials such as plastic bodies with etched metal grilles, cast metal chassis block, and so on.

 

G.

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Fantastic work, how did you produce the different types of window? Are they solid in the older buildings with small windows?

 

Thanks.

 

The windows are all glazed (except where bricked up) where they will be viewable - some of those at the rear of buildings that wont be able to be seen don't exist. There's mainly two types; those made from strips of self-adhesive label on clear plastic or by using SceneSetters glazing bars (see post 367).

 

HTH.

 

G.

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I've decided on the next building. It will be Printworks House, 7 Bermondsey Street, which is to the right of this group of models and just over/behind the main railway viaduct slightly east of the station. It's part of a largish factory complex, that still includes a tall industrial style chimney, but has now been converted in to luxury flats (sorry, apartments).

 

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G.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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