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

[grahame]

I've started to make the glazed atrium - it's tricky to photograph being clear, although when I get some glazing bars on it should be easier to discern. I estimated that the flat frontage is about 18ft tall and then the roof rises at quite a steep angle for a large number of floors. The low relief nature of the building means that is limited to around the fourth floor. I'm keeping it very plain and simple (i.e. no revolving doors) as it will be mostly hidden behind my model of Colecurch House :

 

 

I do have a little experience making N/2mm models of glazed atrium style receptions. Here's the one for New London Bridge House - the tower block sits over the top as in the bottom pic :

 

 

 

G.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Siberian Snooper]

I am currently staying in Ealing and this afternoon I nipped over to London Bridge, despite the weather, just too have a shufti at the area as I had not been in the area for awhile, apart from the odd sherbet in the Market Porter and I'm amazed that I can recognise the still extent buildings from your models, with or without compression or modification.

 

Great work.

[grahame]

Just back from a last minute planned get-away five day break (touring Kent) - hence the lack of recent updates. As soon as I've settled (unpacked, etc) I'll be getting on with completing the atrium.

 

The plan is to add the horizontal glazing bars from strips of suitably painted self-adhesive label, and the vertical glazing bars from similarly painted styrene strip.

 

G.

[grahame]

Finishing the glass entrance atrium is proving quite tricky - basically trying to make and decorate a plastic box that flexes and easily marks (when you need to keep the glazing pretty much clean). The pic below is taken with the model buildings lying flat and from below so is an unrealistic view point. The front 'glass' wall with the doors in needs to be tackled next. I'm so glad this is at the back of the layout and will hopefully mostly be hidden from view :

 

 

G.

 

[Atso]

Grahame,

 

I've been forced to click the 'Craftsmanship/Clever' button as there is no button for 'Master Builder/Incredibly Patient/Totally Insane'! Incredible work on those buildings, I can't wait for you to be in a position to finally start building the layout!

 

Keep it up!

Edited September 26, 2018 by Atso

[grahame]

I've just noticed that it now just over two years since I started this thread and that it's also about to click up to 70,000 veiwings. Maybe a long way from some of the larger threads but satisfying nonetheless, particularly when it concerns N/2mm modelling (often eschewed by larger scale modellers) and using cardboard (a medium that is usually overlooked and considered old fashioned).

 

Many thanks to all who have dropped by and clicked the feedback buttons and especially to those who have taken the time and effort to post up comment. It is all welcome.

 

G

[grahame]

A little bit more work on the atrium entrance/reception. I've added some rough basic internal details all in grey to give an impression of a reception desk/window and somewhere beyond but, of course, it's only made up and compressed - there's very little room:

 

 

G.

 

[grahame]

The towers are modern and quite plain although I've yet to finish the walls and glaze the windows. But I've started to make and add some roof top detail to provide a bit of distracting interest:

 

 

 

G.

 

 

[grahame]

A little side-tracked from card building modelling today, I'm afraid. Firstly I went to a small model railway exhibition this morning and this afternoon got the transfers on to the Class Z 0-8-0T I've been slowly making:

 

 

G.

[elttus]

 

Hi Grahame, recently caught up with this thread and it's been inspiring to see the layouts buildings being constructed and got me motivated again to pick up the building of models for my own ambitious layout project. Looking forward to the day I see your layout all come together.

 

Was in the London Bridge area at the weekend for a visit to the Shard and spotted all the buildings you've been making along with the location of ones that are no longer standing. It's a shame two Victorian blocks of shops had to come down in Borough high st just to accommodate what looks like an unnecessary new spur from the station but at least on your layout they'll live on! 

 

Have these pics dated 1990 which I saved for reference of the old concrete lamp posts still in place along Borough High Street. I hope they'd be of reference to you as well as I'm sure you'll agree that certain street furniture can really set a period and as these were in still in place by the 80's and into the 90's they'll cover just the period your modelling.

 

 

 

Edited October 2, 2018 by elttus

[grahame]

A little more progress, not much, but slowly getting there. I've now sprayed black all the inside of the carcass for the tall tower block and joined together the wall sections to form a shell that clips over it. This now needs decorating - adding the panel lines (pencil), picking out the contrast bands (painting), matting down, (varnishing) and adding the glazing which is why the shell is separate (to allow access from behind). The pic is a bit strange by being taken with the two parts lying flat and the top of them nearest the camera :

 

 

G.

 

 

 

 

 

   

[grahame]

I've got the pencil panel lines on and sealed them with matt varnish. I've deliberately kept them restrained and not included all of them so as not to overpower the model with a mess of lines. I'm quite pleased with how it is starting to turn out. I've clipped the shell temporarily in place and all three parts of the structure are now free standing so here's a quick pic of how they look. Probably not much apparent change since earlier shots but there is definitely an improvement in sharpness and homogeny with the wall panels formed in to one shell (no wide gaps between them) and both blocks looking relatively harmonious (apart from the lack of blackness behind the lower tower windows).  

 

 

G.

 

[grahame]

Thanks for all the feedback clicks and comments - some people seem to respond almost as soon as I've posted. But it is welcome.

 

It's nice to see how ones plans for making a building start to come to fruition as the various projects start to get towards completion. Sometimes it can look a little messy and confused at the early stages of construction but as it becomes obvious how it fits together and things cut/made early actually fit and work when in place. As a model starts taking shape and looking the part it is very gratifying. Especially if a complex build methodology actually works, although No.1 London Bridge isn't exactly a difficult subject.

 

G

[phil_sutters]

I've got the pencil panel lines on and sealed them with matt varnish. I've deliberately kept them restrained and not included all of them so as not to overpower the model with a mess of lines. I'm quite pleased with how it is starting to turn out. I've clipped the shell temporarily in place and all three parts of the structure are now free standing so here's a quick pic of how they look. Probably not much apparent change since earlier shots but there is definitely an improvement in sharpness and homogeny with the wall panels formed in to one shell (no wide gaps between them) and both blocks looking relatively harmonious (apart from the lack of blackness behind the lower tower windows).  

 

DSC_7018.JPG

 

G.

Hi Grahame. I wonder if your roof top boxes are a little high, although from the angle these two photos were taken in 2011 it is difficult to compare with your views looking down. Of course things may have altered in the period between your era and 2011. However you continue to recreate an area I know well, so it is fascinating to watch your progress. Thank you for sharing it. 

Best wishes, Phil

[grahame]

 I wonder if your roof top boxes are a little high, although from the angle these two photos were taken in 2011 it is difficult to compare with your views looking down. Of course things may have altered in the period between your era and 2011. However you continue to recreate an area I know well, so it is fascinating to watch your progress. Thank you for sharing it. 

 

Maybe. Although from a similar low view point they are hardly visible:

 

 

Compression and scale (for instance being narrow low relief buildings the roof top detail is closer to the wall edges than in true scale) means they are never going to be exact replicas. And, of course, the roof details do add a little interest to what is otherwise a fairly bland building so I'm probably guilty of overstating it.

 

G. 

[grahame]

I've now added the lighter panel band near the top of the towers and sealed it with some matt varnish. I appreciate that there appears to be several bands on the real building but I though just one restrained pale band would suffice and not make the model look over fussy. The colour is just paler than the rest of the building although the photo looks more contrasty. Being at the back of the layout against the back-scene board it needs to be restrained and give the impression of distance.

 

 

G.

[Lecorbusier]

Hi Grahame. I wonder if your roof top boxes are a little high, although from the angle these two photos were taken in 2011 it is difficult to compare with your views looking down. Of course things may have altered in the period between your era and 2011. However you continue to recreate an area I know well, so it is fascinating to watch your progress. Thank you for sharing it. 

Best wishes, Phil

Its fascinating how ones perception of the same building can change depending upon position and elevation. Here are a series of images from different position which illustrate the point quite graphically I think?

 

[grahame]

Its fascinating how ones perception of the same building can change depending upon position and elevation. Here are a series of images from different position which illustrate the point quite graphically I think?

 

Untitled 5.jpeg

Yes, this one (if I've managed to leave the correct one) gives the impression the block is very narrow as the angled wall (along Tooley Street) can't be seen.

 

I've always thought that the cut out at the front of the building (at the river/bridge) was to mimic a number 1 figure as well as providing a statement entrance but in some of those pics I'm now not so sure. I remember at one time being able to go down stairs in the Hays Galleria plaza area and walk along subterranean passageways until eventually coming up on escalators in to the foyer of the No.1 building.

 

G

[acg5324]

Yes, this one (if I've managed to leave the correct one) gives the impression the block is very narrow as the angled wall (along Tooley Street) can't be seen.

I've always thought that the cut out at the front of the building (at the river/bridge) was to mimic a number 1 figure as well as providing a statement entrance but in some of those pics I'm now not so sure. I remember at one time being able to go down stairs in the Hays Galleria plaza area and walk along subterranean passageways until eventually coming up on escalators in to the foyer of the No.1 building.

G

Yes you certainly used to be able to do that.

[phil_sutters]

Just to add to this rush of photographic detail of this building, a few of the north-west corner, which will not be seen in the model.

[Lecorbusier]

I always thought it was very 80s American ..... very 'JR' Dallas!

[phil_sutters]

To swing round to the north, viewed from London Bridge

 

and to add a bit of detail to the neighbouring building, in case anyone spotted the decoration and wondered what it was --- 

[grahame]

I've just been trying out a new little snap-gun camera I've recently acquired to replace the one I lost. And here's a pic of No1. London Bridge with Colechurch House in front to try an replicate the pic of the real scene posted earlier. The white building is St Olafs House and the reddish one just at the edge on the right (almost out of shot) is Denmark/Emblem House:

 

 

G.

 

 

[grahame]

Another similar pic but this time with the bridge over Duke Street Hill to the station (that I made some time ago) and the continuation of London Bridge Walk to London Bridge which I've just knocked up. It needs some tweaking, painting, detailing and the shop windows frontage added to tie in with the sloping pavement area at the front.

 

 

G

[Compound2632]

Impressive! I do think modern buildings are much harder to bring off than older ones, because of the lack of surface texture or detail.