Advice sought on making a pub interior

[AyJay]

Good afternoon and a Happy Christmas!

 

I want to seek the advice of anyone who has a good mastery of making building interiors.

I have a pub on my OO gauge layout, made of card, and I would like an interior that is good enough to pass inspection when viewed from the outside (it is lit)

The building is based on the Eastenders 'Queen Vic', I have named it the 'Prince Albert'.

As a regular visitor to Pendon, I feel that my modelling standard is woefully lacking and I should do better, but don't know how?

I have attached a picture of my 'Prince Albert', (I think the bar needs to be remodelled) and a picture of the real Queen Vic interior.

It does not have to be an exact copycat, but I'd like it to be close. I also want it to be populated, including a recognisable cameo scene. e.g. Den giving Angie her 'Christmas present'.

I have also attached a picture of the interior of another building, to show where my current standard is.

 

So, can anyone with the know-how please advise me, techniques, materials, sources?

Thank you,  Alan

 

[cctransuk]

32 minutes ago, AyJay said:

Good afternoon and a Happy Christmas!

 

I want to seek the advice of anyone who has a good mastery of making building interiors.

I have a pub on my OO gauge layout, made of card, and I would like an interior that is good enough to pass inspection when viewed from the outside (it is lit)

The building is based on the Eastenders 'Queen Vic', I have named it the 'Prince Albert'.

As a regular visitor to Pendon, I feel that my modelling standard is woefully lacking and I should do better, but don't know how?

I have attached a picture of my 'Prince Albert', (I think the bar needs to be remodelled) and a picture of the real Queen Vic interior.

It does not have to be an exact copycat, but I'd like it to be close. I also want it to be populated, including a recognisable cameo scene. e.g. Den giving Angie her 'Christmas present'.

I have also attached a picture of the interior of another building, to show where my current standard is.

 

So, can anyone with the know-how please advise me, techniques, materials, sources?

Thank you,  Alan

 

 

Ahhh - that'll need a lot of on-site research; I'll get back to you (eventually) ........

 

CJI.

[Siberian Snooper]

1st question, is what period are you modelling? A lot of pubs in the last 50 odd years have changed their interiors, from several bars to open plan, plastic interiors.

 

Non of the older variety could be seen in, from street level, although you may have got a glimpse from the top deck of a bus. The bottom half (minimum) was frosted or etched and then there were possibly full length net curtains behind them. Most were dark and dingy and if the lights were on it's most likely that the curtains were drawn.

 

 

[Rivercider]

If you are modelling before the smoking ban, then the ceilings (and anything else 'white') then it should be painted a shade of nicotine, the darker the shade the longer since the last redecoration,

 

cheers - mine's a cider, ta 

[Siberian Snooper]

Modern stuff from the tap, or the jug under the counter?

 

[AyJay]

Looking further on this subject, I have found this image, which is probably the closest that I am going to get to a floorplan to the original.

 

What is immediately obvious is that the shape and hence floor area of the original and my model, are different. The original is rectangular while mine is 'L' shaped. This was intentional to make a more interesting shaped building. There are also other structural differences.

I need to make my bar counter a bit bigger, with panelled sides.  I'm undecided about keeping the carpet, but I'm told that there needs to be a lino/floorboard area alongside the outside of the counter. The rear counter where the till sits needs to be deeper and I'll have a go at carving a till out of a scrap of plastic. I'll probably omit the high-level pelmet that glasses hung from, not all bars had them and doing it would be too fiddly. There will need to be pump handles (beer engines?) on the counter, I'll get some matchsticks and sand them round. The bench seating round the walls will have to be folded card.  I'm not sure what to do about the round stools and the round tables, have not found any on sale.  For drinks glasses, I think I need some very thin (1.5mm) clear plastic rod.

[Peter Eaton]

I expect we are all invited to a free drink on the opening night - cheers.

[AyJay]

3 hours ago, Peter Eaton said:

I expect we are all invited to a free drink on the opening night - cheers.

If normal practise is followed, I expect it will turn into a punch-up or some other drama 😂

[phil_sutters]

A couple of minor suggestions. If you have to resort to building your own round tables & stools, you could do worse than get either some square brass mesh of a suitable size and fold sections round to make the legs or use something like these ladders, chopped into short lengths. https://www.scalemodelscenery.co.uk/lx108-oo-wooden-ladders-pack-of-27-oo4mm176-1323-p.asp  - That way you can achieve reasonably uniform structures. The round tops can be slivers of dowel or punched discs.

Ladders and square brass mesh can also create nice panelling effects.

I made an old brass effect cash register by putting a 3D printed crate of beer bottles on its side. The lowest row of bottles was left full height. The next row was trimmed back so there was only a short length of the bottles' necks left. Those rows represent the 'keys'. The top row was filed back to leave a block to represent the bit where the prices and totals appear. The sides can be gently filed to a curved shape or covered by separate hand sculpted panels.

 

If you do want some aggressive customers this bloke and several others in this series could do! https://www.scale3d.co.uk/products/mm120-older-male-with-fists-up-to-fight

Edited December 27, 2022 by phil_sutters

[AyJay]

Thank you Phil, an interesting sideways look at a problem. I’ll check it out when I get a quiet moment.