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"Anything You Can do, I Can Do Better ! Robinson and Downes.


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Thanks for that Vistiaen. 

 

you've just offered me the perfect opportunity so I'll defo give it some hammer later - does anybody else want to see it !

 

Cheers.

 

Allan.

YOU WHAT !!!!

 

post-20303-0-55695500-1501148532.jpeg

 

Don't you dare !!!!

 

The Ball & Chain Co.

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Since the latest topic appears to be about wrecking things, here's a little cameo for you. A wrecked wagon.

 

OK. So I'll tell you what really happened.

 

A Slaters wagon kit was unfortunate enough to fall into my hands which meant it was destined to end up where it has right from the moment I opened the box. I was doing quite well until I got to the under part bits - brakes, levers and such nonsense - and, despite the awful instructions, I had absolutely no idea whatsoever where anything went and why so, threw it all back in the box, mutilated the wagon and stuck it down  at the end of a siding. And the best place for it too.

 

So, now you have a cameo of a wrecked wagon instead of a beautiful built Slaters private owner wagon.

 

Here it is.

 

Cheers.

 

Allan

 

post-18579-0-59924400-1501156612_thumb.jpgpost-18579-0-38045300-1501156631_thumb.jpgpost-18579-0-46687900-1501156645_thumb.jpgpost-18579-0-27868300-1501156663_thumb.jpgpost-18579-0-96829000-1501156683_thumb.jpgpost-18579-0-71545400-1501156701_thumb.jpgpost-18579-0-88225800-1501156721_thumb.jpg

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Allan,

To be quite frank, I build my first 7mm Slaters wagon about 2 months ago and felt it left a lot to be desired re instructions etc !

 

Nice way to deal with it in your post above ;)

 

B. Odjit

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And a derelict gantry crane.

 

The electric hoist motor, lifting gear, chains, slings and hook went years ago for either scrap or re use somewhere else ( good innit how we can make up little scenarios to suit our own little Worlds !) and, because it did, I didn't have to build it.

 

The gantry was made up entirely from Plastruct components - open steel webbing and 'I' beam section -  and only took a couple of hours to build.

 

Weathering was the usual method as used throughout here involving wood dye, talcum powder and green paint.

 

Cheers.

 

Allan.

 

post-18579-0-38498000-1501167858_thumb.jpgpost-18579-0-54367200-1501167875_thumb.jpgpost-18579-0-20920400-1501167892_thumb.jpgpost-18579-0-16907100-1501167906_thumb.jpgpost-18579-0-48759900-1501167926_thumb.jpgpost-18579-0-48332100-1501167976_thumb.jpg

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The cathedral is absolutely stunning Allan - still hard to believe it's a model. Wow!!! And the gantry crane in just a few hours...  I still haven't finished my Wills yard crane and I've had it for over a year.

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Aye, that cathedral is still one of the reference points for model buildings. 

 

Really I would love to see it on a layout, or in a townscape. Actually , I would love to have a go at floodlighting it as a model with LEDs . Why ? Well heres one I did earlier, as they say. Ok, its 12" to the foot scale but it is all LED , completed in May of this year. An awful lot of armoured cable went into that. So why put it on here ? Well, I have spent a long time messing about with the restoration of historic buildings in the Glasgow area. So I have come to love good stonework. I have worked with some of the few remaining masons who could actually carve a rose window, so when I see Allans work I connect the skill of those tradesmen to the skill of the modelmaker. I see history repeated in model form. 

 

post-30265-0-15524500-1501195841_thumb.jpg

 

 

Just for reference, its lansdowne parish church, Lieper , 1862. That is reputed to be the steepest stone spire in Europe , 175 foot high, 14 foot wide at the base. And I can see it from where I live......

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As someone once said " One gantry crane is never enough " If someone didn't, then someone should have.

 

As with the first one, just a couple of hours to build and that coal wagon is how a Slaters kit should be put together and, the reason why it is, is because somebody else built it and I got it off Ebay.

 

Anyway, here's the worse for wear gantry crane.

 

Cheers.

 

Allan.

 

post-18579-0-44536800-1501249679_thumb.jpgpost-18579-0-27253000-1501249694_thumb.jpgpost-18579-0-44438500-1501249712_thumb.jpgpost-18579-0-71325500-1501249727_thumb.jpgpost-18579-0-58140200-1501249748_thumb.jpgpost-18579-0-12787200-1501249770_thumb.jpg

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G'day Allan,

 

Not ignoring your latest post (i DO love that wall finish!) but at the risk of making you feel like the Rolling Stones where you release a new album but everyone wants to hear 'Satsifaction' can I ask a couple of questions about your cathedral?

 

1) The scale - I'm thinking 2mm/ft?

 

2) The statues - they look so realistic, is it OK if I ask the origins of them?

 

3) the gargoyles/ waterspouts. They look like dragon heads (or a croc I came too close to in 2009  when I was in the Northern Territory!) how did you make them?

 

4) What IS wrong with that cow?

 

Love your work!

 

Chris J

Edited by monkeysarefun
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G'day Allan,

 

Not ignoring your latest post (i DO love that wall finish!) but at the risk of making you feel like the Rolling Stones where you release a new album but everyone wants to hear 'Satsifaction' can I ask a couple of questions about your cathedral?

 

1) The scale - I'm thinking 2mm/ft?

 

2) The statues - they look so realistic, is it OK if I ask the origins of them?

 

3) the gargoyles/ waterspouts. They look like dragon heads (or a croc I came too close to in 2009  when I was in the Northern Territory!) how did you make them?

 

4) What IS wrong with that cow?

 

Love your work!

 

Chris J

 

G'day to you too, Sir

 

Yes,you'r right. It was built at 2mm to the foot for a 4mm layout but, even then, looked far too big. I don't think people realize just how massive these buildings were as you rarely get the chance to see one as a whole.

 

I think the statues were Preiser but I can't be certain as it was such a long time ago.

 

The Gargoyles were cast from a master made by a nun !!!

 

Re the cow I haven't got a clue as it was part of an article written by someone else but Mullie insists that I wrote it ! 

 

Cheers.

 

Allan.

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Ah -ha, I do actually remember that article from back in the day and I really do know what is wrong with that cow!

 

Thanks for the quick answers Allan, its amazing detail at 2mm/ft, I can't pick any of the photos that give it away as being a model. The uniformity of the windows and stone details is dazzling, my laser cutter wouldn't be that consistent!

 

It must be a hefty beast, even at that scale. Just for comparison there is a Spanish gent who sells scrollsaw patterns online, and one of them is for the Milan cathedral. Although meant to be decorative rather than true detailed so can't compete with yours , some of the completed ones appear to be around 4mm/ft or perhaps still a little less so gives some idea of the space you'd need on your baseboard.

 

. Attached link shows various finished examples along with pics of the makers with a "What do I do with it now?" expression.

 

http://www.finescrollsaw.com/milan-cathedral.htm

Edited by monkeysarefun
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Those cathedrals are absolutely magnificent to say the least and since there were plans involved that would have ruled me right out to start with !

 

When I built mine the front was taken from photos in a book and the rest either inspired or downright invented. There was no such thing as lasers cutters available to the model maker back then and my effort was built with just a Stanley knife, rule, straight edge, square and more swearing than you could possibly imagine !

 

It was built out of 90% half mm grey cardboard, a bit of plastic here and there and white metal fittings cast from home made masters - hundreds of 'em. It stood approximately 4ft 6" long by 30" wide by 3ft high, ended up with 60mm thick walls at the base and needed two people to lift it, It also had a fully modelled interior with a vaulted ceiling painted out in Micheal Angelo copies as found in the same book from where I got the idea from in the beginning and took six months to build. At the time if cost £6,000 to build and to day would cost at least 10 times that much.

 

Also, it was built to come apart in four sections after the entire roof was lifted off which essentially locked it all together.

 

And, would I build another one ? I doubt that I could even remember how let alone come to terms with all that detail wearing just bi-focals and a memory like a sieve !

 

Cheers.

 

Allan.

Edited by allan downes
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It really is an amazing model.

 

I try to build ship models and seeing those 17th and 18th century admiralty  models in museums with all the carving and fine detail, always has me amazed at how they did that.

 

Your cathedral has the same effect on me, especially since its all done without plans, AND there are  bits inside it too!

 

And to top it all, you had a cardboard cathedral long  before the lauded Christchurch one:

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2392573/New-Zealand-Christchurchs-cardboard-cathedral-opens-demolished-2011-earthquake.html

Edited by monkeysarefun
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I've just seen a bloke on youtube building a boeing 747 out of paper, INTERIOR as well. Everything works, even the jet engines spin and the landing gear opens and folds a way just like the real thing.

 

I shall now get my coat....

 

Allan

Edited by allan downes
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Right. Massive masterpieces in stone, sweat and blood aside, here's some recent additions to my humble derelict factory layout added this morning - another factory, another battered old wagon.

 

Cheers.

 

Allan

 

attachicon.gifSMALL DETAILS, ANOTHER BUILDING 001.jpgattachicon.gifSMALL DETAILS, ANOTHER BUILDING 002.jpgattachicon.gifSMALL DETAILS, ANOTHER BUILDING 003.jpgattachicon.gifSMALL DETAILS, ANOTHER BUILDING 016.jpgattachicon.gifSMALL DETAILS, ANOTHER BUILDING 008.JPGattachicon.gifSMALL DETAILS, ANOTHER BUILDING 009.JPGattachicon.gifSMALL DETAILS, ANOTHER BUILDING 013.JPG

Like the factory in the background Allan.  Not convinced by the wagon though.  It seems to have been attacked by a variety of slime mould which, if scaled up to full size, might be related to The Blob!

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blob#/media/File:The_Blob_(1958)_theatrical_poster.jpg

 

:jester:

Edited by teaky
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You're probably right, Teaky, a bit over done, but that's me all over. Broad brush modelling.

 

I remember that film, 'The Blob', and when I see it now I can't believe that I queued up hours in the rain to see it - what crap !

 

Mind you, I've seen far worse Hollywood  offering of late and as for Mama Mia and Beauty and the Beast ... well, the least said the better. I'd rather watch Family Bathrooms with Mullie and a bottle of Scotch and not least of all cos you'd need it - the Scotch that is !

 

Anyway guys, what were your worst films ?

 

Cheers.

 

Allan. 

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I've just seen a bloke on youtube building a boeing 747 out of paper, INTERIOR as well. Everything works, even the jet engines spin and the landing gear opens and folds a way just like the real thing.

 

I shall now get my coat....

 

Allan

 

Have you seen this thread by Mirmic on here?

 

"DUCHESS OF SUTHERLAND" of cardboard

 

His mastery of card and paper is second to none. 

 

Apologies, I don't know how to link to another thread in a comment.

Edited by Bill_J
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You're probably right, Teaky, a bit over done, but that's me all over. Broad brush modelling.

 

I remember that film, 'The Blob', and when I see it now I can't believe that I queued up hours in the rain to see it - what crap !

 

Mind you, I've seen far worse Hollywood  offering of late and as for Mama Mia and Beauty and the Beast ... well, the least said the better. I'd rather watch Family Bathrooms with Mullie and a bottle of Scotch and not least of all cos you'd need it - the Scotch that is !

 

Anyway guys, what were your worst films ?

 

Cheers.

 

Allan. 

I can't remember the name but there was that Dracula film with a dodgy castle in the background.  Sandpaper tiles I think.  :tomato: :jester:

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