London Street - Finished

[k1w1]

Have just started a new project. I want to create a London Street scene set around the late 70's - early 80's. Currently building a footpath ( sidewalk ) and a section of road. I have some figures I want to use that are approx. 1/20 scale.

[Leon]

This looks interesting Peter! I'll be following along.

[dierk]

Me too!

[TRM]

Very cool! Looking forward to seeing your progress!!

[John Everett]

Cork over a hardboard surface is an excellent start. The main challenge I've had with cork has been in getting it to hold on to its paint during all the other processes it's put through. The paint tends to wear off as you do the subsequent steps of grouting and weathering.

1/20? That's gonna be large.

[Deleted]

Looks like a fun project. Will there be a 1/20 scale vehicle involved later?

[k1w1]

Apr 14, 2016 9:37:59 GMT -5 John Everett said:

Cork over a hardboard surface is an excellent start. The main challenge I've had with cork has been in getting it to hold on to its paint during all the other processes it's put through. The paint tends to wear off as you do the subsequent steps of grouting and weathering.

1/20? That's gonna be large.

Thanks for the info John. I have cut up some new Cork Tiles. I have only used cork in the past to give me some elevated ground work which has then been covered in Vallejo Sandy Paste. After reading your words of wisdom I will use a substantial undercoat on it and hopefully that will help. Maybe a coat of Vallejo Matt varnish also before I get in to the weathering to help seal it.

I usually work in 1/18 or 1/24 so 1/20 is comfortable for me. I am using a large chopping board for the base. The scale for this is dictated by the size of the figures I want to use.

[k1w1]

Apr 14, 2016 9:58:15 GMT -5 @dogfish7 said:

Looks like a fun project. Will there be a 1/20 scale vehicle involved later?

Thanks Bruce. This one wont have any vehicles in the scene. I think I can make it busy enough with out them.

[deafpanzer]

Looks like a fun project! I see A, B and C marked on the blocks... made me wonder why? Different sides or edges perhaps?

[k1w1]

Apr 15, 2016 11:49:49 GMT -5 deafpanzer said:

Looks like a fun project! I see A, B and C marked on the blocks... made me wonder why? Different sides or edges perhaps?

A B C . I cut strips in a cork floor tile. I found marking the cork not so easy. I could not get a nice fine line so I cut three long strips and marked each strip A B and C.  before I cut each strip in to squares. My 3 strips are not exactly the same width although they are all within 1mm. So the A B C allowed me to place them in order to get a nicer fit.

[k1w1]

I like these 1/35 Miniart Accessories. The Storm water drains are a bit small for this job but I am going to use two of them anyway. The man hole covers are quite big so work ok in bigger scales such as this.

[armorguy]

This is interesting K1w1 !

[dierk]

Getting more interesting by the update!
What figures/vehicles are you going to use? For the period you're setting the scene in, you should add a motorcycle courier - there used to be hundreds, if not thousands of them (nearly said 'us' - but that time of my life is in the past)

[k1w1]

Apr 19, 2016 7:26:21 GMT -5 dierk said:

Getting more interesting by the update!
What figures/vehicles are you going to use? For the period you're setting the scene in, you should add a motorcycle courier - there used to be hundreds, if not thousands of them (nearly said 'us' - but that time of my life is in the past)

The scene will have 7 or 8 figures in it. I believe they are Belgium Nationals but I am going to try and pass them off as Englishmen. I think I can get away with it ?.  1/20 scale makes adding vehicles extremely difficult although transport is a major theme of this diorama. Sorry can not give away the  " punch line " so early in the project.
Oh .... you were a bike courier.  I believe Hondas CX500 was the preferred London Courier bike back then. I am guessing bikes have been a major part of your life. I started riding at 14. At 24 started my own Motorcycle business which I still have today although I don't really trade much now.  

[dierk]

"I believe Hondas CX500 was the preferred London Courier bike back then." Indeed it was - not very lovingly they were known as 'maggots' I used to hire them from a company called Chas Bikes - until they banned me for having killed too many of them because I was 'immortal' it never bothered me throwing them at the scenery - the way I saw it was that you don't know where the limits of a bike are until you push past them...owned a few as well - to give them a semblance of handling I used to cut down the seat by a couple of inches. Every 3-4 months I had to change the foot pegs because I'd worn them down to little stubs

"I am guessing bikes have been a major part of your life." Yep - until a couple of years ago I didn't drive cars at all. I can fit a weekly shop for three people and two cats on a bike and then I went 'soft' and added a Ural sidecar to my bikes. Hope they haven't all rotted to beyond recovery when I finally get back home...

Seen many small bike shops go out of business - 'proper' bikers are a dying breed, making it very difficult to make a living out of it as bikes are now seen as a 'leisure product' getting ridden a few hundered (dry) miles a year. I used to go through a set of brake pads and a back tyre every two months! Full service and front tyre every three. Used to average 30,000 miles a year...gave it up when the positive aspects of the job didn't outweigh the negative ones anymore.

[k1w1]

After a week of experimenting I have worked out how I am going to paint and weather fence palings.

[kaytermarram]

Cannot wait to see the things will come together! A big question for me is hows about the figures???

Frank

[tigrazor]

ICM brought a new figure set for the old ford Model T. Originally meant for the early years of the century, they may fit in here too?! Theyre very affordable too btw and have a really good quality (far better than Preiser figures, which are rare and hard to get too).

www.dersockelshop.de/media/image/icm24003neu.jpg

[kaytermarram]

The figures look really good! If I could do some Zombies out of them, nothing speaks against a little dio with this theme, rofl!

Frank

[wbill76]

Looks like a pretty extensive range of tests/experiments there, can't beat being thorough!

[k1w1]

May 21, 2016 10:44:57 GMT -5 tigrazor said:

ICM brought a new figure set for the old ford Model T. Originally meant for the early years of the century, they may fit in here too?! Theyre very affordable too btw and have a really good quality (far better than Preiser figures, which are rare and hard to get too).

www.dersockelshop.de/media/image/icm24003neu.jpg

Thanks for the link Lucas. I have got some figures set aside for this project - not that unlike the two figures in the right of your link.

[k1w1]

May 21, 2016 8:23:47 GMT -5 kaytermarram said:

Cannot wait to see the things will come together! A big question for me is hows about the figures???

Frank

Got quite a few figures I am going to use in this but sorry Frank,  I am going to make you wait until the end again. A couple of them need a bit of work to get them looking how I want them.

[kaytermarram]

I real think so, mate!! Doing the clothing of the 70ties, you need tons if paint and magic sculpt, harhar! But I guess, it will look very interesting and a joy to watch! And I can imagine doing a similar scene way back in Sherlock Holmes victorian age. There are good figures available, too. And combining them maybe with Steampunk... who knows what will come up! But for now, I am very curious about what will you do here!

Frank

[armorguy]

Great this tests with the fence. I see nice pieces o wood !

[k1w1]

Progress has been really slow on this one. 60 fence palings each needing 5 to 6 coats on the front and 3 on the back,  but I have now started to assemble the fence. This is as far as I get for two and a half months as tomorrow I leave with her ladyship on a grand tour of shoe shops through out the USA Europe and United Kingdom. I wonder if many of these Womens shoe shops have wifi ?  

[dierk]

You got some nice wood there, Peter
Enjoy the trip mate!

[wbill76]

Sounds like a "Grand Tour of Shoes"! Hope you survive the endeavor in one piece, fence is coming together nicely.

[Leon]

The fence is looking great Peter!

[John Everett]

If you swing through Colorado during your "Shoe Trek", send me a PM.

there's no substitute for real wood and the variable effect which can be achieved with it.

[kaytermarram]

Show more work, woodhead (hehe, I thought it would fit! Greets from the abyss, my friend!) Looks really great, the colour is perfect! Btw, the figure, is it one of the TIM AND STRUPPI characters??

Frank