The Italian Job----- IT'S DONE!!!!!!!

[S e r z h--Rest In Peace]

Mamma mia!!!

[Leon]

WOW!!!! Amazing results your getting with all the bits and bobs John.

[k1w1]

Very Clever !  I really enjoy seeing some of the work you guys do.

[John Everett]

Plugging along:

Wooden furniture with final finish and glued in place......................Getting near the end now!




The butcher top bench is styrene stock with a paper butcher block pattern printed to common office paper (becoming a common theme here).

The chrome plated "pasta roller" (or so I'm calling it) is the gun skate for a .50cal which is mounted to US ring turrets. Here, it's a pasta roller.



Two more furniture items to go and the inside will be ready for permanent ceiling installation. 

[BJ---Rest In Peace]

That is so cool.. Will have to holler at you one day when in Denver.

[wbill76]

Cool use of 'found' materials converted to your own needs! Nice to see I'm not the only one that wanders over into the craft/jewelry sections looking for ideas. That mirror is a nice 'aha' moment for the unsuspecting viewer too. Love it. Keep it coming!

[Leon]

Really awe inspiring work John! Amazing what can be done with a few bits and bobs and a little imagination.

[wing_nut]

Really nice.

[John Everett]

Thanks to all for following along.

Just a tiny update before heading off to the big show in the morning.

Had a hotel night and used the time to produce a divan sofa. The curvy portions are laminated from five layers of styrene sheet and the legs are from Grandt Line. This still needs a treatment with epoxy putty. But that will have to wait until after the show.



Gap filled along the edges of the smoke hood, more of the acrylic paint/baking soda mixture.



And a firewood rack soldered up from sheet and rod brass.



That's it for now. 

Hope to see a few of you in Columbus!

[deafpanzer]

Loving it!!! See you tomorrow...

[John Everett]

Jul 23, 2015 23:04:59 GMT -5 deafpanzer said:

Loving it!!! See you tomorrow...

Sorry I missed you at the show. What did you buy? Did you win anything?

So home from Columbus.

Soapbox alert!

Rant ahead!

The model display room at the Columbus venue was far too dark for model viewing. No matter what prices they're offering next time around, the lighting in the model room needs to be much much better. I felt really badly for guys who had put huge effort into their work, only to have it displayed in dim light.
OK rant done.

Speaking of dim lighting....I had not expected this much detail inside the Italian Hillside House. It seemed a shame to go "the Columbus route" and not allow the viewer to see everything.

Thus, LED lighting!

4 lights in total, 3 in the ceiling, 1 above the stairs.










6 cell 3 amp/hour battery should power all for LEDs for about 30 hours. (I plan to add a pushbutton to the outside trim. This will allow the viewer to turn the lights on or off.)



This wont be in the model; but I discovered this combination in a previous project. It never occurred to me to light up the chandelier. Perhaps this setup will find its way into a future diorama?





Hope those who went to the show had fun!

John

[Leon]

WOW John!!!! This project just keeps getting better with each update.The sofa and lighting look fantasic.

[Jeff the 57th]

Inspirational stuff.

Totally agree with you on the Columbus dim lighting situation. Possibly a little more romantic then the situation called for. A guy on my floor had a 1/350 ship he was bringing down to the show and the detail was pretty stunning in a naturally lit bright hallway. On the tables everyone had their faces hovering 4" above it to see what he'd done and it wasn't anywhere nearly as impressive.

Cheers

#57

[deafpanzer]

WOW! Great idea adding LED lights!!!

I am with you about the poor lighting at the conference center. I had to use my iPhone light and that's why the battery drained before I could take more pictures! I had a budget of $100 and my wife was with me. That didn't help either! But she gave me $40 to get few more diorama stuff. LOL I am trying to save $$$ for the Band of Brother tour in Europe next summer. No, I didn't enter any of my builds and I wish did but I was there only for a day on Friday.

[Deleted]

Awe inspiring work John!

[wbill76]

Great idea with the lighting. Just have to avoid the temptation on Halloween to make it 'haunted' without draining those batteries!

[John Everett]

Moving along with the two larger pieces of furniture.

[elco]

Again, great stuff wow!

[Wes]

Outstanding stuff John.

[John Everett]

Smallest of updates:

Lots more tiles going on the roof. (no pictures)

Drain lines for sewage and sink added from wire coat hanger. Fittings on "pipe" are thin strips of masking tape wrapped around the coat hanger.





More work on the two furniture pieces tomorrow. I hope to have both the leather chair and the divan sofa in a rubber mold within 48 hours. When these are done and painted I'll be able to call the interior finished and get the roof and ceiling glued in place.

[Leon]

WOW!!!!! Great work on the drain lines John.Looking forward to seeing the finished sofa and chair.

[wbill76]

Neat trick with the masking tape. Have to file that one away for the future. Never know when that might come in handy.

[John Everett]

Thanks for stopping by to have a look.

The final furniture details are almost done and I'm about ready to seal up the interior.


The chair and divan are set in rubber.





First casting, Original vs copy.





Base coat of Vellejo acrylic and custom printed decal sheet with a pattern stolen directly from the Internet.
With home-brew decals it's best to always have the model painted in light or even white colors as the decals from your printer are quite transparent. Any color underneath the decal will become part of the decal itself.




And yes!!!!! More clay tiles!!! Getting ready to be done with these as well.


Polymer baking clay is rolled flat in a pasta machine and baked until "golden brown" (just kidding. Their color doesn't change).











The building is almost done now and only the heavy landscaping remains. The vehicles are also complete, or nearly so. I still need to paint-up and pose about 8 figures.

I'm guessing about 1-2 months to complete the diorama at this point.

[Leon]

Awesome job on the castings and decal rug John! Truely a work of art.

[John Everett]

Thanks, Leon.

Chair painted and placed in model.

[kiwibelg]

Hi John,
Truly inspirational stuff mate, your use of DIY ingenuity is second to none! The detailing inside of these houses is extremely well executioned and the step by step process of this project is a perfect way of letting other members see how a detailed diorama can be achieved!
All the best,
Shay

[k1w1]

Great work on the interior. I particularly like your leather chair.

[wbill76]

That chair looks mighty comfy! All it needs is an older gentleman with reading glasses and a newspaper.

[John Everett]

Divan is covered in decals and ready for placement in the house. That's It!!! I'm sealing the interior!!







Group picture.



All moved in.



Silver tape to hold down the ceiling and prevent light leaks.




Big step done.

[joeydee]

Great work, John. I really love it!