Friday, 20th August 2010

Revisiting 1:12th Scale - Corner Toy Shop

Unpacking things from storage is going sooooooo slowly.  To get anything out I have to mobilise my husband Peter and nephew Mark (he lives with us too).  That's because things are still stacked right to the roof to save space in the half that is left to unpack.  Nathan of course can't do a lot of lifting or climbing for safety reasons because of his balance and vision problems.  And then when I do get some minis unearthed (finally!!) I have to find somewhere to put them.  However I managed to get two projects out of the container the other day: the corner Toy Shop and the conservatory.  And surprisingly (since they weren't packed by me) most of the pieces of each were there together in the same boxes.  Amazing!! 

I had both of these assembled several years ago then dismantled them because of lack of space.  However they weren't finished.  I wanted to add brickwork to them and landscape around them.  Now, wonder of wonders, I have found the bricking compound, the stencils, and the projects over the last few forays into the container.

Spatula and bricking compound at the ready, I first tackled the easier-to-access two straight side walls of the shop, then the fronts of the bay windows.  The sides of the windows weren't difficult either and the walls beside the windows weren't too bad until you get to the top where they have to be shaped over the roof on the windows.  But the wall between the window and the side trim was really fiddly.  It came out okay though, and here is the result so far.

  

As you can see, I haven't attached thewooden top trim yet (that's it sitting on the removable glass roof).  The door is also just sitting there at the moment.  And one thing that wasn't packed with the rest of the shop was the perspex for the windows!  I've kept the floor, but removed the floorboards because they had become buckled and uneven from storage.  I'll start afresh for that.

Aging the bricks? Since it will be set in Victorian times and it is red Victorian brick it is a fairly new brick - but then with the Industrial age that it was and all the coal fires, the air wasn't exactly clean either, so some aging would be appropriate and it always makes things more realistic than 'pristine'.   Any suggestions welcome.

After being stored for so long, some of the pieces tended to stick together a bit and bits of the paint is in less than wonderful condition so I will have to fix that up, which will probably mean taking a piece of the top to the harware shop to have it matched unless I can track down the original tin.

I have ordered more stencils from Bromley Craft, including cobblestones for the footpath.  Peter cut me a base that allows a quite generous footpath on both sides, with a curved corner.  I will be placing dolls on it - more about the story and background of this project later.

And in case you are wondering what the house is behind the shop, it is my 'Carrington Villa', the large commission-built house based on a RL house here in Grafton, New South Wales.  Here's a better view of the two of them.

So now I need to locate the container with the shelves and counter for the shop, get the guys to dig out the large container that has the wallpaper and flooring from the storage container (it is under a pile of other containers supporting them, and they reach to the roof) Ladders and I do not get along so it is frustrating to have to wait on their pleasure - grrrrrr!  And I think I have already unpacked the box of toys that I have that pretty well stock the shop.