The Shankly and Gdynia Railway

[IanAlan]

Hi Everyone,

Long time, no post!

Unfortunately, the SGR has been out of action all this time - I won't bore you with the whys and hows, nor will I speculate about when it will return - I don't have a good track record about this.

However, I have been investing time, money and effort in model buildings, structures and figures, so when it does FINALLY return, there'll be some new things to look at.

The 'scene change' that I've been working towards is to bring the Gdynia aspect centre stage. To achieve this, I've been buying, painting and making some central European buildings - both new kits and second-hand readymades. These are German kits, but some of the new ones actually come with the option of Polish language decals.

Last week I bought three readymade second-hand buildings, but when I took a closer look at them this morning, I noticed that one of the walls of one of the houses is upside down!

The House That Jack Botched


I hope that a model figure of a granny doesn't try to exit the house via the front door. If she does, she's liable to break her neck. I wonder if the person who made this kit actually noticed the mistake or whether they remained blissfully unaware. Of course, I'll take it apart and reconstruct it according to the laws of elementary physics.

I noticed that there haven't been that many posts by other MRF members in 'Members Layouts' since I last looked. That's a pity. It's always been my favourite part of the forum.

IanAlan

[IanAlan]

The House that Ian Unbotched

In my last post I uploaded a photo of the second-hand model house that was made with one wall upside down. Well, I can only say that the original model-maker's modelling skills were inversely proportional to the strength of the glue they used! When I tried taking the wall out, I only managed to break the plastic of the two short side walls. I had to file it, turn it right-way up, glue it, fill it, sand it and repaint it. But it was worth the effort.



I'm not convinced that the HO building is correct to scale. The HO figure is actually a teenager - somewhere in height between the figures of men and those of boys from a Preisser HO pack. Notice that the figure is standing one step lower than the bottom of the front door. When I placed HO figures of men in the same place, they were much taller than the door - almost banging their heads on the bottom of the roof. Ouch!

The places where I had to break the side walls will be covered over by a little strategically placed foliage when it's on the layout.

I also put glazing (transparent plastic) and curtains (coloured printed paper or tissue paper) into the windows.

[Too Tall]

well it certainly looks better now.
Regarding the height, if an HO man is banging his head on the roof, perhaps best used at the back to force perspective ?

[bulleidboy]

I agree with Too Tall, if it's not placed front of layout it should look fine. I have a Lyddle End cottage up in the hills, looks much better than an 00 gauge building.

[IanAlan]

Thanks for your comments TT and BB. I'll take your advice and place it towards the rear of the layout - there isn't much room for housing right at the back.

At the same time I bought that already-made second-hand model house, I also bought two others. Here's one.

Red Roof Farm


Although the original coloured plastic was mostly pleasantly earthy-looking as befits a farmhouse, the roof was a little too red for me, so I repainted it. But first I removed the shutters. Not because I dislike shutters - I rather like them - but because I want a more Polish look, and they are not very common in Poland. At least not the kind in the photo. I'm pleased with the results...

[IanAlan]

Red Roof Farm






I'll have to find a new name for the Farm, of course.

[IanAlan]

And here's the third and final unpainted but built model house that I bought.

Wooden House with Veranda

[IanAlan]

And here it is repainted to match the layout.

Polish Wooden House with Veranda


I'm hoping to buy or make a model table and chairs to put on the veranda with some sitting figures - preferably enjoying a beer and a plate of pierogi (Polish ravioli). The veranda roof is currently only attached by a couple of specks of blutac to facilitate adding these.

[bulleidboy]

Very good - great detail.