KHamilton

I just ran across this thread. For the record, the thread has never jammed or broken and the mechanism has worked perfectly for 25 years. It's nowhere near as hi-tech as Bill's incredible window unit, but it got the job done. Thanks for the kind words, Bill..!

I posted this up in the "General" thread, but since it's diorama-related, I'll post it here, too! Long story short, I've been invited to exhibit several dioramas at an art gallery in Philadelphia during the month of September. One piece on exhibit will be the Playland Arcade, which I used on the announcement: There will be two "opening" receptions - one as part of Old City's "First Friday" activities, and another one the following Sunday afternoon (when parking spaces in the area will be easier of find): Both receptions (and the show) are open to the public and I cordially invite any of you guys who happen to be in Philly to drop in. Also on exhibit in September will be "hyper-realistic" paintings by my old art school friend Fred Danziger, who was really responsible for my show. Come on down if you can....!

Long story short, I've been invited to exhibit several dioramas at an art gallery in Philadelphia during the month of September. One piece on exhibit will be the Playland Arcade, which I used on the announcement: There will be two "opening" receptions - one as part of Old City's "First Friday" activities, and another one the following Sunday afternoon (when parking spaces in the area will be easier of find): Both receptions (and the show) are open to the public and I cordially invite any of you guys who happen to be in Philly to drop in. Also on exhibit in September will be "hyper-realistic" paintings by my old art school friend Fred Danziger, who was really responsible for my show. Come on down if you can....!

That fuse box is INSANELY good!!!!!

Thanks very much for all the kind words, guys. I haven't started anything else yet 'cause there are a couple other irons in the fire: I've been invited to have a show of dioramas at an honest-to-goodness Art Gallery in Philadelphia this year over the month of September, and the Arcade will be one of the pieces on exhibit. I'll post more info later in the summer, but the opening reception is Friday evening, September 7. If you're in the area, you're all invited to the opening!

Bravo! The whole package fits together perfectly, from the VW to the split-level base to the fantastic trees. You've got a good eye for balance and composition and your building techniques make it all work. Great job.

Thanks, Marc. You can probably order Gatorboard on-line, but i don't know what kind of shipping there would be to New Zealand. Fomecore might work for what you're doing, but you'll be hooked on Gatorboard if you get your hands on some! Thanks again for the compliment.

Thanks, Tim. You've piqued my interest. Tell me about your grandfather.........

That's really nice, Sam. How 'bout some construction details?

Thanks, guys: Mark: I use GatorBoard to rough in the buildings. It's basically foamcore with a thin wood veneer instead of the paper used on Foamcore. Fantastic stuff. A little pricey, but great to work with. Here's a link the to construction album. Some of the pics show the GatorBoard. http://public.fotki.com/khamilton/models/playland_penny_arcade/ Cranky: The groundhogs are plentiful this year, but I'm thinning the herd.

Brad, it didn't win anything at NNL East, but the comments were very positive and there was always a crowd around the model. I enjoy hearing people say they see something new each time they look at it, and Cranky's right - the diorama did take "Popular Vote - Adult" at the Mid-Atlantic NNL. No, it's not quite finished. I'd like to add framework for a big sign on the roof and a few other details here and there, especially the shelves on the fire escape. There is indeed always something to add. Thanks for asking!

Those tires really caught my eye, too, along with the other perfect details....like lettering on the container, etc. VERY nice job. Congratulations.

That office interior is fantastic! ULTRA realistic. GREAT job!

I really like the effect of the LED, but here's a small suggestion: Block out a few of the windows in a room or two that might not have the lights on. It's rare that ALL the lights in a house would be on at the same time. Just a thought...... Great job so far. Love the weathering on the building and the figure in the window.

...I just ran across this thread.... That's a wonderful little building. Lots of character and not too complicated for your first structure project. You'll need to do some Creative Guesstimating for the measurements, using all the information that's already been provided above. Once you decide on some basic dimensions, do some rough scale drawings that will give you an idea of the model's proportions as they relate to the photos. Once the "Good Enough" factor has been achieved, do a good set of full-sizes drawings of each wall to use as templates. It probably wouldn't hurt to do a smaller size cardstock mock-up to see what it'll look like in 3-D. I'll be watching this build. It looks like great fun! (Edit: Tony said just about the same thing. Guess I should've read ALL the other posts first..........)