GTMust

Have a great vacation and a verrrrry merry Xmas and New Year. Cheers. Tony

I've built the stairs to the attic and added them to the rear wall. I've also started a partial corner exterior wall with a door opening. I started a front gable wall that will be framed to show the original roof line of the 1920's single car garage and the extended roof line with more recent construction methods. I haven't yet decided on the finish to the gable above the brickwork, but will probably use some kind of siding material.

Oops.... I think I jumped the gun! I figured it out after I looked at your pics again. I'll just shut up and let your progress pictures do the talking. Sorry 'bout that.

A couple of questions (and I'm sure you've already figured these out and I'm not reading your idea properly): 1. With all the equipment you plan in the shop, where will you put the vehicles? 2. I don't see any doors from the offices/showroom into the shop. The only door appears to be somewhere between the back office and the stairs. Have you had a change of layout? Or am I missing something? I love the concept and I hope I'm not being nit-picky!

I would add more comments about how incredible this all is but it's mostly been already said...... Wait a minute, I think I just did! Fantastic. I thought I went to sleep last night and woke up in Lilliput this morning.

You dio was another inspiration to get me started on mine, especially when I saw your brickwork and weathering techniques. Keep it coming.... I love what you're doing (and it's great for stealing ideas!)

I'm looking forward to following this one! You're off to a great start and I love the concept.

Yes Terry. The rafters are 1/4" x 1/16" balsa and the floor is basswood. I had to use "out of scale" 1/16" basswood to keep the floor from warping. A protective barrier along the edge will hide the thickness. All the perimeter framing is various sizes of basswood strips. Ed: I got your PM on the doors but it's still a little confusing. Any chance of a picture? (I'm told they speak a thousand words!)

What's wrong with snow? It's gives us an excuse (if we need one) to stay indoors and keep modellin'! Nice and warm and cosy.

This afternoon I also started to build the attic floor. This will only be over the "original" single car garage, and the new extension has a higher ceiling to allow for a hoist. (Boy, I wish I had a real garage like this!) A stair will connect the main floor with the attic.. (where the framing square is located.) I made the attic floor removable to access the lower floor so that I can add or remove vehicles and accessories when I need to.

OOps!! Slight typo... or is it the age creeping up on me? That asphalt is 180 grit wet and dry sandpaper not 80!

I'm really interested in more info on those doors Ed. Are these like a bifold door on each half? I was thinking of regular barn doors, but your suggestion might be the way to go. The ashalt paving is 80 grit wet and dry sandpaper glued to the base. With a gray wash it's quite convincing. The concrete wash dried out lighter than I thought it would and I think it will be OK with a little more weathering and spills and stains, etc. I erected the brick piers and steel beams ready for the attic floor. And I couldn't resist trying it out for size with a '66 Malibu I built a while back. By the way guys.... that's not pink, it's "Salmon", for those that may wonder.

You're right James. Barn doors it is! I think I saved the concrete floor... The brick piers and steel beams are in place,and should have set up over night. More pics later today.

Thanks Jim. I added a couple more washes to the concrete floor last night and... I think I overdid it! I may be able to sand some of the color out with fine wet and dry. Pictures of my boo-boo will follow.... and then after I (hopefully) fix it. Meanwhile, I gave up on operating OH doors. That would be a six month project all by itself. So barn style doors it will be!

I'm fascinated by all the intricate steel framing you've built. Where does your reference come from to get this to look so real, yet you build so fast. Books.... internet.... personal experience.... does it come to you in dreams? Or do you plan out a diarama years ahead, collect all the materials... then go at it! I spend more time searching for reference pictures and information than I do building! And even then I sometimes come to a dead stop when the inspiration doesn't translate into plastic, wood and paint.

Thanks for the positives, guys. Just what I need to keep going.... The garage floor was made by scratching the surface of thin styrene sheet with 80 grit sandpaper and then gluing it to the base with white glue. I used two sheets of thin styrene butted together at the centre of the column bases and then scratched the other "expansion" joints using the back of a blunt #11 Exacto blade. The brick pier bases are simply small squares of styrene glued to the surface and sanded at the edges to looked like the concrete is worn. I flooded a watery wash of tan and light gray acrylic paints over the whole surface and let it puddle where it wanted. I will apply additional washes until I get the depth of color that I want. I've never tried this before, so it's all experimental and I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Next job is to finish the two interior brick piers and set them on their concrete pads.

Inspired by Dr. Cranky's Lab-rat-ory and philbass's tutorial on making "brick" walls., I decided to build a typical two car garage in 1/24 scale. The idea is that the "garage" was originally a small 20' x 12' single car garage built around the 1920's that has been expanded and upgraded in the 50's or 60's. Some of the construction will reflect this expansion. I started with an old 12" x 24" x 5/8" melamine cupboard door as a base and built 3/16" foamboard walls to three sides. Following eric's tutorial I added brickwork to the front wall and framed the garage door openings. Then I added an asphalt driveway and a fence. After weathering the fence and driveway with a wash I started on the inside of the garage. I added congrete bases for two brick piers that will support the steel beams for the attic floor. I made the beams from strips of styrene. The Overhead doors were assembled from bass wood and are intended to operate when I can figure out how to build the track and hardware. (If I can't figure it out, I'll probably used large barn style doors instead!)

I've been quietly following this topic and I can't stay quiet any longer!!!! WOW!!!! The work you do is awe inspiring and I've picked up so many tips and ideas that I've put all my car models aside and have started three (count 'em) three seperate diaramas just so I can experiment with some of your ideas. Don't know if I'll ever finish them, though.... probably remain works in progress.... those cars are calling me back. Thanks for all the inspiration and don't ever stop!! Bye the way... great concrete!

This will be interesting. I've always wondered how these little monsters look when they are built.. but never thought about doing one myself. Looking forward to this!