Ghostbusters' Firehouse in N-Scale

**ridetheory** · #1 09-05-2014, 09:03 AM

I made a few mods on the original model (found here). Glued the whole thing to some heavy black cardstock and simply cut out the windows rather than building the window boxen provided. The heavy cardstock added some needed thickness to the detailing pieces.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZX9uRg_eGN...0905140727.jpg

At this scale tiny boxen tend to look pretty bad because you have so many angles you could get slightly wrong, so in order to make the sign, I laminated several pieces of heavy card and sandwiched the Ghostbusters logo inside some frame pieces. Then I cut the outer edge all at once. It's a solid thing rather than a hollow box.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qgv-b7vT16...0905140729.jpg

One very nice touch from the designer: the detailing pieces function as tabs on the outside of the model -- I thought that was pretty clever. Also, the cornice details pull the 45 degree mitred edges together very nicely so there's no gap.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AjWQ2D7AU6...0905140733.jpg

Hopefully some kids at the Maker Faire will recognize it. I donno, do kids even watch Ghostbusters any more?

**SCEtoAUX** · #2 09-05-2014, 09:23 AM

Very nice indeed.

Your construction of the sign is very good. It seems like a good idea to make tabs part of the detailing. Plenty of models could use that technique.

**Vermin_King** · #3 09-05-2014, 09:45 AM

Wow, you did a nice job making it at the smaller scale. I imagine that it is much more sturdy than if you did it in HO scale.

**ridetheory** · #4 09-05-2014, 02:01 PM

Actually, I think it would be structurally weaker if it were larger. Those long sides were pretty flexible, and they tended to bow inward until I got the roof and trim glued on. I'd imagine at HO scale they might even buckle unless I used double-thickness cardboard.

EDIT -- Hang on, that's exactly what you said! I read your reply so quickly, I thought you said, "I imagine it would be much more sturdy if you did it in HO scale.) D'OH!

**iandouglas** · #5 01-05-2015, 12:08 PM

fantastic - love it

**Kevin WS** · #6 01-05-2015, 02:57 PM

Nice build, but bet the kids do not recognise it (unless they are large kids!).

**ridetheory** · #7 01-05-2015, 04:56 PM

There was one kid, about 6 years old, who LOVED it. Kept coming back to my display and picking it up and smiling. Then I noticed he hadn't been back in a while... and found the sign busted off the model.

Poor little dude -- he must have felt terrible! I wish he had just told me; I'd have shown him how easy it was to fix.