Cathedral of Notre Dame

[cdavenport]

I was fortunate enough to celebrate Easter Eve mass in Notre Dame in Paris when I was a senior in high school (1970). It's always been one of my favorite architectural wonders. So, I decided to build Canon's version of it.

I want to light it up, so I replaced all the printed windows, which are represented black, with acetate copies of stained glass windows such as the one below. I just did an exhaustive internet search and found as many pictures of stained glass windows as I could.

I am building a lighted diorama base which might take a bit of time since the base is a copy of the grounds where the cathedral resides. I have to scratchbuild all the ground cover because of the odd scale of the model.

I'll show some other in-progress pics shortly.

[buffalowings]

this will be interesting

[cdavenport]

Here are some completed shots.

#1- this is the base made from Letramax 1000 mechanical illustration board. You can see the outlines marking the location of the cathedral, lights, and ground cover. I'll use LED's to light it. I'll have to make the trees from scratch because of the odd scale. I'll show you how I do that later on.

#2-4- shots of the completed model. Notice the black areas where the glass would normally be. I built this model to be photographed in a nighttime setting. So, the interior will be illuminated showing off all the color of the windows.

[willygoat]

That is just completely insane! and might I add totally awesome!!!!:D Can't wait to see it lit and finished

[cdavenport]

Thanks, guys. After cutting and pasting all those acetates, I did feel a bit insane. It took me a week to do that just because I had to give my brain periodic breaks.

It's amazing what buffalo wings and a good beer will do for the soul!

[Don Boose]

Whoa! That's a beautiful model! And it's neat that you have actually have a connection with the prototype.

Don

[BARX2]

That's beautiful. I have the Domus kit of Notre Dame to build one of these days. Do you have any idea what scale the Canon model is? One of the things that irks me about the Domus models is that they are in different scales.

[ThunderChild]

Been there last year. Its a wonderful cathedral, and you have done it proud! Great job!

[cdavenport]

That's beautiful. I have the Domus kit of Notre Dame to build one of these days. Do you have any idea what scale the Canon model is? One of the things that irks me about the Domus models is that they are in different scales.

Glad you asked because I needed to know the scale to size the trees properly. The real cathedral is 402.75' long and my model measures .616'. That works out to a scale of 1/683.

I have long suspected that Canon designs its models to fit a particular paper size in the same way the US plastic model manufacturers once designed kits to fit in a particular box size.

[BARX2]

Wow! I can see how you'd go bug eyed working on the windows at that scale! I thought the model was larger. It looks larger than 7.4 inches in your pictures!

[cdavenport]

Wow! I can see how you'd go bug eyed working on the windows at that scale! I thought the model was larger. It looks larger than 7.4 inches in your pictures!

Without something to give it perspective, the model looks larger when photographed against a neutral background as long as I am able get good depth of field.

Check my thread on Dante, Devil May Cry to see a different perspective.

[Mike Stamper]

That is a great looking model.

I agree with your idea about scaleing the models to the size of the paper. I hate the kits that have the card folded and parts end up with fold marks across the middle.

I applaude your idea about the windows, I did it with one of the Haunted Dimensions models. Photos taken in a darkened room give a nice touch.

Many more years ago than I care to remember, I got hold of a small book about making Micromodels - one of their ideas was to cut a thin line round the base lines of a building then mount the base onto glass, then put the building on the base. Then light it from underneath to give the effect of lights round the base. I never tried doing it, but you sound just the sort of person to give it a try ;-))

Cheers
Mike Stamper

[cdavenport]

Many more years ago than I care to remember, I got hold of a small book about making Micromodels - one of their ideas was to cut a thin line round the base lines of a building then mount the base onto glass, then put the building on the base. Then light it from underneath to give the effect of lights round the base. I never tried doing it, but you sound just the sort of person to give it a try ;-
Mike Stamper

Damn! That's a great idea and I wish I had thought of it! I have been musing about how to light the interior because it's a rather complex structure. But, you just solved the problem for me. I am at just the point where I can do all of that! I'll give you credit for that great idea.

Mike Stamper? That name sounds familiar for some reason. Are you, by any chance, an IPMS modeler, too?

[Mike Stamper]

Thanks for the note, I'm glad you like the suggestions. Another one was to lay a piece of thred on your bench and press the card onto it where "down pipes" are printed it give contours to the model.

You may remember me from the "original" card modellers web site run by Saul Jacobs some years ago. When his site stopped accepting construction reviews, I stoped looking for web sites.

Just recently, I've been looking around and found this site. I've been making card models for toooo many years :-) someone recently asked me how many I had. I counted at least 150!

The biggest is the new Prague Castle by Betexa down to many of the Micromodelsincluding Hampton Court.

Does this help ?
Cheers
Mike

[Jimmy Three Shoes]

Very cool church!!!!!!! I LOVE this one!!!! Waiting for the lights now, that will be great!!

[Phil]

Excellent! (too many great builds here to continually find words for).

[Art Deco]

That model is just 7.4" long? Wow, very fine work!

Are you planning to include a 1/683 scale Quasimodo? :)

[Golden Bear]

Wow. Notre Dame at 7 inches. Holy cow it looks nice. Very nice.


Carl

[cdavenport]

Thanks for the words of encouragement, guys! I enjoy this forum; it's almost like being at a club meeting.

With that in mind, Mike Stamper recalled a method of lighting Micromodels that I am going to use. Today, I made the cuts in the base and the base of the model so that I could add lights to the bottom of the base and allow them to shine up into the interior of ND.

I would have much prefered to design the model this way from the beginning, but, even though the cutting is not pretty, it will be functional.

If you look closely in the cathedral, you can see that I added Red River metallic paper in order to bounce the light onto the vertical stained glass windows. I'll light it up next week.

I'll be gone for the week to Carlsbad, CA to enjoy 4 days of intensive Shotokan karate training.

See you next week!

[cdavenport]

Returned from karate camp in Carlsbad, CA a little sore and very tired! After helping a fellow dojo student paint her car, I am back to work on Notre Dame.

I did a test build on a tree to see how it would look. It took me awhile to come to the conclusion that I could use standard techniques and materials; all I had to do was to make them smaller.

I'll post some step-by-step pix so you can see how it's done. Takes about 3-5 minutes per tree. I am going to gang build about 25 of them for the ND diorama base.

The tree looks larger because of perspective. If you Google ND, you will see that my model comes close to the actual perspective if you were standing on the embankment with the Seine River at your back.

Remember that the model is secondary; it's the modeling techniques that are important so that you can use them in your own builds.

[cdavenport]

OK, here is next installment on the trees. I may need to change my avatar to a sexy woman.

The size of the tree in terms of diameter is a function of the gauge of the wire. The larger the gauge the larger the diameter. For wire sizes, the larger the number the smaller the wire diameter. I am using 14 gauge wire.

It should go without saying that you need stranded, as opposed to solid core, wire. Any hardware store will carry the stuff, or raid one of your broken electrical components. Extension cords are also made from stranded wire.

From left to right:

1. Cut to length. Since ND is such an odd ball scale, I am sizing the trees against the model itself. I am shooting for 10'-20' scale trees so as not to overwhelm the model.

2. Strip the insulation- leave a small bit to hold the wire and. Also, that small bit can be the roots of the tree. In my case, they will fit in a hole and lock the tree in place.

3. Solder the trunk- alternatively, if you do not have soldering capability, 5min epoxy will work as well.

4. Shape the limbs- You can make any tree your heart desires by shaping the limbs. Trim each "limb" as necessary. In this case, I just moved the limbs around yielding a tree that will be rounded.

5. In this second photo, take note of the fact that I have created the tree structure by successively wrapping the wire around the "trunk" giving me a continuous trunk all the way up the tree. This will give me an "elm" or "maple" shape.

[cdavenport]

Adding foilage to the trees is a bit tricky to do in pictures. I think words will suffice. You will need Clear Flat Acrylic spray paint; no particular brand. I buy the El Cheapo stuff at Lowe's or Walmart.

You will also need "foilage". You can purchase this from Woodland Scenics in a variety of colors to simulate any type of tree you prefer. Commercial Foilage is nothing more than shredded foam that you can make yourself if you have a belt sander. If you want to learn how to make your own, PM me.

Finally, you need some alligator clips or a clip of some sort to hold the stump end of the tree.

Proceeding from the last step pictured.

1. Grasp the stump end of the tree with your clip.
2. Spray the branches liberally with the clear acrylic till you see an actual buildup of clear on them. In fact, you may even get little drops of paint forming; that's good.
3. Immediately dip the branches into the foliage and roll the tree around to cover all the branches.
4. Remove the tree and tap it to remove excess foliage...but not too much.
5. Starting from a distance of 12" from the tree, lightly mist clear acrylic on the foliage, gradually moving the can to within 5" (or thereabouts), continuously rotating the tree.

This final step locks and seals the foilage in place preserving the look that you want for the tree.

One final thought: I actually test out different processes before I post them here. To whit, there are a number of different methods and products for adhering the foam foilage to the trees. For this diminuitive size tree, clear acrylic is the best alternative to the others. If you need larger trees, then I recommend the use of 3M spray adhesive applied in the same manner as the clear acrylic.

Of course, you will still want to seal the finished tree with clear flat spray.

[kenlwest]

I have been to this cathedral in Paris. You nailed it! You are right, the tree gives the model a little "scale" and perspective.

Nice Job!

Ken

[Bengt Fredén]

Hello Charles,

I also started on the Canon Papercraft Notre Dame model a couple of years ago - I have not finished yet, though.
I kind of decided it was too small and started on a Fokker F.II airplane model instead. I probably want to print it later on European A3 size paper and cardstock and finish it.

I printed two sheets of the base, so I can get rid of the advertising on it. It would also probably benefit from a less bright green lawn around it and perhaps some small HO model train trees.

Best,
Bengt :D

Addendum: I never ever read a thread through thoroughly, do I? Those trees are just wonderful, and you are doing an amazing build! Very well done!

[Retired_for_now]

Me builder - you Artist!

Yogi

[cdavenport]

I have finished building my trees, but those will be the last items installed.

First, I had to test out an illumination system which seems to have worked out well. Using LEDs I have illuminated the building walls. These are buried in the base and are covered by simulated grass so that they are barely visible when viewed from above and completely invisible when viewed from "ground level."

The supporting photos depict a simple parallel wiring setup with a voltage limiting resistor, connected to a 3 volt plug-in transformer scavenged from a discarded cellphone.

About the simulated grass: since the scale of the building is so small, commercially available scale "grass" is just too large. So, I took a bunch of spices from the kitchen, food processed them to a fine dust, filtered that through ladies' hoisery, and glued the fine "grass" to the base, which I previously painted green.

There are a number of ways to glue the grass on: 3M 77 Spray Adhesive, spray lacquer, white glue thinned 50/50 with alcohol to name but a few.

[Art Deco]

Architectural models - like any miniature, I suppose - look so much better when displayed in some kind of context.

This project is a coming along so nicely! Keep up the great work!

[elliott]

What Yogi said :):)
This is really shaping up nicely!

It appears from your last photos that you are only lighting 3 sides of the model. What's your thinking for this, or more probable, what obvious thing have I missed that would explain it all?

[Mike Stamper]

Charles,

So, you are a bit of an electronics wiz as well as a model maker - I particularly liked the idea of using a phone transformer !

I hope this won't be a case of "Teaching my Grandmother to suck eggs".

Some of the model railway stuff is very fine powder. To glue it I use watered down PVA glue with a few drops of washing up liquid. This breakes down the surface tension in the water which means that the powder doesn't form into "blobs"

Cheers

Mike

[cdavenport]

Hah! I forgot about the model railway stuff. Oh well, when I lived in Korea, there were no hobby shops, so I learned to be resourceful when it came to dioramas. I use the thinned PVA with a drop of washing liquid, too. This time, since the surface area was so small, I got away with wetting the surface with spray lacquer.

As for the lighting, your observation is correct. I am only going to light the model from three sides only to establish a point of view of an observer standing on the Left Banke of the Seine River looking across at ND on Isle de la Citie. In fact, I am already toying with the idea of making this a boxed diorama with a tranparency of a full moon behind the cathedral....for dramatic effect.

Thanks for the interest and kind words...it's almost like being at a club meeting.

I wish there were enough of us concentrated in one area to do just that. I just love a party.

[cdavenport]

I have just about finished the diorama base; just a few more details to attach such as railing and some brick work.

The foliage is complete. A close look reveals a bit of color in the gardens which is executed by dry brushing some oil color over the styrofoam foilage.

The trees went in easily and were secured with GOOP underneath.

ND is secured to the base and the next step is to build and attach the light box

There are actually street lights on the edge of the walkway that abuts the Seine River, but I think I'll leave those out so as not to overwhelm the diorama. There is such a thing as too many detail elements.

[Amazyah]

Beautiful work!
A very nice job, indeed! http://smilies.sofrayt.com/fsc/clap.gif

Russell

[dansls1]

Very nice!

[peter taft]

C.D This is a really nice building and the surrounds you have made really do complement it - you could almost "Be there" Be proud be VERY proud of this my friend :) Lovely work indeed;)

[willygoat]

Wow! Glad I remembered to check back in on this thread. Your set up looks just amazing! It honestly looks better than some of the pictures I've seen from friends who've been there.

[antru]

Good Job man! It's very beautiful!

Andrea

[Don Boose]

A truly outstanding model and diorama.

Don

[cdavenport]

Just finished it today. Though you cannot see it in the foreground due to the nighttime lighting, I used scale ship railing to simulate the handrails that keep pedestrians from falling into the Seine River. I wonder how successful that is.

Hope you like the shot.

[Texman]

That is some stunning work Charles. Thanks for sharing that!

[ct ertz]

Wow. That is really great!
CT

[Retired_for_now]

Whoa - the build, the diorama, the photography! Outstanding from every angle -

Yogi

[cdavenport]

Thanks, Yogi!

[birder]

Wow CD, just a great job,:) what a nice picture in one's mind, to envision this..very nice and tips for us re:diorama methods, could be used for many subjects, airfields and armor come to mind immediately...

[Art Deco]

Wow, this project came out beautifully! Excellent work! :)

[ThunderChild]

Spectacular job friend! Hat's off to you!

[redhorse]

That turned out really well!!

[lancer525]

Damn, Davenport! Is there *anything* at which you don't excel?

I liked the comment a few posts back. It summarizes how I feel when I watch all these great build threads of yours (and others) and the compare them to my meager stuff...

Me builder. You Artist!

Nicely done! Next time I'm in Athens, let's meet up!

[cdavenport]

Thanks for the compliments, guys! It means alot. And, I am always ready to meet friends when you come through Athens, Ga.

Give me a heads up and I have a comfortable place for you to stay, too!

[elliott]

Really nice work. Why don't you send a couple of pics to Canon along with a short description of all the work you did? Bet they'd be tickled pink! :)

[cdavenport]

Really nice work. Why don't you send a couple of pics to Canon along with a short description of all the work you did? Bet they'd be tickled pink! :)

WEll, that's a good idea!

And, I just finished doing it. In fact, all of us building Canon models should do that.

[Millenniumfalsehood]

Incredible! I saw the Pic of the Week and I thought it was at least 18 inches long. You did a fine job on this one, Charles! :cool:

[pandion]

Beautiful. Just beautiful. I love how you even have the vegetation falling down the wall towards the river. All you need is a guy playing tenor sax and you've nailed it!

[hpept]

Great model Charles.
I modeled it 3 or so years ago and it´s not an easy model as it could look at first sight. And you spiced it up very well with your mixed media.
I was there in Paris at the end of july and walked exactly on the walkway you represented and your model made me remind of it.

[rocketfighter163]

Major,
Fabulous build, glad I found this one as I've always wanted to attempt the NDC. I think this will be a Xmas gift for my wife.
Matt