2 Meeting Street

[Texman]

In the South of Broad neighborhood in Charleston, SC, 2 Meeting Street is the oldest and
most recognized Inn. So enchanting, it attracts artists and photographers from around the world.

This building is so majestic, you cannot help but give it more than just a passing glance.

Not being in a mood to build, I was asked if I would build this, do a thread, and then do the
pictures for Ecardmodels.com. As I have been to this building, and architecture models is
the theme for this years IPMC, and I have not done an architecture model, I thought I would give it a go.

Designed in 1/160 scale (N scale compatible) and comprising only 75 pieces, please do not be
mislead. This is a kit with very nice graphics.

Here, the first three photos are representative of the overall quality in the graphics.

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Now, the next couple of pictures are the start of construction, with some cutting and
assembly done. After spending some time on the instructions, I decided, based on parts
layout, to start from the inside walls and build out.

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If I were building this to a more showman level, this kit would lend itself to layering
for detail effect very well.

[Don Boose]

Great project, Ray. You are clearly a Flyboy of many talents.

Dogface

[elliott]

Really nice detail on the first three pics, especially the stained glass windows. This should build into a very attractive model.

[Don Boose]

I can't wait to see this projected completed and available from ECardmodels.

I hope you build more 1/160 scale structures, Ray.

Don

[Texman]

Just a small update. Deviating from the instructions, I doubled the first and second floor outdoor floors,
glued them to the front of the building for support, then glued this to the base. I utilized an extra copy
of the first floor to attach to the base to aid alignment.

I went this way with the build in order to provide me some extra support in upcoming build sessions.

The twist in the second floor will resolve itself when the outer railings are installed.

[KCStephens]

So, Ray, where do the wings go???:confused:;)

[Texman]

The East wing goes on the left and the West wing on the right....

[KCStephens]

...Touche ;)

[Tomdaviesclay]

I did not realize until now that you are actually designing this model which will be published. Beautiful work. I am anxious to see it next October. We spent our honeymoon in Charleston....a beautiful city.

[Texman]

Thomas, thanks for dropping by. I am not designing this, I am just doing the
build for the designer, and then the photos.

[elliott]

Your build does look nice though Ray. Looking forward to the completion pics.

[Jim Nunn]

The designer of this model is a friend of mine and I have seen this model grow from a fairly early stage. His attention to detail is incredible and the shading in the windows to give it depth is unusually good. He also supplies historical and other information with the model.

There are 3 other model Inns he has done and we could see these rescaled to 160th if this model gets a good response.

Jim Nunn.

[Texman]

Today, the colonnade was the focus of attention. All of the arches were cut out, and the
railings doubled over. Then I preformed the ends and started glueing the colonnade on. I
found the easiest way was to attach it on one end, glue a small section and let it dry, then
move on down. There are actually three places to glue the colonnade, the base, the first
floor decking and the second floor decking. With this part finished, I now have a sturdy
structure with which to continue the build.

The second and third pictures were taken with flash, to be able to see the detail and
depth that the colonnade provides. The final pictures will be taken with the photo booth
under proper lighting.

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[southwestforests]

Just because we lived in Charleston in the 70s when Dad ws in Navy, that didn't mean I didn't have to Google 2 Meeting Street.
Wow, that is quite a place. Good looking model of an interesting place.

[Texman]

Construction for today consisted of building the "West WING" ;)

The internal wall was built up, then the front collonade was added.
Following this, the Northwest tower was rolled and added. As this dried,
the steps and landing were built and glued into place. The final piece
added to to the west end was the second floor bay window area. At
the bottom of this, the bane of paper modelers, petals. But not just
any petals, compound curved petals! One day, I will conquer them!

I'm not sure what I did wrong with my camera angle, but the last picture
shows the bay window to be oddly mishapen. In real life, it does not
look near that crooked.

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[Don Boose]

Excellent! You really CAN build anything.

Don

[KCStephens]

Looking at your pictures makes me wish it were Summer time with temperatures in the mid 80's
sitting on the porch swing sipping on some iced tea.

[Texman]

Small construction update. I have installed some of the ceiling bracing to
give me a little more strength while I work. You can see them in the first picture.

The second picture is the parts of the North East 2nd floor landing balcony.

And finally, the balcony installed. My lack of knowledge in assembling this type of
kit is now becoming apparent in some of the pictures.

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[Don Boose]

Looks good to me, Ray.

Don

[cgutzmer]

Fabulous! Mine never even turn out square.... :)
Chris

[Texman]

After a brief hiatus pertaining to a four night run of Hamlet with my son,
I managed to get some construction done. Not a lot, but at least I worked on it!

Today's work consisted of an upper and lower side deck and bench on the East end.

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[KurtHenkel]

Lookin' nice! I look forward to seeing it available at Ecardmodels! Not much architecture there currently. What software does the designer use? There is a lot of detail; the graphics look great. Dreamin' of a day when I might be able to design something so neat.

[FRD]

Kurt- I use AutoCAD for the structure, this allows for finite detail as the building is drawn full scale then reduced, for example: the siding is lapped exactly 5-3/8" scale inches, I then export to Corel for the graphics.. FRD

[FRD]

Kurt- I photograph the actual building from 360 degrees then scale those images in AutoCAD, once scaled, I can measure everything in the images down to within fractions of a scale inch and convert that data into a 3-d, full scale wireframe to determine the parts..

[KurtHenkel]

FRD - Thank you for the info! A lot of work put into something like that. And it looks great. What camera do you use? If I live long enough maybe I'll get a chance to try my hand at it. Again, thank you. ---Kurt

[FRD]

Kurt- To be as discreet as possible, I use the Canon Powershot SD 1400 IS, (it's a 14 mega-pixel)

[Don Boose]

Excellent work.

Playing in Hamlet must be quite an experience.

Don

[Texman]

Well, I wish I was playing in Hamlet, but high school was a few years back.
I was in a support function, costume repair, taking down the set, and I am
the "official" photographer for the high school drama dept. So I got some really
nice pictures capturing the emotions of the players that the audience did not
get to see. As such, I was able to provide the departing Senior students and
exchange students with some memories they couldn't get otherwise.

It's a good time with a great group of young adults. I do have hope for our future!

[Texman]

Having gotten some work done on the building, the North side no longer looks barren.

In this picture, you can seee how flat and plain it is.

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In the next picture, I have added the stairs and ramp in the
back covered drive.

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And, here is the final picture with the stairs, bay window and covered drive installed.

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[Don Boose]

This is a complex model!

Don

[FRD]

Looks great Texman!, I'm personally looking forward to seeing the building's roof, I think it is as complex as everything below it.. (that should keep you busy)

[Texman]

Few small updates showing that progress is being made and the end is not to far off.

I have gotten the ceiling of the 2nd floor deck installed, as well as the base of
the roofing structure. Once this dried, I installed one section of roofing over the
North side drive through.

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[Don Boose]

It has become clear what an impressive building and model this is.

Don

[Doubting Thomas]

Tex,

Very cool Beta Build. You said that it is 1/160 or "N" scale? Could have fooled me
since I'm architecture graduate. Looks more like 1/72 or 1/4 scale from the photos
of the designer and test builder...um test-pilot.

Jeff

[FRD]

Doubting Thomas- Since the building originates as a full scale drawing in AutoCAD, when I export the parts to Corel for coloration, I first create a register exactly 160 scale inches square, when imported, I scale that register to exactly once square inch.

It's about as close to 1:160 as I can possibly get it, I think the perception is hard to tell because they are close-ups of a very small model.

The original version is half this size being approximately 1:300 and fits in the palm of your hand, I wish it were 1:72, it would be a lot easier to assemble!

[Texman]

Well, I didn't realize I had been so busy, it has been 10 days since the last update.
So, the roofers have been busy. I have the two large domes and the tower dome
installed, along with the main roof. I have also added a wall on the second floor
west wing, but still need to add a railing. Now I am down to a considerable
number of small pieces, dormers, vents and chimneys. Starting to get back into
the small, fiddly bits I usually work on!

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[cuthbert687]

As a Charleston native, I am very much looking forward to when this is available! I even have a good friend whose mother works at 2 Meeting St. She used to work at the Governor's House Inn, but she jumped at the chance to move up.

[FRD]

Cuthbert- Your friend is in a good position to get a hard copy, available now only through 2MS.. they have both the small original (1/300) and the N scale..

[Tex]

Howdy y'all!
I've been following this for a while now, and I'm stunned, particularly when finding out about the scale! WOW, that's GREAT !!!
Just wondering ... could this, by any chance, ever become available in H0 (1/87) scale?
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
- Tex

[Texman]

Since this will be a digital offering, you can just upscale it, like any rescale.

[Tex]

:-) Thanks! :-)

[Texman]

Well, thanks to some less than welcome ice and sleet, I had some
extra build time and got the 2 Meeting Street Inn finished. While I
found it an interesting change of build from my usual vehicular tastes,
architectural modeling would still be down the list. On the other hand,
building one occasionally helps add new skill sets that are not used in other endeavors.

So, I guess I really can build everything, I just can't build everything well.
This is one of the "not wells".

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[Don Boose]

Looks very good to me, Ray. I guess one could say that the matchup of the complex section of the roof is very slightly off, but overall, it's a beautiful architectural model and fits the parameters of the 2014 International Paper Modelers' Convention theme of non-religious architecture.

Don

[KCStephens]

Not bad Ray. I believe that complex roof design would be a challenge for just about anyone. Now go and build yourself a microscopic tank or something.

[FRD]

I see that you got the A.C. units in place, good job on a complex little model! 2MS has no less than 9, highly detailed, "stained-glass" windows but you have to use a magnifying glass to find them all..

[elliott]

I'd say Well Done!! Building in a genre you don't normally do can really be a stretch. You did a good job on a tiny - normal scale for you - model. Huzzah!

[Texman]

The kit of 2 Meeting Street is now available at Ecardmodels.com

1/160 (N Scale) 2 Meeting Street Inn Paper Model (http://www.ecardmodels.com/index.php/1-160-n-scale-2-meeting-street-inn-paper-model.html)

[dto]

Beautiful work on a very elaborate paper model, Ray!

I've been keeping quiet as this thread progressed, but along with Jim Nunn I've been in contact with the designer for some time. Two Meeting Street is actually his sixth inn, but the first to be reformated into a constant 1:160 N scale. You can see detailed step-by-step instructions and a list of future releases here:

Home (http://www.replicatingexcellence.com/)

The other inns are also miniature masterpieces in the Micromodels tradition, but I feel that the constant scale "Prestige Edition" format will prove quite popular. Imagine building a series of these stately manor houses for an N-scale train layout or Christmas display. Besides Mount Vernon and Monticello, Southern mansions are rather under-represented in any model medium, so Mr. Dressler's work is filling a massive void. A glance at his current line shows a variety of architectural styles, from Cape Cod to Italian Florentine, Georgian and Victorian influences.

Another inn is currently being rescaled. Stay tuned!


David T. Okamura

[jagolden01]

David, thanks for posting that link. Beautif models and fine information.

Joe