Posts

The Tree Pub

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This is a model I started three years ago, and had actually finished the design work two years ago, but I have only just got around to painting and detailing. The prototype is a sixteenth century pub in Rickmansworth, Herts, originally called the Rose and Crown, but known locally as the the Tree because of the prominent tree in front of it, see here . The tree itself disappeared, maybe in the seventies, but the name persisted and in the mid-eighties it became officially named the Tree. There is a photo of it as the Rose and Crown, but without the tree, here . My sister recently came across an image on Facebook that shows it was partly half-timbered, and it was this that spurred me to complete it - though my model is of it in its more modern form. Sadly it closed in 2019, and apparently is set to become a Thai massage parlour. The building comprises four distinct parts. The small, single-story extension on the right is of dark, almost black wood, like the older barns in the region, and ...

Leslie Green Tube Station

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Quoting Wiki , about Leslie Green: In 1903 he was appointed as architect for the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL) to design stations for three underground railway lines then under construction – the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway (GNP&BR), the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway (BS&WR) and the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway (CCE&HR), which, respectively, became parts of the present day Piccadilly line, Bakerloo line and Northern line. Green was commissioned to design 50 new stations, including their external appearance, and internal fittings and decoration. Many of his stations remain in pretty much their original state. Earl's Court Leicester Square Covent Garden Russell Square Oxford Circus Camden Town Aldwych (originally Strand) And so the models. I did Aldwych pretty faithfully, based on Google Street View. The gate has since been boarded up apparently. Available on Cults here:  https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/...

Chemical Plant Diorama

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This is a little project that brings together several of the models I have created in the last couple of years, and will be exhibited at the N Gauge Society North West Group on Saturday. I work in the chemical industry, and wanted to do something that reflects that. Hexagons are used a lot as logos in the chemical industry because of benzene and its derivative, hence Hexagon Chemicals. I started this months ago but only got as far as putting together a box and painting it white. The next stage was the back scene - an image I found on the internet with the colours toned down. Then the track was glued down. Stage two, the bridge that forms the scenic break. Ballasting. The structures at the back in place. The pipe bridge has now been painted and additional pipework put in place. Added a second storage tank and a scrubber unit at the front. And with transfers, greenery and other details added.

Lancashire Libraries

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There are two libraries in South Ribble that are almost identical; one in Bamber Bridge and one in Penwortham. This is the Penwortham one. And this the Bamber Bridge one. A third can be found in Carnforth. They were built in 1936, and I wonder if others existed at one time. Built with money from the Carnegie Trust. It is not a very attractive building, and the windows at the front seem too low, but the doorway is quite fancy. The Penwortham Library is now an art centre, after closing in 2016, and standing empty for about four years. While the Bamber Bridge example has a coat of arms over the door, the other two do not. I found something online saying it is the crest of Walton-le-Dale council, but it does not match the crests I found. Another difference is Carnforth and Penwortham libraries have a slate roof, while Bamber Bridge has tiles. I wonder if one has had the roof replaced. I assume the ramps were added later. Quite a straightforward model. The trickiest parts were the afore...

Building in Malostranská Quartier, Prague

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There is a square in Prague called the Malostranská quartier, just west of the famous bridge.  On the east side, there is a rather fancy building. Not sure if it has a name; cannot see one on Google maps. Looking at old maps, looks like it was built second half of the eighteenth century - but quite possible this building replaced the original that stood there. I thought it would be an interesting challenge... In particular, those spirals above the roof line, the rooves of the towers and the pantiles. The pantiles actually turned out to be not so hard. I took a cube, subdivided the top in one direction, then arranged the nodes to give a wave. Unlike tiles, pantiles are not staggered, and that makes them much easier to use once you have one of them. Turned out to be too big for my printer, so I have done it 90% of N gauge size, and in low relief. Here it is before painting. And after painting...

Office building

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One of my post popular downloads on Cults3d is my basic office building, available here . Since May/24, it has had 81 downloads, and undoubtedly a major reason for that is that it is free! It was pretty simple to construct, and I am happy to offer things that only take a few hours for free to build interest. I hope one day to go to an exhibition and find it on a layout. It is available in various forms - one or two story, and full or low relief. New Version! I have recently produced a new version, featuring some decorative panels and an art deco style entrance, based on a building in Winkley Street, in Preston (see here ). Also available for free on Cultsd3 ! I have had five downloads already in less than 24 hours.

Bouncy Castle

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I created this in response to a challenge, rather than any actual need for one. The basic construction is pretty simple. The base is a flat cube with beveled corners. Everything else is cylinders. For the corners, the cylinders are extended and re-sized to give the right shape. To give it a slightly deflated look, I used a lattice modifier. Available for free on Cults3d .