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Working Lift Bridge Diorama


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Thank you @stevehnz for your kind words, and @Gorby, and @Corsairfoxfouruncle for your reations.

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Now that the giant squid alert was a false alarm, we can get back to the boat.:D

 

Added a bow section, of sorts, to the cut-off stern (wider) end of the boat.

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Made a new plank bender which can handle medium to small curvatures.

Since the hull is to be painted, I only used planking for holding the wood putty in place.

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Used scrap Masonite to build a two story cabin.

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Fantastic stuff as always, looks like your having fun with all the little extras now.

I keep thinking about the eager anticipation at the museum, “Is it nearly ready?”, “Nearly. I've done the squid and the housing estate, I'm just finishing off the fleet...”.

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27 minutes ago, Gorby said:

Fantastic stuff as always, looks like your having fun with all the little extras now.

I keep thinking about the eager anticipation at the museum, “Is it nearly ready?”, “Nearly. I've done the squid and the housing estate, I'm just finishing off the fleet...”.

:lol:... and then I got to fill in the land, plant trees, wood debri and grass. Paint the water, finish the electronics, install pulley-cable systems, turn on the power and make a note where all the smoke is coming from. And then repair that too. So, I've still got a long way to go.

 

Both museum president and curator are okay with my progress, but the curator is a bit impatient. It has nothing to do with me, because I am patient ;) It is clear that the curator has never built a diorama.

 

Sometimes it is up to us model makers (artists) to educate the academic curators about what they are curating. They are often dealing with artworks impregnated with countless hours of love and devotion. Often, an observer who allows themselves to be influenced by the model, will become influenced by this impregnation. It is then that the observer 'feels' the display/artwork. So, in a funny sort of a way, the curator is dealing with capsulated essence of the builder/artist. . . It ought to be handled with respect, not something to sell like a can of bake beans. IMHO

 

Anyway, enough of that. Let's get back to creativity.

 

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6 hours ago, Gorby said:

I keep thinking about the eager anticipation at the museum, “Is it nearly ready?”, “Nearly. I've done the squid and the housing estate, I'm just finishing off the fleet...”.

I would love to see the curators face when he hears the Squid line. 

 

“Squid ... wait what squid ?” 😂

Edited by Corsairfoxfouruncle
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@Derek A, @Corsairfoxfouruncle, @Gorby, @Kallisti, and others.

Thanks guys for all your support and reactions. You're all a good humours bunch.

Good for the soul and mind.

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Now I hope Gorby does not think any less of the crane for me painting it.

 

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Thank you @Gorby, @Corsairfoxfouruncle, @Kallisti for your reactions.

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Well, that leaves me with one other item (of size) for the boat _ an updated red buoy, to replace the unserviseable one.

You know, these things can be quite large. For some reason I have trouble accepting that. I live in a two storey building and buoys can be just as tall.

 

Used a red pen, scrap wood, wire, tinplate, flyscreen, card, and paint.

No plans for these items, they are basically ad hoc constructions.

I often have a few jobs going at once. While something is waiting to be cured, I work on something else. But half the time I look forward to a tea break and have a quick visit to the forum.

 

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Thank you @Kallisti for your kind words. Glad you still like to old fashioned DIY creativity.

Thank you @James B, @Gorby, and @Corsairfoxfouruncle for your reactions. Much appreciated.

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Done a bit more with the buoy tender.

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Needed a break from the boat for a while. I was getting too undecided about colour scheme.

So I turned my attention to something I have been apprehensive about for a long time ...landscaping.

It was time to break into that area. Using condensed insulation foam sheet 900 x 600 x 50.

Used a thin stiff bladed knife to cut the foam, and a rasp file to shape the foam. I found it quite easy.

 

Started at the least demanding of my skills at the simpliest landscaping section of the diorama.

 

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Glued the foam to the bare wood of the tabletop with PVA glue. It stuck on there very solidly.

 

Coated the foam with water-based wood putty. After drying, I discovered that the putty was somewhat fragile as some parts were applied quite thinly. Even so, the putty needed to be sealed. It was suggested to use watered dowm PVA glue. So I made a mixture (50/50%), and applied two coats. The first coat soaked right into the putty. The second coat became a glazed covering. After it all dried, I could safely knock on the surface with my knuckles without damage or cracks.

 

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Edited by Getunderit
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Some nice shapes going into that buoy. Are the black and mesh bits solar panels? If so there's something quite pleasing about their juxtaposition with woodwork :)

 

Will

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5 minutes ago, Will Vale said:

Some nice shapes going into that buoy. Are the black and mesh bits solar panels? If so there's something quite pleasing about their juxtaposition with woodwork :)

 

Will

Yes they are solar panels. Thank you Will for your feedback.

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I have been watching this all along the way and I cant believe the stuff you turn out from 'scrap pieces'

 

AS much as I like to think my diorama is rather good, it pales into insignificance when I see all your electronics and figures and boats . . . . .

 

This is architectural modelling at its absolute best and there should be one heck of a 'Handing Over' party and on such an occasion you should receive a plaque or free life membership to the museum.

 

I love it in all its glory and I am sorry to say but, I look forward to seeing it finished.

 

Carry on the great work Peter

 

Ian

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I continue to be blown away by your ingenuity, and simple solutions to problems I have previously faced, only to come up short. I'm talking about the way you placed the road and path. Now I would have been there for hours rtying to cave a flat path into the foam, that I could then layer with card/plasticard or filler, only to have it not work, not be flat and not look like a professionally paved area at all. You've come along and 'simply' separated the land masses, built supports for the paved areas and sandwiched it between the foam sections. Genius! Yet another lesson I shall be taking away with me from this, so again, thank you for sharing this project.

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Thank you @Mancunian airman@James B, and @Derek A for high esteemed compliments. 

Thank you @Corsairfoxfouruncle, @Romeo Alpha Yankee, @Gorby, and @James B for your reactions. Much appreciated.

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Started painting the landfill. First layer was the darkest colour, the wet earth, and muddy banks where the mangroves grow. Lighter shades got dabbed on top as the land rises from the water. Not sure how this will pan out. Much wood debri, grass, plants and trees will cover most of this painted area. I am hoping that the tiny bits of colour that does get through will add a bit more realism to it.

 

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Thank you @James B, @Jb65rams, @Corsairfoxfouruncle, and @Gorby for your reactions.

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Last year the shire council workers/gardeners were spreading lots of mulch around Bridge Drive. It got me thinking how to immitate the mulch and wood debri naturally found under trees. Thinking of using very fine kindling and breaking it up in a bag with a hammer (like how we used to make bread crumbs from bread dried under the stove). Then someone mentioned using a blender. So, I collected a bag full of dry kindling that a blender ought to handle. Now was the time to put that idea to the test.

 

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Looks like you are just as good at the natural bits as you are with the mechanical bits.

I can just imagine what Mrs. Gorby would say if I said, "I've just got a bag full of stuff from the garden that I need to run through the blender". :huh:

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Mrs Gorby would most probably get a shock to think that her husband suddenly became a health nut. :D

Until she sees what you've collected from the garden :wonder:. Then she would simply think you're a nut:o

 

The things we do for more fiber in the diet.

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