70s F1 Restoration Shop 1/20 scale

[Stickframe]

Hello dio builders,

 

Still going at it.  Today, a few updates.  First, for Ron, I walked down the street to a local fancy cafe - it's been there forever, I can say I've been going for the last 30 years! But, as it's emerging from COVID it's become a bit too fancy for me (that means, a lot more expensive!), but, the building is about the same.  It was a road house for a long time, a speak easy, even a brothel! so, as they say, it has some history - why did I include the following pics for Ron?  well, it's wood frame with board on board siding, and certainly influenced my ideas for the shed, and it's here in glorious northern California! 😎

 

Just to the left of the yellow wall you can see a white wall - also the same building.  They've apparently rebuilt the deck on the other side, out of view, and done other remodeling - but, the derelict wood siding that caught my eye still looks about the same.  Word is they will add some plants, and another outdoor dining area.

 

On to other things.  Speaking of the shed, I spent some time on the handles and latches on the shed doors:

 

I wish this guy worked faster!  He spent all afternoon on this.   As is often the case, it will be hard to see the latch and clasp once installed...oh well - they seemed necessary.  I'm going to add some lighter grime color to the dark area directly below the handles - it looks to dark as is.

 

And, off to the printer for some interior artwork:

 

For these, went on line and found several posters - many 70's vintage and others newer, as I suppose these fellows probably like current racing too.  Printed a sheet out, sprayed over with satin varnish, spray mounted to a heavy shopping bag, weathered, and installed!  I like the added color.  Funny coincidence, notice the guy in the Castrol poster?? looks a lot like our own, Mr Serious!  They're intentionally a bit irregular in size and placement - as this isn't supposed to be a pristine museum/gallery - it's a workshop! 

 

I'm getting anxious here - as lots of the interior is getting done - so, I'll need to start gluing parts and figures in place, then install the walls.  I'm doing the details first, as once the walls are up, it will be hard to reach around in there.  I've already got roll up doors made, which I'll attach to the walls.  Then on to roof framing.  I've already got a big beam cut and weathered ready.  Once it's in place ceiling joists and rafters, and metal fascia board, and sheet metal for inside the parapet walls, and skylights.  Apparently plenty to still do!

 

OK - thanks for having a look 

Cheers,

 

Nick 

 

 

[Pete in Lincs]

5 hours ago, Stickframe said:

it's become a bit too fancy for me (that means, a lot more expensive!),

A man after my own heart. I refuse to even enter any of the big chain coffee shops. I can get good coffee AND a bacon roll for two pounds elsewhere!

I love the guy on the door. Nice paint & pose. 

And, I thought that was the Bandit in the GTX poster!

[Stickframe]

Hi Pete, yes! as certain things get unexplainedly more expensive, well, this guy will just walk another block, for another choice!  Glad you like Mr Cordless - the little drill was scratch built, and I'm guessing, won't be too apparent once this get further along - so, hey, he gets his 15 minutes of fame!  Note - the Castrol guy doesn't have a cowboy hat! not a good bandit imposter! haha -

 

OK, on we go - so, of course, just as I guessed things were getting close to coming together, I found a sort of big problem.  These types of problems are though what make dio building and scratch work so interesting!  Feeling a bit confident, for kicks I thought I'd smugly take one last look at the walls, and test my fabled roll up doors:

 

Pretty nice eh?  I thought of everything! - except...well, the inside corner.  I already know that from a structural point of view, the walls I have built are locally referred to as "soft walls", or walls that don't have much lateral strength, as two of the four walls have big openings and not much solid wall surface holding them up, which, here in earthquake country, is a bad idea, and something you can't do.   Alas, not a great idea for a dio either:

 

Above, you can see my still unfinished and unattached roll up doors from above.  There are side rails running the length of the door openings, roll up doors, and those funny boxes - the places that the doors theoretically roll into.  BTW, I'm going to paint the area for the roll up doors light grey - they look too heavy as is.  But, you'll clearly see above, this great idea doesn't work on the inside corner!  at all. 

 

Well - now what?   I decided the front of the building needs roll up doors, period - the side though, maybe not.  BTW, in the foreground above, you can see the ridge beam that will support my roof framing.  So, time to fill in the side bay:

 

 

Just like a real building, frame it in - inside of the existing wall, and foundation.  Three key boards were installed in-place.   Two kingposts on the sides - floor to top, and then a sleeper on the bottom.  I did this in-place to ensure that I could take the wall in and out several times and that my handy work actually fits, and stays a tight fit.   I have tried to do things like this before, but with the wall removed, and despite my best efforts, the fit has not been very good.   Then, added a horizontal board at the same level as the foundation.  This board will serve as a water table for a window to be built above:

 

 

Again, just like framing a real building, adding interior framing to keep it rigid, and to serve as backing for siding - lap board on the exterior and tbd on the inside.  Tonight's exciting task will be to make up some big commercial windows to fill the space.  Right now I'm thinking  a big transom window in the top 1/3 of the opening, then two smaller, vertical windows below - not sure if they will appear to be operable or not?  I am out of the big laser cut windows I've used (which were remnants from another project) so, I'll need to make up my own! happy happy! ugh 😅 😁  The windows will be clear acetate with mullions and muntins made of bass wood glued directly to the "glass"...again, happy, happy, joy, joy....😲😁😅

 

OK gents, have a good weekend -

 

Cheers,

Nick 

 

[silver911]

First off...nice one for pics just for me

 

Secondly...I genuinely consider this one of the best diorama's I have seen on any subject...period.

It's the depth of detail you are applying...the cordless drill for instance is a gem...and comes to life when posed the way you have with the guy and doors...utterly believable.

In my humble opinion...this is positively 'Gold' medal standard on any competition table in the world...and would not be surprised to see it take BoS in same.

 

Flattery...nope.

Respect...pure and simple.

 

Ron

[Stickframe]

@silver911, Hi Ron, I certainly appreciate such high regard, it's humbling, and nice to hear! Thank you.   It is particularly inspiring to hear as this is a hobby and not work, and each of (most of us?) us are participating for the sake of doing so, to achieve whatever our personal goals may be.  Unlike "real" work, where others are dependent on whatever any of us do or produce, where the product is generally measurable in some way, and tied to payment - this is a completely different world.  We will never get a call from our Regional Business Unit Line Leader asking in an unpleasant and oblique way: why it is taking so long to finish?  is it done yet?  is it out of scope?  how is the budget?  does it meet design criteria??? and so on.   Here, it's just for the sake of seeing what we can do!  A surprise coming from this hobby is I've come to enjoy taking photos of the project, which in the end, I might like more than the final build!  How's that for not expected?  

 

I worked on the wall over the weekend, and made some progress, specifically on the window and roll up door.  First for the window, as is shown above, the wall was basically framed up as you might do on a real building, leaving an opening to insert a window.  As I no longer have any pre made windows (laser cut thin plywood) time to make my own!  I went with a rudimentary approach, starting with .15" clear acetate sheet, then various sizes of pre-painted/weathered bass wood mullions and muntins, glued on with CA.  In this case, it's fine if there's some glue smearing etc, as these are supposed to look like old windows, and old window muntins collect grime.  In real life, individual panes of glass are inserted into caulked openings in the munitins.  That is a a level of detail I have no interest in pursuing!  OK, please take a look:

 

 

Lots going on here - the mullions and muntins on both sides of the glass - and various sizes of materials in order to look right, and create some shade and depth.  The lap siding has now been:  weathered to a dark color, nail holes added, air brushed with yellow mix, and pastels brushed on and off.

 

Different progress on the inside:

 

 

 

I've since added horizontal boards to the area below the windows, and painted them a shade of white.  Weathered the exposed framing on both sides - and still thinking about how to use this new found wall space.

 

Back to the outside:

 

 

Although the view in is more limited than before, it might actually be more convincing.  You can see across the shop to the tires on the racks - even though the windows have some light grime - and in context:

 

 

Sorry about the poor lighting, but even so, I think the new part of the wall looks like it belongs, and has been there a long time.

 

Back to the inside:

 

 

Above you can see, horizontal board below the windows, and the rough version of the roll up door - it needed some attention.

 

 

 

 

I added some elements to try and make the roll up door housing a bit more convincing - some more framing material, bolt heads, a motor and power source, with some paint and weather.  Not glued in yet - just being held in place by the roller cabinet and work bench.  More tools to be added to the roller cabinet.  it's to bad, you can just see lots of sockets glued in place - but, as the unit is so tall, they, and any other tools, will likely be lost to obscurity!  As the only way to see them might be from above!  Or, really close as you see here.

 

OK gents, happy dio building - 

 

Cheers

Nick 

 

 

[silver911]

Hi Nick...yet another superb update...pastel work on wall is spot on...and the whole presentation is totally believable...especially the roll up door.

 

Believe me...as a previous commission painter of figures and vehicles...I know all those questions...and more besides 🤬

 

Keep it coming mate

 

Ron

[bar side]

Great looking windows.  I was pondering doing some for my Type C hangar, but I think it’s 10 sets of windows on each side.  The thought of all of those frames scares me.  Your dio just gets better & better.  I can quite happily look at the shots of the various parts with no people and vehicles.  It’s a bit like walking around an empty workshop and just as believable.  The roll up door housing looks fine, just a bit newer than the rest.  Even an old workshop can have some new bits that stand out a bit.  Somehow a mix of old & new makes it more realistic than everything matching

[Svedberg]

Incredible! 👍🏼

[Stickframe]

Hi dio builders, thanks, and glad you like the progress.  @bar side, I agree with you - I almost prefer the building alone! But, who wants a dio of a vacant old building?  I thought about not gluing the dio parts in place, so that I could reuse the shed for whatever else seems interesting, but, no - I won't do that.  My history says if I don't attach all the parts I'll certainly lose, or more likely destroy them!  

 

For today, a brief update.  Maybe like building any other model, I've got various steps/modules going at the same time, now the rear parapet wall:

 

 

Above, you can see my ridge beam, and a pair of rafters just sitting against the back wall.  The area below the rafters will stay as exposed wall framing, but above, will need to "weather-proof" the parapet.

 

 

I slid a sheet of styrene between the rafter and wall, and traced the pattern to cut, and:

 

 

And am now closer - I'll make the center piece, then paint and weather the sytrene.  While I'm working on this part of the building, I'll make up a fascia board on both sides of the building, where rafter tails will sit on the top plates.  This will start with a wood plate, for some strength, but will add a styrene "metal" facade, so it looks right.  

OK gents, thanks for having a look - 

 

Cheers

 

Nick 

 

 

[Pete in Lincs]

That's me caught up again for the week so far. Still very impressive work.

Nail holes in the boards, detail or what? And I love the motor etc on that roller shutter.

It seems almost a shame to build a roof over the shop, but I just know it's going to look so good!

[Stickframe]

Hello guys - another small update.  I thought about Pete's comment above - and wondered, how could I make it look like there is a roof is on this building, but still have a lot of visibility?  This also in the context of Ron's point some time ago about lighting, and keeping the shop interior relatively bright. 

I think I can use an optical illusion to make it seem there is a roof, but instead only have framing!  I want the framing to be in place to diffuse light.  Even with minimal framing, you will get some shadows, which, when viewing the interior will look more convincing than if there is no roof, which would allow too much, unobstructed light.   Please take a look:

 

 

From where we left off, you can see the panels on the inside of the rear parapet, and you can see I added a parapet along the side.  This will help with my strategy to give the illusion of a roof being installed.  Without the parapet in place, you can clearly see a roof plane, which would require some sort of roofing material.  With the parapet, it is implied that there is/may be a roof behind it - ok - sorry to ramble on - take a look:

 

 

Above, you can see how this is intended to work.  The end goal for the project is to take realistic looking outdoor photos, which assumes the camera height will look to be set at the scale height of someone standing on the ground - not someone hovering over the building in a helicopter!  Above, you see (or can't see) the sloping roof because it's behind the parapet - you can see a small portion of the rear parapet.   And below, with some paint and rust:

 

 

I screwed up my rust mix a bit on this, as I usually blend: burnt umber, orange, anthracite, and white.  Here - I forgot anthracite, and used ivory instead of white, which makes the rust very orangey - meh - that's ok - thankfully, it's not all that easy to see! and the big test, from below:

 

 

Aside from the gap at the top where the walls meet (none of this is glued in place), the parapet seems to do the trick in suggesting there is or might be a roof above, but from a reasonable viewing point, you really can't tell what's up there!  

 

OK, getting closer to the dreaded installation/gluing of dio parts! oh - and repairing figures!

 

Take care - happy model building - 

 

Nick 

 

 

 

[Pete in Lincs]

Yep, The Parapet works for me. And I can live with orangey rust. Nice modelling/planning.

 

[bar side]

Works fine with no roof - better for setting up the scene inside and lighting it.  You could always drop on a card roof if you need a ceiling for internal shots, but a fixed roof is somewhat limiting!  .

[RichO]

This is really great stuff here.  I was looking at your post, when someone wanted to know why I was looking at photos of a garage, until I showed the pencil and cutters in the driveway.  Big Shock.  Great job Nick, very real looking!

[Stickframe]

Hello dio builders, 

 

still making headway - I decided no more excuses - time to start gluing things in!  and as you'll see, the good, the less good, and some questions! These pics were taken indoors, and it's very foggy here - my place has giant skylights, so the weather outside, effect how these look, even though inside, and they look a bit, well, overcast - 😁

 

OK, here we go:

 

 

 

 

As you can see above, these two are now formally destined to be chatting!  and they look ok to me - I included the second pic so you can see the door latch! I like that detail, but, like much of these builds, will not be easy to notice.  Also, if you look above the car roll bar, you'll see a light shaft - I cut a few of these into the shed - so when taken outdoors, I want indirect lighting in there, as I touched on before.

 

 

If you look carefully, you can see the latch - but, you can clearly see all the junk in the foreground!  OK, on we go:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Directly above, you can see the basic assembly steps, sidewalls in place, then added the roll-up door frames - the front, not shown above, is still dryfit.

 

 

Nice piece of thread/hair/plastic shaving???!! You can actually read the Lotus ID plate, AND see that, well, whatever it is!!  Yes, I wrestled my arm in there with a pair of tweezers and dug it out!

 

 

 

And above, some of the less good....shiny figures....I tried everything BUT Dulcoat to knock them back - no luck.  Well, as they say, it is what it is.  The young woman's flowing golden locks look like a shiny, plastic helmet!!! Too bad - on to other things. I do though like what all those shiny engines look like 😁 !!

 

 

Included the pic above for the "new" window - Unlike the others, I did not obscure the view here - I like being able to see both in and out through it - you can see the old moncoque, fence, and beautiful tree.

 

 

Added a workbench next to this bay, below the window - still need some touch up - I see that bright end cut of wood!  Also, gave the guy on the ground a small cutoff grinder, with extension cord, and you can see some lower control arms on the bench top.

 

 

And above, just a gratuitous shot of the Lotus.  A, you can see another cut-off grinder on the top of the tool cabinet, and the Penske top cowl.

 

 

And the orange truck - not glued in place - you'll also note the brass and aluminum sticking out of the brick - this is where the "other" half of the gate goes.

 

 

And above.  You may wonder, what on earth is this?  well - I noticed, that in some pictures....YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE THE SKY THROUGH THE ROOF! not ideal.  So, I graphically added a ridge beam and some fake rafters and ceiling joists, just to see if they might obscure the view....no, they don't.  To resolve this, I'll add all the framing and then experiment with placement of decking/"plywood" above to figure out where I will need to place it to block the view, and where I can leave it off to allow maximum light in.  

 

Ron, I didn't forget - I'm also making a trash can and push broom (butchered tooth brush!), and might try the oil drum - I need some matching round plastic parts that are the right diameter to keep the styrene sheet round, and I can't find anything handy!!  Haven't given up though - and, same for the oil drain container.  I also wonder how much more fine detail I'll add?  more small parts tucked here and there - on this, I'm not sure - I am running out of enthusiasm for this project!

 

OK gents, happy model building - 

 

Nick 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Pete in Lincs]

15 minutes ago, Stickframe said:

I am running out of enthusiasm for this project!

I'm not! I love it and what you are doing to it. The light in the first picture is just right. A misty sort of sky.

That door latch leaped out at me! A lovely detail. As is the Lotus badge. 

Until you pointed out the shiny hair, I hadn't noticed it. I was wondering about their conversation. Great poses.

And so are the poses of Camera Girl and Burt. Natural. Casual. And yet, is she poised to walk away, having been told no pictures today?

[Jo NZ]

Boy that takes me back! Superb - all of it! 

 

Apologies, but my brain is asking where the office or the mezzanine is - the office roof was a great place to store tyres, gearboxes, old bodywork etc. all coated in a liberal amount of dust....

[bar side]

Excellent.  You can see the thought that has gone in to the placement of everything.  It takes a lot of work to make things look like they just happened!  Yes the little details like the latch really work.  I must admit I had to stop & look for it but it looks better than the one I put on my side gate at the weekend.  As for fine detail & being British I was just looking for the kettle & tea mugs!

[silver911]

Hi Nick,

I can understand your enthusiasm is taking a hit...after all...this has grown considerably from it's inception...however...consider this...how many other dio's achieve anywhere near this level of reality...and that comes at a price mate.

Stick with it...it would be a shame to lose your way now...especially when there's so much more to do 😱🤣

 

Stunning as always mate.

 

Ron

[Stickframe]

Hi model builders, 

 

I took your advice, and kept building, making up more odds and ends for the shop - @Pete in Lincs and @silver911 - yes....more styrene and patience! and @bar side, you raise a really good point - what to do with and where to place all of this stuff, so it looks believable.  In some ways it's like making rubble for an armor dio - rubble - just debris, yet, it's not east to make random - seems the brain just wants order, which is not at all convincing!  @Jo NZ, yes, you raise a good point - and, keep reading!

 

OK - here we go - more odds and ends - this week largely inspired by some of Ron's ideas posted some time ago:

 

 

The "noble" trash can! and push broom - the "can" styrene, wrapped in alu foil, and handles added - the broom, an old tooth brush! carved and cut up - both pre paint.  The next, well, one of the rolling tool lockers - really, the fanciest of them, with an opened lid - but - it was just too tall to see into.  So, out came the saw:

 

 

and out came some drawers!  No paint stripping, fussing about.  Scribed some lines with a knife, and then went to cutting,  It's now shorter!

 

and, another Ron idea, that I went to work on - an oil drum with a pump.  I went on line and found a prototype, and here's my version:

 

 

 

Above, proof it's not a bad idea to keep old parts and materials handy - a mix match, but I like the look!  
 

Below, more stuff for the shop - a combo of remnant PE shapes, and extra kit parts.  The kit parts were used to make up a rear end, and, as I didn't want to just dump the parts in the corner, made up a jig!  No, I have never seen this in real life, but I am taking the logical path of it "demonstrating convincing realism"  which means that while I can't prove that this or something like it exists (or doesn't), it's not so far out the realm of possibility that it may indeed exist!! And that's my story! And I'm sticking with it!

 

 

ahhh....primer - lots of primer...and after:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, and one more nugget:

 

 

I took a photo of this sign in my nhood - at an old manufacturing place.  Resized it, mounted in on a styrene box sign, and yes! It will eventually go on the front of my shop!

 

OK, some of this stuff installed:

 

 

Above, you can see the shorter tool cabinet, and more items added to the bench.  And below:

 

 

The jig - I figure it adds interest, but is clearly not a focal point, just more red, black and shiny metal for the shop!

 

Now, back to @Jo NZ, yes, there is an office, as you can see below, the second floor in the shed:

 

 

Or, that's my story and I'm sticking with it! - Except, if you go back to the beginning of this build, I mention that this wasn't a planned build - and when it became a build, I still didn't do much planning!  😁 Which is a rookie mistake - especially, as it turns out, I've built a couple of auto shops,  bigger in size, smaller in scale, and I put A LOT of time into planning them, and lots more time into building them.  Had I done the same here, I wouldn't need to say "imagine an office in the shed" - per below:

 

Mezzanine with layout space and dual monitors on two computers!

 

 

And, a kitchen, with donuts!

 

 

 

And, shop floor office:

 

 

 

...and shop floor reference desk:

 

 

 

Separate note, I like all the natural light in two above....

 

 

So, yes, I looked for a way to squeeze something in there, nah, that will need to happen next time - will need to do some planning first! 😁

 

Thanks for having a look

Cheers,

 

Nick 

 

[bar side]

Looking great & ever growing / improving.  Like the shop reference desk a lot, especially the stickers.  I can’t believe the windows in the shop have avoided getting anything stuck on them.  It always seemed that every other box of parts came with a sticker.  Or maybe that’s because my old man ended up working in a print works and the stickers went in to the trade magazines.  But spark plugs, snap on tools, anything had a sticker that got stuck somewhere.

Keep up the good work!

[Pete in Lincs]

And in that upstairs office, sits the Boss. And he's thinking, 'It's looking a bit cluttered down there. maybe we need a bigger place'.

Great trash can/brush/jig etc. And they look good in situ. 

Your previous work is very impressive, yet I'm also enjoying the way that this one has evolved. Which method is more fun though?

[Stickframe]

Hi guys  - - @bar side you raise a good point - I wonder if I can crane my arm in with a pair of tweezers for some stickers here and there??  If I could squeeze a desk onto the floor I would - at this point. seems I'm out of luck, or, more precisely, room.

 

@Pete in Lincs - another good point and question.  To plan or not to (exhaustively) plan a big project?  I had to run some errands today and while driving around thought about it.  It seems to me that if you are trying your first or at least an "early" go at a big dio, the planning pays off - though, even with your best (my best anyway) efforts to get and keep things under control, lots of unforeseen challenges pop up - which, oddly enough, is what I like about building dios and scratch building!  So in that context, having now built a few dioramas and things, and being more familiar with materials and finishes, I find designing and building as you go to be more fun and entertaining than following a strict plan.   

 

Following a strict plan can become a bit like a "real" job - simply building what the "contract" specifies! which I am increasingly uninterested in doing! which is too bad, as I have a few kits in the stash!  Imagine the outrage if I decided to.......kitbash an MFH kit!  To take all that white metal, lovely resin and so on,  and do something completely different!!😁  I might just do that!  For a variety of really dumb reasons, I now have two of the same MFH kit! in 1/20 scale!   I just haven't been able to rationalize making two of the same thing, that will of course look exactly the same when built!  (yes, I could probably sell one, but, I hate getting rid of those nice parts!!) 

 

Hmmm, maybe I could convert one into a Maschinen Krieger vessel of some kind!? - an oddity in space??? 😁 fitted out with figures and all??!!  A bit like the big freighter you are building??  Attach the rear end of a big Phantom or F104 (like those beauties being built by @bar side!) to the nose of an F1 racecar....🤨 and see where it takes us!  Alas, how then to make a white metal, internal combustion engine look like it's powered some other way? or the same way, but how exactly would said beast be propelled???  Exhaust sent out through giant turbos into turbines?  Maybe axles turning planetary gears, driving turbines for vertical lift-off??  Unhappily, I know more about structures and conventional vehicles than theoretical propulsion - 😁, but, I might not just laugh this idea off, sounds interesting - why not?? 

 

Enough of that silliness! 😠  🤨 😁 and back to serious discussion on the process of conceptualizing and realizing, dioramas!   As long as the basic project concept is reasonable (ie not a really elaborate or oddly shaped site or structure that depends on numerous fixed/discrete elements to make it work), there seems to be room for adding/modifying as you go.   Had I decided earlier that I wanted more space for my shop, I could have fairly easily added a second floor or mezzanine, and found some way to run some stairs up.  As the driveway is pretty wide, they could have been placed out there, and I would have still had room for the driveway.   Or, added to the back by knocking out those big shop windows and foundation below.   I would have essentially been designing and building a structure that is in some ways similar to the Ian McQue floating ships - where you can see some vestige of a traditional structure, along with several layers of add-ons.   

 

So, back to the question - at this point in my model building experience, I think it's more fun and interesting to start with a concept and design and build as you go, than to follow a clear set of plans. 

 

What is the opinion out there?  any preference?  Am I the lone design as you go guy for dios?

 

Cheers and happy model building!

 

Nick 

[Jo NZ]

Stunning. The photo across to the reference bookshelf is especially realistic.

[Pete in Lincs]

1 hour ago, Stickframe said:

So, back to the question - at this point in my model building experience, I think it's more fun and interesting to start with a concept and design and build as you go, than to follow a clear set of plans. 

Personally I quite agree at this point in my model building experience. 

When I worked in Saudi, the majority of the guys were ex forces. So I used to get, 'Oh, I used to work on/fly Tornado/Jaguars/Allouettes etc, can you do me a model?

So they paid for my modelling fun (plus a bit extra) but I had to build a particular machine in certain markings. After a while it became a chore.

Then I discovered Ian McCue and Ma.k and got seriously into scratchbuilding and really enjoyed searching the bits boxes to see what fitted where.

 

When I built the Misfit floaty boats a certain amount of planning HAD to be done to achieve the illusion of anti gravity, but the rest was imagination.

Now, I'm building Star Wars, but on my terms. Could I ever enjoy building OOB again? I seriously doubt it, unless really necessary to achieve a certain goal.

Looks like we are both on the same path to fun town!