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1:35 scale Far East shop fronts with covered walkways?


bootneck

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I want to build a 1:35 scale Asian street 1960s/70s backdrop for a diorama I plan build.  I have the vehicles but am unable to find any typical buildings that had the covered walkways, for shelter from the heavy monsoon rains.

 

Some had square openings to the street, with long covered walkways along the shop fronts.

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others had arched openings. The floors above the shops extended forward, over the covered walkways to the street front.

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I have searched the typical building suppliers, such as Miniart etc., but without look.  Does anyone have any info on kit producers that might have similar buildings, I don't mind having to do some conversion work, it's just the covered ways and arches that are proving difficult.   Another idea might be to find architectural information, such as heights and widths in drawings and plans and the like.

 

I would be grateful to hear from anyone who can help with my quest please.

 

cheers,

Mike

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I've never seen any building frontages like that in model form. Tropical buildings definitely are a genre of their own.  In the photos they seem to be missing the monsoon drains I recall from Singapore and Malaysia.

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Not all the roads had the mongoolie drains in the road, some where offset such as this large one on Orchard Road,

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Those that were in the roadway were quite a challenge, especially after a few Tiger Beers and John Collin's!  :cheers:

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Check out singas.co.uk, where the above images were sourced, for other views of old Singapore.

 

cheers,

Mike

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Have you considered moulding them? At 1/35 I would estimate 6cm per floor and as the frontages replicate you would only have to model one, make a silicone mould and then cast them in plaster.

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3 hours ago, Rob G said:

Quite by coincidence, these popped into my purview. A bit of searching may find them on U-models' website or at a UK retailer, which would be more convenient for you. 

 

https://www.bnamodelworld.com/buildings-scenics-diorama-u-models-um545

That does look interesting but shipping from Oz would not make it viable.   I haven't seen anything like that in UK.

 

24 minutes ago, TomTango said:

Have you considered moulding them? At 1/35 I would estimate 6cm per floor and as the frontages replicate you would only have to model one, make a silicone mould and then cast them in plaster.

I have a cutting machine which could cut those façades and pillars quite easily; however, I have been unable to find any architectural dimensions to work with.  My days of guesstimating heights and widths have long left me.  If anyone can please identify the heights of the openings, plus the height and width under the walkways then I could make a start.   I enjoy scrapbuilding by photo-interpretations but nowadays I need help, either from drawings or actual local knowledge.

 

cheers,
Mike

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Sorry, my guesstimation was to see if it was practical to model and cast than for anything more

http.

Edit: 

These may be useful to you

https://journals.openedition.org/abe/11008

https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/vol-16/issue-3/oct-dec-2020/building

Few actual measurements, but if you may be able to use something universal such as a door and work our everything else from that.

Edited by TomTango
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Yes, I agree;  once I have a facade constructed then I could make a mould for casting.  The problem I am having is getting the dimensions correct for a master first.  These buildings still exist in out there, anyone from Singapore reading this that could help please?

 

cheers,

 

Mike

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/27/2022 at 9:26 PM, bootneck said:

Not all the roads had the mongoolie drains in the road, some where offset such as this large one on Orchard Road,

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cheers,

Mike

Ah C.K. Tangs.  As a child I lived a few kms down the road in Napier Rd (the direction the Land Rover is heading)😀

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My time in Singapore was at Nee Soon, on the Sembawang Road.  1966 - 71.  There were two camps there, the old one; where the film Virgin Soldiers was shot and the new one called Dieppe Barracks.

 

Mike

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Hello Cklasse,

it is nice to hear from someone in Singapore and thank you for your update.  Can I ask if you know of any local sources in Singapore, where I can get photos and architectural dimensions of the old buildings?   I am trying to find more photos of the old shop and house fronts, the ones with the covered colonnades, especially any views with people, hawkers and street sellers for my diorama.

 

So far, I have managed to make up the start for one building, based on photo-interpretation, and my intention is to make a row of them for a street scene.

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this is an idea of the type of setting I wish to produce.  This one is of a house and I would like build some open fronted shops alongside.

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cheers,

Mike

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Maybe you can try this link first for ideas. This is from the government site that is responsible for city planning; Urban Redevelopment Authority.
URA

 

There are many style of pre war shop houses, so you may need to decide what type do you want to build. I will look around to see where to get info.

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On 8/11/2022 at 8:06 PM, bootneck said:

My time in Singapore was at Nee Soon, on the Sembawang Road.  1966 - 71.  There were two camps there, the old one; where the film Virgin Soldiers was shot and the new one called Dieppe Barracks.

 

Mike

Hey small world.  I was first there 1965 - 1968 as a 9 to 11 year old.  During my time living there the family lived in Serangoon Gardens for a short time, then Braddell Heights before settling in Napier Rd.  My dad worked at a facility on Yio Chu Kang Rd with a short period working in the Direction Finding hut located between RAF Changi's twin runways.  Later returning as a soldier on various exercises I was often based at Dieppe Barracks.   

Edited by dcrfan
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  • 9 months later...

Yes,  I'm still building my diorama and have almost two shophouses constructed so far.  Finding people and civilian vehicles of that era in 1:35 scale is the real problem; therefore, those models by BL Models will be a must have for me.

 

Thanks for the link.

 

Mike

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