A snapshot in time. A glimpse of the Plettenberger Kleinbahn in 1/22.5 scale.

[Design-HSB]

Why does this discussion make me feel like a Peeping Tom?  Brilliant work as always.  By now we would expect no less from you.  I enjoy working in a smaller scale where I can just hint at something and it passes the 1 meter test (if it looks good @ 1 meter it is good).

I think Volker doesn't know the 1m rule and certainly obeys it like Frithjof and I follow the rule, if I take a close-up and the object still looks good in the magnification, the model is OK.

[finescalerr]

Helmut, I have always, even as a child, approached my models just as you, Frithjof, and Volker. I bet almost everybody on this forum does, including Lawton (even if he tries not to admit it). -- Russ

[Design-HSB]

Hi Russ, I think as a Finescal model builder, this is also the only right way.

[Hydrostat]

Why does this discussion make me feel like a Peeping Tom?

Took quite a while until i got it  . Good one!

[Lawton Maner]

I have 2 levels of modeling.  Since the main thrust is to support a 1:48 scale layout much of it is under the 1 meter rule.  I don't go as far as some who do not model the back side of a structure because it won't be seen because I will know what is there.  The other is for models which will be seen close up and they are given a lot more care.

[Bill Gill]

More good work, Volker. Thanks for the update.

[Hydrostat]

Here's a look at my current bench; the curved led lamp is an idea stolen from Chuck. The joint to the wall is movable so I can change lighting direction a bit.




What I really love about the prototype building is it's quirkiness. Please note the skewed wall separating the annex's first floor from the main building. The basement floor is rectangular to the right wall. Neither from pictures nor the construction plans I found an explanation for that.




The roller shutter of the garage is driven by a small geared motor at the wall of the little workshop.




A large cabinet hides it away. This is an quite unusual piece for a workshop but my idea was that they used whatever they had in stock in the early post WWII era.






The cabinet is made from some fine structured veneer and basswood strips. the bench is made from cardboard, photo glossy paper, some iron rods and putty. I was looking a long time for an opticians workshop interior and recently found an interesting site with some pictures: https://brillen-fuchs.de/uns-kennenlernen/bilderchronik-brillen-fuchs/1901-2/. The bench is inspired from this picture.








I don't wanna miss to show the christmas gift I got from Helmut; it's standing right beside the stove:




It came with four sisters:




Helmut provides a post about how he has done it: http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=1446.msg59797#msg59797. Well, and that is going to be my next project:





Boy, this CAD construction was a two day job with a lot of trial and even more errors  .

Cheers,
Volker

[finescalerr]

Good heavens! -- Russ

[fspg2]

Volker,

the two days have been very successful

[Design-HSB]

Volker, you proved it once again "doesn't go there doesn't exist".

[Ray Dunakin]

Wow!

[Bill Gill]

Even knowing what the workbench is made of, it is hard to see it and not believe it is full size. The cabinet looks good and does its job concealing the motor. Helmut's coal scoop fits right in next to the stove and your CAD image shows there is more good stuff yet to come.

[Hydrostat]

The building had advertising inscriptions on two opposite walls. This one is towards 'Maiplatz'. Alpina is a watch brand still existing today and the letters say something like 'Alpina - the key word for good watches. Selling point. Louis Lohmann. Optician.' and below, well, don't urge me to translate that.   


(Photo courtesy of Albert Middelmann 10/1941; W. D. Groote collection)


At the model the inscription will be slightly higher positioned. I wanted to include the sign for the hotel, which had been there before it was been replaced by the 'Optician' lettering. A rectified picture of the identic lettering at the opposite wall was scaled down in Illustrator (there's no good picture of the other wall available). The screenshot shows the original picture right hand, the rectified one lefthand and the final lettering on the building lefthand again.




Those are sign painters' characters, which aren't available as fonts. So all letters had to be traced manually. Or digitally. Feel free to chose.







There's an advertising technician round the corner where I had the artwork cut from self adhesive foil. Removing the 'positive' elements from the cut foil is a job the service provider usually does, but he was happy about my offering to do that myself after he had binned two plots. The foil usually serves to decorate cars and other even surfaces. It is no special stencil foil, but it works very well on that surface of wall paint and silicon carbide of the model.

The 'Alpina' cypher hat a red shadow; see today's Alpina emblem. For that I had a file with a slightly offset cypher, but identical square outline. There' s a self adhesive application paper to be fixed to the front side of the foil. Now the backside carrier paper can be removed. After sticking the foil in place the application paper can be removed: it is the upper one in the following picture, the carrier paper is seen below.




A front flattened brush serves to dab paint to the foil.




When paint is dry ...




... the next foil without offset is placed.




Black color for the cyphers.




Result without further treatment:




Cheers,
Volker

[Bill Gill]

Volker, I really appreciate that you took into account that the sign was hand lettered and therefore not a match for any font, so you duplicated the actual lettering instead of coming close with some font.
Your replication of it is very good. May I offer one small suggestion? Where you superimposed the black lettering on top of the red drop shadow, if you could join the corners of the shadow to the corners of the black letters as in my crude depiction below. I also extended the red on the top of the ball for the first stroke of the "A" and also on top of the dot of the "i". That would be how most signwriters would do the shadow. (Click image to enlarge.)

[Hydrostat]

Bill, you're completely right and that's the way it is recognizable at the prototype pictures, too. I'll have to add that manually later on; it takes a steady hand. Indeed there's been a technical reason to do it the way i did. It's nearly impossible to consecutively place both the foils at exact same position and even a tenth offset would be very clearly visible when using those 'conjunctions'.