1:32 Dreispitz Basel

[Lawton Maner]

Now, you need to get Banksy to admit that the Covid graffiti is his and you can quit as a hands down winner!

[Ray Dunakin]

Very nice! I like the wet, dirty-snow look.

A small suggestion -- the base of the snowman needs to be less round on the bottom.

[Design-HSB]

Thomas, very successful for the first time a plant with snow that looks natural and not kitschy.

With the snowman, I have to agree with Ray.

[shitao]

Hello

I agree with the snowmen. Actually this was just a test to look if the microballoons work.
Probably I won't really put him on the layout.

[shitao]

Spring is coming...and I am modelling snow and ice...

I just want to show you how I did the ice in the harbour.
Many pictures with little text..

I am using the products from AK for the first time.
Guess there are other brands, too.

I first poured the whole surface of the harbour:



Then I made small pieces with the help of my friend "hammer"...



Glued them on the prepared surface with some gaps between the pieces



Then I filled the gaps with acrylic water:





Added some ice surface.
But I wasn't happy with the result...



So I added another layer of snow



Finally it looks quite OK





Next time I rather make the gaps wider to add more water and less ice.

[1-32]

Hi Shitao how are you?
The wall is great but the ice needs more work great comment from somebody who has only seen snow a few times in my life. Please bear with me the snow just does not as it has melted into the snow more like icing sugar.Maybe you need some practice strips then glue the good one onto the baseboard.
cheers Kim

[shitao]

Hi Kim

I am OK. Looking forward the next Covid wave...
Unfortunately last year in Utrecht we could not meet each other.

For the ice: my goal was not to model the smooth and white ice as one can see in the very northern parts of the world.
Rather the ice as one will observe in the harbours like Hamburg.



https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia1.faz.net%2Fppmedia%2Faktuell%2Fgesellschaft%2F2214363422%2F1.915891%2Fdefault%2Fnur-wenn-zeit-ist-oder-es.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.faz.net%2Faktuell%2Fgesellschaft%2Feis-im-hamburger-hafen-der-huebbe-bricht-s-1913526%2Fnur-wenn-zeit-ist-oder-es-1915891.html&docid=DIgSp4gcJ6-wnM&tbnid=a0AZhA8hpHvYnM&vet=1&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim

[finescalerr]

You did a nice job of copying the appearance of that ice. -- Russ

[Ray Dunakin]

Good job, it does look very much like your prototype.

[Marc988]

Nice looking diorama. 
I like the original setting in the winter season with the snow.

Out of curiosity, wat are the dimensions of your diorama ?

[shitao]

Hello Marc (?)

The diorama is 1m wide and 40 cm deep.
Really small...for 1:32 locos...

[Marc988]

Hi Thomas,

Marc is correct 

That is really small, especially when you model in 1:32 normal gauge 
I am trying to design also a small 1:32 shunting diorama / layout and am currently at 2.2m x 75cm and struggling.
So what you are pulling of is impressive.
But which switches are you using ? With my KM1 switches I really need the lengte, I fear.

Regards,
Marc

Btw will the traverse be manually operated ?

[shitao]

Hello Marc

The traverser is driven by a small motor. I am using iTrain and the Dinamo System to run the locos and the traverser.
The switch is handmade. It is absolutely not like it should be in reality... Much too short and steep..
This was the only way to get the diorama in such a tiny space.

[shitao]

Hello

Another task to complte is the train shed.

On my sliding diorama I want to have a locomotive shed in clinker construction. Now I'm not quite so masochistically inclined that I want to layer the required thousands of bricks individually..but realistically it should look then but.
That's where my friend the laser cutter comes in.

The first step for me is (as always) to build an abstract cardboard model:



I drew out the whole building and then laser cut out the individual stone layers in 2 mm cardboard:



Now the stone layers are glued together layer by layer. Always with a cardboard 0.5 mm in between as a distance joint for the mortar:



The proud builder in front of a first wall section:



After a few hours, the house is built:



Overall, it went quite well and expeditiously.
And the brickwork also looks quite realistic for my taste.

[Bill Gill]

A very interesting way to do all the brickwork. Looks really good and the walls have a good thickness.