1/35 scale auto repair shop

[Frederic Testard]

Between yours and Anders', these garage threads will have features an unbelievable amount of great work, Dallas.
What's the size of these keys (I'd guess between 1 and 2 mm considering the size of the real ones...) and how did you get them?

[Bexley]

I keep meaning to ask (and am too lazy to read back through the whole thread to see if you mentioned it) but where did you get the PE keys?

[DaKra]

Love the cords plugged into the outlets; its the everyday stuff like that which makes a miniature fascinating, but is so often neglected by the model builder because it is so mundande in full size.

Couple of things that come to mind.  I'd figure a workbench for power tools, and a desk for the paperwork.  Power tools and paperwork sharing a writing desk suggests a shop that has run out of work space, so you should have some very dense clutter everywhere else to make that a more believable scenario.  

Also from shops I've seen and worked in, it seems that bulky heavy stuff tends to congregate at or near floor level, also stuff that gets tossed aside in the heat of the moment, and stuff that one thinks one needs ASAP (but forgets).   So I figure something like the car door would more likely be propped up on the floor, maybe outside.  Also the wagon wheel, same thing.  To me it looks a bit too deliberate, like Cracker Barrel decor, the way its placed up front and center, not the natural flotsam and jetsam of a gas and oil garage.    

Of course anything can end up anywhere in an old shop, but being as ordinary and usual as possible, helps believability.

Dave  

     

[Malachi Constant]

Bexley & Frederic -- The keys are from a set intended for 1/24 scale, but a number of the items seem to work quite well for 1/35.  Got them from www.DetailMaster.com while exploring Gn15 as my "large scale" option ...



Close-up of the parts on this set.  The middle-size keys are about 2.5mm and the others are just slightly smaller or larger.  A number of the items are out of my time period and some are over-sized for use with the 1/35 scale, but the keys, silverware and knives (including Swiss army type) seem to cross-over nicely.  BTW, the handles of the slip-joint pliers were used to make Mr. Mudgeon's tiny 1/35 scale tweezers! 



Rather than relying strictly on measurements, I had a look at the details compared to the 1/35 figures, etc.  Here's one of the keys mounted on a fob with a rather crude Tamiya 1/35 hand reaching into the picture.  Based on that, and the fact that the little keys were so beautifully shaped and recognizable, I decided to go for it.  Many of the keys are two-side (more modern), but I decided to ignore that concern ... again, because they were immediately recognizable as keys and neatly done.

Love the cords plugged into the outlets; its the everyday stuff like that which makes a miniature fascinating, but is so often neglected by the model builder because it is so mundane in full size.

Couple of things that come to mind.  I'd figure a workbench for power tools, and a desk for the paperwork.  Power tools and paperwork sharing a writing desk suggests a shop that has run out of work space, so you should have some very dense clutter everywhere else to make that a more believable scenario.  

YES!  Definitely trying to include a lot of the mundane everyday stuff for that reason.  I don't really have the skills (yet!) to do photo-realistic modeling ... not quite sure that I really want to go "there" at this point anyway ... kind of going for a cross between realistic modeling and a detailed theatre or movie set.  A place that invites the viewer to suspend disbelief and become involved in the story.  So, all those little "everyday" details become even more important than the exact size of nuts-n-bolts.

The shop is VERY small -- about 18x28' footprint.  There will be two workbenches and one desk.  The one shown with machinery will be a sort of cross-over ... machinery was placed on that because it's a sturdy metal desk/bench.  The keys are there and the work orders will be laying on the bottom of the drill press and the desktop will be densely cluttered both with work and play items (the hobby stuff!) and snacks and all ... not unlike some of my work areas!    There will be another wooden workbench along the back wall with a greater concentration of hand tools and such.  And a small actual "desk" near the front door where gas sales, book-keeping and such gets done ...

Also from shops I've seen and worked in, it seems that bulky heavy stuff tends to congregate at or near floor level, also stuff that gets tossed aside in the heat of the moment, and stuff that one thinks one needs ASAP (but forgets).   So I figure something like the car door would more likely be propped up on the floor, maybe outside.  Also the wagon wheel, same thing.  To me it looks a bit too deliberate, like Cracker Barrel decor, the way its placed up front and center, not the natural flotsam and jetsam of a gas and oil garage.    

Of course anything can end up anywhere in an old shop, but being as ordinary and usual as possible, helps believability.

Dave      

Actually, the wagon wheel WAS intended as Cracker Barrel decor ... a piece of nostalgia hung up on the wall by the kinda guy who would build little airplanes and ships in the shop whenever he gets a chance.  That may or may not work out ... which is why I put everything up temporarily and asked for feedback (much appreciated!)

I'm planning to do some dry-lath on the back wall to make it easier to hang hoses, belts and all that stuff.  Might end up extending that onto this end wall ... and/or ... maybe put a shelf up over the window and metal shelf "to get more crap out of the way" as one would do in a small shop with little floor space.  So, I'll let the things sit in their temporary positions for a while, mull it over and consider any/all additional feedback. 

Again, all of that is MUCH appreciated ... really helps to have your thoughts and ideas throughout the process.

Cheers,
Dallas

[Malachi Constant]

Further to the keys ... Royal Model makes a 1/35 photo-etch set "Wing Nuts, Keys & Padlocks" (set #038):
http://www.royalmodel.com/en/catalogo_dettaglio.php?id_art=399

Those really are Italian keys, as suggested by Anders ... but I used the 1/24 set I had since the size seemed okay, and they were already paid for!  To the extent that anyone might agree that the 1/24 keys worked okay in 1/35 ... well, the 1/35 keys might be passable in 1/48.  YMMV.  

Have the Royal Model set on my wish-list and will get those when the need for padlocks arises ... maybe when I get as far as building the garage doors ...

Cheers,
Dallas

[Bexley]

Thanks! I was going to ask about the fork too, but forgot. I tried the Verlinden 1/35 dinnerware set, but it's awful. It's in brass thinner than tinfoil, and about as rigid. Many of the pieces have to be glued back to back, but they're so fragile, it's hard to get them in position to glue without damaging them horribly. I gave up on them, which is a shame, because they looked really good.

[Malachi Constant]

Bexley --

Just checked the Detail Master sheet and it seems to be .004" thick ... BUT, it's etched stainless, so the parts are relatively sturdy.  I put the spoon on a scrap piece of Taskboard (pressed paper board, not as dense as the stuff on the back of a notepad) ...pressed into it with the tip of a ballpoint pen and wiggled that around to try to approximate a spoon shape!    Curves were done by pending over styrene rod or whatever ... if the fork spikes/tines/bits (whatever they're called) seem uneven, that's okay ... I've eaten off many a similar fork! 

ALSO ... they ARE "oversized" for 1/35 ... the fork, bent as shown, measures a touch over 7mm which translates to an actual fork just under 10".  The forks in my kitchen are about 7-1/2" long, so the set is "right" for 1/24 scale ... but, placed amongst the various objects and compared directly to the figures they seem quite passable to me.  (In other words, my eyes don't tell me what the calculator seems to indicate -- your mileage may vary!) 

(This also ties into my theory that since some of the finest details are necessarily oversized -- for lack of appropriate materials, etc -- that some of the other details should be purposely oversized to create a visual balance.  Not grossly oversized, of course ... anyway, it's a fine line at best ... and perhaps a flimsy theory altogether ... but I'm pleased with the results so far!) 

The Swiss Army knife is made up of five pieces, which I've painted separately ... I'll snap a photo of that and the other knives when I get them assembled/painted.  I did manage to assemble some Verlinden brass tools, but they were a bugger and really delicate ... some of those will make it out into the shop, others will be used to fill the bottom of drawers or toolboxes.

FWIW, I laid the keys and other photo-etched parts on blue painter's tape for painting (or at least priming) and carefully lifted/flipped them using a very DULL chisel blade ... worked that under each part carefully to lift almost completely free of the tape before using the tweezers.  And ... I've actually gone ahead and ordered the Royal Model keys/padlock set (#038) because I really wanted to check out their workshop accessories (#039).  It will be interesting to compare those keys ... but pretty sure I'll stick with the ones already in place, as anything smaller would completely disappear in most shots (back to a corollary of that crazy theory).  Interestingly, it was cheaper to order the parts from a dealer in Australia than direct from Royal Model in Italy.  Essentially the same price, but much lower shipping.

PS -- Anders:  Received your package -- many thanks!

Cheers,
Dallas

[Malachi Constant]

Going thru the evening emails and a buddy reminded me that Hauler (www.Hauler.cz) also has a set of padlocks -- looks like their set has more locks than the Royal Model set, but no keys.

A few of their items that might be of interest:
-- HLC35004 Horseshoes
-- HLU35011 Padlocks (have Royal Model on order)
-- HLU35031 US Pigeons of War (resin pigeons in PE cage)
-- HLU35032 German Pigeons of War (different style cage)

The pigeons could be interesting as something to keep the dog out back entertained ... but Plus Model has a rabbit hutch kit that might be even more fun ... and Mantis makes some 1/35 bunnies doing things that bunnies like to do!   So many cool things out there ... too much reality in the budget.    Oh well, at the rate I'm going, I can keep collecting a few more packs of parts each month and it'll all work out. 

Cheers,
Dallas

[Junior]

Dallas, I think it looks good in that larger scale. If you hadn´t mentioned the various scale sizes and dimensions I wouldn´t have noticed.

Anders

[Frederic Testard]

Dallas, I think their should be an interest in gathering all the fine references you've posted along this thread to provide a sort of 'catalog' of sources for extreme parts.

[Malachi Constant]

Frederic --

Yes ... at some point I want to make an index of this thread and the one on RR-L forum ... including a consolidated list of the various links ... but first I want to make more progress on the modeling!  



Some crazy Swede tried to bribe Mr. Mudgeon into fixing a Saab by giving him a couple bottles of wine ... so far, no work has been done on the Saab ... I've been throwing those little scale bricks at him all day, and he's only just starting to become responsive.  (Thanks a lot, Anders, your little care package has been a really big help!) 

Cheers,
Dallas

[Junior]

Mr. Mudgeon......two bottles of vintage Bordeaux gone in a second  . Those were a special import from a wine merchant in Scotland by the name of Accurate Armour

Back to modeling. Dallas, here´s a set of 1/35 scale cutlery from Aber that you might not have seen. Don´t know anything about the quality.

Anders  

http://www.hlj.com/scripts/hljlist?Word=aber%201%2F35&Dis=2&DisplayMode=images&Sort=std&qid=UJ4MNJ3G7WQ&q=1&Page=2

[Malachi Constant]

Ah!  Thanks ... for the bottles ... and the info.  I hadn't see the little BEER bottles on the Accurate-Armour site ... those might be small enough to work for soda bottles.  (I have some clear wine bottles which are too big.)

Also, I went to the Aber site (www.aber.net.pl) -- they have pdf copies of the various instructions posted and they suggest shaping spoons with the tip of a  ballpoint pen too!    Their set appears to be brass, so it would be tricky to get those tiny items shaped properly without mangling them ... will have to give it a try sometime.  Meanwhile, I have some brass buckets to assemble, so I think I'll practice on those first ...

Thanks again!
Dallas

[danpickard]

Dallas,
Now if you can just get a shot of him blind drunk on the floor, and wearing the 3D glasses from that details etching set, that would really complete the scene.

Bricks...thats a hangover cure I haven't tried before

Cheers,
Dan

[Malachi Constant]

Dan --  That would be a little too much like those really scary 1960s Brasilian "psychedelic" movies ... whoa, make it stop! 

Continuing on the bottles, I ordered some little "1:43" scale Coca-Cola bottles from an ebay vendor (under $3.00 for 10 of them with shipping) ... thinking that they might match the little "pony" bottles that I remember from childhood.  Those arrived today and they are almost perfect 1/35 scale size for the old 6.5 oz bottles -- in 1/35 they measure about 2.5" diameter x 7" tall (quick eyeball measurement with scale rule).

These were produced for some sort of mass-market Coca Cola delivery truck or something ... need a little clean-up on the bottom of the bottle and then probably some retouch with clear gloss, but they should do neatly.

Also, quick curiosity, during WWII the green tint went away from the bottles, as that was produced by adding copper to the glass and the metal shortages eliminated that option ...

Anders -- If you need a few of these, I'll send them along ... 

Cheers,
Dallas