Building Downtown Deco kits, Brickwork

[peteski]

I imagine that since this is a plaster model those bolts/plates could have been easily scraped off then the brick scribed in (before painting the model).  At least Josh (unknowingly) painted them the right color (they look rusty).  I thought that he knew what those are all along.

The thick plaster walls unfortunately are the reason I don't like or buy these kits.  It makes it very difficult to make them into anything but a simple shell of a building.  But they are such a wonderful structure with lots of character.

I was actually contemplating buying one, sealing the plaster then making much thinner resin-cast version.  Of course this would mean some serious modifications would have to be made to reduce the wall thickness of the master.

[chicken45]

The cool thing about these kits is that the manufacturer really stands behind them; he's pretty realistic about expectations. Right off the bat he says that he will refund you if you don't like it, and that he'll replace parts you break (even it it's your own fault) all for free. It's clear that these buildings are geared for a very specific role.

Lucky for me, the box art resonated with me. It looked like rusty metal with streaks. My keen mind filled in the rest LOL.

[jimmo]

Frankly, those "knob like things" are the only thing that bother me on the kit; they should be steel or iron plates (depending on when installed) no thicker than an inch and probably less.

As long as you don't expect fine detail from Downtown Deco N-scale, you'll probably be ok with the finished product.

I have to commend Josh on his first-time efforts of making a "silk purse out of a sow's ear." These kits are truly a challenging build for all those who try to make their models look anything like the picture in the ad or on the kit box--especially since the model in the picture is their HO or O-scale version. When I asked DD about this I was told that they "...don't have time to build their N-scale kits" so that's why they do that. I was stunned. I was also told that "nobody has ever complained." Apparently I'm the only person in the country that has.

I agree with Pete on this point; I have never bought one or their kits primarily because of the 4' or 5' thick walls. Seemed like a lot of sanding down and dealing with plaster dust just to get the walls to a closer-to-scale thickness.

[chicken45]

The things they do well, they knock out of the park. Their Skid Row stuff looks great!

[peteski]

The things they do well, they knock out of the park. Their Skid Row stuff looks great!

To me the fidelity of these models is somewhere between realistic in-scale models and the type of models you see in the Christmas Village sets.  They have a slightly whimsical look, more so then being accurately scaled models.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.

[chicken45]

Heh. "Whimsical" is the exact word that @tom mann used to describe it.

[RBrodzinsky]

My collection of these alternate between being on my home layout and, at shows, on my Silicon Valley FreeMo-N module.  They never cease to garner comments at the shows.
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I also got a bunch of Randy's "seconds" from him, that I used bits and pieces of to create parts of a ghost town on my San Felipe module
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[tom mann]

Yeah, I like the brick detail, but I feel like I'm looking at a set of a claymation Tim Burton movie with some of the kits.  Some of the details look out of place.

[peteski]

My collection of these alternate between being on my home layout and, at shows, on my Silicon Valley FreeMo-N module.  They never cease to garner comments at the shows.

Absolutely.  Well built and decorated whimsical structures are usually very well received by the show-attending public.  So are fire or accident scenes utilizing Micro-Machines emergency vehicles with way out of scale flashing emergency lights on them. And lots of smoke from a smoke generator.  Those are whimsical too (in my opinion).

They both create the right atmosphere, even if the models aren't quite in-scale (or have bit clunky details).

[jimmo]

I've noticed at model railroad shows the general public is not hard to amaze. If that is your aim, you succeed brilliantly. The real challenge is amazing the a$$hats.

Except for some architectural faux pax, Downtown Deco does some pretty good stuff in the larger scales. Randy is second to none on the brick finishes, etc. but the the smaller stuff is not done very well at all. We often times discuss appropriate brick sizes for our structures, yet when a DD project comes along nobody seems to notice that there is not one brick that's the same size as another.

It's just a matter of personal taste--and you can't argue personal taste.

[arbomambo]

I've noticed at model railroad shows the general public is not hard to amaze. If that is your aim, you succeed brilliantly. The real challenge is amazing the a$$hats.

very true...
I used to be amazed at the 'GP' waltzing past brilliant modeling, only to stare aghast at the module with the Godzilla figure and Flying saucer...
~Bruce

PS-btw, Jimmo, would love to see you develop and sell another structure model...I'm seriously impressed with the Millie's café and 'Waffle/suto parts/ Bar structure!

[jimmo]

PS-btw, Jimmo, would love to see you develop and sell another structure model...I'm seriously impressed with the Millie's café and 'Waffle/suto parts/ Bar structure!

Coming soon my friend. I have two more structures in the "Tiny Diners" series, a Valentine-inspired diner and a White Tower diner. Plus I'm recreating the Buddy's Waffle Shop structure for digital output. No more assembly required. It may also have an interior, since the other two have them.

Lots of things in the works...

[MichaelWinicki]

I like the Downtown Deco buildings...

Mixed in with those from other manufacturers, and you achieve a very nice contrast. 

I put them in locations where the wall thickness is not as noticeable.

[tom mann]

Coming soon my friend. I have two more structures in the "Tiny Diners" series, a Valentine-inspired diner and a White Tower diner. Plus I'm recreating the Buddy's Waffle Shop structure for digital output. No more assembly required. It may also have an interior, since the other two have them.

Lots of things in the works...

Hopefully some of these can be made available in Z scale as well.  I would love to see Millie's.

[jimmo]

Hopefully some of these can be made available in Z scale as well.  I would love to see Millie's.

I thought you were a diehard N-scaler, Tom. I should have known when you posted that giant center flow hopper project.

If I can see enough interest I will consider it. Z-scale projects take me away from many N-scale projects. Scaling down to 1/220 from 1/160 may seem easy but when you design for minimum wall thicknesses for printing in an effort to keep it affordable, it gets tricky. Right now, I'm trying to design in such a manner where the wall thickness can be altered without a total redesign.

I had never considered Millie's in 1/220 before... it would be cute.