Gas Station and the DQ

[Alaska Railroader]

A lot of interest has been expressed for these two structures I made in Z scale. The photos are of my original builds made from acrylic and other materials. Then DKS has since redrawn them for resin casting and he made a prototype of them. The gas station can be made so that it won't infringe on other manufacturers that have done them. Mine is not a copy of anyone's. I could just as easily be a Chevron, Texaco, or some generic local gas outlet.

The Dairy Queen, however, was built as a replica of one here in Medford. I have never seen a nicer DQ than this one so I just had to make it.


And my first version:


My first gas station:


Once David and I can figure an affordable way to make them in N, and can find the time, I'm sure you'll hear about it. 

In the meantime I have been commissioned once again to laser sections of a ship. This time its only 1/200th submarine instead of a 5' cruise ship so it will be done quickly. Lasers aren't just for model railroading 

[Denver Road Doug]

The gas station will be a purchase, at least two of them.   Plus probably another half-dozen of the pump/canopy if they were made available separately. (think, truck stop)

The Dairy Queen looks awesome, but I need the more "old school" version for my purposes.   But you definitely should do well with it, too.

Keep that laser blastin'!!!   

[Alaska Railroader]

Keep that laser blastin'!!!   

Doug, you sound like my husband!!!

[DKS]

The gas station kit is well along, but still needs some tweaks, particularly the detailing. This is what it looked like in the middle of casting/assembly tests:



The DQ needs more work. The window sections are complete, and while the main building was mastered, it has some de-molding issues and needs to be re-designed.

[jnevis]

I see a freeway exit in my future.

[TiVoPrince]

Medically 
induced coma for Mr. Wallet while I ask about the 5foot cruise ship...

[jcox3751]

I am in for the pair.

Looks fantastic!

Joe Cox
Austin, TX

[packers#1]

And suddenly my wallet is in the fetal position in the corner...I reiterate that the Shell Station is SERIOUSLY needed in N!

Also, count me in as the crowd that would also like to see the pumps available separately from the store; the closest gas station to me is a Shell that has the Shell pumps and covering, but the convenience store is party of a small row of stores styled in much older arcitecture, called the "Country Square"

Bing view of it: http://binged.it/YppgO9
Google streetview: https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=33.529065,-81.762337&spn=0.003839,0.005273&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=33.529065,-81.762337&panoid=HmjJeJQeum2HENJeWvJq_w&cbp=12,97.81,,0,0

[DKS]

Just to reiterate, you're looking at Z scale. N is still a ways in the future.

[peteski]

No matter in what scale, why can't both of these simple structured be sold as laser-cut plastic kits? With some resin parts included (like gas pumps, the Coke machine, AC unit, and the DQ flower pots for example).  That is how many laser-cut kits manufacturer sell their structure kits.

Both of these structures have very simple flat surfaces and even the gas station islands could be perfectly represented by laser cut pieces.

[DKS]

No matter in what scale, why can't both of these simple structured be sold as laser-cut plastic kits? With some resin parts included (like gas pumps, the Coke machine, AC unit, and the DQ flower pots for example).  That is how many laser-cut kits manufacturer sell their structure kits.

Both of these structures have very simple flat surfaces and even the gas station islands could be perfectly represented by laser cut pieces.

Because it's more economical to make them cast resin kits. Lasering each kit individually ties up the laser for long periods, especially given the attention to surface details that we employ; the tiled patio in front of the DQ, for example, sucks up an enormous amount of laser time, but when resin casting, it only needs to be done once. A laser is an expensive resource to be doing such mundane things, when it could be better spent on new product development. Yes, other companies do it that way; each company has its operational priorities. Our preference is to keep the laser free for R&D, and for simple parts that are impractical to cast, such as the DQ windows.

Plus, these kits are cast in sub-assemblies, keeping the parts count to a minimum, whereas if they were laser cut, there would be substantially more parts. For example, the DQ main building is only two cast pieces, whereas if it was assembled as flat lasered parts, it would involve over 15 pieces. The base of the Dairy Queen has dozens of tables and chairs all cast in place; these would otherwise all have to be assembled individually by the modeler. Not to mention that everything is cast in color, reducing the need for painting. And then there's the market these kits target: N scalers might not mind some extra work, but the Z scale market is a different beast.

[TiVoPrince]

Kit 
design for various scales must meet the specific expectations of modelers in that scale.  The joy of assembling a thoughtfully designed and well executed kit is often more rewarding than scratchbuilding a similar product. 

Part of the kit cost must be the hours needed to make things fit 'just so'.  There comes a moment in many projects that I would prefer to follow someones expert lead rather than sweating through the details myself.  Just knowing that I'm not going to go completely awry because I forgot a step or miscut something last week and have to disassemble five days of work to correct it is comforting.

In the case of the gas station I would prefer the option of using brass for the posts so I can more easily light the underside of the canopy.  Branding of the station is less important than the look and feel (because I would want a less popular brand anyway) but options like three or four islands for a bigger overall footprint or even a bigger truck stop size that I might actually repurpose to a intermodal yard entry gate.

[DKS]

Part of the kit cost must be the hours needed to make things fit 'just so'.

Yes, it is. Sometimes it's the majority of the development time.

...options like three or four islands for a bigger overall footprint or even a bigger truck stop size that I might actually repurpose to a intermodal yard entry gate.

The rub here is that you're talking about the potential of modularity. Modular kit design is orders of magnitude more difficult than straightforward kits. That said, it should not be all that difficult to bash multiple kits together to get what you need.

[Alaska Railroader]

Medically 
induced coma for Mr. Wallet while I ask about the 5foot cruise ship...

Haha, you would fall from that coma to sure death at the sound of the cost. Actually I don't know the final bill to the customer but I do know its in 5 digits. I was paid well to laser cut the sides from bow to stern including upper structures, cutting out thousands of window portal holes from the large sides, doors and etching details. Even the swimming pools and lounge chairs.



Today I have been working on the sub USS Henry L. Stimson.

[Denver Road Doug]

Doug, you sound like my husband!!!

Ouch, sorry!   It was meant more as "keep up the good work!", not the sound of the whip cracking...