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There was an article on how to kitbash the Ameri-Towne buildings in the OGR Magazine (I believe) ... by this, I mean using the building side walls and back as an extension of the front wall.  (In a somewhat straight line.)  I have a real small depth area on my layout in which I would like to give the appearance of buildings but only have 3" - 4" of depth.  I plan on using the building's fronts and attaching the side walls to the building fronts to give the appearance of a bigger storefront.  Cutting down the 3 story buildings to 2 stories and using the extra story as an extension of the storefront.

If anyone remembers the article, please let me know which issue it is located in and possibly a page number reference.

Or if you have any suggestions on gluing techniques of attaching the storefront to the building side to give the appearance of a bigger storefront ... please let me know.

Thanks ...

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Here are a few building flats using Ameri-Towne parts. The same techniques would apply to making a longer building by joining parts such as storefronts, etc. horizontally.

IndustrialRow 022

Here are Ameri-Towne parts combined with an upper level using parts from a different brand kit:

IndustrialRow 028

Parts with doorways can be used on upper levels by adding a small balcony. Also, use wood strips to board up a few windows.

IndustrialRow 060

To join parts, just sand the pieces carefully for a tight fit. Cuts can be made with a Zona (razor) saw (or even a bandsaw to save time and effort).

I use a liquid plastic cement such as Bondene to join pieces and then reinforce the joint with wood strips attached with a contact cement such as Plumber's Goop or Walther's Goo.

Sometimes, I also hide joints with a thin strip of styrene on the front of the flat. Also, some roof trim, cornices, or other details are removed to fit pieces together.

I did a two part article in OGR Runs 234 and 235 about kitbashing Ameri-Towne buildings.

Jim

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Last edited by Jim Policastro

Those are some really great kitbashed buildings. I've done those as well. A little bit of work to cut the Ameritowne sections down and make them fit. If you have power tools, however, it shouldn't be that hard. I'll give you one other thought, depending on how far back the buildings are and if there are other buildings that block some of the views. I've had very good success with adding sides to Ameritowne fronts from Gatorboard and then painting (spray can) the sides the same color as the front. Since these were background structures and the sides are pretty narrow, it's barely noticeable and I often added wall billboards to the sides and vines on the seams that show or weren't adequately blocked by other structures. Very easy to do and very inexpensive. Regardless of what method you use, just make sure you brace the inside with stripwood which will make the side/front wall connections very sturdy. Just a thought. 

Jeffrey:

Plastic to plastic I use Plastruct Plastic Weld. It will melt the plastic and fuse parts together. If you are thinking wood then a good CA glue will suffice.

In addition if you are cutting walls and re-gluing it is a good idea to cover the joint with a piece of plastic for the added re-enforcement. Also make sure the surfaces to be glued are sanded flat.

Joe

glue, of course, depends on what you're gluing . For Ameritowne, I've usually used 5-minute epoxy. Gives you time to work before setting and a very strong bond. You can certainly use CA glue, but if so, I use the medium density as the thin version sets way too fast for me. Even the medium is a bit quick. Also, I hate glueing my fingers together (but, that's just me, I guess). CA holds well but, it doesn't have the tensile strength I like. If you bend a CA joint a bit too much, it will "crack" and separate. For the inside corners, you can use hot glue as Pete said (I never thought of that). It's a good idea. I use 3/16" or even 1/4" strip wood. Most glues on the wood to the wall will work,  even tacky glue, especially if the inside is painted as the glue bonds with the paint. You can also use Goop. As the wood is porous, you want something with some thickness so it doesn't get absorbed before curing. 

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