While there's no photo, I finally got the last light pole in and lit. I had to replace the LED, which BTW: I'm getting pretty good at, and replace the LED Driver chip in the driver board. It took almost an hour. Ugh!
Then I got to work in earnest to create the Heritage Park, which is what I'm calling it since it's going to have a relic Sherman tank on it. I put the Sherman drawings onto some cardboard so I could see it on the base. I followed the same process I used for the parking lot. Which is:
- paper template
- cardstock template
- clean out any interfering Sculptamold
- transfer template to Masonite
- cut Masonite with saber saw
- using 1/8" strips create packing to raise base to proper height and provide curb
- glue packing in place
- sand curb edges so they look like a solid
- scribe pavement and curb
- install sewer inlets
- paint concrete areas
- set down basic ground cover
- glue on corner columns
- lay out, drill and place fencing
- Finish landscaping
- place tank
- wire lighting.
I decided to design the two columns next to the gate with its own lighting fixture á lá the Chandelier project. I made the column hollow to accept the LED, and designed the globe which I'll print separately with the transparent resin that I just ordered today. The columns are now printed and are waiting downstairs. Out of the 10 I set up, 6 were successful and 4 are not to be found. I only need 6. If I have to print more I will.
I used a sharpened putty knife to remove the excess STM that would force the base to not sit flat.
Here's the paper template in place. I have to cut relief for the crossing gate machinery in the lower right corner. The watchman's tower will sit on top of the base.
Here's the tank cut out sitting on the base. It's a true 1:48 drawing. The cars on the street look a little big compared to the tank because they're all that 1:43 British O'gauge stuff. It's too bad that we're saddled with all these oddball scales. Cars and small trucks at 1:43, construction equipment and Corgi fire engines at 1:50 which is closer to O'scale than the cars. And for the very few things, Classic Construction Models makes a line of die cast equipment at exactly 1:48. The tank will be Tamiya and it's 1:48. I can't forget that there needs to be a sidewalk around the street sides and that will reduce the actual display space for the Sherman. I also need some drivers in those cars...
And here's the support glued to each other and ready to glue to the base. The piece on the curve does not have to be flush to the edge since that edge will be filled with STM, again, just like the parking lot. I'm holding off doing that work on the parking lot until this piece is in also so I only have to get sloppy with the plaster once.
I will be very happy to get this last bit of unimproved real estate to finally have some purpose. The Rail Scale Fencing is in the mail so the whole deal should be done by end of next week or sooner.
