The new section of my downtown, San Beattadaise, is shaping up nicely.
I've completed all the Superstreets-based city streets escept for adding the drains in the gutters and reinstalling a few manhole covers. Because this is a newer section of town (both actually and in the imaginary world I model) the asphalt is newer and therefore I made it a slightly shader darker. I was surprised when I went to paint the street that I had mixed exactly the color and shade that Superstreets roads are cast in- but of course I painted all of it anyway, not just the wooden parking lanes I add: when painted, it loses that plastic sheen so it's flatter and a bit more realistic looking, and Ialso had several sections of EZ-Streets mixed in, which wasdarker still).
Ultimately I made five foamcore board building fronts: the one I posted last week and three others I used as a block front at the top of the hill. None are more than 1/2 deep. One I made into a 3D building (zoom picture with the guy leaning out the window). The large department store (I'm printing up a Woolworth's sign for it tomorrow) has 1/4 inch deep display windows with plastic figures posed as mannequins behind plastic film windows. That gives it a good 3D look.
I'm now about to begin the stage I love best, which is fitting out the buildings in real detail (I try to match the detail in Woodland Scenics built ups or better) and adding street detail: cars realistically parking with wheels turned to the curb, fire hydrants, mailboxs, bus stop benches, parking meters, street signs, etc., etc. -- even litter in the street, etc.
Lower San Beattadaise in the foreground, Upper portion of downtown circled in red.
