"Easy Pickins"

[GCB]

Amazing!

 

[Steve Ski]

Thank you, G!

 

[Steve Ski]

Lean-to/Shop Layout

Moving right along we have the basic layout for the lean-to/shop area. I will certainly need to make more grass tufts of the light green variety and some tall chutes as well, but this portion should be much less laborious. Once this area is completed with the Harley and Ranger locations tested, I will close this area out.

As you can see from these different angle shots there is a sense of something missing, at least to me there is. I'm thinking more tools hanging from the fence wall and some of the beam portions, plus I think the top of the barrel needs some kind of additional feature. I was thinking the smaller chain, but not sure. I'm open to suggestions if ya got em.

Glenn has found some great cluttered shop pics I need to dig into, but if yall got any more suggestions, let er rip. I need this shop area looking old and slightly neglected, dusted out, and as realistic as possible. I'm also considering a cobweb or two in the rafter beam support areas. In this scale this is very possible as it would not be too difficult to make, but I will forego the geometry involved in a larger web. That would be an interesting project I'm not really into right now, HA!

Thanks for watchin and please holler if ya got any suggestions. Cheers, Ski.

 

[Edbert]

I'm open to suggestions if ya got em.

I'm just trying to be brave and use Evergreen styrene and some wire stuff, so scratch-building is not part of my repertoire.

However, I do see things that stand out which might be easy to address.

Main issue I see is the shop/shed is way too clean. Even a fairly meticulous owner might sweep the open areas, where they'd walk every day. But the parts of the floor under those tools would have some dirt. Maybe a lot, at least piled up by the walls. Those who came through the international depression saved everything. Only other thing I can say is that the ropes appear really stiff, if they were hanging from a peg instead of a curved rope-keeper, the upper curve would be much sharper.

 

[Steve Ski]

Thanks for the input, Edbert. You are correct, the shop is only shown as a basic layout for spatial verification right now. Nothing is "nailed" down just yet. I'm thinking some rags, cig box, etc. Still mulling this over.

 

[kevin]

but if yall got any more suggestions, let er rip.

Horseshoes popped into my head when looking at your pics. The traditional horseshoe hanging on the wall for good luck maybe?

Keep up the good work.

 

[Steve Ski]

Horseshoes popped into my head when looking at your pics. The traditional horseshoe hanging on the wall for good luck maybe?

Keep up the good work.

Now that is an excellent idea, Kevin, thanks! I looked on YT, must too technical, couldn't find a thing on how to model a 1:10 scale horseshoe, so I'll be wingin it.

 

[Edbert]

so I'll be wingin it.

I cannot say if the scale is correct or close, but could you use a staple? The kind meant for heavy-duty staple "guns", they seem like they'd be a good start.

 

[BarleyBop]

Edbert got me thinking...

scale

found this, vintage horseshoe with rulers!



And with your scratch building skill, one option might be to hammer one out of heavy gauge copper or aluminum wire...

 

[wjbrandel]

Don't forget to display it with the opening pointed up so the luck doesn't run out.

 

[Steve Ski]

Excellent thoughts, Gents, thank you very much! Actually, living up here in the boonies we've ran across a very old trash dump and we are constantly finding old nails, rods, horse shoes, etc., in the horse field. Back when this area was first inhabited folks didn't make dump runs, but instead found a place they thought was far enough away and dumped all of their trash. Guys, and this is no Bravo Sierra, my boys and I found a 1960's station wagon cut right down the center, from front to back, next to that pile of junk. Not sure what that was all about, but it's there, lol.

Though we do not personally shoe our horses we still find huge shoes, and even the occasional medium to smaller shoes in the dirt. For a while there the horses were kicking up all kinds of metal stuff, like an older model spiked spur, in their pasture fields. That has tapered over the past few years. For my tiny shoes I ended up using scrap resin chunks and sculpted each one. I was thinking of heavy copper wire, but scraping the groves would be time consuming. I got tired of doing it after #3, so that will have to suffice, HA!

Thanks, WJ, Barley, and Edburt.

P.S. Sorry WJ, no lucky horseshoes in this barn, lol, the Germans are there.

 

[Steve Ski]

Beer Bottle and Clipboards, What the?

Yep, that about sums it up, alright. Needing more smaller items I've gotten some great suggestions, so back to the bench before anymore grass is placed. I made a loop-type clip board, then realized I also needed a standard spring-type clipboard as well. I printed up vintage French sale receipts from the net, cig pack labels, and some box layouts, but I will forgo the card board box. It doesn't fit in the scene correctly and it's too unrealistic in appearance. I really don't feel like going through the trouble to make that item work, so on to the rest.

As you can see from the bench photo, I've made a small metal barrel for odds and ends, tools, etc., plus there is a hanging peg-board in there for placing tools across a 2x4 that will be placed between the heavy beams above the second fence rail. Plus, in that mess is a chunk of heavy sprue for a larger heavy pry bar, and more gears, whatever. There is a set of three horse shoes in there too, but they are slightly covered up. Those will hang by the gate entry, one on the ground, and all of them rusted up good. The empty beer bottles will be dropped in innocuous locations to add to a neglected shop appearance.

I still need to make several oily rags and get them placed, plus I do have a very small grape box on top of the large wine barrel, not photographed. I've gone through my kid's old toys for broken mechanical items trying to find funky odds and ends that will fit the scene without too much suspicion. I'm running out of easy options, lol.

Lastly, I need to keep in mind the dust factor in the end so that everything has a decent coat of dust, but yet there is still a path through the shop for walking. We've all seen it, a well beaten path through a mess of junk with only enough room to walk safely. This won't be that bad, but close enough to see that this place is very close to being abandon. That's why I wasn't concerned about adding anything atop the wine barrel outside. This winery has probably been shut down or the owner has ceased operations for a time, who knows.

So, if you have any more suggestions, please let me know. Yall have come up with some great ones, so don't stop now, HA!

Thanks for watchin. Cheers, Ski.

P.S. Once this shop is done then the fun begins again. I'll be adding some hanging moss from the rafters once the roof gets installed, following Lazlo Adoba's tutorial.
https://www.bookworldws.co.uk/product/lets-build-diorama2/
https://www.amazon.com/Lets-Build-Diorama-Urban-Scenes/dp/9630685159
https://adobaminiatures.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=24
https://adobaminiatures.com/

 

[BarleyBop]

hanging moss

Nice!
Especially like the hoop clip board...

My grandfather managed a country beer store in the 50s, and he still had stuff like that around the house... clerk's visor, rubber stamps, metal armband for keeping sleeves and cuffs clean. He had a makeshift anvil on a stump made with railroad tie.

How about parts for a wine press, and a taster's laddle.



I forget now if you already had plans for spider webs... and I know from experience that nothing attracts hornets in the fall like beer or wine on the patio, so maybe a partially broken nest in a cranny?

Being France, perhaps some herbs, and lavender?
And cigarettes might be 'Gitanes'... big with Québecois in the 60s.



Cheers!