Sunday, January 10, 2016

Back into Scale Models

It has been a very long time since I have worked on a model. My dad gave me a couple of his older buildings and I intend to fix them as they haven't held up with children and age. I started with some photos to get an idea of how to start.

Edit - This building is a stave church, which is different from my expectations. I picture stave churches as having graceful sloped components. Now I am off to research more on the topic. Please see my next post.

Front view
(click image to enlarge)
Rear view(click image to enlarge)
Side view(click image to enlarge)

Looking at the damage, I wanted to make a copy first. I took some measurements and sketched out a plan.

Front view
(click image to enlarge)
Side view(click image to enlarge)




I am using I intended to work with balsa wood, but bass wood was the only type available. It is much harder. So using the drawings above, I cut my lengths of wood for the frame and matched them up to the sketch.

Front view
(click image to enlarge)
Side view(click image to enlarge)

And the first problem presented itself. I had measure, sketched, and measured again. The beams are 1/4 inch. I purchased 5/16 inch dowels. That is close, but no cigar.

Since I have a scanner, I quickly ran copies and corrected the sketches.

Front view
(click image to enlarge)
Side view(click image to enlarge)

What I decided was to extend the beams inwards and upwards. Now I have an idea of where to go. 

Tomorrow, I will make a base and start gluing. Look for more updates shortly. 

Friday, January 8, 2016

Saturday, January 2, 2016

2015 Highlight Reel - It's Baymax Cake

My wife's birthday was a mess. She worked the day before, I had to rush ship her gift and I forgot to order the cake in time for her party. For the gift, I ordered a Baymax hoodie, "How to Fist Bump" from Redbubble.



I found one baker who was game for a simply decorated cake on the day of the party. Just Say Cheesecake on Sheridan Drive, Amherst, NY saved my butt and produced the best cake ever.


The kids all shrieked: "It's BAYMAX CAKE!"

Friday, January 1, 2016

Dramascape at Drivethru RPG

Dramascape is a group of arts and writers producing high quality maps and adventures for use with a variety of gaming systems. Dramascape's most recent offering is Fantasy 6 x 6 Tiles available at Drivethru RPG for the unheard of price of whatever you want. The suggested price is $1.99, which is a great deal on a quality set of tiles.

You can use the pay what you want model to give it a product a try and purchase it later. One of the advantages of using DriveThru RPG is their automatic system to deliver a product as a gift.


After going to checkout, all you need to do is enter your payment information and add the recipient's email address and DriveThru takes care of the rest. What a great way to share the gift of game.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The boys and I went to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens again.

This time we saw it at AMC.

Nice place, comfy seats. I haven't been to an AMC theater since high school. They are really great. You sit in assigned seats, but you get a choice of location and every seat is a recliner. It made all 2 hours and 19 minutes perfect.