Wait! Is that a Total Recall Johnny Cab tucked away there?

The buildings are astounding! In the direct sunlight there is no distinguishing them for the real thing. On the other hand, I don't recall a lot of sunlight in the cinematic version of 'Do androids dream of electric sheep?'

Been following this build for awhile from the [metaphoric] shadows, and loving every bit of it. Keep posting, my friend!

Mind blowing for sure!!!!!

I have some comments but I think I would rather watch how you pull it together. I think it's amazing. I like how the whole thing looks in the sun light but I think this will look best if it's photographed like night or hazy air. I'm thinking the light test you did with the light box with color films will really work great here.

Thinking of the way the scene is building I'm thinking about the timeline of events. From the way the people are positioned in the scene I'm getting the feeling whatever has happened had not just happened but the scene is still not under control by the authorities. It's more like the dust is settled and the bad guys are under control but that's about it. The people are not still trying to avoid the scene but not being roped off from the scene yet. Not sure if this makes sense but just trying to get a "felling" of the scene here.
I said way too much so I'm going back to the shadows and watch as you work magic.

Dave

Hey Nick, you sure do a lot of progress in a short time frame. That military vehicle reminds me a bit of the Halo Master Chief ride. It looks great! The details on building are top notch as always. So far, everything you've done on this dio fits really well and it's another masterpiece! I'm glad to hear that you will be adding lights on this dio it will add a lot to the finished product. Thanks for sharing your work brother!

JGphins

Your crowd of amassed on lookers is so well done! I love the variety you have created of very realistic poses. I is almost as though I recognize some of the people in the group!

Hi Nick,

You just keep on raising the bar higher and higher every time I drop in to look. This build is simply amazing.

Keep up the excellent work - I'm enjoying every update.

This build is an inspiration to me and, I'm sure, many others out there.

Regards,
Kobus

Nick simply brilliant man , beautiful work !!!
The daylight shots are the real deal , looks just like Patterson N.J.
Dude , ya know what would be cool ............. wait for it ..................... how bout adding some lights

Sorry I first mentioned it back in the beginning ........

Awesome work Nick !!!

Very inspiring work there!
Those buildings look very real with the natural lighting. You had me fooled for a sec.
Love that vehicle too!

Manhole covers are easily made at home. I made one once using surplus German tank wheels, parts of a Panther sprocket for one.

Truly you are an inspiration to us all here. Very very nice work. You never seizes to amaze me my friend.

Hello model builders,

Today, fun with the airbrush:

First step, assume you remembered to leave the compressor on from when you last used it only about 45 minutes earlier;

Then, quickly check the parts on the airbrush that are supposed to move do so;

Pour in an ample amount of paint;

Go at it…but why, after only a few seconds, does the performance drop off, and fast? Hmm? Gummed up so fast, that’s weird…do some quick thinking, make an adjustment or two…hmm, now nothing is spraying at all…go for a quick clean of the tip….hmmm…what’s wrong with this thing???...Yeah…the compressor needs to be running to make the paint come out! It really helps….nice.

As this realization is setting in, you guessed it…the paint is drying in the gun….good times...

Once again, you all have come in strong with the comments and ideas – Thanks!

Mark, glad you decided to emerge from the shadows! Yes, or, uhh no, there won’t be sunlight when this is done – ‘Androids might dream of electric sheep’, but only in the dark! The outdoor photos are just so nice and clear!

Hi Dave – you have been really thinking about this! Thanks very much for doing so. Yes, there will be a few mini scenes – the crowd gathered, has arrived after the calamity – but as these are strange times, people are interested and even amused, but not all that alarmed!

On to scene two, still to be added – an MATV arriving and soldiers getting out to find the bad guys, near our colorful cast of street people; and our hero, or my version of “Decker” and maybe his partner arriving next to the ladies having a look. Finally, a rag tag group of villains, will be seen finding brief haven in the loading dock, in a yet to be built building, “just around the corner”.

Central to all of this will be a hipster open air bar on the corner!
Ought to be simple – haha!

Hi Joaquin, so much for all my progress – not much done this week as you’ll see below, a big slowdown…just ran out of initiative last week! I added some building floors and interior walls…slow, dull stuff….and an overhead utility truss (subject of the adventure in painting noted above….thanks for taking the time to comment!

Hi Mike – I’m glad you like those guys and gals! It’s been fun building non-period (that is trying to match real uniforms etc) specific figures – other features like the manhole covers and maybe a grate or two to be added…Thanks for dropping by.

Hi Kobus, thanks very much for the support! I appreciate it – hopefully it can keep moving in the right direction….

Hi Cheyenne – Patterson NJ eh? I’m sure that each, or almost of each of the cities we live in or know of has “that” part of town, you know, across the tracks??? Let’s keep going with it!

Hi Ron, glad to hear that it’s convincing and that the bad guy mobile passes your “eye” test! I’ve found “what if” vehicles to be easier said than done!

Hi Charles – great to hear from you, and I appreciate your words! Very positive to read –

Ok, on to today’s post.

YES – this will, one way or other eventually get lights – each of the floors, and some walls I’ve added have holes cut through in order to allow for some rudimentary wiring. As of now, I’m anticipating one string of lights running throughout.

PLUS (should I figure out how to gracefully do it) colored lights in key locations! I think the trick will be camouflaging the wiring (paint + weather, just out in the open)…I’m guessing this will include back lighting, and up lighting. The goal will be twofold – first creating bright, garish lighting in the bar, and ambient color (ala neon “feel”) in other places.

We’ll all see if I can pull this off! If not, I’ll just “pull the plug” on the lights! Haha, I couldn’t resist (ha, a bad wiring pun) that one….haha – OK – no more.

I am planning a big, vertical marquee in front of the hipster bar. In addition, the bar will have a one and a half or two story high ground floor – sort of extravagant really…packed with all sorts interior parts and people – ideally, quite the colorful “scene” – In a sense, all of this “action” will be a bit of a brief distraction, allowing our bad guys (albeit right next door) to catch their breath, as the good guys have just arrived – and they will no doubt only briefly be distracted by all of this!

The building with the tall red sign will eventually get a back wall, and the “penthouse” will get side and back walls, plus, a roof! – I just ran out of energy this time through….


Ok, enough rambling - here we go – take a look:















And that's exactly where it sits right now - I'll take care of some odds and ends, then need to pick the next project - the MATV? or, the last building - - I'm leaning toward the MATV - I'm a bit sick of the buildings! they are big and slow going....and, the last building will be the most complicated....while the MATV is not an easy build, and I will be modifying it, at least its more or less a kit! and not all scratch built...

OK - happy model building!

Nick

As always I LOVE IT! ! ! !

I really like the industrial bridge/cat walk at the end of the street to grab you eye and let you sort of go no further. Perhaps also a cloth sign banner? - when your translator can get to it - (or laundry) hanging from the bridge or on their own cables strung across the street to further stop your eye at the edge of the world.

Perhaps also sagging phone and electrical lines between the buildings, hanging across the streets for sort of a "spider web of humanity" affect. (But I am betting you probably already planned for those once the buildings are permanently in place.) I think I see some already.

A bunch of years ago I had real success with gluing 12V. grain of wheat bulbs into small brass tubes to make "can' style up lights and down lights as well as spot lights. The spot lights where just supported on their own wires so they were positional after installation.

I ran them off a left over D.C. toy train transformer which made them dimmable. I always kept them a bit below maximum voltage and never had a single one burn out in 2-3 years of frequent operation.

Some spot lights thrown up across building one's screen wire façade would look really cool!

I know with me everything is over kill but none the less here goes with the can lights.

I used just a little bit of regular Elmer's Glue to hold the light bulb in the brass tube.


Always operate below maximum voltage and allow an airspace between the metal lamp structure and any support materials.
(Almost the same warning you will read whenever installing flush mount ceiling lights in your home!)

Spectacular is the word I keep going to,as it fits the best here I think?
J

Words fail me... I would like to travel to an expo to see all this stuff for real and then throw in Ken Hamilton and his work as a bonus!

Amazing, just amazing...

Hey there Nick, progress is progress. I know way too much about losing initiative as it relates to staying on top of a large diorama build. Been there... I find that sometimes it's helpful to just stop for a while then hop back on when the moment is right. The Iraq dio I'm working on now is my first attempt at this scale and by far my largest attempt. It does get difficult after a while in regards to planning and executing your thoughts out with so much going on but it's really cool to sit back and take a look at the progress of our efforts. I admire all the work and creative thinking on all your projects shared thus far. Excellent technique and skills on every project displayed. It's all the little things that makes it special. Thanks again for sharing the art work. It provides me with inspiration to continue forward no matter how fast or slow the rate my be. Also glad that you are incorporating light sources onto the build. I strongly believe that it just takes a great build to another level of excellence. Enjoy & happy modeling!

JGphins

Oh cool , an update .....................
Jesus palomino Nick , sucker is lookin as real as real can get .
No need to drop back and punt , this is a score .
Love all the nitty gritty man keep slumin it up , more garbage and detritus , ........ it's beautiful .

This is really coming along Nick, keep it up!!!
Really like the resident "rabble" emerging from the shadows, great balance to it all. I agree w/ what Joaquin said, everything really fits. With all that's going on there's always a threat of it maybe being too much. This is spot on IMHO

Salute to you!
Cheers Dave

Hi model builders - - I am squeezing this in during a break at the office - - so, I cant go on and on!

First though, thanks to all of you guys for taking some of your time to leave some comments! As has been the case, a great combo of new ideas, and support - and I appreciate both!

Mike - wow - you do have lots of good ideas - I think for this, I'll start with LEDs = I hope they work!!!

Jerry - - Or, a "spectacular" amount of time spent on a never ending build!! hah - I'm still building!

Well Patrick as is the case with my builds, when they're done, off to collect dust! it's the process!

Joaquin, Cheyenne, and Dave - - yeah, as you each know, you've got to keep marching - and keep marching on the same path - so, more odds and ends to build, and more odds and ends to make look like they're from a different era! So, that's my story -

Please take a look - I decided the MATV could wait a while and onto another building (this might not have been a good idea - this building is a lot of work!!). I realized that the project will actually need four and not three buildings - really a result of practical constraints - building three became three and four!

On to building three....yea, really an easy concept, practically builds itself....No, actually it doesn't - you can see, I dove right in - essentially using a sandwich construction technique - lets hope it works:

First step, a few floors:







and with some context:



This is the second floor:









And there you have the makings of my hipster bar lounge - the plan is to make this one really jump off the board - lights, color, lots of figures - the idea: action/nightlife/turmoil between our good and bad guys. It has been a lot of work though - and pretty slow going - the dude abides, and keeps building!

Thanks for checking it out -

Nick

Slow going? You have only been at it for 2 months and roughly 2/3 done. I would still be working on the curb or the first building's foundation.

At first I thought the curved section was an revolving door. Interesting element to the scene.

Hi Nick, nice design and interesting look on not only this new building but the entire project. Looking forward to your powered light additions... Something that I am considering to incorporate into my build as well. I have watched a few wiring videos but they seemed a bit complicated. I'll re-visit and determine best options when the time is right but will be careful to not over do it since my dio has huge amounts of battle damage everywhere thus power should not even be generated due to infrastructure destruction.

Thanks for the update. Looking forward to your next one already!

JGphins

Go-go dancers in the round balcony?!?!????

Pardon my enthusiasm but EVERY sci-fi B movie seems to have go-go dancers or something more risque tucked away into a little corner somewhere.

Really nice work Nick, this keeps getting better and better.

Dave

This is Nick as usual.
Nothing seen for a while and then...SHAZAAAM !!!
A very impressive update showing innovative modeling ideas done with all sorts of multi-media materials. I also see no gobs and smudges of glue anywhere on that very complex balcony thingy,which would be all over one of my builds,following generous amounts of cursing and turning the air blue,as they used to say.
J

Maybe some pinups somewhere might work nicely or posters of some sort. It looks like a nightclub entrance to me, so there's all kinds of possibilities there. Hey, maybe even a bouncer or two.

Fantastic work Nick, looking forward to seeing what's next.

ick

Beautifully orchestrated and fantastic construction technique all as usual! Brilliant!

Mike

p.s. Go-go dancers on the second floor would certainly be a possibility!

Hi Guys -

thanks for dropping by and leaving a few comments -

I realize, I need to make a few clarifications

Ryan, well, you're right about time...more on that later! keep reading But, as to the curve/cylinder...more on that too!

Hi Joaquin - I HATE WIRING! anything to do with it - why? because my track record is so bad....so, this will be quite an undertaking! You and I might have different challenges ahead - I'll need at least this building (above) to be lit up bright - and dim lights nearby creating ambient "glow" -

I'm guessing aside from a few floodlights (seems I saw plenty of them lighting up weird places/corners of parking lots/dumpsters etc in the ME/NA), and the few interior lights - yours will be more nuanced! good luck to both of us!

Hi Barry - - you're not far off the mark - not sure if go go dancers per se, but, yes!

Hi Dave - thanks for taking the time!

Jerry - -yes, your comments and Ryan's correlate - I mention time/slow going etc - you hit the nail on the head - maybe complicated and tedious = TIME - thanks for the words bubba - you know how much fun/challenging?? it is to get all these dissimilar parts to be friendly!

And, Gareth - yep - the "big curve" will project over the front entry to my "club" - there will be a two story ceiling up front - visible behind the curved window wall. And, yes, there will be some interesting women!

OK -= a brief post today -

You may have already noticed - this building has a lot of styrene - a special tip of the X-acto to Mike (165thspc) for this - he suggested early on experimenting with the corrugated plastic - and here we are! The only odd thing, its gluing properties/characteristics seem very inconsistent - sometimes quick and easy - other times - NOT - and quite frustrating!

please take a look - inside and outside of lower, front two walls:









You'll see lots going on - materials etc - its hard to tell in these pics - but, the wall has been built this, as it will be seen from angles - and it it were left thin - well, not great!

OK - and for the quiz today - guess what this might be used for:



OK - have a good one!

Nick