Hi All, I've been in this forum for a while and thought I'd share a local scratch build with you.
What's a "Ready Room"? I asked myself the same question when a fellow modeler asked me to scratch build one for a local Malaysian Independence Day GB.
The Project was to do an airfield in Alor Setar Kedah where a Squadron of Brewster Buffalos were stationed during the early hours of the Japanese invasion of Malaya. Everyone else built the planes and airfield and I was tasked to do the "Ready Room". I got some sketches from a friend and to my surprise it was an attap hut on stilts. The following are the sketches of the Ready room and plan of the airfield. The whole project will be in 1/48 scale.
The Ready Room will be in the top left hand corner.
The scratch build begins:
I started off with the stilts made from plastic beams including the stairs.
Then the base was made from mounting board scored to simulate wood floor planking.
Then the frame was measured and cut from balsa and attached with UHU glue.
The roof was supported with card
At this stage I had stained the balsa with brown paint weathered it including the floor.
The walls of the porch were made from strips of coconut bark I got from the garden. It's the stuff that clings to the base of the stem of the palm frond.
The inside got the same treatment. Attap huts only had one side of the walls covered.
Notice the exposed frame.
The next few pictures will show the addition of the zinc roof for the porch made from corrugated card I got from the stationery shop. I painted it and weathered it with light grey and Humbrol Leather which is one of the best hues for rust for me.
The roof also got the same treatment of coconut bark strips to simulate attap.
Next I made the bamboo chicks from type writing paper. I drew the lines with a waterproof ink pen and added the wash colors to create the faded look of the paint.
I added fabricated furniture for the Ready Room using material from wooden tongue depressors.
And I made a chalk board and door from balsa.
These are the pix of the build on the stilts with 1/48 Monogram pilot for scale effect.
I apologise for not having the finished building together with the chick blinds and furniture as I had to rush it to the GB. I hope to get some pictures of it at the event and will post it later.
Thanks for looking. C & C welcomed.
Cheers,
Richard