Augusta & Sara Creek RR
New Member
Hello everyone
I recently discovered the Bachmann Cityscape kits and bought the Ambassador Hotel off eBay. In this thread I would like to share my experience building the kit.
The model looks quite attractive on the box cover, even in all its shiny plastic glory
My first step was to spray paint all the sandstone parts, shade them with a medium brown wash and finally highlight everything with a very light grey.
Since the building will be rather large, I made a wooden base of very thin four-layered plywood, which I salvalged from various furniture some time ago. That gave a nice and stable foundation for the building and the sidewalks. I made room in the back of the building for a small loading scene and other details.
The large doors facing the main staircase would allow a lot of light to enter the interior, so here I placed some tile paper from Scalescenes.
The sandstone windows on the first floor are rather large, so I decided to create a bit of interior decoration so the insides wouldn't appear as an empty shell. The left side of the hotel would house the restaurant, so I gave it a light wooden floor and scratchbuilt some tables and tablecloths. The wallpaper is also from Scalescenes and the door came from my bit box.
Since I model the 1930's I decided to cut open the gate on the left side of the photo, because it looked much too modern for my taste. But I wonder what the purpose of the gate is, since two loading docks are present on the back of the building? Perhaps it is a way of getting large amounts of luggage inside?
On the right side I made room for the lobby. I had run out of the printed floors from Scalescenes, so I just used a brush to imitate a wooden floor. It will be quite dark in there, so I hope it will look OK from the outside.
The furniture is made from wooden strips and balsa.
On the outer wall I placed some more decorations from Scalescenes to make the lobby look comfortable
The interior is very visible in the light, but I wonder how it will look once the upper floors are installed?
A simple counter to act as background for photos taken in front of the hotel.
It looks somewhat bare from the outside, but I hope it will suffice once the darkness descends upon the interior.
The two large back walls were a bit of challenge to glue, but it always helps using Scotch tape for keeping the corners together. In the backyard, there will be room for a small scene and lots of junk!
The result of three evenings worth of building, seen from above. I am really enjoying this kit
The restaurant now also has a waiter, chairs as well as a painting. I look very much forward to adding details to the sidewalks as well. I enjoy searching for period photos from Eastern cities for inspiration and the internet is literally filled with great inspiration.
Happy new years everyone!
- Benjamin
I recently discovered the Bachmann Cityscape kits and bought the Ambassador Hotel off eBay. In this thread I would like to share my experience building the kit.
The model looks quite attractive on the box cover, even in all its shiny plastic glory
My first step was to spray paint all the sandstone parts, shade them with a medium brown wash and finally highlight everything with a very light grey.
Since the building will be rather large, I made a wooden base of very thin four-layered plywood, which I salvalged from various furniture some time ago. That gave a nice and stable foundation for the building and the sidewalks. I made room in the back of the building for a small loading scene and other details.
The large doors facing the main staircase would allow a lot of light to enter the interior, so here I placed some tile paper from Scalescenes.
The sandstone windows on the first floor are rather large, so I decided to create a bit of interior decoration so the insides wouldn't appear as an empty shell. The left side of the hotel would house the restaurant, so I gave it a light wooden floor and scratchbuilt some tables and tablecloths. The wallpaper is also from Scalescenes and the door came from my bit box.
Since I model the 1930's I decided to cut open the gate on the left side of the photo, because it looked much too modern for my taste. But I wonder what the purpose of the gate is, since two loading docks are present on the back of the building? Perhaps it is a way of getting large amounts of luggage inside?
On the right side I made room for the lobby. I had run out of the printed floors from Scalescenes, so I just used a brush to imitate a wooden floor. It will be quite dark in there, so I hope it will look OK from the outside.
The furniture is made from wooden strips and balsa.
On the outer wall I placed some more decorations from Scalescenes to make the lobby look comfortable
The interior is very visible in the light, but I wonder how it will look once the upper floors are installed?
A simple counter to act as background for photos taken in front of the hotel.
It looks somewhat bare from the outside, but I hope it will suffice once the darkness descends upon the interior.
The two large back walls were a bit of challenge to glue, but it always helps using Scotch tape for keeping the corners together. In the backyard, there will be room for a small scene and lots of junk!
The result of three evenings worth of building, seen from above. I am really enjoying this kit
The restaurant now also has a waiter, chairs as well as a painting. I look very much forward to adding details to the sidewalks as well. I enjoy searching for period photos from Eastern cities for inspiration and the internet is literally filled with great inspiration.
Happy new years everyone!
- Benjamin
