While I see lots of great interiors in larger scales, the choices for N seem to be quite limited (by size, etc). I've got window shades/curtains available for most of my buildings, which solves most, but I want to have a couple of windows where you can "see in", with lighting. Has anyone found / have any good photos which can be put behind a window to simulate looking into an apartment or other room? This would be for an upper floor flat above a store, etc.
Rick.... I just googled Apartment under "Images" and found tons of kewl looking apartment pics. You could probably just save the thumbnail off the google page and resize it a bit smaller. Glue it to the inside of the window...and BAM !!! Should work...I am thinking any soft lighting behind the print...would give the illusion of lights on in the apartment...just sayin. :tb-wink:
In the past, I just used scraps of styrene or whatever else I could find laying on the workbench. Just a few simple blocks instantly become dressers, beds, and counters.
One more suggestion. Save those old outdated Walthers Catologues. Found many small images for curtains and other items in them including wall paper. For several of my restaurant interiors styrene structural shapes gave the bases for booths, tables, and chairs and the ice cream shop has a set of chest freezers made out of square tube with styrene top doors. And there was an outfit that made interiors for DPM structures.
Yep - looking for all good ideas. I did get some of the new LaserArt Window Treatment assortments and those look great. I'll try a couple of "proof of concept" mock ups this afternoon and post results (not full detailing of the building, no lighting installed, etc). A real fast test (holding a photo with tweezers while my wife held a flashlight shining up from the bottom) seems to say the photo images will work.
Mock up using photos Looks pretty good! Lighting will be LEDs on the back of the front wall. This is just sitting on a fluorescent lamp for now
Have you looked into 1/144 scale doll house stuff. Here is one site I found http://sdk.miniature.net/144index.htm Some items may be a little large, but most are close enough for N scale use. Dave
Has anyone scratchbuilt floors for a Walthers Union Station or similar? Looking for a floor pattern which is close but not exactly like the marble checkerboard pattern. Like the idea of using photos for the windows to simulate interior but the union station is a big space.
I used the 1/8" square tile styrene sheets for the floor of my station You can sort of see the pattern, here You can either paint them, overall, a marble-y color mix (mine is mottled), or another idea would be to print a sheet with the pattern you want on a full sheet avery label, and then apply that to some styrene and use that as the floor. I wouldn't recommend trying to paint a checkerboard pattern in N-scale :tb-biggrin:
There is a guy selling N scale store interiors on the Bay. They look good but a bit pricy. Check: http://www.ebay.com/sch/solvesin/m...._trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649&_trksid=p4340.l2562 Charlie
Lo Cascio Originals (http://www.lcoriginals.com/mrindex.html) makes some interesting interior "kits" for some of the DPM buildings. They include cut'n'fold walls and floors, window inserts, plastic tables, chairs, desks, etc - Also, Tobias Locomotive Works used to make resin interior details for some of the DPM buildings (although I think they're out of business now) - Cheers, -Mark
OK, here's one shot with three specific examples. These are all real structures in Flagstaff: 1) The Grand Canyon Cafe is with a Miller Engineering cafe interior. It's lit at night so it shows rather nicely, but during the day, notice you can't see it all that well. 2) The antique store next door is done with shots of the ACTUAL INTERIOR put behind acetate. It's pretty effective. 3) But the NAPA store was a real nightmare. Photos again, of the actual building - with a little saturation and contrast added in Photoshop, did the trick. The "OPEN" sign in particular would be next to impossible to do with any other method.
The Cherylton A&P grocery store on the JACALAR Well, here's the finished product. On the ground floor is an A&P grocery, with four flats above. and a closer view Lighting isn't quite so harsh in "real life", and that hot spot in upper right window is not as apparent. Will be putting in some details (shelves, people, etc) into the ground floor store. (ah, S&H Green Stamps -- after my parents died and we were cleaning out the house, we found a partial booklet which had never been redeemed)
Rick....I think for downloaded pics of apartments...resized...cut out...glued in...and lit...its awesome. :thumbs_up: The flourescent lighting in the store. The ecendesent lighting in the flats. Offset and compliment ech other just great !! :tb-cool: Sure cant beat the price either :tb-wink:
Thanks George. Worked out real well. Most of my other upper-floor windows I just went with shades and black, but wanted one building to have "life" upstairs. A bunch of the downstairs retail spaces will be filled in. Hope to have most of the back part of Cherylton done by year's end.
That building looks great! I know what you mean about hot spots. When it comes to night lighting its best to see it in person.
I like how the gun store has a Playboy Bunny, a case of assault rifles, handguns, and an anterless deer.
