Well, as it turns out, that Art Deco Caricature thing was just too big. I had to tone it down a bit, so this is how it turned out in the end. I made a new front panel for the box, and I cut a piece of plastic for the screen. I did not like the black LCD panel, so I spray painted the plastic white, then placed it in front of the LCD and although the screen is opaque and washed out, it has that projection look I was after. I had to have a snack bar and projection booth so this is what I came up with. The restrooms are at the back. I probably should have put lights in there, but I was not thinking. I put some dim white LED's inside the projection room and the snack bar area, trimmed with just the right resistors to give the glow I was after. I did not want it to be too bright as the movie is playing after all. Notice the single speaker on the pole to the left of the snack bar. I made both single and double speaker poles. I also needed a ticket booth, so I built a 2 lane booth. I still need to make signs and stuff, but I did get the interiors complete with people and ticket windows done: At first I did not know what I was going to do about speakers but I came up with a way to laser cut some, that allowed me to make all the speakers, 125 cars worth, in less than an hour. I had cut them from 1/16" Basswood, and cut alignment notches above the centerlines for the pole. Then with all the speakers still in the piece of wood, I drilled through the center edge of the wood for the poles, and just popped them out of the wood ready to go. I super glued .012" wire in each, then dipped in silver paint and laid on a paper towel to dry. They are a little large, but acceptable for now: I took the module to the Pleasanton GATS, and although there is still stuff I want to add, it is acceptable for now. The plastic sheet that I sprayed white helps hide the fact that the screen is a dark LCD. Without the movie on, it looks pretty convincing as a projection screen. And the good news is, there was not a single stall or derailment on this module, which has Peco flex laid in a superelevated balloon pattern to give 10" and 11" radius turns, instead of the normal 9" and 10" that there would have been without the balloon. It earns the "Bill Housekeeping Seal of Approval" by club members. I still have a lot more superdetailing to do like the "What's Playing" signs, the playground, and more lights, but the module is in a presentable running mode at this point. -Robert
Wow! You have got the skills! Are those marklin cars? They look pretty good. I can't get over the details on the inside! That is insane! Great work.
COOOOOOL This is truly inspiring to watch. Great detail, to bad about the wrong euro type off cars. But maybe you can get some 40-50-60’Th US cars in the future.
It was a fun project. What I did not show is what's underneath this module. There is a color TFT, plugged into a small 2.5" drive DivX player, powered by a 12v and 5v power supply which is also plugged into a 900Mhz video transmitter so I can broadcast video from a wireless camera car. There is also a 5A power supply plugged into an NCE DCC system underneath too. Yes those are Marklin cars. It may be some years till I can get the 40' & 50's style cars I want, but I can use the Marklin ones until the cars I need are available. It's just a simple matter of renting a 3D scanner, scanning a bunch of the HO sized cars, Scaling them down to the correct size, saving them to .STL 3D files, then sending the files off to a 3D rapid prototyping company to produce. -Robert
Robert: That is one of the finest projects I've seen attempted in any scale, no less Z scale. It's a work of art. What is the size of the footprint for the drive-in theater? Stay cool and run steam......
Robert No question about it. It's that time of year alright, You Must be part ELF to be able to get that much great detail down to that size. Tell me. How difficult is it to change that gulb in the projector.......
The whole module is just 2' square, and the drive in area is about 12" x 16" total. I plan on having a trailer park to the right, and some businesses to the left of the theater. As far as the lights go, I tacked all the roofs on with a few minimal dabs of white glue, so I can pry them off later if needed. I used 35mcd green LEDS for the ticket booth, and 60mcd white LEDS for the projector and snack bar lights. All are SMT leds. -Robert
I wrote to Makemymodel about making single wide mobile homes, and to my surprise, he reply. He was interested in making mobile homes, and ask me which types I was interested and did I have pictures. So, knowing how fast they come out with new products, I woundn't be surprise if they have one out soon. John
Hey Robert, That guy in the snack bar window sort of looks like you. I hatched the same idea after seeing the Miller Engineering Drive-in at Rob's in Columbus. I bought my little DVD player, but have started on the project yet. You have set a high bar now. It'll probably be another year before I even start on my project. Does anyone know what the movie with the F-86 fighter jets in it was that was playing on the screen in the famous O. Winston Link photo with the Drive-in in the background (or was it actually the foreground)? From a discussion over on the ZScratch list, my next project may be a Z scale Oscar Meyer Wienermobile to sit in the parking lot at the little leauge ballfield on Art Bildman's module. Randy Smidt
Robert, may I make a small suggestion. It looks that you have a lot of unused space in the back. Move the counter to the left, and the right side wil be the space for a line. You know there is allways a mad rush during intermission.
Haha! I forgot to take pictures of the pizza oven, popcorn machine, hotdog rotisserie, freezers, sink, and grill. There is no space left! I did leave enough room for a playground next to the snack bar though. -Robert
Now that brings back memories too but the playgound at the one near my childhood home was just under the screen. Still, GREAT WORK!!!!!!!
AWESOME (AS USUAL) ROBERT!!! I have but 1 suggestion that would look very cool...the White LED in the projection room should have some random flicker to it, so maybe a little cap circuit that makes it flicker would be very cool, no??? You could even make a circuit that took a video out connection and caused the LED to flicker in synch with what was on screen if you wanted to go crazy... All the same, AWESOME!!!!
Now that's a good idea! I wonder if I use a photocell aimed at the screen through the other projection window, connected to the gate of an FET, to sync the flicker to light from the screen? You got me thinking -Robert
I just stumbled onto this thread tonight. Robert that is one of the most amazing models I have ever seen!!! I cant say enough about how real and awesome it looks. And you are blowing my mind that you did that in Z SCALE!!!! P.S. - Stop with the awesome models....I already said I will never defect......really.....you cant turn me....nope
Yes, Matt, I can't turn you, but your own roving eye might turn you to Z. When I lived in Boise in the 80's and 90's, we had a train shop called Little Bit Junction, and they stocked Z Scale. I was committed to N Scale at the time, but I had a roving eye. Unfortunately, everything Z was european back then. But a couple years ago I started messing around with a little Z, and the next thing I knew, I turned. Now it's Z all the way baby! -Robert
LOL, very cool' I would have to say that I have been tempted (more trains / scenery issue) but man, my big ole hands have a tough time with N-Scale at times (not to mention my spending spree in N Scale)
