RND Modelshop.com

1/2" scale Lighthouse Model

2010-10-07T21:03:00.014-04:00

This is a 1/2" scale Lighthouse model my friend Jon Stewart & I made for the movie "Commandments" back in March of 1996. Jon made the entire body of the lighthouse tower including all of the brick mortars all the way around, the platform & handrail up top and all the underside brick inlay details.
We made this for a couple of blue screen visual special effects shots done on a stage at Universal Studios in Hollywood.
They found that it was easier, safer and cheaper to contract a scale model that to get helicopter shots of a storm sequence 8 stories off the ground on its actual location in upstate New York. Typically miniatures are used for obvious effects like Sci Fi space ships etc, but when done right they could just be everyday shots in a film that blend seamlessly as a cost savings to the overall production.

They needed the interior to be fully functioning, so I made the rotating reflectors from 4 'mini-Maglights' with the really powerful focused beam. I had to cut part of each of the 4 reflectors to fit inside the miniature bezel. There is a 5th bulb on top to light the inner cap of the bezel. Its all made of plexiglas, cut for the ribbed effect, then layered with gold & silver reflective tape.

I made the frame that housed the gears out of 1/8" plexiglas, the gears & variable speed motor are from RC race cars. I soldered wires inside brass rings that are then 'hugged' with ladies hair clips, as a way of transferring the low voltage power to the mag lights above. Otherwise the wires would have twisted into a knot after a few rotations of the bezel above.

The gearbox had to fit under the floor of the lighthouse deck so there is a long brass shaft with the wires inside that goes up through the floor and rotates the bezel above. I had to rig up some power supplies and a transformer with variable speed for the motor, then run all the wires long enough to be several feet away from the lighthouse model and out of the camera shot.

The roof of the dome is made out of 1/16" plexiglas. Each 'wedge' is like a flat slice of pizza that I heated on a cookie sheet in the oven, then pressed between 2 wood forms that I had pre shaped on the bandsaw. The lightning rod, ball & turning underneath are just wood. The vertical windows are also 1/16 plex with thin styrene mullions over the mitered seams. The brickwork along the base is a resin casting bent around a curved form.

Nowadays they would do all of this in a computer rather than make a scale model. Who knows, maybe there were special effects shots in the last program you watched, and didnt even know it!

To see more, please wisit my website RND Modelshop.com

Let me know if anyone has seen the movie!

Stellated Tetrahedron in Cube

2010-07-04T16:26:00.003-04:00

Stellated 4 point Tetrahedron in a Cube displayed diagonal on a stand.The 4 axis of a Stellated Tetrahedron (below) exactly correspond to 4 of the 8 interior vertices of a typical frame Cube. This can be displayed up on its corner, or just flat on a cube surface. It makes a very nice table top geometry sculpture.

The cube is 9" flat, the entire sculpture is aprox 16" tall in the stand. Each is made to orderand wood stained in cherry (red) walnut (brown) ebony (black) or natural as shown (clear coat polyurethane) that turns an amber honey color as the wood ages.

Platonic Solids wood models

2010-06-03T17:23:00.005-04:00

This is the complete set of the 5 Platonic Solids made in wood. These are used in High School & University classrooms, math labs, libraries, and just anyone interested in Polyhedra & Geometry as an art form. A friend wanted a set for his Physics class and couldnt find any that weren't just paper or plastic so I started making them in batches when I discovered that alot of people had been looking online for them. When they are just clear coated, you can see the cross shadows & depth better in a classroom than with dark stain. For anyone who likes them for a conference table, desk or bookshelf, I stain them cherry wood, ebony, or dark walnut then clear coat them. From left: Octahedron, Dodecahedron, Tetrahedron, Icosahedron & Cube. I have a few of the Archimedes Solids on my website, but the entire set is not complete yet. I save all the saw jigs & fixtures so everything can be built again & again.

Dodecahedron made of 20 Triangles

2010-06-03T17:00:00.004-04:00

This is an all wood model made of 60 pieces of wood. Each piece is identical, with combination X,Y & Z miters so they all bevel to the center of the model. Everything is cut on table saws, sanders, carpentry tools etc, no CNC, CAD, rapid prototyping, laser cutting, just old school power tools I stain them different colors or just clear coat so you can see the wood grain better. These were common in the 1950s - 60s as light fixtures in a coffee shop (tupically in orange & white plastic) but I make these in wood, just as really cool art pieces.

Steampunk Sculpture

2010-06-02T20:41:00.007-04:00

Commissioned old world Victorian 'Steampunk' sculpture made of wood & brass. 10" tall.

Technically, its an icosadodecahedron (20 triangles, 12 pentagons) but I used 20 small tetrahedrons (6 pieces ea) so there are 120 pieces of wood just in the icosadodecahedron. That added alot more dimension to the finished piece.

The brass turnings are the knobs that lock down a lampshade, and I made the black 'webbing' in the classic Victorian style from wood. I stained the ball in a rich cherry wood and the base in a lighter apple wood to set them apart. There is a small half round brass nail on each of the tips of the geodesic piece to finish off the Steampunk feel.

....more on the way!

-Ron

Geometric Wood Models / Educational / decor (click here to see more)

2010-02-16T20:07:00.008-05:00

When work got slow during the economic down turn, I had to resort to creating my own pieces that could be made and sold relatively quick. Someone had asked me for a wood model of a geometric piece that they could use in a classroom to help the students visualize geometry in 3D space. These were always a nice challenge and a change of pace. I rip all of the 1/4" strips from 3/4" shelving then cut all of the notches for the pieces to lock together. Everything is pre-cut on 3 axis (X,Y&Z) so that it assembles without any stresses or forced fits. There is actually very little glue involved, the rest is a very snug press friction fit. Over time I built up quite an inventory of geometric pieces. Some are stained, others just get a clear polyurethane coating to show off their wood grain. I have many more built that are still in the camera, I will post more of them here as time permits.

Styrofoam "Pier Pylons" party rental sculpture

2010-02-01T22:33:00.026-05:00

Beach Party theme

Every so often we would get a call to something completely different. A party rental place in San Diego put out a call for some "Pier Pylons" for a Tiki Safari Beach theme party.

Even though we typically do just miniatures, many of the same faux finishing tricks can be used in full scale. Besides, we have the tools, talented people and plenty of space to work. It was a great way to mix and use up paint from previous projects and put it to good use.

We bought 12" diameter cylinders from a company that makes Styrofoam architectural elements for custom houses. We cut the ends off at an angle and rounded the top corners with hand saws. We threw some coals in the hibachi grill and heated up a couple of hatchets nice and hot. Then we would lay the hatchet on the Styrofoam and it would just melt right into it, then wiggle it while slowly dragging it down the cylinder. As it cooled it wouldn't gouge as deep until it finally cooled to the point that it wouldn't gouge at all. Then we just put it back in the hibachi and switch off to the other hatchet. That kept the look very random and organic.We bonded them together with silicone caulk adhesives and then scenic painted them. The drop off pieces we cut up into big rocks. The barnacles were just macaroni shells, the planks were a single "property for sale" sign we found (that guy probably never figured out why his land never sold). We cut jagged lines into it with a jig saw that looked like individual boards. The seaweed was florist lichen and the bird droppings were just globs of white bathtub caulk.

When the truck showed up to get it, they brought along several feet of 2"thick nautical rope that we wrapped around them. They came out great and the client was real happy. We figured that if someone went to put out a cigarette, it would just melt a hole right into it!

Bakery / Sweetshop model in 1/12 scale (P2) >click here to see models on my Flickr page<

2009-11-25T11:26:00.024-05:00

Interior Stairway

On a building that is this complex and detailed, I like to start with the interior and work my way out to the walls rather than start with an empty shell and work inside. Some spaces are going to get pretty tight anyway as time goes on, so I like to finish things out right down to the paint then build on from there.

The first part I made for the interior was the curved stairway. This was thanks to Marsha at Enchanticals for the clever idea :)

I ripped pine strips for the treads & risers then glued them in long extrusions. I then cut the treads to a equal width using a stop block on the band saw. That put a slight V shape on one side which became the inner radius. Everything is constructed on a scrap of 1/4 luan to be cut to finished size later.

To keep the stairway fabrication consistent I found a glass mug with a fairly parallel vertical wall. Each tread is just glued & weighted to the tread below and allowed to dry before adding the next. As the stairs grew I raised the glass with a block of wood underneath.

I did a drawing with a cross section of the entire house on graph paper to work out the stair count, etc to make it easier later on. The landing will become the main floor, the bottom of the stairs will be an implied basement. That will end on a stone floor and be the 'kitchen' area with mainly 'old world' brick & stone construction

Stair Rail Assembly

From the landing on up there was no support under the stairs because I wanted the option to detail underneath. It was somewhat flexible so I made the handrail pieces long enough to reach all the way to the floor. That helped stabilize the piece.

The tall vertical piece is a 3/4 'post' (9"x9" to scale) that will accept the stairway as it continues back around itself. I pre cut a vertical notch in it to lock in the front door, which is set up at the same height as the stair landing. Everything is glued down to the working surface which in turn will be glued to the model base.

The tabs of wood under the landing are just to glue in the sub floor of the first level. Then the finished surface will be 'planks' ripped on the table saw and glued to that sub floor. This locks everything together really tight so it lasts for years.

Bakery / Sweetshop model in 1/12 scale (P1) >click here to see models on my Flickr page<

2009-11-23T22:43:00.031-05:00

Front Door & Stain Glass construction

Layout & fabrication of the front door

For the Bakery / Sweetshop project, I started with the most basic element, the front door. I did a whimsical sketch on graph paper to keep it in a 1/12 scale, then used it as a template to cut the pieces.

I rip all my pieces on the table saw from 3/4" pine shelving, rough shape on the band saw, then clean up on the spindle sander. The clear window is 1/16" clear Plexiglas cut to shape on the band saw.

I like to use 4 penny finish nails as the hinge pins. I always prefer this to store bought miniature hinges that wear down and deform over the years. When I build the threshold and header frame, there are holes to receive the nail heads, with a small washer as a spacer in between. The "Old World" hinges are just made from bits of basswood pieced together in place, drawn black with a sharpie. Because everything is wood (except the clear Plastic of course), its all carefully glued with white glue, then wood stained.

"Coloring" the stain glass

The stain glass "lead" is just a thick black thread about 2mm thick, carefully glued on with white glue. As a rule, it doesn't stick to clear Plexiglas in the long term, but it will hold it down long enough to drip in the color inks.

The ice cream cone was just an afterthought. Originally, it was just going to be the random pieces of glass, clear in the middle with a color border. This piece is a Sweetshop / Bakery, so it stands to reason there may be ice cream as well, plus the fact that Snowfern makes the most amazing mini ice cream cones :)

The coloring is from the kids 'light catcher' craft toys where you drip the color inks into the clear plastic frames then hang in the windows. For the cone itself I wanted to suggest a shadow by using a drop of brown and several drops of yellow, then carefully swirling them together with a toothpick. This is not unlike old world glass, to have distortions and color variances. The clear is used in the other open reservoirs which completely lock down the black thread to the clear plastic. Use very sparingly for the very first coat because its water based and will dissolve the white glue and the black threads will just liquify into a messy bowl of spaghetti. Just a single drop of clear (or color) and carefully move it to the strings and let it soak in then dry overnight. That locks them down. The next day, refill the reservoirs with multiple coats, filled to the top (the clear is like milk, but dries clear). As it dries it recedes down and can take another coat again in a couple hrs. Mix colors, add clear over colors, have fun with it.

The finished door from the outside

The door and frame should always be a complete unit then installed rather than trying to make it all as separate pieces and build into the wall. Work out any problems on the workbench rather than deep inside a room box.

I cut all 4 vertical frames (2 inside 2 outside) at once on the table saw, then shaped the freehand look on the band saw and spindle sander. The actual jamb is 1/16 thick and follows a parallel cut to the thicker frame, just stepped in slightly.

Only the outer (exterior face) frame & jamb can be cut on the freehand curve. The door itself and the interior frame must be true vertical, or else the door can't swing inward. The effect therefore is an illusion that the exterior face of the door is just as "crooked" as the frame.

The finished door from the inside

Typically an exterior door swings into a house. The exterior side gets the free form crooked frame, but the inside must have a straight vertical frame parallel to the hinges or the door will bind up when you try to open it.

Technically, you could curve the doorknob edge as well like on a Hobbit-type house, I will play around with that on another door sometime.

The header above was stacked pine pieces and parallel cut on the band saw then spindle sanded. The compound curve within was just 2-part polyester resin spread in the stair step, then a dowel with a rounded end drug thru it for the finished effect.

The door now swings nice and free with no friction. The wood fin above is the attachment surface to the rough cut opening in the wall above the door. There are slots along the 2 sides for the same vertically (they just weren't in the picture).

Fantasy Storybook Village Houses in 1/2" Scale >click here to see models on my Flickr page<

2009-11-02T20:14:00.006-05:00

Collectible Storybook Style Cottage Models overview

I own a carpentry shop & art studio with a full compliment of tools from the finest to the largest and have made Architectural, Engineering & Prototype display models as a profession since 1982. We build the display models, pedestals, dust covers, and the crates to ship them in.

Sometimes the work gets slow, and I like to have other creative things to fall back on between big jobs. I began my first old world storybook style cottage in the early 1990s. The first several were exterior only and in 1/2 inch scale. This was mainly to cater to the G gauge garden railroad people, and they are easier to store and display in someones home than many larger 1/12 scale houses.

Modern architectural models are very straight lined and sterile compared to fantasy houses, so it certainly is a nice break from keeping things so precise and by the numbers. Many of the same tricks are used on the table saw, and new ones have to be invented on the fly to get the desired results.

Part of the trick is keeping lines flowing like a freehand sketch. The saw rips everything parallel, so several extra steps are needed to give the distressed look. Most artists and animators strive for a free flowing look, yet not sloppy crooked or 'cartoon town' so there is a balance in between.

I have worked in theme park design for years and many companies do their designing right in their model shops. Often, we may get just a rough sketch and we will flush out many ideas in 3D that aren't always obvious on a 2D drawing. Something like an old world cottage would go from drawings mounted on flat card, then cut and glued in layers to work out overhangs, head clearances, traffic flow, stairways, etc.. then move onto foam sculpting to better refine the details.

When everything is pretty well figured out we go onto the finish model. That's when having a full compliment of tools and a good size work space comes in handy. These being exterior only I can get away with quite a bit on the inside with glue blocks in corners to nail and reinforce to. That's not the case with open back exterior & interior houses. None of these are foam or light duty materials, they are wood, resin castings, plex windows, and can be very heavy.

Over the years I have built up a pretty good library of silicone molds of bricks, railings, stones, window frames, shutters, doors... many scales & styles from old world to modern. These come in handy with repetitive installations and saves time & hand work. I keep wood 'plugs' for each profile piece to act as a template when I assign a door or window to a particular place. After the irregularities of the stucco effect is put on, the plug is removed, and the casting fits right inside.

When complete, its painting, age and weathering for that "Old World" type of look. Very little is air brushed because there are so many tight places to get up into, under and behind. When I do larger houses with interiors, I like to build from the inside out, with paint, textures and finishes completely done as I go along. Exterior walls are actually the last built.

I hope this has been informative! More will follow as I try to show some step by step on construction ideas for these and other styles of miniatures. Most people don't have access to the larger power tools and dedicated space, so I focus more on the architectural elements rather than the details that dress it out (foliage, furniture, collectibles, etc). I like to get it out to the collector to finish it out and personalize it however they wish.

I hope to hear from you any questions or comments!

Ron Nelson / Artisan of Ocala, Florida