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

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