Posts by John

Well deserved comments Leif. You are a man of precision.
John

You know, when you view your work at these magnifications, you really are putting your work under a microscope. This staircase is 1 cm in width. Perhaps as cardmodellers, we should get out those close-up lenses to humble ourselves every now and then! I know I will be going back with a touch-up brush to clean up many white edges and scuffed spots.
John

Wißt ihr, wenn man sich seine eigene Arbeit bei so einer Vergößerung anschaut, legt man sie wirklich unter das Mikroskop. Die Treppe ist 1cm breit. Vielleicht sollte man als Kartonmodelllbauer diese Vergößerungslinse ab und zu mal verwenden um sich selber etwas bescheiden werden zu lassen. Ich weiss, daß ich jetzt wieder rangehen werde, um viele Stellen und Kanten mit dem Pinsel aufzuhübschen.

A closer look...

Before the pillars can be set up on the plinths, the central winding staircase had to be built. This was interesting work. The staircase consisted of six circular pieces that lap jointed themselves as they spiralled upward - three pieces with their printed faces downward; three pieces with their printed sides facing upward. When completed, the edge looked a bit raw and unfinished. I followed Ricardo Leite's idea mentioned in his July 2003 photo review of Hamburger Michel on the Card Modelers online site [http://www.cardmodelers.org/archive/july03/Hamburger.htm] of wrapping the edge of the stairs with a little strip of paper. It really cleaned up the edge and added much to the look of the staircase.

Bevor die Säulen auf ihre Sockel gestellt werden können, muss die Wendeltreppe gebaut werden. Das war eine interessante Arbeit. Die Treppe bestand aus 6 kreisförmigen Teilen, die sich in der Spirale überlappen - drei Teile mit der bedruckten Seite nach unten; drei Teile mit der bedruckten Seite nach oben. Als sie fertig war, sahen die Kanten etwas roh und unvollended aus. Ich bin dann Ricardo Leite's Idee gefolgt, die er im Juli 2003 in seinem Photobericht des Hamburger Michel bei cardmodelers.org [http://www.cardmodelers.org/archive/july03/Hamburger.htm] erwähnt hat. Er hat die Kante der Treppe mit einem dünnen Streifen Papier umklebt. Das hat die Kante wesentlich verschönert und trägt viel zum Gesamteindruck der Treppe bei.

Thanks Leif. Santa has come early with the paints!
I notice an administrative title added to your name now. Congratulations.

Best of the season,
John

...and here is the completed ring.

...und hier der fertige Ring.

This shot shows the covered ring with one capital attached.

Dieses Bild zeigt den beklebten Ring mit einem Kapitell.

A visually interesting part of this cathedral is the eight pillared cupola that sits atop the clock tower. The capitals above the pillars are suspended below a ring that supports the cupola roof. Since a lot of parts depend on this ring maintaining its shape, it was turned on a wood lathe out of a piece of walnut. This photo shows the wooden ring.

Ein visuell sehr interessanter Teil der Kathedrale ist die von acht Säulen getragene Kuppel, die auf dem Uhrenturm sitzt. Die Kapitelle oben an den Säulen sind mit einem Ring verbunden, welcher das Kuppeldach trägt. Da viele Teile davon abhängen, daß dieser Ring seine From behält, wurde er aus einem Stück Walnuss-Holz gedrechselt. Das Photo zeigt den hölzernen Ring.

Thanks Kurt. You have those skills.

Of all the fascia pieces on this model, this one is perhaps the most critical. The eye will go directly to it. I am pleased with how well it is fitting.

Von allen Gesimsen an diesem Modell ist dieses wohl das kritischste. Der Blick fällt genau darauf. Ich bin erfreut wie gut es gepasst hat.

The clock tower assembly went smoothly. Other than adjusting the droop on the balcony roof below it, the little tower is now ready for its upper fascia. The pole rising out of the centre of its roof will be the core of the circular stairway that will wind its way up into the cupola.

Der Zusammenbau des Uhrenturms war problemlos. Bis auf die Anpassung der Dachschräge am Balkon darunter ist der kleine Trum jetzt fertig für das obere Gesims. Der Pfosten in der Mitte seines Daches wird der Kern der Wendeltreppe, welche sich später bis nach oben in die Kuppel windet.

and back...

Left Side...

Views of the cathedral to date:

The middle tower has been attached to the lower tower. It has taken a long time, but finally we are moving onward and upward.

Der mittlere Turmteil sitzt jetzt auf dem unteren Turmteil. Es hat lange gedauert, aber langsam gehts es vorwärts und aufwärts.

The capitals on the lower tower were individually modelled. Here on the middle tower, three capitals are printed on one piece that wraps around the corner pilasters. Faux capitals - deceptively effective!

Die Verzierungen am unteren Turmteil waren noch einzeln dargestellt. Hier beim mittleren Turmteil, sind je drei Verzierungen auf ein Teil gedruckt, welches die Ecke der Pfeiler umschließt. Falsche Verzierungen - mit effektiver Wirkung!

It is good to be back working on Michel. I knew that a challengeing part of the model awaited.
It was expecting too much to have the coping fit around the base of the three pilasters at each corner of the middle tower as printed. There are 16 angles in each coping piece that cover these four corners. A template was built up piece by piece to fit the many angles. The photo below shows one of the assembled templates. Then the template was placed over the printed part and cut out to the new profile. Tricky work, but well worth the effort.

Es ist gut mal wieder am Michel zu arbeiten. Ich wusste, daß mich ein sehr anspruchsvoller Teil des Modells erwartete.
Ich hatte etwas zuviel erwartet, als ich dachte die Abdeckungen unten am Turm würden um die Ecken passen so wie sie gedruckt waren. Es gibt 16 Winkel an jeder dieser Abdeckungen, welche die Ecken abdecken. Ich habe Stück für Stück eine Schablone zusammengebaut, die in alle Winkel passt. Das Photo zeigt eine dieser Schablonen. Diese Schablone wurde dann über das gedruckte Teil gelegt und dieses in neuer From ausgeschnitten. Etwas schwierig, aber es hat sich gelohnt.

Very clean, crisp work. Well done!
John

Hello,
Here is a very nice little model of Meersburg published by Schreiber in 1:300 scale.

Thanks to all who have followed the construction of this castle, provided encoragement and given helpful information. I have learned a lot from your participation. I cherish the aerial photos . Thank you also for the opportunity to converse in English.
John

Here you see the ramp tunnel coming up to the main courtyard. At the top of the ramp is an entrance into the chapel. Furthur to the left is another entrance between the stair towers. There is a little guard house to the right of this door and you will see a guard in a blue uniform standing in the doorway. (The model came with a set of little people in scale.)

Well, the deed is done. Hohenzollern is complete. I mentioned in my opening remarks at the beginning of this build that this model was the oddball of the Schreiber line. However, it has been pointed out to me that it was a very early model. Schreiber trees now are three dimensional and built up from the trunk to the crown. Papers are now light and easy to work. Gone are the shiny, saturated colours and grey cardboard with unprinted backings exposed. We no longer see rows of black folding lines stitching their way across the face of every part.

In light of this model's place in the history of cardmodelling, a deliberate effort was made to preserve these naive features. The backs of the wall walks and the inside of open chimneys were not painted - only specifically chosen parts. I am pleased that I followed through with cutting the trees out as they historically would have been applied to the model at that time.

It is the castle's construction that intrigues me. In the photo below notice the ramps leading to the main courtyard. Let your eye follow them from the gatehouse tower at the lower right of the castle (the entrance is around the corner) and you will discover that they pass through or over the same structure twice. At the top of the picture you will see the final ramp leading up to the main courtyard. (next photo)

Hello Günter,
Thank you for the tree information and the wonderful collection of photos of museum quality models. They were new and fresh for me. Much appreciated. I have built one of Richard Vyskovsky"s models, and can appreciate the care and time required to construct collections of this size.

Leif, thank you for the tree suggestions, but Michel beckons... I hope to finish the trees by cutting them out as is and painting their backs. I've tried a few. The gouache paint does a nice job. I think if regular water colours had been used, they would have just soaked in and disappeared on that porous grey cardboard.

Looking forward to diving back into that middle tower of St. Michaelis.

Cheers...John

Hi Chris,
Well done and welcome to the Forum!
Yes, Bluenose was launched in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada on March 26, 1921. In her 18 year racing career as a bonified working ship, she never lost a race. I wonder if she has ever been cardmodelled? That would be interesting to know.

Now back to cutting tree...

Cheers...John

So... it's a matter of cutting out the trees on the printed paper. You know, sometimes you think you've done a good job when you look at something at arm's length. But look at this photo. When it's magnified by the unforgiving camera lens, you can clearly see what has to be recut.

Anybody recognize the schooner on the dime?
Hint... famous Canadian vessel.
Cheers...John

Hi Leif,
The grass is the standard chopped synthetic fibre used by train enthusiasts on dioramas. You're right. They also make it in paper form.
Now as to the trees... a change of plans. I could not buy commercial model trees in the appropriate scale. The fellow in the hobby shop suggested making my own by rolling a synthetic material 'foliage' around slivers of wood. I tried it and failed miserably. The shot below shows the material.
Back to the drawing board. Well, I'm not really that upset... the paper trees will preserve the integrity of this model.

Hello Oliver,
I'm so glad Leif steered me to your build! We were discussing gouache paints, but what a find to view your outstanding work! You have really hit the mark with not only informative and helpful tips and suggestions for paper modelling, you have made reading your posts fun!
Good Stuff!
Cheers...John

Michael,
Good point. I obtained a cheaper variety as well; 12 - 12 ml tubes for $12.95 CDN (That's cheap!) It says Fine Art Quality on the box (Jackson paint) but it was indicated to me that they were 'student quality'.
John

The main grass sections printed on the model will be altered as well. They are printed in a glossy, solid green colour. This seems odd, because other areas on the model show care in rendering the grass with shades of yellow and small black ink strokes to represent sprigs of grass.
To soften the look, synthetic grass has been applied over these areas. The shot below shows the beginning of this process.

The smaller trees to be replaced with synthetic ones.

I mentioned earlier in this thread that I do not like to add artificial trees to a paper model. However, in this case, trees and landscaing are an integral part of the architecure. One tree, the King's Lime is specifically named and numbered. The courtyards are virtual forests. The artist supplied paper trees. I will keep the large significant trees and try synthetic trees for the smaller ones.

And after...

Leif,
I am most impressed with the gouache opaque water colours!! We must get the word out to cardmodellers that this is the way to go when it comes to colouring edges and scored folds in paper. The paint actually has enough body that it can FILL the broken surface of the printed paper at the scored line. They literally flow on the paper and in one controlled stroke completely cover objectionable stitch lines, gap filling glue, and scored and bent edges.

Here are two photos to illustrate. The first one shows the raw corner of a building. In the past, with ordinary water colours, I would be fussing with coat after coat of paint in order to cover the stitches. And often, the next coat would lift the previous one. The second shot shows the applied gouache paint. One stroke down the seam. It may need a little touching up, but what a difference. Mixing is a breeze. This yellow was Yellow Ochre added to white.

So there you go. Gouache it is.

Cheers...John

Leif,
Well, before the deed actually begins, let me share a find at the art studio. I asked about the clear acrylic, but was told that it went on white and ended up transparent. I began to wonder if adding transparent water colours would achieve the desired opaque effect desired. So it was suggested that I try 'Gouache' paints. Never heard of them. They are opaque water colours. Twelve tubes come in a set. The tubes are about twice the size of the water colour tubes I have been using. So, the stage is set for experimentation.

I forgot to mention that the fit of the curtain walls was outstanding. This is rather surprising, since there were over 150 lineal centimetres of wall that folded back and forth around the perimeter of the castle courtyard. One would expect a subtle amount of wall distance to be altered in the scoring and folding processes and that these discrepancies would magnify themselves as distances increased. And yet, when the last section of wall rounded the last corner, it landed precisely on the starting tab that was waiting patiently for closure.
John

And this shot shows the added wall walk. Note the thick join and dotted lines. This is one disadvantage of working with thick cardboard parts. This joint will require some serious painting.

Here is a close up shot of the wall meeting the courtyard.

Then the castle was placed on this grid substructure. I saw nowhere in the instructions any mention of a support system that would prevent this castle from sagging in the middle. I'm sure it would have been assumed that one was required.

Raising the bastian went well. Three strips of MDF were ripped and placed under the castle. They were deliberately too high. Testing with a piece of wall, they were progressively ripped down 1mm at a time until the wall fit properly under the edge of the courtyard. Then the strips were cut into appropriate lengths and half lapped to fit together to form a grid.

Two layers of paper wrap around the bottom of each pilaster to represent a stepped plinth. The photo below shows these layers. The bare plinth, part 41 is on the right. The red 41b indicates where the first layer is to be applied. The plinth in the center, part 41b is that piece applied. Red 41c indicates where the second layer is to be applied. And finally on the left, you see the second layer applied.
Here you see the attention to precise detail that makes building this model a joy. The parts fit so well! (except the fascia)
I didn't mention it, but each layer has tabs. They are bent back and glued down to the part. This gives the layer the required thickness and releif.
John

Zwei Lagen Karton um den Fuß des Pfeilers stellen einen gestuften Sattel dar. Das Bild unten zeigt diese Lagen. Der blanke Sockel, Teil 41, ist auf der rechten Seite zu erkennen. Die rote 41b zeigt wo die erste Lage aufgeklebt werden muss. Beim Sockel in der Mitte ist dieses Teil 41b bereits abgebracht. Die rote 41c zeigt wo die zweite Lage hinkommt. Und schlußendlich auf der linken Seite sieht man die zweite Lage angebracht.
Hier sieht man die Liebe zum Detaill, weswegen der Bau des Modells eine solche Freude macht. Die Teile passen so gut! (mal abgesehen vom Gesims)
Ich habs nicht erwähnt, aber jede Lage hat Klebestreifen. Diese wurden zurückgebogen und an der Rückseite des Teils verklebt. Das ergibt dann die gewünschte Dicke und das Relief.

Now the pilasters are added. As with the lower tower, they were wrapped around a core. Placing them was a breeze. No tabs!

Nun werden die Pfeiler hinzugefügt. Genau wie beim unteren Turm werden sie um einen Kern gewickelt. Das Platzieren war sehr einfach. Keine Klebestreifen!

Now to the assembly of the tower. This photo shows the unembellished tower glued to the base. The two disks under the tabs at top and bottom really helped in pulling the walls around the corner curves. Notice the slit at the back corner. This control joint allowed for twist adjustments that developed in glueing up the tower.

Nun zum Zusammenbau des Turms. Das Bild zeigt den schmucklosen Turm auf seiner Grundplatte. Die zwei Scheiben unter den Klebestreifen oben und unten am Turm haben sehr geholfen, die Wände um die gekrümmten Ecken zu kleben. Man beachte den Schlitz in der hinteren Ecke. Diese Kontrollverbindung ermöglichte den Ausgleich von Verdrehungen die sich beim Zusammenklaben des Turms ergeben haben.