Laser kits Lionshead, Imagine That Laser Art (HOscale)
Usually when I take on a commercial job, I don't take pictures. This is so the client can take ownership of the model. The last thing I want is to have them feel they need to say I built it when showing off their prized piece. This build is different, as we were asked to take pictures and proof the instructions. And since this model comes home with me in the end, I decided to write an article to coincide with the project.
These kits are heavy and, because of this, they come in a box and are well packaged. I say this because I have seen the process in their shop. No, I am not an employee, but a friend of the company. My article here is meant to be a factual build review and I want to say, yes I am a bit biased to the success of this company. However I would like to say in my defense, I would like to see all the companies I write about succeed.
Almost everything in this kit is laser cut and the cutouts are easy to push out. The only part not laser cut (and I think they are going to start) is glazings. That didn't effect the time it took me to build the project, but I feel for some this may be a time consuming step to these builds.
It is at this point we could consider painting this kit. Having seeing a few of these models painted I will follow up with how I colored the model at the end (when I actually did the coloring). To color the model it is my opinion (after seeing the light) Crayola washable markers are very suitable. Again I will describe my efforts when it happens.
The focus on these buildings will always be the windows, there are 48 after all (not including the big bay windows). So you have to decide, do you want 48, 2 sash operational, inoperabal, or the standard commercial window frames.
The windows can take a long time, so a few sessions should be put aside just for the task of windows. To glue in the glazings I use Future Floor Wax, it dries clear and seals the windows in. Be carefull to add just enough wax as it will pool up and cause trouble. The working windows take much more work than the commercials.
After the task of windows is sorted we can move on to structure assembly. Using a squaring block I loaded the interlocking corners with glue (from the back side) and stood the structure up to set.
Once set we want to add the floors and inner wall sections. This is pretty straight forward and goes real quick. Once the floors are set we can add the third wall piece, leaving the front wall till last.
For fun we added some fine art to the models hall ways. To do this we used the window frames for the facade (I did not use them) to size out the painting on a pieceof regular paper. Blue sky, some green rolling hills and the scene is set, frame it. In retrospect, lighting is the key ingrediant I failed to add, it helps to be able to see the art after the front wall is installed.
Install the front wall and let cure completely. This build should take around seven nights. With a plan and some prototype pictures to work from you can really make this structure one of the focus points of any great layout. I like the strength of the material. I may even take a picture of me standing on top of this model to prove it.
Like I previously promised, I will add the information on coloring this model. As it stands, out of the box, this model represents yellow brick perfectly. However concrete is not yellow and I will try my best to do this justice. Stay tuned...
