Small B-Train Layout - Building it

[gavino200]

12 hours ago, chickendrop said:

Incredible! This is what I need to do with my small city.

 

Zackly!

 

[kami_illy]

On 5/11/2021 at 11:41 PM, kami_illy said:

Since I couldn't find the Tomytec Variety Shop anywhere, I tried something else... 

 

 

Looked good so far, though just being simple paper mock ups. Seemed a bit small, but I found some photo/video that confirmed the size. Also it was missing the base. 

I wasn't too happy with the little roof and changed it. Version Two looks already better.

 

 

 

Might start to build a stronger card board model soon. Or does anybody have the Tomytec version for me? 😉

 

After 1 year of waiting for a re-release I started to build my own... and voila, they will be back in stock soon!

So, lets see how my paper models compare to the Tomytec versions 😀 

[kami_illy]

On 4/7/2020 at 1:28 AM, Cat said:

and save the search with email notifications

Thats what i did and it seems to have worked. Thanks for the reminder of that function, I usually forget about these waiting lists. 

[kami_illy]

Slow progress these days... but i had another go at the vending machines. The glass part is printed on the rigid photo paper and the shell on thinner foldable normal paper which was glued to a frame made of carton. Not really sure if I like the result or if the amount of work is worth it. 

 

 

Also the long awaited Variety Store finally arrived and I could compare it to my paper mock-up (which I made to prepare for scratch-building it). Measurements were pretty precise, colours and textures were ok but would still need a lot of work. 

 

 

If anyone is interested I could provide the print file. Let me know. 

 

 

I really like how it fits in it's neighbourhood. 

[kami_illy]

I had some attempts to build the actual base for the layout with laser cut braces and things buuuuut... somehow ended up detailing parts of the layout and buildings instead. They will now sit on the temporary/mock up layout and later be put on the final one once it gets done! 

 

So first up: 

The spiritual island between the tracks. First building a base plate and installing the road for the level crossing 

 

 

Then the stairs and base for the shrine and side buildings, sturdy shrine walls, etc. 

 

Edited November 30, 2021 by kami_illy

[kami_illy]

After I got into designing and installing / mocking up all the signs and ad boards and things that make a modern Japanese city block. 

For that I checked on google and my old photos of the typical places in Tokyo and chose which ones to model. After that it was a lot of image search and for some reason i decided to redraw all of them (i was not pleased with the look of scaled down images bc of different image qualities) 

 

this was the first draft

 

[kami_illy]

Added some more and improved the ones I already had. 

 

current state

 

 

Also I am starting to add posters and little stuff like that. 

 

 

Fun fact: that poster is an image of my first suica card that I got when coming to JPN for the first time in 2008. 

Edited February 25, 2022 by kami_illy
added fun fact

[kami_illy]

And finally I build the hill for the layout corner. Is a cardboard structure with a mix of printed texture and physical details. Is the first draft, lets see if I improve it or rebuild it later...

 

 

Looking pretty good there. Will be putting it on the (temporary) layout soon with some tracks and buildings. 

 

[cteno4]

Nice work Kami! starting to come together.

 

jeff

[Matthieu]

Hello,

 

WOW, I love the way you present your layout: track plan, layout of structures, fine and judicious use of paper and cardboard ... I am blown away!

[kami_illy]

Just a small update. Couldn't get much done, I am too occupied with other stuff and life. 

I am currently working towards a new layout base. This time it'll be a bit better planned and lot more sturdy... Meanwhile I’ll do some test fits on the mock-up-base. 

 

Edited May 3, 2022 by kami_illy

[mwagner]

Wow, really great build. I appreciate your detail-work and your design a lot.

Also these Bandai Shorty Trains are very interesting. So far I had not had this on my radar ...

Greetings from Westerwald, Markus

[disturbman]

@mwagnerShorties are extremely fun. I was actually thinking about them when I saw your modules.

[kami_illy]

Since there is no real progress on building things, please enjoy some pics from the last "play session". 

 

 

It is good way to show off the latest additions in its context though, like the little hill with retaining wall in the corner, the new base for the shrine, ...

[kami_illy]

I tried to implement the Nakagin Tower in a reduced form into the layout. So I did a paper mockup, but quickly realised that it is completely out of scale for its surroundings (even while being at between 70% to 80% of real scale and with less floors). So I am gonna drop it for now and maybe do something else with it outside of this layout. 

 

 

Edited September 24, 2022 by kami_illy
typo

[kami_illy]

New addition to join the traditional part of town soon. 

 

 

Hopefully there will be some progress on the layout coming soon!

Hopefully it'll be worth showing too. 

[kami_illy]

One thing that bothered me a lot for a long time was the empty Tomix building. So I finally built an interior for that. And following my theme, it' made of cardboard with some prints. 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm happy with the result. Gonna look good when it goes back on the layout.

[kami_illy]

Also one thing that I wanted to continue for a while was the 'Don Quijote' sign which I had mocked up with a simple printed paper. 

Now the new print-out on photo paper sits on a cardboard structure. 

 

 

 

 

 

[cteno4]

Excellent detailing Kami!

 

jeff

[Cat]

Sweet!

[kami_illy]

As I progress slowly (I would have never thought how few hobby time I'll have since having small kids...), I added some more houses to form the next block to occupy a corner on the layout. They are gonna go on the left side in the front. 

 

 

I also finalized the detailing on the arcade building by replacing the mock-up prints with the final ones and added the sign. really happy with the result. It gives strong Akihabara vibes 😁

 

[kami_illy]

Another round of building detailing. This time I wanted to swap the generic fake fast food places that live in the KATO universe for a realistic one. Couldn't decide between Sukiya or Yoshinoya. So I drew and printed decals for both of them (including the according promo posters for each). 

 

 

In the end i decided for this one. Don't know why, it just felt better. Might also have to do with my own (romanticized) memories. While doing my internship in Yokohama as a student I used to eat my midnight meal (after leaving the office in the middle of the night) at my local Sukiya...

 

 

Aaanyways, I'm happy with the result! 

 

[Cat]

Ooh, always nice to see good signage!

[kami_illy]

After my failed attempt to integrate the Nakagin Capsule Tower on the layout, I thought I should try another iconic building. This time it should be easier to scale down (beyond the realistic scale) so it would be small / compact enough to fit. Therefore I chose the Shizuoka Press and Broadcast Center (by Kenzo Tange). 

I drew a very quick mock-up and put it together. It is not a realistic representation, rather a condensed version. I left some floors out and reduced the size / footprint over all. In some areas there will be quite a few changes, but I'll leave the characteristic parts as close as possible. 

 

 

I like the look and it seems to be possible to fit it in the layout. I'll have a test fit soon. In the meantime I'll draw and build a second tower. This time more accurate and mirrored so I can try different positions and so on...

I am confident that this one will find its way to stay!

[cteno4]

Excellent mock up!

 

jeff