4ft x 2ft exhibition layout 4 weeks in

[Comedypilot]

Building a three tier Japan city layout with subway under baseboard  now finished subway section, with drawer openings for easy access to track.  Still to start at baseboard level which will be tomytec moving bus and tram and upper level JP line. Full city planned with Godzilla attack in one corner.  Using some scratch built items including a Japanese city public garden made out of a tomix package box which came with the track, 80% finished just need lower cardboard to have pavement added. Loads of skyscrapers to built and  back scene at printers and finally found a website that sells all the authentic building billboard adverts for buildings.  Having fun looking at sat dish options for buildings and scratch built two options but need improvements. Piccy of finished subway section and city garden enclosed. More piccys as I progress.

Edited June 30, 2020 by Comedypilot

[cteno4]

Thanks for starting g a layout topic. What’s the overall track plan?

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[Comedypilot]

Today started the baseboard level plans and upper level plan, the rail track will be raised 12 cm and the station raised same amount. Just checking all fits on baseboard and awaiting extra bus system track and one extra viaduct, using standard kato track in its place until it arrives.  The only base level track will be bus and tram.  Most curved track will not be seen.  Opening under for subway system which just slides in on a drawer

Edited July 1, 2020 by Comedypilot

[Claude_Dreyfus]

There is more than a hint of the Barbican centre in that city garden structure. Will be interesting to see how this layout develops.

[Comedypilot]

massive box arrived from Japan for Outland city buildings,  including the ruined buildings caused by Godzilla, who hasn’t arrive yet by post.  Having fun painting them and got a little tank for him to hold and crush.... is Godzilla a boy or a girl?  Spent weeks on web looking for city hoarding billboards and tried lots of Japanese sites and behold found a U.K. supplier other side of London so hopefully decals will arrive in post tomorrow.  They have custom fit bill boards and adverts for Outland and kato buildings.

[cteno4]

Good question! Well goji had its son in the original series but no real explanation of where the egg came from! American godzilla series has goji being female hemaphrodite. So I guess you could consider the original as female as well, but like ships being called she goji seems to be always called he! Perhaps modern culture and non binary would be better for goji...

 

which goji model did you get?

 

jeff

[Comedypilot]

This one

[Comedypilot]

The cityscape building billboard,  posters and signs arrived from eBay yesterday.  Must say really high quality set of prints,  Godzilla also arrived so will be busy working on that part of layout.  The signage kit solves a problem of all those see through skyscraper windows and hides the non Japanese style windows on some of my Outland buildings.  Pasting piccy from the eBay site of some of the signs in the kit.  Now defo going to make a gogo bar also, and nice selection of shopfronts.  Second piccy is how they come in a standard A4 envelope. Paid £3.95 plus £1.10 postage. Ariived in 5 days using 2nd class Royal Mail.  

 

 

Edited July 5, 2020 by Comedypilot

[cteno4]

Cool can you link the ebay item? Those look nice!

 

jeff

[Comedypilot]

I have the same model as in the picture so will try and recreate the one shown with all the signs and posters .Here is my Outland building in its basic state

[cteno4]

Ah think I found it, pity shipping to us is hideous...

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/N-gauge-KATO-Outland-and-Tomytec-building-signs-and-poster-kit-Japanese/133455269623?hash=item1f128dcef7:g:PA8AAOSwDZhe~mqs
 

jeff

[Comedypilot]

Oh my god, shipping to most of the world costs about £6 for places like New Zealand and about £4 for USA and only about £3 to Europe.  EBay have put a massive mark up on the postage.  Will contact seller as bet they  don’t know  what is being charged by eBay for posting outside U.K. and find out if they can ship using Royal Mail and not go via Ebay and if they have a website. I sold a few weeks ago and got a negative comment High postage costs for a girder bridge.  I wasn’t aware buyer in Ireland as I set postage at £1.80 and then eBay charge him £11.70 as he bought via some global selling thing they run. Had to beg him to remove negative comment as I never actually receive that amount for postage, just the £1.80.  

[cteno4]

Yeah it’s what they chose in ebay to do the shipping with. I’m sure a first class large envelope would be like 3-5£ To the us.
 

So I just tried the ebay.uk and same shipping. Only express mail option is there and why so much, no option for plain old first class which would be reasonable.

 

jeff

[roadstar_na6]

@Comedypilot you could also just buy one and forward it to @cteno4 for what it actually costs 😄

[gavino200]

1 hour ago, cteno4 said:

Ah think I found it, pity shipping to us is hideous...

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/N-gauge-KATO-Outland-and-Tomytec-building-signs-and-poster-kit-Japanese/133455269623?hash=item1f128dcef7:g:PA8AAOSwDZhe~mqs
 

jeff

 

I'd really like to get one of these too. Wanna go splits?

[cteno4]

Maybe we can contact the seller to see if they would just do a first class envelope instead of express mail, even adds a £4 to just add a second one with the ebay express!

 

jeff

[cteno4]

I sent the seller a message to see if they can ship Airmail instead of ebay global.

 

jeff

[Comedypilot]

He has replied and says if we wait a few days, he is building a website where we can purchase the signs direct and not via eBay and international postage via Royal Mail will be between the £4 to £5ish to Europe and rest of the world.  Will put website link up here when it is sent to me.

 

On the Godzilla front, tank arrived today and already Godzilla playing with it.  Spending morning painting the tank and semi wreaking it

[cteno4]

Thanks! Lol, just got the same message from him! While he is not a Japanese modeler, he loves Japanese signs! I encouraged him to start a topic on his business in the supplier forum.

 

thanks for finding him comedy!

 

jeff

[Comedypilot]

I have the website info now for the cityscape sign and poster kits and buying direct and not via eBay, saves loads on postage charges.  
 

it’s  http://modelrailwaysigns.com    

 

 

[Cat]

Sold, they had me at the KitKat Bars!
=^,^=

[cteno4]

Cool! Much better! Base Flat shipping shipping rate of 5.70! I’ll see if club members are interested and others here in the us if you want as it should only be a buck or so to send this first class in the us.

 

i offered the chap to scan the fronts of a lot of the Outland and other buildings I have so he would know rough sizes! Would be grand to have them electronically to size to fit, but them it’s dealing with file sharing issues...

 

thanks!

 

jeff

[Comedypilot]

This arrived today, bought second hand for £40 as seller states does not reverse.  Put it on test track and runs great in one direction but as my layout is going to be a loop, who cares if it doesn’t go backwards

 

its the E217 Yokosuka subu line 

[Comedypilot]

Before and after shots of one of my Outland building with its new decals on. I tried to create the same as in the publicity shot on the website. Very pleased with shop front as added a door frame by cutting ends of the shop sign to create the same zig zag line. 
 

Anyone know where I can get the pavements and tarmac city roads which are often featured in Outland building photos.

 

 

 

Edited July 9, 2020 by Comedypilot

[Comedypilot]

13 hours ago, Cat said:

Sold, they had me at the KitKat Bars!
=^,^=

They had me with the Go Go bar