Mokei Kobo Permil M's Craft

[maihama eki]

Another maker of N Scale cardstock structures is Mokei Kobo Permil (M's Craft). I have purchased a few of these kits from Hobby Search because of the subjects. I was a little disappointed when I received them. They are primarily made from a thicker cardstock. The surface of the cardstock is printed and the edges are left natural. If you assemble these directly, you end up with a not-great look.

 

However, if you are willing to put a little effort into painting these edges where necessary, you can end up with a decent result.

 

I built the "Frontage Narrow Store" kit to use on a module. It is this one https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10308814  You can look at the pictures in the Hobby Search listing and see what this kit looks like assembled direct from the package.

 

Here is what mine looks like. The kit comes with some basic paper printed signs for a variety of businesses. I decided to use their name "Maruyama Pharmacy", but created my own lighted sign using a laser etched piece of clear acrylic. I added an interior with lighting, and some exterior details - gutters, downspouts, air conditioners, gas meter, etc. One item that I do like in this kit is the dimensional tile roof that was included. I painted the roof, but I think you could leave it as is. I placed Satochan out front. He is perhaps a little large looking, but he is a scale 1 meter tall.

 

A few photos ... daytime:

 

 

 

Night time: For simplicity here, I am running the diodes for the sign and interior at the same voltage. The interior lights could use to be a bit brighter and sign a little dimmer.

 

 

 

In summary, these kits are not the same quality as Sankei or Amagi Modeling Idea, but if you like the basic subject, with some effort you can get a good result. This particular kit is "terminated", but they offer several others.

 

 

[gavino200]

Very nice! The other details you added really make it pop too! A/C units, gutters, interior shelves, curtains. Did you also remake the balcony rail? Satochan is amazing and the lighted sign is incredible. What's the sign made from?

[cteno4]

great Maihama! very nice work on this one! Thanks for documenting your experiences and results.

 

I’ve got a couple of the permil and that was exactly my reaction, disappointed in the materials, but with some extra effort I thought the edge issues could be dealt with.

 

how did you do your edges? Acrylic paint and dry brush? I was a bit worried their chipboard would suck up moisture and maybe warp or swell some. I’ve used art and alcohol markers in the past on printed cardstock models, but these chipboards are a bit thinker. I need to go and experiment on the scraps I guess.

 

jeff

[maihama eki]

Sorry for the slow reply...

 

The second floor railing is a Kobaru photo etched fence piece. I thought the cardstock one looked too thick/heavy.

 

The sign is made from clear, 2 mm thick acrylic that was laser cut and engraved. I don't have my own tool - I send the files to Ponoko and they do the machining. Acrylic always seems to have a sticky paper protective sheet on one or both sides. They cut and engrave through this paper. I discovered that this was nice because it provides a mask for painting. I just covered the center with tape, sprayed the crosses in green, then removed that tape and covered the crosses with tape and sprayed the center with blue. I masked the front and back with tape and painted the edges with silver to make the edges reflective and opaque. Then I sprayed the edges with white. Finally I peeled off the back paper and sprayed a thin coat of white to diffuse the light. This acrylic piece is mounted over a rectangular box that was conveniently part of the structure. I lined the box with aluminum tape - again to reflect and keep the light in. There are 2 "nano" LEDs mounted in the box, behind the crosses facing back into the box. The photos don't come out quite right, they have bright spots where the LEDs are. To the eye, the light is well diffused across the sign and only slightly brighter on the ends.

 

I've been playing with a lot of different ways to make lighted signs. If I were to do this over again, I think I would use a decal instead of the engraving and painting.

 

Here is a spare piece of the engraved acrylic. You can see the paper on the surface that the laser engraves through.

 

 

With respect to the unfinished edges of the cardboard - I masked the assembled shell to cover the areas I didn't want painted white. Then I brushed a thin coat of Tamiya acrylic paint to seal the cardstock. Finally, I applied a coat of white spray lacquer. I feel like the acrylic is necessary to seal the raw edges - otherwise the lacquer would just get sucked up by the raw edge.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 24, 2021 by maihama eki