Yūkari Layout Building

[Madsing]

I am continuing the work on the construction zone (next to the tower crane). This area is stuck between the train and the tram tracks, so it has a strange curved shape.

I have prepared more photo-etched parts this summer, for the scaffolding and the fence. The building frame is made of Evergreen styrene strips and beams.

 

[katoftw]

Wow that scaffolding is awesome.

[JR 500系]

Oh WOWzers! Look at those details on the scaffolding! It's really amazing, and the paint job is great as well! Looks really awesome!!!

[cteno4]

Wow, just wow! Kudos Marc!

 

jeff

[Kamome442]

Outstanding work @Madsingyour scafolding looks perfect.

[JR East]

Great work @Madsing ... and the micro holes of the scaffold are nto filled with paint ... really great. 

[Madsing]

Next steps. More parts assembled, more concrete.

 

 

Then I made iron plates to cover the ground. Just 0.25mm styrene painted and weathered.

 

[Tom C]

Wow, so nicely done. Actually too nicely done because your work is so neet that it makes that backhoe look clunky. The problem is that now you are going to have to make your own backhoe !! Hmm, maybe that's not a problem because I think there are more than a few of us who would like to see you do just that 🙂

 

Keep up the great work

[cteno4]

Luckily there are some nicely done Tomytec construction machines that would look nice up with this excellent construction scene! Those little die cast guys are ok at a couple of feet but not for how close you are gunna want to look at that scaffolding for sure!

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[Madsing]

Ok, right. I agree. Anyway I don’t think a backhoe is still required at this stage of the construction. I will try to source the Tomytec construction set, or maybe just put a truck carrying construction material, in the midst of being unloaded by the tower crane. That would make sense.

I have also started designing an asphalt roller for another part of the layout, with 3D printed and photo-etched parts. More about this soon…

 

[cteno4]

This set has some nice cement pumpers, cement trucks and delivery vehicles.

 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10830131

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Madsing]

A few 3D printed parts for future projects. I still don't have a 3D printer, manufacturing was subcontracted.

I like the LOVE statues. They are everywhere in big cities. I modelled this one after the one in Shinjuku of course. It was super difficult to paint but I like the result.

 

https://goo.gl/maps/8F7GjQGW8zxCZcxK7

 

 

[JR 500系]

Oh WOW the classic 'LOVE' logo! It's amazing what a 3D printer can do these days!

[Madsing]

Today: Experimentation for a long term project. A few months ago, I asked my wife if she had any idea of "moving things" that I could add to the layout (for when I'm done with the tower crane of course). She came up with a brilliant idea: Elevators / Lifts. So I have started looking for ways to add a moving elevator. It should be visible, so I thought about a glass elevator leading to an overpass.

This is a 3D rendering of the project (still work in progress of course, everything can change):

 

 

The lift will be next to the Kato OIOI building, serving the underground station, the ground floor and an overpass between the OIOI building and the adjacent building under construction.

The video below shows a mockup of the elevator made with foam board. A simple wire, a pulley at the top and a motor at the bottom move the elevator cage. I have used a stepper motor here. It's a type of motor that can be precisely controlled in terms of position, speed and acceleration. Just what I need for a super smooth movement. Of course the stepper motor is controlled by an Arduino. Stay tuned for more tests...

 

 

 

[cteno4]

Excellent Marc!

 

Also an external construction elevator? Could use a rotating threaded rod to move it up and down as they just usually run off a track mounted to the side of the building. Would be cool to have it just randomly move between different floors and ground at random times.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[bill937ca]

Glass walkway to a parking garage?

 

Edited November 15, 2022 by bill937ca

[JR 500系]

That's amazing! it looks really cool with that moving elevator! 

 

How about the moving tower crane? It'll look really cool if the crane swivels (slowly of course, wouldnt want it becoming an amusement park ride!) 

[Madsing]

On 11/15/2022 at 2:01 PM, cteno4 said:

Also an external construction elevator? Could use a rotating threaded rod

Good idea too! I have purchased M2 threaded rods and was planning to try them too. M2 is the smallest I could find, it's still 30cm diameter proto scale, though...

I also see an advantage of using a wire: modelling the counterweight, that will go in the direction opposite to the elevator cage.

 

On 11/15/2022 at 2:10 PM, bill937ca said:

Glass walkway to a parking garage?

It's not a parking garage. In my mind, that building under construction is a small office building; probably too small to require a glass walkway though...I agree...nothing is perfect...

 

2 hours ago, JR 500系 said:

How about the moving tower crane?

Yes, it will move too, I promise, once I am done...soon...

Edited November 16, 2022 by Madsing

[cteno4]

9 hours ago, Madsing said:

Good idea too! I have purchased M2 threaded rods and was planning to try them too. M2 is the smallest I could find, it's still 30cm diameter proto scale, though...

I also see an advantage of using a wire: modelling the counterweight, that will go in the direction opposite to the elevator cage.

 Could hide the rod in the frame that is usually attached to the building, that’s usually like a meter square. Usually ist like a small tower crane shaft attached to the building that the elevator cage just runs along a track on the side of it so all the weight is on the frame, not the building. Make it a U shape so the elevator cage can attach out the open side. the nut could travel up and down within the frame mounted on the building and the cage just hangs next to the frame attached to the nut. Once built is not going to ware out and should be pretty flawless.
 

The smaller things get the more tiny strings and wires get jerky and hard to get good weight to counterbalance well. Could just have a string up and over a pulley and winding spool on one end and weight at other end to keep it taught. Thread just gets fiddly fast and wears out.

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[Madsing]

Just painted and installed some of the photo-etched railroad safety barriers.

 

 

These have been installed next to a small yard (currently on my desk). I tried to insert a chain link in the middle, using the same 1/700 model ship 0.55mm anchor chain that I have used before but here they are clearly oversized ☹️

 

 

So I tried something else. I twisted a pair of .15mm copper wires and (I think that) the result looks much better!

 

  

 

This small yard will be next to the Yūkari north station. It is 5mm higher than the station's tracks, hence the concrete wall at the front (made using Kobaru / Sakatsu MB-07, https://sakatsuglobal.com/products/500000003751). The sewage grille has been photo-etched too.

 

[Madsing]

Working on the construction site this week.

First, new signboards and decals:

 

 

Then, the first tests of the moving crane. The servo motor (controlled by an Arduino Nano) is right below the board. The rotation is not super smooth, I'll have to work on that!

 

 

[cteno4]

Mark,

 

nice! Like the construction scene on the construction scene of the workbench. 
 

I’ll see if I can get in contact with a local Z scale modeler around here as he was doing tiny construction equipment movements with micro servos. I see to remember him talking about some tricks he used to make thins smooth over very small movements he needed. But it was a few years back so foggy. Nice chap I’ll see if I can find his videos, they were impressive especially when your realized you are looking at Z scale work!

 

jeff

[Madsing]

Dance school building

 

I'm kitbashing one of the Tomytec 143 buildings (https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10340738) into a dance school inspired by this Shibuya Dance School (東京ダンス・俳優&舞台芸術専門学校). I like it because it has a large printed photo pasted on the facade.

 

The top floor will be a dance class. I have replaced the fake rooftop of the original model by a real glass roof made of clear polyester and styrene. I needed students dancing so I 3D printed and painted models purchased from https://cults3d.com (GIRL DANCE HIP-HOP 1 - GIRL DANCE HIP-HOP 2 - FITNESS GIRL).

 

I particularly like the mirror walls, which have been purchased from Aliexpress (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001064429911.html). The nice wooden bench is from Baiodo (https://www.baiodo.com/shop02/#cc-m-product-8225515856)

 

These are a few photos of the project. The next steps are lights and the main signboard.

 

Marc

 

 

 

[cteno4]

Excellent Marc! I’ve been wondering about 3D printing figures. Did you do liquid polymer. With software like poser you could really do figures in just about any pose.

 

really nice scene! Kudos!

 

jeff

[Madsing]

Hi Jeff,

Thank you! The figures have been printed on a resin 3D printer by this company https://www.zelta3d.com/. I don’t own a 3D printer yet, but that will most probably change in the coming months. After purchasing the 3D models, I had to significantly reduce their complexity and size, I did this in Fusion 360. 
I didn’t know Poser https://www.posersoftware.com/, it is really interesting! Thank you for the tip.

Marc