1000 1:6 scale bricks and a wardrobe

Another month has flown by. I’ve been really busy with my theater role in the production of “The Great Gatsby”. The show starts in just over two weeks, so will only be getting busier from here on in.

In the studio;

I’ve finished the neighboring brick wall.

I did a base coat of ceiling paint and then black spray paint. After that, I used various shades of Resene test pots to paint the wall, and drybrushed it to give it a sort of “bricky” look.  I found that the test pots are actually a really cheap way to get ultra specific colors for next to no money.

After that I proceeded to fill in the gaps with cement, wiping of the excess with a damp cloth. After it was all dry I gave it a rub with a dry cloth and it actually gave it a really awesome layed brick texture, with some of the cement having seaped into the grooves of the bricks themselves.

It holds up pretty well to closeups…

In fact, even at an individual level, I find them to be fairly photorealistic.

I liked them so much actually that I ended up doing one of the interior walls of the apartment set in brick too (the one that would be the exterior wall). So, around 1000 1:6 scale bricks later…

In addition to that, 1:6 scale carpentry keeps on rolling on. I’ve found myself having to cut a lot of balsa strips, and this was becoming very time consuming to do by hand, so, I made an adjustable strip cutting jig. I recommend it to anyone who needs to cut a lot of balsa, it saves SO much time.

You just adjust it to the desired width and then run it along the balsa. Super easy and way more accurate than I was doing by hand.

I’ve finished my last piece of free standing furniture; the wardrobe.

For those who have read the screenplay, you understand the significance of this piece, and for those who haven’t – the wardrobe is the place where the man has kept his dreams and aspirations locked away.

Here’s the frame;

And a mid-build shot;

And here it is finished (with the apartment bricks in the background);

I handmade a lock and fittings out of brass and used some tiny 12mm hinges.

One of the back panels is also hinged, so it can open for me too shoot through the wardrobe for a shot or two.

I’ve really been enjoying the tiny furniture making.

So now I am working on the apartment door, the windows, the plinths etc, the kitchen, the rabbit, the dove. Well, I guess I’m working on lots of stuff.

Thanks for reading, until next time.

Harrie.