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I finally managed to get the OO scale building I really wanted for the rural aspects of this project. It's an out of production Derelict House from Hornby. It took a month of waiting and a couple of false starts but by playing the long game, picked it up on Ebay for under a tenner!
Out of Production: Hornby R8562 Derelict Cottage
What's so special about this model? Hidden in a wooded glen it's rebel headquarters or insurgent's hide. Sited alone on a windy hilltop it's a temporary post apocalypse refuge. With a couple of run down sheds and out houses it's an abandoned farm in no-man's land. Or, it's a restoration project for Sarah Beeney.
After some thought about the relative merits of download and print vs unpainted plastic, I started picking up Dapol OO scale building kits. These ex-Airfix models come as very basic but useful kits, quick to knock together and available at a very reasonable price.
Dapol CO27 Detached House
This Detached House (CO27) can be purchased direct from Dapol for only £4.39 and you can sometimes see them on Ebay for around £2.00. Worth it just for the windows alone if you are planning on scratchbuilding your own buildings. The style of both the Dapol detached and semi-detached houses makes them jointly useful for both suburban and rural settings. Perhaps as a suburban cul-de-sac or a small modern estate on the edge of a traditional village.
I also bought two of the Dapol Petrol Station (CO32) quite cheaply (99p each). One is to use just as is, it's very similar to the main garage in the centre of my village. The second to convert into farm/cowsheds, replacing the plastic walls with a mix of Wills OO Limewashed (SSMP215) and Random Stone (SSMP228) embossed plasticard.
In a rural setting, this also makes a decent tractor and farm equipment sales showroom. We have several in and around our village. Just add a shiny tractor or two for flavour.
I recommend looking out for the Dapol General Stores (CO19). In addition to being the typical sort of store you find in a suburban parade of shops, it makes for a decent Post Office or even a Pub with a little effort put into the detailing.
Cheers
Mark .
Excellent eBay find! I will have to keep an eye out for one of those as well.
ReplyDeleteThe Dapol building looks nice. A quick question about it; can the roof be taken off so you can move stuff around inside? It looks like there are floors in it, so I am just curious about that.
Sapper
Hi Joe!
ReplyDeleteThe roof can be left separate. No internal floors are provided, but easy enough to pop in your own card ones.
Cheers
Mark
I like those Dapol buildings just the thing for when the fighting spills over into the suburbs. Must look out for some.
ReplyDeleteQuite a few of those Dapol beauties will be showing up on my urban Vietnam table. The C31 Modern Shop & Flat is perfect for a heart of the city look for South-East Asia. A couple C021 detached bungalows will work well for suburban Hue too!
ReplyDeleteThese are great value compared to a lot of the HO/OO stock available in shops here in Canada.
I'm impressed with your ideas for conversions of the Petrol Station. Excellent inspiration.
Hi Peabody.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea for using the Modern Shop & Flat in a SE Asia setting. Those louvre windows just call for a Gin Sling on the veranda. Equally, to my eye the Bungalow is more suited to Asia, Caribbean or southern Africa.
Looking at it again, with a little work and different windows the Shop/Flat could become a country ambulance or fire station.
Cheers
Mark
Thanks Mark. It's great to see you turn your imagination to 20mm!
ReplyDeleteThe tallest HO scale Shutters I can find (Louvered Shutters from Tichy) will replace much of the ground-floor front & window detail on the Modern Shop. Should look spot on.
I'll post it up on 'Peabody Here!' when I get that little project dialled in.
Thomas