|
By: Nate Sawyer
This month I will talk about toy displays. I always enjoy creating new themes for a display. The most fun part is picking the tractors to go with it. I would also say that is the hardest part also since I like all colors and have so many. When I first started making displays I had the pleasure of using my parent’s basement all to my self. I was not hesitant to throw down some saw dust or dirt. Well dad soon pushed my toys over for his so called “woodshop”. Now I am glad he has these machines and tools. He lets me use them to build custom projects for my toys and displays.
I soon up graded to a sheet of plywood on two rugged saw horses. Then I found some green paper from a train hobby store to green things up. Flat surfaces were ok but I live in Pennsylvania. There is are few places were it is flat for miles or even acres. So I thought of making uneven terrain somehow and someway. I tried placing books, boxes, wood supports under the green paper to copy the effect of rolling hills and steep terrain. I stumbled on my moms old flower box with styrofoam. They were long slabs and chunky material. They were perfect. I slid them under the green paper and things started to take shape.
Now to hold down the paper to make indents I used a heavy staple gun. Staples can only hold so much a certain way but they do hold the paper in place none the less. I soon got the idea why not try to build a bank barn. Almost every farm around hear has a style of a bank barn. What is a bank barn? Well long ago there wasn’t enough man power to move large amounts of land to make a flat ground to build on. So farmers just built barns right into the side of a hill. There they could store hay, straw, machinery in the top and board animals down underneath which formed two barns in one.
I wanted to have one that was simple and fast. I looked at all the buildings I already had and played with configurations. I found two Ertl barns that would work. The first is the original barn that everybody has. The second is the western horse barn with two lean to(s). Start by placing the horse barn on a flat surface and forget about the lean to(s). Then cut a piece of cardboard or something flat sturdy enough to lay across the top tabs for a floor. Now this is where you will want to decide where your doors and openings will be. This will determine where the hill will take form. I chose to fill two sides of the bottom barn. No cutting involved for that section.
Now this is when you should start building your hill around the barn using the styrofoam. I you choose to you can cut the styrofoam at angles to actually form the hill. Since I used the green layout paper I didn’t need to because the paper would fall over the corners and make its own terrain look. Once you have built up your hill where you want it or as close as you can get it to the barn floor you can place the first barn right on top of the second one. You may want to try other barns of that same size like round gable or western barn. Now you’re not done yet. You need to look and see which side is the best for a barn door. Now the top barn already has a medium size door on the one end. I chose to cut my door on the side. I measured a door big enough to hold a small grain drill and a moco. I cut it with a ban saw but a hacksaw would work fine. Now all you need to do is put hay, straw, machinery in the top and animals and fence at the bottom.Remember when you’re done adding green paper or whatever ground cover you decide to dress up around the barn with trees or shrubbery. And I was lucky enough to have the same colored barns. If you need to paint your barn(s) do not use regular spray paint. I wouldn’t even recommend using primer first. The only paint that does well is Krylon Fusion paint. You are limited to a handful of colors but all the popular colors for barns are available.
I hope I have challenged you to try something different. This seems like a hard project to tackle but it just takes time and patience. Most of my supplies come from Wal-Mart or the local craft/hardware stores. This is considered a custom project. Custom means made to your specifications. If you don’t like it change it. Thanks for reading. You may look at the rest of this display at Webshots under Toy Display. http://community.webshots.com/user/detroitpwr64
|
