COMMISSION: Modelling the unseeable!

Funnily enough, just as I was about to start writing this entry a week ago (yes, I got sidetracked!), Phil shared a common phenomenon in modelmaking; that being modelling details that rarely anyone else will either notice, or be able to even see. That pretty much summed up 4 days of work last week for me; unintentionally!

Above: This montage shows that the roof is (currently, at least) in two sections. This construction method meant that I could get the trusses aligned by gluing the ends to the fascias. The two sides of the main corrugated roof are held together by the the bargeboards. It's not the strongest roof, but I haven't had anything break off, yet! Once I get the roof sitting snugly (see next image), I'll likely glue these two parts together, but we'll see how it goes...

For those following my Twitter, @StudioJamming, you will have seen the frustration and complexity that has been involved in building a set of roof rafters that I thought would be needed inside a building on my latest diorama due to there being rooflights and windows. Unfortunately, it transpired that they won't really be at all visible. So that's 4 days of work for nothing... or is it?

Above: The left image shows that as I stupidly glued the lean-to roof and main roof panels as independent roofs, the corrugated sheets did not quite align up when it came to putting it all together. To reduce the resulting bump and holes, I've tried to sand the upper edge of the lean-to roof, but I fear there may be a more drastic solution required! The right image shows the notches in the rafters that allow the roof to sit snugly in place on the walls, and that also allow the main ridge beam to be recessed in and thus give some structural rigidity.

Now, despite it being unlikely that I'll include the rafters in the future how-to article for BRM, it will definitely feature in the video to go alongside it. If nothing else, as modellers always say; "It may not be a visible detail for most, but I know it's there." To be quite honest, I suppose that's mostly me just saying "Yeah, I made a mistake, but hey, at least I put in the extra effort."  But more than that, it's good practice, and I've made a lot of mistakes during the roof build, and gained experience and techniques that will come in handy for future projects, no doubt.

Above: Even after the 4 days of hard work, you would never know that I've modelled the trusses!

So why model something that won't necessarily be visible? Well, if nothing else you'll have somewhere to practice techniques on a side/area that won't matter!

Besides, I think it will be nice to fit the building with an LED or grain of rice bulb at a future date, and really go all-out on the interior; especially as it's a small diorama that can easily be taken off a shelf and viewed up close, and the roof (and building itself) will remain removable.

It's a lot of effort to go to for something unseeable, but am I annoyed? Well, maybe a little bit, but do I regret it? Nope! I'm just pleased that I've learnt useful techniques and that I can safely say that I always go the extra mile!

To all my wonderful readers and commenters, I wish you a nice relaxing festive period, with hopefully a chance to indulge in some modelmaking. Thank you for all your support over this year, and as always I welcome any comments and suggestions. I know my ramblings are infrequent, but I hope that the effort I put into the posts somewhat makes up for it! 

Have a great Christmas and New Year!

Jamie