Hill Street nearly finished

Yippee! Texture on the roads done, just needs weathering.  One more structure to build so I created an empty lot for it that I can live with for a while.

Finishing the upper side of Hill Street, the last building really failed to grab me. It was a much mangled Downtown Deco plaster kit. Nothing wrong with these kits at all, the walls are mini masterpieces and deserving of decent treatment.  I just didn't seem to be able to "get" the plaster medium and tended to be a bit hamfisted with it. It won't be my last DD kit as I hope I've made all the mistakes there are on this one and Randy has some great designs. Sadly though it was destined to be scrapped, but then I thought "With little to lose but pride, why not really scrap it?". Here is the result and I think it will be a showstopper for visitors.  Never lose hope eh?  Named for a great mate, Dave Bowles, a seriously mean guitar player.

Trying old structures out for suitable locations.

I have an old, scratchbuilt garage and a collapsed WS Tucker Bros welding that look just right in this slot in front of the boilerworks.  The boilerworks diourama needs refreshing and the WS building needs a full rebuild. Should be fun.

Magnuson Merchant's Row 1 kitbash.

I needed a bunch of store buildings fast to fill up Hill Street and got this kit at a reasonable price in the UK.

A one hour scrapbox project

Colour for a corner

Hill Street progress

Now that I've finished the top level of town and Skid Row is complete except for Mrs Spumoni's washing lines I've been able to bite he bullet and start dressing the upper side of Hill Street, a chore I've been dreading due to the levels involved.  However, once you get stuck in these jobs develop a flow and it's going well, if I say so myself. Here are some progress pictures.

Platforms levelled and retaining walls set in.

Trial view

Paving and a wooden retining wall added

Steps to be distressed and painted

Better

Found space to add in  the WS Chemists

Adding interest

On the mountain just to the right of the City Hall is a spot that just cried out for treatment. I figured an abandoned mine with derelict mining gear would help set the scene.  Here will be the earliest mine in the valley, long played out. Lots of scope for detail. I took an old plastic door casting and rounded the top, added wooden jambs, distressed and painted it and pushed it into a slump of wet Sculptaclay and plaster.  

Stage one

Scene detailed but still too wet to paint rock.

Installing Skid Row

I need to add some clutter around here and some outhouses.

Looking up to the top of town

Aerial view

Pretty well finished.  A couple of figures - a scene emerges.

Just in case the wind gets up!

Scenery for the top hill

Supertree (home grown) branches on heather armature

Visualising the look of Cuspidor Town.

Skid Row

Street levels coming together