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Garfield Inventory Taken


doogster

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Finally pulled the thing out of the basement where it has sat for the past 9 months. It wasn't mine originally, so I thought doing an inventory would be judicious. (In best British old soldier voice) All present and accounted for Sah! (say it out loud). Anywho. Thinking the best way to take the parts out is to finish the cuts from the bad side with an X-acto. The good side is set by the die, so there's not a lot you can about that (a liberal dose of trim seems to be in order). Don't like the windows even more now that I've seen them in the flesh, so to speak. I don't really like the rounded top to them anyway. I was inspired by an article on a custom house by Noel Thomas in the May 1997 issue of Miniature Collector. It's a Bed and Breakfast, which I'm thinking would be a neat theme to go with, obviously not the Garf since it's a custom, but very similar in design. The windows are very simple, just strip wood, but work really well. I'd already planned on losing the gingerbread stuff, was going to leave them plain but followed a link to Dejoux Miniatures from here and saw some really nice apex trim. BTW, if you've got 90 degree angles to your roofs there is a wide variety of trim, the Garf has narrow angles, so the selection is a lot more limited. Hope to get going on it next week, start my weekend shifts tonight.

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You're in for fun, Andrew :lol: I love building these kits, although haven't yet tried anything the size of the Garfield!

best way to take the parts out is to finish the cuts from the bad side with an X-acto
Actually I go ahead & finish cutting from the "good" side. I use a Stanley utility knife, rather than a craft knife (I used an Exacto to build my first kit & find the heftier knife is gentler to my osteoarthritis).

Don't like the windows even more now that I've seen them in the flesh, so to speak. I don't really like the rounded top to them anyway

You can fix that by how you cut them out & fill any remaining space with wood putty. You can jazz up the trims with wood putty, gesso, spackle or card.

It's a Bed and Breakfast, which I'm thinking would be a neat theme to go with, obviously not the Garf since it's a custom, but very similar in design
That's why it's called "bashing", you make it how you want :D

the Garf has narrow angles, so the selection is a lot more limited

If you have an EZ Cutter you can trim the apical angles of the trim to meet exactly. Actually I did it anyway with the San Franciscan, I found some really gorgeous trim at HBS, folded a sheet of paper to the angle to fit the roof apex exactly, then folded it in half & used that to mark the angle on one end of each piece, then cut the angle & glued them in place & painted them.

Good luck, can't wait to see how it turns out :lol:

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WOW !! Thats tooo funny because I am currently building the garfield. I am working on the details inside right now, and the other day it occured to me. This should be a bed and breakfast! Never the less I already started on my other plan so i wont change it. But i cant wait to see the ideas you coem up with! :lol:

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Finally pulled the thing out of the basement where it has sat for the past 9 months. It wasn't mine originally, so I thought doing an inventory would be judicious.

:p:p It's not like I ignored the house for heavens sake! First there was the move back to Utah, then working on the yard in the spring, then building the federal. i DID plan on building it one of these days after I finish my other kits. It wasn't covered in cobwebs as your post may suggest!!!! :p:p As for the inventory.....where would i have put the pieces???!!! The only times they have been out of the box were when you were present.!!!! :p:p:D :lol: ;) :lol: Marg

but i am glad you found all the pieces present and accounted for!

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Actually the inventory was done cause it never had been before, so poo! Anywho hoping to get going on it in the next day or so. As for ideas, that article with the custom had some really great interior stuff too. Loved the corner fireplaces, he used some wood slatting, almost like wainscot, on the stairs, I think that would look great on the stairs in the Garf. Hey I don't mind borrowing, okay stealing, ideas but will give credit. Love the slate look self stick vinyl roofing tiles, examples I've seen look really great, they're out of production so I bought enough to ensure I have enough, though that came to summink like 170 bones. It will look great. Like to try sheet copper on the 2 little sticky outy dormer window thingies, just casue it looks cool on those type of windows. Still not sure about the foundation. I'd like not to go with wallpaper on the interior, since almost everyone seems to do that, I was thinking of paint, but man alive, the grain on the bad side of the luan is deep enough to lose an elephant in.

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I was thinking of paint, but man alive, the grain on the bad side of the luan is deep enough to lose an elephant in.

You could paint it with gesso or spread spackle/ polyfilla over the wall ( I primed & sanded), sand & have at it. Sometimes I paint walls & sometimes I paper, and often I do both in the same house, even the same room!

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Great idea! I might even try thinning down acrylic spackle, to kind of a thick paint. makes it easy to remove. They apply thinned wood filler to, well, wood, then buff it off with horse haar before French Polishing. That gives the flat surface needed for French polishing. Thanks for the info!

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