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Curiosity about 1/2" scale


CatColorado

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I know Kabrina has built kits from Petite Properties.

Am I the only one drooling over the laser-cut 1/2 scale Brimbles, and the Taft? These may be old, but I just found them. :wub:

Must resist...feeling weak.

I have the Taft, but I want the Brimbles too... so no, you aren't the only one. The kits are very small and flat, you could buy both and hide them in a drawer until you are ready for them. Or you could always pretend your SO gave it to you for some occasion, "Honey what do you want for your birthday/Christmas/Anniversary?"

"Oh you already bought it for me sweetheart and I just love it!"

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Glad to help!

Christmas Eve in New York? Your husband is a brave, brave man. I don't even go near the stores between Thanksgiving and Christmas if I can help it. I just realized that this will be the first time I'll experience the holidays on a gluten free diet. That's going to be a total bummer... no pies or stuffing or gravy. Good thing I'll have minis to keep my mind off of food.

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That's a bummer :( Now I'll add you to my list of people to send recipes to. My brother has extreme celiac disease; no corn, gluten, wheat, not too much eggs or sugar. He can basically eat meat and vegetables, grilled and steamed. It's hard, but he feels so much better it's worth it.

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That's rough, mine is a milder form. Wheat makes me break out in sores, as well as making me very sick. Since I'm allergic to peanuts as well, a PB sandwich makes my throat close up and I can't breathe. I can have a little, but not alot, however even a little makes me miserable. I'm also lactose intolerant which makes life harder than it has to be.

I should scan some of the GF packaging so I can make miniature versions. I haven't seen anything like that in mini. See, everything goes back to minis eventually. :groucho:

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I've got 2 of the 1/4 scale houses from Petite Properties but I haven't purchased any of the 1/2scale furniture kits yet although they are on my wish list. They are made of matt board but from what I've seen in her kits this is a wonderful product to use. There is a yahoo group that focuses on all of her kits and they love them. They hold up really well and if you follow her instructions will look just as good as the ones she shows. If you have questions email Bea at Petite Properties and I'm sure she'll respond to you. Even from the UK her shippments arrived extremely quickly to me. Oh dang... now I want to go play with they kits I have, oooohhhh must resist!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hoping the fourth time is the charm for me.... I have bought three dollhouses and/or kits in the last two years only to get rid of all of them for one reason or another (too big, too complex, too much sanding required, etc, etc).

Took the plunge yet again and bought a vintage Houseworks kit off Ebay yesterday and have high hopes as this one is so simple and (crossing fingers) has well made parts.

Houseworks-Kit.jpg

Have collected a lot of Houseworks half scale doors and stairs over time so will only have to buy the shuttered windows for this shell.

I always am impressed when all of you talk about a house "speaking" to you - never had experienced such a thing yet. But this one is definitely speaking and saying something like this to me:

Giverny.jpg

Not sure I would use quite as bright a green there as Monet did but to have a garden sanctuary like Giverny - would be my heaven :)

Has anyone here built this house before?

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I have one of the Houseworks half scale kits (not this one) and the shell pieces are cabinet grade plywood. Much less delicate and finicky than a die cut house! It probably will require some sanding for a smooth finish but you could use a power sander and it would go much quicker than sanding the luan plywood.

This is the one I have. I bought the complete kit (shell plus components) during one of Miniatures.com's 50% off sales many years ago. And it sits sadly, boxed up, on the shelf (I've plundered a few of the components since then). I really should build it one of these days...

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Hi Half Scalers,

I just posted some progress picts of my Parisian Townhouse in my Gallery in case you'd like to stop by and take a peek.

I am struggling with what to use for paneling.

I have BBA-8 baseboard, COB-8 crown moulding and DCA-8 casing from Northeastern Scale Lumber and I've been playing around with other things to try to make panelling...but I'm not happy with how they look. I want the panels to look something like the picture below. (I don't care about the exact style...I just want them to look good!). Any suggestions on specific materials is greatly appreciated!

Thanks, Janet

post-5514-0-65351600-1320002268_thumb.jp

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Well gang - bad news. The kit I purchased arrived today (see post 308 above) and yet again, I don't like it..... I am so utterly sad and frustrated! This was my fourth try at trying to find a house kit that I like. The kicker about this one is that ALL of the half scale furniture I have looks way too big in this. Yes, the wood is much better quality than others I have tried but even still a couple of the bigger pieces are warped - that drives me crazy.

I have tried every major brand of dollhouse - should I just declare myself too picky and give up? I guess this is the inevitable result of having no dollhouse store in my area - I would have known better if I could have seen these things in person before purchasing....

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Christine, Have you considered attempting to make your own from scratch? You don't have to start off with expensive materials. Buy some foamcore or even use cardboard to do a mock up of a design you like. That way you can make the rooms as large or small as you'd like and you'd be able to get exactly what you want. Then when you get it the way you want you can use those pieces as patterns. Or you could even use the foamcore as your base. I say don't give up! There are some really interesting full scale house patterns available, just divide everything in half and you'd get half scale patterns.

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OK, I have a question. Started to try to make a wall out of cardstock and wood strips - I have heard before that if you use a double wall with a strip of wood glued in between two pieces of cardboard that the structure warps less and is more stable. So, what is the best overall thickness for a wall that will have a half scale Houseworks door installed in it? I measure the depth of the door frame at 5/16 inch - should I make the wall that thick also or leave a little wiggle room and make it just 1/4 inch thick?

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Sorry to hear about your problems in finding a half scale kit. I don't know what other kits you have purchased, but have you looked at Majestic Mansions and Real Good Toys. I have Norm's Dollhouse half scale Sea Side Villa and just love it. I have all my furniture for it, although the house is still in the incomplete stage, and everything works perfectly. Are you set on a particular style?

Valerie

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A 1/4" will probably work fine, especially if you plan to paint, paper, or panel. Let me measure my plywood house... brb.

ETA: My plywood house is made from 1/4" plywood. It's supposed to work with houseworks doors, I haven't got that far with it yet but I can test a door on it if you like. I have a couple of doors and windows lying about I can use.

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Sorry to hear about your problems in finding a half scale kit. I don't know what other kits you have purchased, but have you looked at Majestic Mansions and Real Good Toys. I have Norm's Dollhouse half scale Sea Side Villa and just love it. I have all my furniture for it, although the house is still in the incomplete stage, and everything works perfectly. Are you set on a particular style?

Valerie

Hi Valerie - I sure wish I could see those houses you mention in person before I invest beaucoup bucks in something I may again not like. I am kinda gun shy at this point....sorry as it is....I have wanted so much to be in love with some house and participate here in the forum. I feel pretty pathetic at the moment!

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A 1/4" will probably work fine, especially if you plan to paint, paper, or panel. Let me measure my plywood house... brb.

ETA: My plywood house is made from 1/4" plywood. It's supposed to work with houseworks doors, I haven't got that far with it yet but I can test a door on it if you like. I have a couple of doors and windows lying about I can use.

Ok, thank you for this bit of info. You are probably right, some wiggle might be beneficial down the road! I guess even paint has some depth :)

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I just tested a window, and it will stick out a little, but once the interior trim goes on it will be flush with the trim. So it depends on if you are going to use interior trim or not.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with, do you have an architectual (did I spell that right?) style in mind?

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I just tested a window, and it will stick out a little, but once the interior trim goes on it will be flush with the trim. So it depends on if you are going to use interior trim or not.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with, do you have an architectual (did I spell that right?) style in mind?

No architectural style in mind yet - just trying to get something that will stand upright! Hahahaha!

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