I have never scratch built a traditional building. Kits? Yes. Have scratch built Hobbit holes, but never a four walled building. For some reason I loved the look of Laketown in the films, and figured I would give it a shot.

I researched a ton, but in the end, just went with whatever was popping into my mind.

Foamcore structures, covered in balsa siding and cardboard roof tiles.


Here is my first attempt. Just a simple one story house. Not every Laketown looking, but just learning the ropes here.

I went ahead and finished the first one, and then started and finished a second one. This time I made a two story building. I learned how much I hated making windows. I also learned how often I tend to glue my fingers together....which led me to using tweezers.

Two more images of the last building:

My next two would be another two story building and a tower. Balsa, for some reason, was in short supply and I had to run to several different stores to get supplies.

The roof on the tower took me forever to figure out. Like I said, I had never done anything like this before. It took several tries, and several mockups before I figured it out.

Nice buildings, I have found you learn more as you do more. Add some weathering (dirt at the bottom, mold from the top) and you see a difference.

And yes, I still glue my fingers together.

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"Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer."

Right now I have 4 more buildings shaped out and have put roofs on them. The roofs have been shingled. Just waiting on some other things to arrive. I ordered some windows from Antocenti's Workshop, but I am in the states, so I am not sure how long I have to wait. I also had to order Balsa since none of the local shops had anything left that I could use.

I am also still trying to plan out the board and docks that the houses will rest on.

Thanks Mapper! I am still adding details and weathering. Sort of a trial and error right now. I like the idea of mold and such. Thanks for the tip!

Do you have a Hobby Lobby or Michael's near you? They carry balsa and usually have a coupon that you can use.

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"Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer."

I really like the buildings but think the roof paint job could be improved on your first building with some washes. Well done and I'm looking forward to the next update.

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Backlog Status is getting worse all the time...

2014 Backlog Oathtaker (3 points)

Mapper,
I have a Michaels and an A.C. Moore near me. They did not have a lot of stock. Both managers told me they would be replenishing some of the stock later in the quarter, which meant to me, no time soon.

Cool, Love this, Iv been following your progress on facebook

Nice work!

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"the same as a duck you must be made of wood"

These look great, for a first attempt they are remarkably tidy, well-put-together, and they fit both the film and book image very well. How many are you making, and how long did these take you?

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Very well made. Colouring is good too. They would double up as bree type buildings without raising an eyebrow.

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Instagram @abbmodels

The first ones took quite awhile. Just figuring things out..there was a lot of trial and error.

Later ones went faster, especially in the roofing department.

The last one I built....just basic shape took about 30 minutes. Adding all the wood siding, roof and such take a few hours.

I am using foam core for base structures. Balsa and basswood for the siding and roof. Cardboard for the shingles.

Windows were made from small toothpicks. I just ordered a bunch from Antenciotis workshop.

Thanks for all the kind words!

A few more W.I.P.

Looks great. I use Card board strips for house siding when I run out of wood, sometimes I use it anyway as I can cut a ton to length in no time and it glues and paints up just like wood does. After you wipe out the local craft shops, don't forget to hit star bucks or other coffee shops that have wooden stir sticks (you can also buy wooden stir sticks and popsicle sticks for cheaper than balsa and bass wood if you are looking for additional cheap back up supplies).

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http://www.sithious.webs.com

Sithious. Good idea. I used some rather expensive craft sticks for the dock decking. I just ordered like 1000 wooden coffee stirrers off of Amazon for about $7.

That's building looks very very good. It will look something else once it's painted. Make sue you include plenty of weathering.

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