I must admit that I don’t enjoy making the first step with starting a new building.  I always have a sense of uneasiness before I cut that first part.  That feeling was much worse starting this building, and I sat in front of my work bench and stared at the plans for about an hour before made that cut.  After that wall has been knocked down, all is well, that is until it is time to paint.

Construction

So after the introduction of the Hudson Life Building last week it is time begin construction.  One thing to keep in mind with these updates is that they are not going to be as detailed of an article as the Sinclair Service Station or the Newsstands.  This is more of a “follow the build”, but I will still detail as much as possible, but due to the scale of the building some things may be omitted.  If there is something that I gloss over or don’t mention and you still have questions, please ask.  So now it begins.

Framework

Like in my previous buildings, I like to build a frame that the rest of the structure is then added to in layers.  Typically the frame is built from different widths of .060″ strip styrene.  I like this thickness because it is sturdy, cuts well and does not warp as easy as thinner stock.  However I will use thinner stock mixed with .060″ if the situation calls for it.

The first parts cut were the long vertical portions that the rest of the structure will be built upon.  I cut these from .188″ strip.  The windows on the bottom two and the top floor are wider than the rest in the middle of the structure.  I added shorter strips of .125″ material to flank the longer pieces so as to add bulk in between floor 3-9 windows.  I had to make ten of these pieces for the front and two sides.

The outside vertical pieces had to be built in the same manner but with different size of strip.  On the front wall I needed two pieces with an .125″ tall part and a .250″ short part glued to one side of the tall part.  On the side wall needed two of the same parts just made as well as two with the .125″ part replaced with a square .060″ part.

Next I cut all of the horizontal parts that will separate each floor.  Between floors 4 & 9, these dividers are made up from three pieces each and this is where I switch to .040″ thick stock.  What is needed for these sections is one .040x.250″ cut to a scale 7′, one .040x.060″ cut to the same length and one .020x.040″ cut to the same length as well.  You will need a total of 65 of each piece.  How they work together, is the .040x.060″ piece is laid on the top of the .250″ piece and the .020″ piece rests on the foot.  This creates the look of a recessed panel.  On the section between floors 3 & 4, you want it to be a flat panel, so use a .060x.250″ piece and a .040x.060″ piece.

Between floor 9 & 10 is a simple .060x.250″ strip cut to a scale 10′.  The same part is needed as well to go between floors 2 & 3, but a piece of .060x.125″ is needed as well.  While I had the 10′ measurement fixed on my chopper, I cut a few other parts that I would need in the future.  I cut some .060″ square stock and some .040x.188″ stock as well.  If you notice the windows in the corners on the 1st & 2nd floors are a few feet wider that the rest.  I simply cut the same material as above to a length of  12′.

Glue Up

I have a handy dandy jig that I use for glue up for all of my structures.  It is basically a sheet of metal with all of the ends bent at 90°, then it comes with some magnets to clamp your item you are gluing.  It is very useful because helps you keep what you are gluing up square and flat.  I didn’t have this jig when I built the Dominion Building and it suffered because of it.   

I first glued up the front of the building.  I cut a few jigs to act as spacers between each floor cut from extra strip styrene.  The first jig was cut as a spacer between the bottom of the building and the top of the 2nd floor.  The next jig was for the 3rd floor windows and the last was some extra horizontal pieces that go between each window.  The rest of the windows are square so that is why this last piece worked as a jig.  

From here on all I simply did was work from the bottom right corner and worked my way to the top right corner.  When using the jigs, try to keep them centered in the window when adding glue.  If you have it touching one of the sides, the capillary action of the plastic cement will work its way to it, thus causing problems.

Let each frame set up for about an hour in the gluing jig.  It will stick to the jig, but you should be able to gently pop it out without any problems.

Once all the frames are done I added a little bit of extra bracing to the backs, just to help prevent any warpage in the future.  I now glued the side walls to the back of the front frame again using the gluing jig.  I made a simple back piece that was the same width and height as the front, then I glued it to the side walls.

Adding Bulk

On the bottom three floors and eventually the rest of the building more strips of styrene will be layered to the framework.  This will create the illusion of mass and weight, this is an area I always felt the Dominion Building lacked.  This is a simple trick that is used similarly in the kits that are made by CMR, for those of you that have built them.  

The first part that you add is critical, I first added the cornice between the 3rd & 4th floors.  Everything above and below this piece will be affected by this piece.  So if it is not level, everything else will not be level and you will fight it for the rest of the construction. . . . no pressure now!  Little steps like this will affect the outcome of the building.  I first add a .060x.188″ core that the rest of the cornice will be built upon.

I then added multiple sizes of strip styrene below this piece to double the thickness of the walls.  Once I have this done I take the extra parts that I cut out earlier for the division between the 1st & 2nd floors.

Facade

Now comes the crazy part that I am going to do on the entire building.  Anywhere on the facade of the prototype building that is larger cut stone, I am going to replicate this by cutting separate ”tiles” of strip styrene.  I tested this on the Gordon Building with great success and so I am going to do it again on a much larger scale.   I wont go into much detail on this but it is the same concept as adding tile to a shower.  You add a little cement, add the tile, position and repeat.  If you don’t think too much about it, it is not that hard to get through and can be quite relaxing.  

After I added the other cornice between the 2nd & 3rd floors, I added the facade to the third floor.  It is simply like the prototype and it is cut stone and brick in a stripe pattern.  It is a simple detail but I was surprised at how much texture and detail it added.  It probably stands out because it is the only completed  portion so far.  It will blend as more of the building comes along over time.

Conclusion

In the first week of work, a healthy chunk of the building was completed, not every week will be as fruitful as this.  Life happens so there will be weeks that I get allot done and others very little.  I hope you approve of my new little building and I hope you will learn something new that you will use as you build your own structures.