I have had the want to build a barbershop for sometime.  I came very close to adding one on a few of the past structures I have built and for one reason or another I decided against it.  Another desire was I wanted a tiny structure to be crammed in-between larger buildings in the middle of a block.  For some reason I love seeing tiny structures that look & feel out of place.  I was going to scratch build something to solve this itch but a kit already existed that was perfect; Willmodels Waffle Shop.

What is Willmodels?

Willmodels is a manufacturer of HO and N scale resin structure and vehicle kits.  You wont be able to locate a website if you looked because the kits are only sold on eBay by the creator of Willmodels who is known by jimmowill.  In N scale, Willmodels offers three different structures, the Waffle Shop which has been mentioned, a cafe and a small hotel.  The kits are manufactured very well and are simple to build.  If you have built a DPM kit, these go together in a similar method and in my eyes are a higher quality.

The Kit

The Waffle Shop couldn’t be a simpler kit to build because there are only two parts, the building and a sign that can be added to the front of the building.  There are also signs for three different businesses included; The Waffle Shop, a Bar and an Auto Parts store.  Examples of all three can be seen on his eBay store.

A little minor filing of the base is mostly all the work needed to get the kit ready to build.  However a few very minor air bubbles may need to be filled, I only had one that I had to deal with.  From photos of the kit you can see that the two windows are filled in, this led me to believe that the kit was a solid casting.  When I received the kit, I was pleasantly surprised that it is hollow.  So I decided to cut out the openings, this couldn’t have been simpler.  The resin cut very easily with just a hobby knife and then with a little clean-up with a file, it was done.

Painting

I first gave the building a good bath with soapy water to remove any mold release or greasy marks.  I then sprayed the building with Polly Scale Reefer White (F414113) using my airbrush.  Next I glued on a small piece of .040x .080″ strip styrene for a front step.  I then painted the foundation & step with SP Lettering Grey (F414179) after it had dried I added a thin wash of india ink & alcohol.  On the front door I used Pullman Green (F414284) and on the back door I used Dirt (F414308).  Lastly I used a Metallic Silver Prismacolor marker (PM-117) on all of the raised trim.

The Roof

There is moulded in flashing against the brick and the roof, so again I used the Silver marker to color this, I then painted the brick Pacemaker Red (F414263) and then weathered it lightly.  For the actual roof, I painted the whole surface with L&N Grey (F414380).  Next I laid out lines that were spaced out 1/4″ with a pencil.  I then made up a 1 part white glue & 1 part black paint mixture, just a little on a post-it note will do.  With an old fine brush, I add the mixture the the lines to simulate tar.  I also add it around the base of the flashing and around any vents.  You may need to make another pass in some areas to make sure coverage is even.  Don’t worry if you go too heavy in an area, you can disguise it as a patched spot.  To finish it off I gave the roof a liberal wash of india ink/alcohol.  On the one vent on the roof, I decided to turn it into a cyclone vent with a bead that is explained in more detail here.

Rooftop Sign

While the kit is supplied with a great sign, I wanted to do something I haven’t tried yet.  I wanted a sign that was suspended over the front of the building by a frame on the roof.  I started off the frame by building a simple A-frame  from .010x .030″ styrene with one side running vertical.  I then added a stabilizer to one side by forming another A with the same material.  Next I cut a beam from the same material as the frame that the sign would be suspended from.  I figured out the height that it needed to be at so it could clear the facade of the front of the building and glued it in.  Next I needed cables to support the beam from the top of the frame work.  While a little to thick for cables, I used .007″ brass wire for this and they turned out well.  I glued in two of the cables, both starting from the same point on the frame with one terminating in the middle of the beam and the other near the end.  I then painted the framework with SP Lark Dark Grey (F414182).

The sign was made by sandwiching a .010″ piece of styrene between the printed paper signs.  Before I glued one of the signs to the styrene, I added two 1/2″ pieces of hair from my head that both extended out of the top of the sign.  I then glued the hairs to the beam on the frame with a tiny amount of CA glue.  The sign is very sturdy and I have no issues with the hair.

Final Details

I still had to add some acetate in for the window glass and after I added it, I glued in some signage that I had made.  I decided not to do an interior and I wanted white lettering on the one window.  To the simple way to achieve this is to print white text on a black background.  This way I black out the windows and get my text.

Lastly I added a bench out front.  It is a Woodland Scenics bench that I painted a blue, the legs are black and then I gave it wash of india ink/alcohol.  To finish it off, I added a newspaper to rest on the bench.

Conclusion

Willmodels produces fantastic kits and with a little imagination and research, you could easily find a home for this tiny building in your city or town.  Building this kit is a nice break from other projects because you don’t need to worry about building it, you just need to paint and detail it.