Somewhere in the Top-Left Corner of Wales...
This was one of those projects which came a bit out of nowhere, and was one of those occasions where the model-making can come in useful for our roles in Scouting. We're both leaders with the Squirrel Section (aged around 4 years old) and needed a story-themed project. Having had some success doing the Ivor the Engine tales with The Childs over the years, we thought we could work up a project based on it for Scouting purposes.
Basically the end point of a few weeks of games, crafting, and reading was a massive train set laid out in the library where we meet. The Squirrels would be driving a model of Ivor around, collecting passengers and goods, and dropping them off at stations around the layout.
I (Ben) will be putting more about this on the Model Making Blog shortly, on the background and details of it all, but thought I'd put a few of the more arty bits up on here.
We'd be needing various townsfolk as passengers, so I drew out a large cast of characters inspired by drawings in the books. Holidaymakers, Choir, commuters, and more. I then inked them up, scanned, and cut them on the Laser.
They were then illustrated with marker pens.
Meanwhile, I converted a Playmobil Radio-Control tank loco, designing and laser-cutting a new body. Again, this rather major component of the activity will be given space over on the Model-Making Blog.
The layout in the Library, before the chaos of the kids operating session...
...also note the technicolour dream wagon; these were designed and cut on the laser as well in plain wood, and the Squirrels coloured one each.
I managed to interest Garden Rail magazine in the project, which meant I needed a few 'beauty shots' of the loco, the figures, and the buildings. The evening in the library went rather well, but it was hard to get some nice shots of the loco (which was in an unfinished state anyway at that point).
All the buildings we used in the project were repaints of Early Learning Centre 'Happyland' toys, and between the library session and the shoot I'd managed to acquire one of the stations which could be used; I decided that rather than just photographing the loco on a plank, I could knock-up a simple diorama which would give a feel for the project.
Laying the bits out on a piece of board to test compositions.
The size was dictated both by time and transport constraints; we were due to go to Wales in the Half Term which would give me a location to shoot the pics, but only a few days to do the build. The baseboard fitted in a small underbed storage box, and everything needed to fit into the box; we wouldn't have a massive amount of room in the car.
There wouldn't be time for any fancy scenic work; the rock formation was Playmobil, as were the retaining walls, the grass is hanging basket liner. The trees were all cheapy plastic Bonsai trees from a discount shop. Being short of model ballast, I used some play sand (and left the board on top of the radiator for 24 hours in the hope the watered-down PVA glue used to set it all would try).
Out on location; my sister's house on Anglesey, meaning that appropriately enough I'd be shooting the pics actually in the Top Left Corner of Wales...
Happy holidaymakers waiting for the train to the seaside.
In the end though I also took a simple plank, with some more hanging basket liner ground cover, just for a bit of variety for the shots. The rather plain-liveried wagon is my version of the rather more disco ones the Squirrels did.
Trying to make the most of the 'real' features like the low hedges and telegraph poles.
Unexpectedly, Ivor saw another outing recently, in the snow which fell back in March; just some track laid on the roof of the car, with a couple of props for set dressing.
Annoyingly Ivor was sans his distinctive whistle, which I'd left in Wales by accident, but Ivor was the only loco I had in the house.
All in all, another rather fun little project; there's a possibility of a bigger magazine feature, more about how we did the Scouting activity night rather than the model-making. In the meantime, Ivor should look good trundling around the garden railway this summer...
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