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  AN ONGOING NEWSLETTER July 2015


Roche Hotel
by Gisby

This building is from Ertl's set 4221 'Cow Town.' It was a perfect starter town for Old West gaming, coming with piles of fencing and accessories. It's out of production, but can still be found on eBay.

The kits are made from Styrene plastic and glue with plastic model cement. (They are snap-fit and don't need to be glued at all.) They are well engineered and well detailed, and although the big kits have many parts in common, they look quite different from one another.


Building without balcony

Doors open and close, and roofs come off to allow access to the interiors. In other words, they are nearly perfect for gaming.

The only real downside is that some parts are made from polyethylene, so don't glue or take paint well. In this case it was the exterior staircase and the doors.

There are 125 pieces making up the stairs and railing.

I built the staircase from various styrene shapes, using the soft plastic original as a size guide. It was quite a project, but turned out well enough. Having done so, I'm going to look at resin parts for my next one: It'll be easier and cheaper.

There were locating tubes on the side of the building. I cut them away, and was happy to find that the holes didn't go through the wall. There was nothing to fill.

The body of the doors are made from styrene sheet with boards scribed in, and framing cut and applied over top. The framing also covers the hinge, which sits behind it, making a stronger hinge joint. The hinge is wire from a coat hanger.

The balcony only has 110 pieces
Building with balcony

I added a balcony the front, made to match the staircase. I didn't glue it in place, so I can use the building without it. I'm not sure that it's really an advantage, but I have the option.

There's a soft plastic interior balcony, but I didn't replace it, I just put in supports and an upper floor.

I also added a roof ladder, just to make the building more interesting.

Also See: The Savoy Music and Dance Hall


COWTOWN CHRONICLE

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