Sunday, March 15, 2015

Scenery: Ammunation (Modified Paper Building)

I found this building kit at Papermau, which is a great resource for paper models, a generic 'gun store' from Grand Theft Auto V.  I thought it would make a nice addition to my city, and looked like a pretty easy build.  As I started building the kit as presented, I decided I wanted an interior as well.
Something like that
After my last game, and after converting the Starbucks coffee shop I am going to make an effort to do detailed interiors for buildings that I make.  Of course that means a bit more work, but I think it will be worth it.  Little did I know just how much more work this would be, maybe I wouldn't have gone down this road...

I started by printing off the "letter" sheet version of the building (available here) I had, at first, planned to print on card stock and back it with thick card (from a cereal box) as suggested by Vampifan.  I had a bit of failure with the first go - too much glue I suspect, and I scrapped that misfire.  I also destroyed all pictures of that attempt, and we'll not speak of it again.

For round two, I decided to go with foam core.  I have a few sheets laying around, and I like how sturdy the final product is.  I glued the various parts to a sheet and cut them out.
And so it begins!

I am using a floor tile image I found on the internet for the floor.  Taking a hint from Mr. Stoelzel (of Stoelzel's Structures - very awesome buildings) I am going to rabbit the floor and walls.  This makes for a much more secure building when complete.  It also covers up the unsightly foam portions at joints.
Wow.  A floor.
Rabbit...Rabbit...Rabbit
All of the doors will need to be made to open.  I am using the wire and wrap the door around it method.  As all the wall edges will be covered, pressing through a length of wire (just a straightened paperclip) is pretty easy.  It gives pretty decent results I think.
The rear door
The front doors
The front doors look like they should have glass in them, but I don't feel that is best for the gun store.  I am leaving them as just a different colored section.  Maybe they have armored glass in the doors or something.

The front windows are somewhat barred, and I decide to leave two sections (they look almost like translucent fiberglass panels or maybe hardened glass that you can't really see through) and only put clear plastic in the center portion for a window.  I have plenty of clear plastic packaging and I like the look of actual windows on the buildings.

The signs that come with the building are a bit dark, but I don't feel like printing them again in a lighter shade.  I get those and the A/C units installed on the walls and it's time to put this together.
Front signs
The walls go up.  I use a Sharpie (black marker) to color the edges of the foam core so they don't stand out so much.  It doesn't take much time, and really makes the building look better.
Back Quarter
Inside, but empty
The building is pretty small.  I don't want to crowd it too much, but it needs a few details.  I make a few things in Word to use as a counter and ammo shelves.  I also print off some pictures of guns displayed in a gun store, to place on the walls.  Finally I find some appropriate posters and such for the walls.  I wish some had turned out a bit better, but these work.
A selection of details

Here is the finished building, with Dawn and team exploring it.
Is the store still open?
A fair selection
Small, but usable

The roof looks like a corrugated tin roof.  I don't have any objection to it, and it fits, so I just go with that.  I reinforced it with a bit of card to keep it flat.  I may put it on a piece of foam core in the future, if it turns out to need it. 
Plenty of Parking
The kit comes with the small parking area as well.  I printed it out, but it is not attached.  I may use it if it fits with my street tiles.

So that should have taken just a couple of hours, but turned into a rather long ordeal.  I didn't realize how much time it would take to come up with the interior design parts.  I like the results, and I am going to try and just make a bunch of various furnishings and such for other buildings.

I am also considering trying this approach with another building...Tommygun's Andy's Gun Store.  It's much larger, and two stories.  It would make a great tabletop addition though...

15 comments:

  1. That's a surprisingly run-down exterior for such a well-stocked shop :-) . Very nice model, I like it.

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    1. Thanks, I agree it looks rather dilapidated, but that is part of the lure of a nice local gun store... :)

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  2. Great build dude! Love the interior work. Saw this on Papermau the other day and thought it would be a cool building. I've printed out Andy's Gun World, just haven't put it together yet. I have a few builds stalled due to lack of interiors, did you do yours from scratch or find them online, if you found them online a link would be greatly appreciated. Cheers dude.

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    1. Glad you like it! I did the interior myself, using image searches from the internet. It's not too hard to draw up basic box shapes, and then texture them using something like Word or a paint program. (I use GIMP for a paint program, free and pretty good.) Tommygun has quite a few interior detail items as well, check out the site where his files are now.

      I do wish there were quicker options for interiors. I have had poor luck finding cheap furniture and such from doll houses or toys lately.

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  3. That has come out really well indeed. Good decision to reinforce it with foam-board. I hope this is just the start of your foray into card modelling. Oh, and that's some serious firepower hanging on the walls!

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    1. For a small building, it was a great test. I am a fan of the foam board when I can do a proper job with it. This build has built up a bit of confidence, I am going to start another building and see where it leads.

      Thanks for your tips and tricks on your blog. I love the looks of your buildings, they really inspire!

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  4. This looks a lot better than I thought it would (without figures it's always difficult to judge (I think I recognised the buildiing), good to see a simple interior too.

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    1. I wasn't sure how well it would look, but I am pleased with the final result. I am going to try and do more interior work, it makes the buildings much more fun to game with.

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  5. nice model. every city needs a gun store. never looked on that website but maybe I should.....

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    1. CW, take the time to look at the site, it has lot of card models and something will interest you I'm sure. Some will of course need re-scaling, but not a difficult task.

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  6. Very nice job on the build it looks fab :)

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  7. Good design and step by step post. Thank you for sharing. It is a great addition to your terrain.

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