I've always been fascinated by dollshouses, train sets and models. Basically if it's in miniature, it makes me smile.
RK’s diner - my 50s miniature masterpiece
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
I love the 50s – from the furniture to the fashion – so I think my diner might be my favourite room box (at least for the moment).
My 50s style 1:12 scale diner - built from scratch by my dad.
The inside of the diner - still lots of space to fill.
I’d been looking around for a kit for a long time but couldn’t find anything I liked, so my dad came to the rescue and designed RK’s diner from scratch, including the amazing electrics. I absolutely love turning the main lights off, switching on each individual element and watching it come to life.
The juke box is actually a toy I found on eBay but it was the right scale and I think it fits perfectly. The ‘clock face’ is a watch that my dad added LED lighting to, while the sign in the window is actually meant for model railways.
The buttons are labelled so each element of the lighting can be controlled individually.
The doors are another favourite element, something he spent a long time over but I think it was worth it to get the metal effect. Look at those lovely handles!
I absolutely love tiny food so this project was perfect for a variety of dishes. The diner sells all day breakfasts, burgers, ice cream sundaes, sandwiches, cakes, coffee (it had to – I fell in love with the espresso machine) and anything else I can get away with.
The espresso machine is one of my favourite miniatures, but I also adore the eggs in the background.
Obviously I needed menus and condiments for the tables but it turns out the ketchup bottles sold in the UK really aren’t very nice (note to UK craftspeople – there’s a gap in the market). Eventually I tracked down the perfect ketchup and mustard bottles in America, as is so often the case, but they weren’t cheap. Finding the right pieces to suit the setting is half the fun so I suppose I shouldn’t complain.
It took a long time to find that ketchup, but it was totally worth it.
The one thing I really struggled with and couldn’t find anywhere were suitable lampshades. A lot of dolls house lighting tends to be very traditional and that wouldn’t have been right for the diner. Cue the whole family heading out to buy bottles of Corsodyl mouthwash so we could use the lids as lampshades.
Recognise those 'lampshades'?
Eventually I want to cover the walls with memorabilia – pictures, records and anything else that will add interest; I want people to find something new every time they look at it. I already have a guitar and my dad sawed a toy car in half, which I seem to remember wasn’t easy.
I also need to buy lots of items to fill the shelves but there’s no rush – I’m not sure any project is ever completely finished. For now, enjoy a few more photos.
Still lots of room on the shelves for more tiny things.
Taking a peek from outside.
I love the clock. As it's a watch, it actually works.
Today we took our annual trip to Tonbridge Model Railway Club's exhibition. As it's held less than half a mile from our house, we normally make it every year - and it's worth going as the layouts do change from one year to the next. I must admit this wasn't a vintage show in my book. The actual trains will always be secondary for me but I love the scenery, my favourite setting being the English countryside from times gone by. This year there seemed to be more industrial and urban settings, or (heaven forbid!) those that concentrated purely on the trains and hadn't bothered much with the rest of the layout. That said I did take a lot of photos so will share a few of my favourites. This is close to my favourite type of scene, although it's in a larger scale than I usually prefer. I have an N gauge layout myself, so I tend to lean towards trains in a smaller scale but the one above was done really well. I like to be able to look at a photo and not be qui
After our successful trip to the Christmas Kensington Dollshouse Festival recently, I was determined to clear out our spare room so I could decorate my house for the festive season. After a few days of very hard work, the room is looking an awful lot better and tonight I was able to deck the halls, as they say. Much like in real life, I'd forgotten quite how many decorations I have... The first job is to get the tree in position although to be honest, it doesn't matter where it goes these days as I don't use the lights. When my dad first built my dollshouse I, for some unknown reason, felt the Christmas tree should have coloured flashing lights - so that's exactly what it has. The socket that connects to the plug on the tree Next year I am hoping to swap the bright lights (although you can actually adjust the brilliance on them as well) for more delicate white bulbs, though I'm not sure quite how easy this will be. I got over excited and put the fair
This weekend we made our annual visit to England's Medieval Festival at Herstmonceux Castle (more for Tim's benefit than mine but it is a good day out). While the majority of the sights and sounds are very much life size, we couldn't resist a visit to Mouse Town. A small tent houses a model - which must be around 1:12 scale - of a street scene in darkness. Amongst the shops are numerous mice, scurrying around and generally enjoying themselves. Mouse Town is home to a large collection of real mice. We've seen Mouse Town before but obviously each time the mice are doing something different so it's always enjoyable, perhaps more for us than others because we love the model. There's something magical about a mouse disappearing through a pub doorway though. There was a tense moment when a couple of the creatures were balanced precariously on a balcony (cue shouts from nearby children of 'he's going to jump') but fortunately they decided agai
.png)
Comments
Post a Comment