Florida Keys International Airport--Phase I - Page 2

JFKKid · 03-16-2009, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uncle beat

All of my boats, cars, trucks and palm trees came from Microform Models : Microform Models, Miniature scale model parts for use by Architects, Engineers, Scale Model Builders, Set Designers and Hobbyists.. This is a company that supplies architects for their scale models. The variety is absolutely incredible. Two things to remember: 1) their products all come in an unpainted metal finish, so you have to paint them (not too many silver palm trees out there!) and 2) under the catalog section, there is a scale conversion chart--mind the scale very carefully: their 1/40" is equivalent to our 1:500; their 1/32" is approximately equal to our 1:400. (They have a scale 1/500", which is NOT the same as 1:500). By the way, don't be put off by having to paint these things--use acrylic paint (dries quickly/huge assortment of colors) and the process moves along quickly. I did the 30 palm trees shown here in less than an hour. Also, since the trees are metal, you can bend the trunk and the palm fronds to give a realistic appearance. In the end, it was good to use non-Gemini / non-Herpa sources, for a customized result. For example, if you look closely at the cars in the traffic circle, there is a coral pink VW bug and a lime green convertible: you can't get these products from Herpa! Best wishes, p e t e

Thank you very much for that website! Helped alot!!
By the way...How long did it take you to actually build this?

uncle beat · 03-16-2009, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JFKKid

Thank you very much for that website! Helped alot!!
By the way...How long did it take you to actually build this?

I mentally planned it out while driving to work over a couple of months last fall--I wrote all of my ideas down as they came to me and started getting the materials together. Since the airport is made of panels which fit into those large, plastic underbed storage boxes, the size of each panel was determined by the boxes. I then had wood cut, and thereafter the actual construction was maybe only 8 or 9 weekends. There wasn't too much trial and error because I had a strong mental picture of what I wanted, and I knew my space limitations at the condo here in Miami Beach.

JFKKid · 03-16-2009, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uncle beat

I mentally planned it out while driving to work over a couple of months last fall--I wrote all of my ideas down as they came to me and started getting the materials together. Since the airport is made of panels which fit into those large, plastic underbed storage boxes, the size of each panel was determined by the boxes. I then had wood cut, and thereafter the actual construction was maybe only 8 or 9 weekends. There wasn't too much trial and error because I had a strong mental picture of what I wanted, and I knew my space limitations at the condo here in Miami Beach.

Wow! That is alot of planning. I was just sitting in my room one day and had an idea to build an airport on the other side of a ping pong table so I just went into my basement and planned the entire airport out in pencil and then painted the runway, taxiway, terminal ect. But congratulations on your airport it is very immpressive!

dqb757 · 03-16-2009, 08:28 PM

Very nice work, love the beach. I clicked on the website found lots of goodies and called them.
There in my state and have really good prices. looks like i will be painting lots of trees but its
worth it. Your airport has lots of detail, it looks great!!! Can't wait to see more.

southwest freak · 03-17-2009, 04:12 PM

This looks like a good custom project cant wait to see it finished.

03-21-2009, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uncle beat

All of my boats, cars, trucks and palm trees came from Microform Models : Microform Models, Miniature scale model parts for use by Architects, Engineers, Scale Model Builders, Set Designers and Hobbyists.. This is a company that supplies architects for their scale models. The variety is absolutely incredible. Two things to remember: 1) their products all come in an unpainted metal finish, so you have to paint them (not too many silver palm trees out there!) and 2) under the catalog section, there is a scale conversion chart--mind the scale very carefully: their 1/40" is equivalent to our 1:500; their 1/32" is approximately equal to our 1:400. (They have a scale 1/500", which is NOT the same as 1:500). By the way, don't be put off by having to paint these things--use acrylic paint (dries quickly/huge assortment of colors) and the process moves along quickly. I did the 30 palm trees shown here in less than an hour. Also, since the trees are metal, you can bend the trunk and the palm fronds to give a realistic appearance. In the end, it was good to use non-Gemini / non-Herpa sources, for a customized result. For example, if you look closely at the cars in the traffic circle, there is a coral pink VW bug and a lime green convertible: you can't get these products from Herpa! Best wishes, p e t e

You are correct, it has more detail than Herpa cars, their Mini Cooper look like a station wagon.

lollomz · 03-23-2009, 10:58 AM

Great details, I'm waiting for phase II ...

Lollo

uncle beat · 04-05-2009, 10:01 AM

I wish to thank everyone for their positive comments. The new terminals are being worked on now--along with the income tax returns for my dental practice

Sooo, updated pictures, etc. will be coming along after the accountant is happy! pete

JFKKid · 04-05-2009, 10:26 AM

Great!!! I can't wait!!!!!

LAX-777 · 04-05-2009, 12:44 PM

That's an amazing start! Do you have any tips?

furryforest · 04-05-2009, 01:17 PM

Excellent job Pete. Just a question re the lighting. How did you fix the lights to the board?

did you find the water hard work. I would eventually like to do a very localised diorama (one or two gates) but want to include a water feature. On several sites they talk about the difficulties in creating the water.

Chris

matt109 · 04-05-2009, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by furryforest

Excellent job Pete. Just a question re the lighting. How did you fix the lights to the board?

did you find the water hard work. I would eventually like to do a very localised diorama (one or two gates) but want to include a water feature. On several sites they talk about the difficulties in creating the water.

Chris

I trialled using a blob of hot-glue-gun, to secure into place. you can buy "water-granules" cheaply. They work well, but need to be "weathered" for ultimate realism.

Uncle... well, what can I say?! Absolutly great. Keep up the great work! Can't wait for Phase II! LOL

Matt

uncle beat · 04-05-2009, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by furryforest

Excellent job Pete. Just a question re the lighting. How did you fix the lights to the board?

did you find the water hard work. I would eventually like to do a very localised diorama (one or two gates) but want to include a water feature. On several sites they talk about the difficulties in creating the water.

Chris

The lights are each attached to the base with a drop of superglue. I placed the glue about 1mm from the tip of the lamp, and then inserted the light into the hole and held for 30 seconds or so, then on to the next. LED lights are a must for this, as regular Christmas lights don't deliver enough light to the actual tip. Regarding the water, I highly recommend the product called "Enviro-Tex Light," which is available at railroad and hobby stores. You mix equal parts of the two liquids and pour about 1/8" - 1/4" deep over your prepared water area (have the bottom painted and completely dry, including shade variations to enhance the illusion of depth, and the shoreline/beach/rocks already done). Millions of tiny bubbles are formed over the next 10 minutes or so as the material starts to polymerize, and in order to achieve a clear surface in the final result, the manufacturer suggests lightly running a small butane torch about 6-8" above the surface, sweeping back and forth until all the bubbles disappear. The clerk at Miami's "Ready - to - Roll" hobby/train shop was extremely helpful in explaining all of this to me, and he mentioned that it was the creation of a carbon dioxide-rich environment over the surface, not heat from the torch, that would drive all of the bubbles off, and said that some customers just got their faces really close to the liquid and exhaled over the surface (!) to eliminate the bubbles. As physically in-shape as I am, I still couldn't see exhaling over the large surface area that my diorama has, so I torched it and got great results. The process is a little scary--you think you're going to start a fire or burn up your diorama after all of that work, but just persevere. At the end of this performance, you have to leave your diorama undisturbed in a dust-free location for 72 hours for final set. I wish you could see the actual diorama in person--the clarity, depth, and dimension of this product is unsurpassed and despite some first-timer's anxiety, in hindsight it wasn't that difficult to do. I highly recommend it! Best wishes, pete

furryforest · 04-05-2009, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uncle beat

The lights are each attached with a drop of superglue. I placed the glue about 1mm from the tip of the lamp, and then inserted the light into the hole and held for 30 seconds or so, then on to the next. LED lights are a must for this, as regular Christmas lights don't deliver enough light to the actual tip. Regarding the water, I highly recommend the product called "Enviro-Tex Light," which is available at railroad and hobby stores. You mix equal parts of the two liquids and pour about 1/8" - 1/4" deep over your prepared water area (have the bottom painted and completely dry, including shade variations to enhance the illusion of depth, and the shoreline/beach/rocks already done). Millions of tiny bubbles are formed over the next 10 minutes or so as the material starts to polymerize, and in order to achieve a clear surface in the final result, the manufacturer suggests lightly running a small butane torch about 6-8" above the surface, sweeping back and forth until all the bubbles disappear. The clerk at Miami's "Ready - to - Roll" hobby/train shop was extremely helpful in explaining all of this to me, and he mentioned that it was the creation of a carbon dioxide-rich environment over the surface, not heat from the torch, that would drive all of the bubbles off, and said that some customers just got their faces really close to the liquid and exhaled over the surface (!) to eliminate the bubbles. As physically in-shape as I am, I still couldn't see exhaling over the large surface area that my diorama has, so I torched it and got great results. The process is a little scary--you think you're going to start a fire or burn up your diorama after all of that work, but just persevere. At the end of this performance, you have to leave your diorama undisturbed in a dust-free location for 72 hours for final set. I wish you could see the actual diorama in person--the clarity, depth, and dimension of this product is unsurpassed and despite some first-timer's anxiety, in hindsight it wasn't that difficult to do. I highly recommend it! Best wishes, pete

Thanks for the explanation Pete. I think i may be plucking up the courage to give it a go. As i say, i want to try something very localized. More of a snap shot of a part of a terminal than the hole overview.

when is your guide on terminal building????

uncle beat · 04-05-2009, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by furryforest

Thanks for the explanation Pete. I think i may be plucking up the courage to give it a go. As i say, i want to try something very localized. More of a snap shot of a part of a terminal than the hole overview.

when is your guide on terminal building????

One more suggestion--the torch mentioned in the explanation is a small one--it stands about 6-7" tall and the flame is about 3/4" to 1." You might be able to borrow one from a dentist--we use these to make wax patterns for gold inlays and crowns, to festoon dentures, and to solder orthodontic appliances.
The terminal tutorial is forthcoming--it is a compilation of all of the techniques passed on to me. Learning from each other is the cool thing about these forums! pete

03-16-2009, 08:28 PM	#19
dqb757 Earning My Wings Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Boston,MA Age: 38 Posts: 31	Re: Florida Keys International Airport--Phase I Very nice work, love the beach. I clicked on the website found lots of goodies and called them. There in my state and have really good prices. looks like i will be painting lots of trees but its worth it. Your airport has lots of detail, it looks great!!! Can't wait to see more.

03-17-2009, 04:12 PM	#20
southwest freak Nathan.I Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bullhead City Arizona Age: 16 Posts: 1,014	Re: Florida Keys International Airport--Phase I This looks like a good custom project cant wait to see it finished. __________________

03-23-2009, 10:58 AM	#22
lollomz ATP Captain Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Monza, Italy Age: 39 Posts: 2,815	Re: Florida Keys International Airport--Phase I Great details, I'm waiting for phase II ... Lollo __________________ Brianza North Milan Airport: http://community.webshots.com/user/lollomz URL: http://my.flightmemory.com/lollomz

04-05-2009, 10:01 AM	#23
uncle beat Captain Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Miami Posts: 1,114	Re: Florida Keys International Airport--Phase I I wish to thank everyone for their positive comments. The new terminals are being worked on now--along with the income tax returns for my dental practice Sooo, updated pictures, etc. will be coming along after the accountant is happy! pete

04-05-2009, 10:26 AM	#24
JFKKid Go jetBlue! Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Oakdale,NY Posts: 266	Re: Florida Keys International Airport--Phase I Great!!! I can't wait!!!!! __________________ Northern Florida International Fantasy flights are available. Airport is still open! Long Island International Airport now under construction. Great destination for fantasy flights!

04-05-2009, 12:44 PM	#25
LAX-777 I'm a Mac!....using a PC. Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: (not really liking) Nashville, TN (From Los Angeles, CA) Posts: 630	Re: Florida Keys International Airport--Phase I That's an amazing start! Do you have any tips? __________________ United 757 in 1:500 please. Hey, Herpa, Jet-X, and Inflight, go! make a go! CRJ-200!!! Virgin America and JetBlue in 1:500!!!

04-05-2009, 01:17 PM	#26
furryforest Operations Director Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Northern Ireland, UK Age: 31 Posts: 6,165	Re: Florida Keys International Airport--Phase I Excellent job Pete. Just a question re the lighting. How did you fix the lights to the board? did you find the water hard work. I would eventually like to do a very localised diorama (one or two gates) but want to include a water feature. On several sites they talk about the difficulties in creating the water. Chris __________________ I swear to drunk i'm not God

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