 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Home |
Archive |
Site Map |
Model Workshop |
Toy Box |
Goodies |
Madness |
Of The Bizarre |
Beans |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Home |
Archive |
Site Map |
Model Workshop |
Toy Box |
Goodies |
Madness |
Of The Bizarre |
Beans |
 |
 Creating A Display Showcase With close to thirty Cool Girls in my collection now , the decision on how to display them to greatest advantage has been heavy on my mind . Sure , they looked pretty good in their panoramic spread across my uppermost shelves in my living room's library case , but they lacked context ; more succinctly they needed an environment other than merely a shelf . Having come across a dollhouse sized to 1/6 scale at Toys 'R Us one day , it struck me that this would be a fantastic way to combine both a display case as well as an environment in which to store my collection . Humble beginnings for what will turn out to be my summer project .  This whole ball of wax got started due to my work on a command chair and desk set . Cool Girls look great by themselves , but once you start to build a scene , suddenly these awesome action dolls come alive moreso than as mere posed manikins . My desk set was turning out so nicely , and was so engaging to work on it made me want to escalate my plans , and having seen the simple lines of the " Imaginarium " Fashion Doll House at TRU , I knew that creating a custom CG display would be the type of customizing challenge I was seeking . Taking a generic fashion dollhouse and transforming it into a high tech Cool Girl Headquarters will not be a simple undertaking , but given a suitable framework to build upon and a little elbow grease and imagination , the possibilities are indeed limitless and promise a display and storage unit that will really make a statement .  I would point out , when you consider the size of a display like this , it is wise to take into account the impact it's going to have in your home . This becomes even more a crucial factor when , like me , you live in a small apartment ; this becomes a serious piece of furniture and as such needs to work with the other pieces of furniture in your home . My home is decorated in mission style so I sought a base that was affordable , shared the simple and clean lines of the mission style , and would unify this display with the rest of my furnishings . I was fortunate enough to find such a base at Office Depot , only $49 bucks and constructed of real wood . It's open edge style keeps the display from becoming too imposing and lends an almost floating quality to it .  As mentioned previously , this kettle of fish was opened when I began building my desk set . I had sewn seat cushions for the command chair many many moons ago , and just recently began building the command chair . The chair is a fairly simple construct , made from basswood and pine . The frame is basswood and the armrests pine , I wanted an interesting form for the arm rests and just happened to have spacers from a wine crate handy ( it pays to be a liquor manager at times ! ) When it came to providing a base for the chair I decided to take the easy route and kitbash some Barbie chairs . I added wiring caps to the stock base to give it a bit more height since Barbie chairs are designed to accomodate Barbie's limited poseability legs ( of which Cool Girls suffer NOT!! ) The same method was also used on my subordinate seating , which Motoko has found to be quite comfortable . That chair will also get some cushions sewn ( sometimes Ice's briefings can get looong ) .   The Art Of Kitbashing
While sometimes one must build from scratch , the key to kitbashing is finding new uses for what is essentially garbage , and every kitbasher tends to have a box of stuff that most " normal " people would just as soon throw away . Bashers typically look at such throw aways in a way that makes them more than just trash . These knick knacks of flotsam are seen with potentiality . The desk itself is a combination of scratch building and kitbashing . The desk top is a flipped over CD rack with the dividers removed . The sliding keyboard shelf is basswood with aluminum u-shaped bars attached . I had considered using a stock Barbie keyboard for the computer , but it's so tiny and generic I have decided to scratch build one using basswood and sculpey . I'm using a razor saw and Dremel to cut in the grooving that will form the buttons and will glue these sections to a sculpey case over wood . The mouse will most likely be made from sculpey . The riser on Ice's desk is a front window panel from a long discarded boom box , the transluscent plastic typewriter shaped thingy is the base from a Panasonic external antenna and will become a surge protector for the computer . The computer monitor is a compination of a trading card case ( allowing me to change the image on the screen at will ) the monitor base is a seat from a Microman BioMachine with an added hinge from a Lego kit that allows the monitor to be raised and angled to varying degrees . The computer hardware tower case is built from four razor blade cases that are simply glued together . I will be scratchbuilding a front and rear panel to slip into the case I have also located an acrylic literature holder along with a business card holder that I will be bashing together to construct another style chair . These were also found at Office Depot . One of the great things about kitbashing is you can find just about anything you might possibly conceive to create something from at every turn .   With the base for this display in place and the dollhouse itself pieced together ( although none of the hardware for final assembly tightened ) the fun part of designing the headquarters lies ahead . I will be utilizing the stock pieces of the dollhouse as well as scratchbuilding new pieces as well , since I have the intention of totally transforming this " Dream House " into a paramilitary base of operations . In all likelihood the roof gables will be removed and used to create a more acurately scale stairway , providing I decide not to construct a circular stairway . I also intend to incorporate some balconies as well as possibly extending some of the flooring levels . The roof will most likely get a whole new rebuild in order to add one more level for expansion . The first step for all of this will be to take the existing wall panels and repainting them with primer to wipe out the existing house graphics . Most of this redesigning will be done with my 3D architecture software " SketchUp! " prior to any work done on the actual model . With the real time modelling offered by SketchUp! I'll be able to visualize my design in the round so to speak and be able to test my ideas with much less effort than were I to do my " sketching " on the actual model . As a side note , the duffel bag carried by my Peppermint Barbie headed Ruby CG is another example of lucky find kitbashing . I had purchased a set of clip on LED lamps to aid my 40+ eyesight as I work on these tiny little miniatures and there was a case to place the lamps in for ease of carrying . It's size and shape was perfectly suited for conversion , so taking belt webbing , leather and jump rings I turned it into a stylish carry - on complete with handles and padded shoulder strap .  Since this is a project that will be a real labor of love , I would imagine I'll be working on it over the next 6 or so months , so keep on coming back to Geeb-O-Rama for updates , I'm sure I'll have lots of tips , tricks and pitfalls to share with you as my Cool Girl Collection gets their new home .  | CG HQ Pt2 | cghqUpdate | | CoolGirlCustoms | WildRoses | CoolGirl Collection | CoolGirl Collection2 | CoolGirl Collection3 | TheToysmith | CoolGirl Collection4 | CoolGirl Collection 5 | CoolGirl Collection 6 | CoolGirl Collection 7 | CoolGirl Collection8 | Kill All Robots CyberHuntress | CoolGirl Collection 9 | CoolGirl Collection 10 | Bad Amy | Buckaroo Betty | SimpleDetails | CoolGirl Collection 11 | coolgirlHQ | Cool Girl Comics | Cool Girl collection 12 | KisaragiKustom | AlternativeCutey | coolgirl_collection9 | DX-Style Yuni | DX Style Sanchez | Triad Toys | Cool Girl _Akiko Fuji | CG Gallery | Samurai Figures | Cool Girl Collection13 | Cool Links | Triad_2 | Playscale ResourceCenter | Sword and Sorcery | | ReelArts Blue Bulleteer | Shocker Toys | Cool Girls | KiniKomix | KiniKomix2 | Custom Action Figures | eBay Auctions | AppleseedTribute | Macross Valkyrie | Planet of the Apes | Horse Sense | WeaversUpholsteryToo | ToyBiz_Iron Man | Dirty Pair | On Display | The OTHER Gorby | | Return Home | Updates | The Archive | Gorby Site Map | Geeb-O-Rama's Model Workshop | Geeb's Toy Box | Geeb-O-Rama Goodies | Movie Madness | World Of The Bizarre | Cool Beans | |
||