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Introduction
Welcome to “Mean Sets!” Whether you have one or several of the available
models, most of what you need to know to complete assembly should be right here. The tools and
materials needed are simple and inexpensive. Because each Set is printed in full color, with
photographic textures, nothing more need be done but finish assembly, put your miniatures on the
Set, and shout, “Dice, Camera…. Action! ”
General Ideas And Suggestions
All “Mean Sets” have been designed for fast, simple construction and are well within the most
neophyte modeler.
Materials and tools white glue, a good pair of scissors, cellophane tape, and a ruler/straight
edge (preferably steel). Those who wish a sturdier building will want thick matte board and 3/16"
inch thick foam core board (cheaply available at any craft store) for reinforcing walls and floors.
A paper cutter will be very useful for accurate cutting of the longer and larger pieces.
You will need a hobby /craft knife (such as X-acto®) and maybe some extra blades. There are many
doors and some windows that must be cut out, and a great deal of “scoring.” That is, drawing the blade
along the dashed lines (with the help of a straight edge) that appear at fold points, but lightly so
as not to cut through. Where indicated, solid lines should be cut through.
The techniques of assembly are pretty straightforward, requiring little more than cutting
out or scoring the walls and other pieces, folding, gluing, and mounting, though modelers are
encouraged to use an extra sheet of matte or foam core board as a good cutting surface to protect the
top of your work area. Simply lay it down and do all your detail cutting on top of that. When the
extra sheet gets worn out, it can still be cut up for future use on other projects, so
there’s no waste involved.
Sometimes, just looking at a 2D sheet of printed pieces does not suggest what the finished
assembly should look like, so don’t forget there are color photos on the “Mean Sets” Photo Page.
Getting Started
The best way to get started with any “Mean Set” is to take each printed sheet and perform all
necessary scoring first. Again, a straight edge is almost a necessity for a proper job of it. By
scoring now, a great deal of trouble and time will be saved later. Since even the most experienced
modeler will frequently score a fold line too deeply and cut through, but not notice until later,
another good idea is to use cellophane tape to reinforce the scores from the back side of each printed
sheet when finished.
After scoring, cut out the floor section(s) and glue to a Base of foam core cut to the appropriate
size and shape. When finished, set aside to dry and stack some heavy books or the like to prevent
warping. Notice that some floors have white side tabs along one or more sides. These are not
to be scored or folded, but glued flat on the base and the appropriate walls mounted on these spaces
later.
Next, begin cutting out the wall sections using your scissors or paper cutter. Some will have
tabs at the ends or bottoms for connecting to the floor or other walls. Most wall sections will have
a black tab running along the tops and/or ends. These are to be scored for folding and gluing onto the
foam core sections you will place between walls. These black tabs provide a “finished” look that
covers the rough cut and plain tops and ends of the foam core.
You will also notice that wherever the card stock has been cut and/or folded, the white edges of
the material are quite obvious and can detract from the look of the finished Set. Take marking pens
of the appropriate color and cover these now while they are most accessible.
Some wall sections have white end tabs that connect with the next wall section in line. It
is a good idea—but not absolutely necessary—to go ahead and connect them now. This can produce an
“accordion” looking chain of walls which allows the modeler make sure each piece lines up exactly.
Also, some walls have “texture extensions” on their fronts. These are additional lengths
of matching wallpaper/brick/flooring/etc that are meant to be folded around and glued to the adjacent
walls or floors and cover the “seams” or angles were these meet. Do not glue these extensions until
you reach “Final Assembly” (below).
There are doors printed on some sheets in every Set. Cut these out now, score the dividing line
between halves, and the white “hinge” tab. Fold the halves over, glue, and let dry for future use.
Similarly, there are some windows that will be set into spaces later cut into walls. These should
also be assembled now so as to be dry later.
Some walls are “single-sided,” while others have two different sides with a lack top tab between
them. These require being scored along both sides of the top tab (indicated by a dashed line). Some
wall sections have white bottom tabs. These are to scored and folded under the wall and glued to the
Base. Also, some walls have doors already printed on them. Do not cut them out but leave as is.
Finally, some walls are not only “double-sided,” but are connected to floor sections. Again,
only score at these fold points. In these cases, the floor(s) will be glued to the Base previously
cut.
Backing The Walls
The walls in every “Mean Set” have been spaced to allow a standard 3/16” piece of foam core to
be glued to its back or between “double walls.” This imparts a fully 3D effect to doors and windows,
besides giving strength and permanence to your work. These sections should be measured and dry fitted
before gluing, including folding the black top and end tabs into place. If a wall section has no doors
or windows, place under the same weight as the Base while you work on the other assemblies.
If several walls have already been connected into an “accordion,” be sure that when mounting
the foam core to their backs enough space has been left for the individual sections to “hinge”
and form the necessary right angles.
Preparing door and window frames is the “trickiest” part of the entire project, so follow closely.
The doors are meant to be able to open and close within their printed frames on the wall. To do
this, you should have already scored the interior door frames indicated by dashed lines on one side
of the wall. On the opposite side will be a empty door frame. Glue the pre-measured foam core piece
to the black top tab. When it’s sufficiently set, fold both wall sides down, but do not glue them yet.
Take the appropriate door and glue its “hinge” tab into the inside surface of the empty door
frame. Make sure that the door is very slightly higher than the bottom edge of the frame so that
it can swing easily, and that it’s lined up to meet the frame edge so it will close properly.
You may wish to very lightly trim the bottom or side edges for a good fit. Now, fold the door wide
open, flat against the wall.
Turn the wall over and fold the scored door frame pieces flat to the outside surface of the wall.
Both sides of the door frame should now have nothing “inside” and the foam core in between fully
exposed. Now, carefully cut out the foam core visible in the door frame. One deep cut on each side\
and along the top should do the job. Once you’ve removed the piece, make sure everything fits, then
glue both sides of the wall to the foam core. Put glue on the inside cut surfaces of the door frame
and fold the previously scored door frame sides and top in place.
Windows are similarly done, save that you needn’t worry about opening and closing them!
Due to the nature of having “3D” walls, the spaces directly under the door frames are exposed
and show no textures at all. Therefore, short floor extension pieces have been provided for each
floor texture in the Set. Cut these out and glue them in place before gluing the walls down. Be sure
that the right extension is going under the right door frame!
Final Assembly
When all the walls have been backed with foam core, begin gluing them down where indicated. If
one or more wall sections have “texture extensions” (see above), now is the time to glue them to
the adjacent walls. These may be trimmed to fit, or discarded if not wanted.
Another construction option is using straight pins to hold one glued wall section to another.
This greatly strengthens the overall assembly and prevents further shifting or warping as the glue
dries. While flat headed pins are fine (or even steel pin with no heads at all), using some
with a “bulb” shaped head (the same kind as infect newly bought shirts) provide the benefit of
resembling light bulbs. Notice that on some walls, there are flower shaped “fixtures” that
will take these pins, providing bracing where needed, but also a nice architectural detail.
Some Sets come with a variety of sub-assemblies such as the bars in the Restaurant and the
Speakeasy/Bar. These should be added after the walls go up. Other sub-assemblies include furniture
or fixtures. These may be put together last, or not used at all. Sources for a great many excellent
accessories (everything from pull-chain toilets, to beds, candle-stick telephones, wall clocks, etc)
are available from the vendors whose links appear on the Webpage.
The decision whether to glue down furniture and fixtures is entirely up the modeler, though
their light weight means they will be wandering all over the place during play! Permanently fixing
them to the Set is a great convenience and perhaps well worth the loss of variable placement. But
that’s up to you!
Once all the walls are in place, it’s a good idea to put those books back on top of the Set to
prevent warping, ideally overnight.
Don’t hesitate to report any problems you may encounter with a design. A problem easily
overlooked by the designer might not escape the watchful eye of a Modeler! Any necessary “fixes”
will be made and replacement designs provided gratis.
So, now you’ve done it! While each “Mean Set” provides its own unique design features, the
lessons learned from your first effort, and these notes, will make each subsequent assembly easier,
faster—and more fun!—than before. Let’s see your photographs, too. There’s always room for
improvements and variants, so don’t hide them!
Patrick Wilson, TVAG
May, 2006
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