There's been some progress around Kemper lately, mostly concerning the tattoo parlor and the Industrial Avenue area. Rebel Tattoo is basically finished after I added awnings, weathering, graffiti, black cardboard interior blocking, and electrical service. Being the perpetual 12-year old that I am, I couldn't resist adding my own off-color "artwork" as well, in addition to two murals of some television/film icons. The only thing left is some weeds and dirt to "plant" it onto the layout.
The awnings were simply folded out of heavyweight paper, then glued to the structure with CA, while the power conduits were some slightly oversized wire with brass brackets mounted to the building. Downspouts were made with styrene rod held the same way. Because my layout is so high by design, the roof didn't get much detailing other than an access hatch. I had to finally say it's "good enough" otherwise this thing would have toilets and running water...
Heading into town on Industrial Avenue will give you a glimpse of some other creative graffiti that adorns this prime bit of real estate. I tried to recreate what I spotted in an urban exploration video, but of course, the original is a little bit spookier than mine.
And finally, I had a chance to sit down and build something that I've had taking up space in my head for a month. No plans used other than the basic 14'x48' dimensions, plus standard styrene shapes and patterns that I had available.
Finished with rattle can brown primer and Tamiya semi-gloss. The graphics were laid out using MS Word, then glued to the billboard with contact adhesive.
For those pedantic individuals at home, this is officially termed a "Full Flag, Back to back"-type advertising structure. WATKINS is also a legitimate marketing firm in Missouri, for geographic accuracy!
(Note: The intersection is real, but everything else is fictional)
I fumbled a bit on one of these billboards, but I won't say which one. I'm sure there's a prototype for it somewhere, though!
Maybe I'll move on to some rolling stock or locomotive projects by the next update...
