Jump to content

Curiosity about 1/2" scale


CatColorado

Recommended Posts

This might be one of those topics that sinks like a rock into the depths of forum obscurity, but it is worth a try.

What questions do you have about 1/2" scale? I often read people posting that "There is nothing available in THAT scale." yet never say what they are looking for. I have several boxes of furniture, dolls, accessories, wallpaper, fabrics, trim, etc., all in 1/24th that sure looks like a whole lotta something to me.

There doesn't seem to be much talk about this, despite the release of the new houses, so I was hoping we could get a dialog going.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kathryn,I don't have any questions,I just finished a half scale Fairfield and adored building it.I looked at all kinds of 1/2 scale furnishings and things(just too broke to buy).I love the smaller scale.I do wish that EVERY full scale house on the market also came in 1/2.I still want a Harrison and a Lily,I'll not get them in full scale.Now if they make them in half,I'd buy them as soon as possible.A half scale Garfield or Pierce would be great.As it stands now,when I finish Tiffani I'm hoping for a Rosedale and then a Jefferson.I just can't afford RGT and some of the others......

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I recently built the half scale Rosedale. I've seen halfscale items, no where near as much stuff as one inch, but for the most part they are expensive and out of my budget. Still waiting for Greenleaf to release their half scale furniture kits, although I'm not sure they still plan to release them. I emailed them twice, last time was a month ago and was told a couple more weeks, but still nothing. I'm sure if they release them, they will be much more budget friendly than others and I need to furnish the Rosedale and the unbuilt Fairfield that I have. I need to take care of these two before I think of buying another half scale house. I really do like this scale and the new laser cut is a breeze to put together. I wish there was more ideas and tutorials and printies made for this scale. I guess my biggest question is if Greenleaf is still going to release half scale furniture kits and when.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Installing lighting is pretty much the same from what I have seen, same techniques work in either scale.

So what is your price range? What is affordable? This may seem like a dumb question, but what seems a reasonable price to me might not be that way for you.

What sorts of tutorials would you like to see? Dolls? Furniture? Accessories?

What sort of printies? Ann Vanture has a free club where she gives away free pdfs from time to time. Some of them are in 1/2", but also anything in 1" scale can be printed at half the size and used as well. I believe she still sells CDs of printables. She does nice work.

Telling your printer to print at 50% size will work with any printable, as well as pdf format ones.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE:

So what is your price range? What is affordable? This may seem like a dumb question, but what seems a reasonable price to me might not be that way for you.

What sorts of tutorials would you like to see? Dolls? Furniture? Accessories?

What sort of printies? Ann Vanture has a free club where she gives away free pdfs from time to time. Some of them are in 1/2", but also anything in 1" scale can be printed at half the size and used as well. I believe she still sells CDs of printables. She does nice work.

Telling your printer to print at 50% size will work with any printable, as well as pdf format ones.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have had a blast making furniture for the Fairfields from scratch. I made up lovely kits for La Casita that were no more expensive than 1:12 kits; I'm assuming that they're lasercut pushed the price up, since the maker has to pay off that lasercutter. The first Ashdown copy of DHM (and the last one I received from them, despite having a >1 year subscription left) had several 1:24 scale projects, as did several earlier issues. Phoenix offers mini items in 1:24 as well as 1:12 and Grazhe carries some of them at New England Miniatures.

I would like to see tutorials for all sorts of accessories and finishing in 1:24, as I've been playing mostly "by ear" here.

If enough folks show interest, maybe we could have this topic pinned so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I ran my Garden Railway in 1/24th I used playmobile houses that I then painted, shingled, put stone siding on, and acetate in the windows to keep the bugs out. My dad use to pick them up at yard sales for a few bucks.

They had to be weatherproof here in New England. Garden Railways magazine has all kinds of vendors and they even use to provide scale drawing plans to build small buildings. They also have landscaping

tips. All very cool and not only for train set ups. I have to go dig them out.

There are also lots of companies that sell scale people like Bachman and small line

http://www.slmonline.com/ line.

Garden Texture makes some great building kits too.

http://www.gardentexture.com/index2.htm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One thing to remember with the inexpensive furniture sets, you can always bash them and make them look different. Nail polish remover will get rid of that finish and loosen the glue. After that you can paint and embellish to your heart's desire. This is also a good way of learning furniture construction if you want to make you own.

For a simple bed frame, a piece of foam core cut to size makes a decent basis to make a bed. Double the thickness and you have a box spring. Use beads glued to the foam core for legs.

That's what Melanie did for this bed. She used gold safety pins for a headboard. I made the mattress and the linens, basically all the dressing.

http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/uploads/gallery_22_34_11848.jpg

It's not fancy, but it shows what you can do with simple materials. A similar technique could be used to make a sofa or chair.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The bed is adorable, CatColorado!

I am with Alamom, waiting on the Greenleaf 1/2 scale furniture kits... Is there any word on when they might be available? I bought a Rosedale too, and yep, it is still in the box...I want to build and decorate it completely to see if I like the scale before purchasing another half-scale kit.

On the price range, I figure it will run about the same as the one-inch furniture, and usually the max I pay for a set is $25. I also saw the website with the beautiful kit pieces for $25+ per piece, and it is out of my range. I would also be afraid of "ruining" something that expensive...so it would sit in it's package forever...

Tutorials about most everything would be great. I figure furniture patterns could just be put in the copier and reduced 50%, but creative hints and ideas, like the safety-pin bed would be fun.

Tappy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Two books I can recommend:

The Dolls' House 1/24 Scale: A Complete Introduction by Jean Nisbett

and

Miniature Dolls' Houses in 1/24th Scale by Derek Rowbottom

The Nisbett book has lots of interior finishing ideas and includes how-tos like making a convincing log fire, a canopy bed, and a tiled stove. It also has lots of other useful things, I just named a few.

The book by Rowbottom is more advanced and covers building period houses from scratch. He talks about architectural details for interior and exterior, tools, includes plans for everything. He even tells you how to make your own lights. Furniture plans include a period post bed, a tapered leg table, Regency chair, and a shop counter. Oh yeah, and more fireplace plans than any one person needs.

I just mention these books for the people who don't like to do their own conversions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not a builder, but have recently become fascinated by the problem of making "soft" accessories in 1/24 scale. Have had some success with crocheted afghans (Kathryn, haven't forgotten you - in the mail Monday :)), limited success with doilies, using my finest possible silk thread to allow for at least some fine detail. I think it may be the smallest scale I personally can work in - the eyes just won't go any further. IF I were a builder - and I may be one day, this is catching you know - I would want to work in 1/24 simply because of lack of work/display space in my apartment.

I don't have a lot to contribute to this thread, but plan to keep an eye on it and make LOTS of notes of ideas and references!

P.S.: That bed is adorable - I never would have thought to use brass safety pins to make a brass headboard!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have had some success with crocheted afghans (Kathryn, haven't forgotten you - in the mail Monday :) ),

Yay! :)

I plan to buy some finer thread and the knitting pins to see what I can make. I still have that site you sent me bookmarked.

I just bought an upstairs maid. I figure the Fairfield is a large enough house to justify having a maid. I want to make the cook out of polymer.

I notice the collectors are being quiet... come on guys, share some tips on finding things.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually, I am more and more intruiged by the half scale.... Didn't think that earlier but with the new Gl houses well :) what can I say???

Would be interested in most any conversation about the half scale and look forward to perhaps a community build to see how different a house can be built...

Hugs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am absolutely hooked on 1/2" with my Fairfield. I'd love to have tutorials and helpful hints for this scale.

I can resize my printies without any problem and have found lots of wallpaper and floor coverings, but have lots of trouble matching scale from one furniture manufacturer to another. It's not a matter of whether a piece is accurately 1/2" scale, but a matter of buying one piece of Aztek and another of Lee's Line, for instance, and ending up with a chair that's twice the size of the table. I think Grazhina noticed that awhile back also and is careful to carry pieces that are in scale with each other. This is one good reason why building your own furniture from plans is a particularly good way to do it for 1/2" scale, and I'd really like to pursue that.

I'm SO enthused about 1/2" scale. I would love to have this topic pinned and would eagerly participate in whatever anyone came up with.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know how you "pin" a topic--but i am all for it. Half scale is a wonderful size for me. I would be overwhelmed by a full scale Fairfiield.

I Really like sdkminiatures.com for kits. They have lots of stuff and not quite as expensive as some other sites(Betterley and Bits and Kits come to mind) They are lovely though!

Also, there is a seller on EBAY Taffy is part of her store name. She often has 1/2 scale kits by Ani. i've made quite a few of those and they are easy and subject to whatever you want to do them.

The safety pin bed is very imaginative and cute!

There is a half scale make it yourself furniture kit at miniatures.com--similar to the fullscale. I think a whole house that furniture is around $16.

I could go on and on.

As for tutorials--books, or printies for books.

Also, can i use real stones to cover an outside chimney? Any special glue?

I gotta get a camera

Dot

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Topic pinned!

There have been several good threads about half scale over the past year or so. I'll dig them up and post links tomorrow.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Two books I can recommend:

The Dolls' House 1/24 Scale: A Complete Introduction by Jean Nisbett

and

Miniature Dolls' Houses in 1/24th Scale by Derek Rowbottom

The Nisbett book has lots of interior finishing ideas and includes how-tos like making a convincing log fire, a canopy bed, and a tiled stove. It also has lots of other useful things, I just named a few.

The book by Rowbottom is more advanced and covers building period houses from scratch. He talks about architectural details for interior and exterior, tools, includes plans for everything. He even tells you how to make your own lights. Furniture plans include a period post bed, a tapered leg table, Regency chair, and a shop counter. Oh yeah, and more fireplace plans than any one person needs.

I just mention these books for the people who don't like to do their own conversions.

Thanks for mentioning these. I just ordered both from Amazon. I have to say the safety pin bed is cute. The bed part is so simple and we could probably come up with even more ideas for headboards (Big buttons, woodsies, jewelry findings and maybe some scrapbook stuff come to mind).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some threads to check out:

Can you use 1:12 wallpaper on a 1:24 house?

Help with 1/2 scale things

Proper scale of 1/2" furniture is driving me crazy!!

And here are some sites I have bookmarked:

Scale Designs -- current owner of the Cassidy Creations kits, but unfortunately my attempts to place an order through her website failed. Some mini shops carry the kits though.

Teresa's Miniature Creations -- I haven't placed an order with this site, but I'm drooling over several of the kits...

SDK Miniatures -- great selection of furniture and plant kits, with very reasonable prices!

The mini magazines do sometimes have 1:24 tutorials. I know Miniature Collector had one for a Lydia Pickett travel trailer recently (June issue, I think), and American Miniaturist printed a how-to I wrote for ladderback chairs in April. In their August issue there's going to be another one I wrote about window boxes, as well as I think one for 1:24 layer cake. As others have mentioned, you can adapt 1:12 plans to 1:24 fairly easily by cutting all of the dimensions in half.

Nutshell News used to do small scale issues in the 1990s. They usually came out in May. I posted scans of some of the covers here. These issues also usually had half scale furniture projects.

Miniatures.com has increased their 1:24 selection quite a bit in the 5-6 years I've been doing half scale. There also seems to be more in the stores. Some collectible resin furniture and Christmas ornaments fit well in half scale scenes, and Lemax / Dept. 56 accessories are good for landscaping.

Um... that's all I can think of right now. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Away back i got a kit of half scale patterns from D. Anne Ruff. The pieces are all made from cardboard and fabric and they are attractive. There is a couch, chair, bed, vanity, chaise, sidetable and a lambrequin, which i think is a fancy headboard.

I have another package of patterns for half scale furniture which i will dig out tomorrow. I don't know if you can still get that one but it would be easy to copy.

And we are pinned now, hooooray!!

Dot

PS Kathy thanks for the camera encouragement LOL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...