|
MiceChatters know him for his rapier-like wit and delusions of grandeur. They
know him for his sometimes-controversial posts, his shaggy face and his humorous
claims of omniscience. They know him for his utter disgust with Fantasmic!, his
blond wife who's too good for him and his apostrophe-laden screen name, which at
first glance seems to be obscene: Fo'c's'le Swab.
Because I'm a big believer in the save-the-apostrophe movement, for purposes
of this article, we're going to shorten Fo'c's'le Swab's name to "Paul." Any
resemblance to Fo'c's'le Swab's real name (which, ironically, is Paul) is purely
coincidental.
But what they may not realize is that Paul is one of the most talented model
builders out there. He has picked up the model railroading bug--a disease also
suffered by Walt Disney--and he was in the process of building a few structures
for his new layout, based on the town of Big Thunder, formerly known as Rainbow
Ridge--the collection of western false-fronts that once graced the old Mine
Train Thru Nature's Wonderland attraction, and today serve as a backdrop for Big
Thunder Mountain Railroad. He was kind enough to share photos of his work with
me.
Rainbow Ridge at the old Mine Train Thru
Nature's Wonderland attraction
in a still from the 1956 "Disneyland, U.S.A." short
Here in a recent photo is the prototype for Paul's Big Thunder Saloon,
on the right. Photo courtesy Paul.
When I saw Paul's rendition of the Big Thunder Saloon, done in HO scale, or
1/87th full size, I was immediately charmed and impressed. It was the
quintessential old-west watering hole, with weathered siding and swinging doors.
I expressed my amazement, and half-jokingly said, "When you want to build one in
"O" scale (1/4 inch = 1 foot), let me know!" To my surprise, Paul volunteered to
build a larger version for my model railroad. Here are the results of that
effort.
Paul completed This O scale model of the Big Thunder Saloon in only a few weeks.
Note the weathered siding and hand-lettered "Big Thunder Saloon" signage.
The structure is built entirely of wood (which Paul insists on), with detail
parts from several manufacturers, and is hand painted. The "Big Thunder Saloon"
lettering is also done by hand. The fit and finish are absolutely superb. The
roof is removable.
Paul also detailed the interior, which appears to be post-barroom brawl.
I like to imagine a tiny Paul was hit over the head with the chair (see the
broken chair leg?) after insulting a pro-Fantasmic! patron. Sharp-eyed
readers will instantly spot the tiny "Portrait of Things to Come" from
Pirates
of the Caribbean that graces the wall behind the bar. Paul painted that
himself in a larger size, and then had it reduced. Can you say "talented?"
Paul really left no detail to the imagination. If you look very closely, you
can see stitching applied to the bottom edge of the window shades!
|
