5.15. Naughtright Volunteer Fire Company
To my eye, Miller Engineering's Crestline Theater looked more like a firehouse, so it became the basis of the Naughtright Volunteer Fire Company—and, in a curious twist, Miller's firehouse became my theater.
The most challenging part of this project was the first floor: it took three tries to get the doors right.
Once I solved the door problem, the only other modification to the front was a new cornice made from styrene shapes.
This extension I'd added to the back (made from one of Miller's townhouses, if I recall correctly) was my second attempt. There was also a mistake in Miller's kit: the chimneys were located directly above windows. On both sides. Even though I'd soldered the chimneys together before I spotted the error, I sliced them off.
The roof got my usual treatment of masking tape for tarpaper, and styrene caps for the walls.
Bits and pieces of various scraps were used to make the radio antennas and the siren for the roof. I was going to animate the roll-up doors (as I'd done before on an N Scale firehouse), but the building got moved behind the bar, and the doors wouldn't have been visible.
In order to create the effect of letters etched into concrete, I made artwork using computer graphics software, and printed it on white decal paper. The effect was so subtle, however, that it was nearly impossible to see.
