I've been working on some photoshop modifications to Peter's Haunted Mansion model, (Peter designed the Disneyland Fire Station seen below). Peter's models are pretty darn good as far as the shapes, volumes and fit are concerned, I just don't care for the lack of surface details. He works at 72 dpi, which doesn't allow a lot of fine visual detail.
I have exactly the opposite complaint about
Trader Sam's models on The Disney Experience-- he puts so many parts onto his models that I'm displeased with the amount of work required, but delighted with the end result. I'm midway into building Trader Sam's Disneyland train station at a scale of four pages per each 8.5 x 11 sheet, which works out roughly to HO scale, and the amount of detail I'm preserving at that scale is crazy-making. The trash cans are about a quarter inch tall, for example. It'll be cool when I'm done, but in the meantime I'm driving myself nuts.
I've been bumping the image resolution on Peter's simpler models up to 300 dpi, and putting new photoshopped surfaces onto his shapes. The trick is to fool the eye into thinking a flat surface is three-dimensional. The end result is a model that looks pretty neat, but it's not as much work to build.
Goodies that I'm throwing on include hanging plants, slatted shades on the verandah to the right of the front door, a mourning wreath and some black bunting between the pillars.
I'll probably finish the damn thing just as Ray Keim releases his
New Orleans Square Haunted Mansion kit. Oh well. I'll probably build that too.
The girlfriend says I'm making open source modifications. Peter doesn't seem to mind, and I'm only doing it for my own enjoyment, not for resale. I guess the GF is right again.
