Gisby's Gaming Blog

The Bank, in all its glory. It was originally a kit on Temu, of a modern ‘Cowboy’-themed bar, with outside serving through open windows on the lower level. It was a pleasure up to the point where painting started, and then it became a chore. My paints fought me all the way.

The kit itself is well designed and a pleasure to build. The locator tabs swell at a hint of moisture, so slim them down – Some can just be removed. Indeed I didn’t use a lot of the kit.

I replaced the walkway, and added a balcony on three sides. The roof and balcony give some interesting firing angles. I used the base supplied with the kit, cut to fit, as the boardwalk didn’t have a supporting frame, and might warp or break off.

All the corners were finished with coffee stirrers – Otherwise the front corners would gap, and the others would just look bad. The fretwork is mdf ‘sprue’ from another kit.

The kit windows were huge, ugly, and thick. The crossbars were on an outer piece, so I trimmed the top and bottom, and inserted them into the window openings. I copied the pieces and inserted them in the (narrowed) lower window openings, then built frames, sills, and lintels for all.

The lower windows on the side walls and the space between them were open. Happily, the dimension of the opening was such that all you needed to do was fill the gap, and you would have two windows the same size and spacing as the ones above.

The upper half of the rear walls was blank, and needed boards scribed in place. I used a ballpoint pen. A drainpipe gives some detail.

After scribing the upper boards, I cut a window and framed it.

An access hatch and chimney were added to make the roof more interesting.

The sign was a bit of a disappointment. I wish I had printed and cut out a stencil for the lettering. The railings are 1/50 fencing also available from Temu, with a handrail added.

Ground floor with upper floor support.

The upper floor – no detail, and a handle so you can lift it easily. You can see the trimmed window pieces inserted in the openings.

I made an opening door on a wire hinge, and framed it to match the windows.

I am not thrilled with the paint, it seemed to be fighting me all the way. The material soaked up spray primer like a sponge, and paint just didn’t cover. So I used a few coats. Even worse, any dry brushing made the paint look like it was not covering again.

If I was doing it again, I would build the window frames on a jig, then attach them after painting.

Not sure if it was worth the effort, but I still like it. I think I am fond of it because I built it at my computer desk, not my work table. The original kit: