Big Chief Studios BBC Sherlock

[Chunk]

But if you're just here to complain about BCS, have at it. You have my blessing.

This is a forum, I'm allowed to voice an opinion, good or bad. Just because you have your own opinion, it doesn't make it more right.

MY opinion is that it's sneaky to increase a price and then drop it via discount. But, it's their company. . .

 

[Astra]

"Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio..." (Hamlet)

 

[VashDStampede]

I finally decided to get the Big Chief Studios 221B Diorama for my Sherlock figures.
It’s a beautiful piece, but my OCD kept nagging at me that ‘a door that doesn’t open is a wall’, so I had to figure out a way to make the door open. So after a couple of days work of cutting, routing, sanding, and filling, I’m nearly finished modifying the door and the doorway. I’m planning on doing the interior (Just to the second Door) as well as expanding the diorama on each side. Hopefully I can get it done and not get distracted by my dozen other WIP projects.

 

[Astra]

Wow that is amazing! How did you make the hinges?

 

[VashDStampede]

I have temporarily glued on two small brass hinges right now to get the proper fit and to be able to fill in the needed voids. I’ll be using three hinges like the original door once it’s finalized. I tested out 4 hinges as you can see on the left side of the picture (and yes I accidentally put it on the wrong side by mistake), but the thickness of the door when opened looked bad, that’s why I routed the side where the hinges are now so that it will have the proper looking thickness when the door is open.
The electrical will be rewired at the end and I’m thinking of a better way to switch the lights on and off.

 

[VashDStampede]

Working on the corner pineapple finial, Inner door knob and wall trim with doorbell:

 

[VashDStampede]

Interior room finished including the inner door:

 

[Weapon]

Looking very good. Tempted to mod mine. What's the pineapple for? Where does that go? How did you get the trim like that? I think I could do most of what you've done there.

 

[VashDStampede]

Looking very good. Tempted to mod mine. What's the pineapple for? Where does that go? How did you get the trim like that? I think I could do most of what you've done there.

Thanks! The pineapple finial is for the corner of the fence since I’m extending the fence forward and to the left. I’ll also be adding a portion of Speedy’s restaurant to the right.
I was lucky enough to find almost the exact same trim in smaller scale via eBay. I had to buy a whole pack and wait a couple of weeks to get it in the mail, but I used some of the pieces for the door trim. I pretty much purchased my materials prior to receiving the Diorama, so I’m glad all the pieces worked out including the acrylic inserts.
It’s a pretty easy mod, but requires time, planning and patience and lots of cutting/sanding bits.
I burnt out one Dremel tool in the process, but luckily I had a back up.
Polystone is pretty resilient stuff, but can be brittle, so be real careful with it and plan your cuts carefully. It’s also real messy and dusty, so make sure you have a good respirator as the dust is really fine.
The room is removable and the future side extension pieces will be as well and the larger base.
I haven’t seen anyone else mod these, so I would love to see your progress if you go through with your mod.

 

[VashDStampede]

Started extending the left side of the Diorama:

 

[greatlakes6]

Very nice work!

 

[VashDStampede]

Very nice work!

Thank you!
The fun part will be weathering and painting. I’m working on the right side now, so it will be a bit more difficult having part of the Dutch hood awning and store front.

 

[Astra]

Ooooh nice! Will there be a window at the left side?
It's true, the door is very narrow and difficult to photograph as background. I am helping myself with some scrapbook paper of white bricks.
But still I can't do the frame too wide as it looks odd to have just a brick wall without any windows.

 

[VashDStampede]

Ooooh nice! Will there be a window at the left side?
It's true, the door is very narrow and difficult to photograph as background. I am helping myself with some scrapbook paper of white bricks.
But still I can't do the frame too wide as it looks odd to have just a brick wall without any windows.

I love your pictures!
Yes, definitely too narrow for two figures to photograph, which is why I’m doing the extensions.
Also, I haven’t really worked on many dioramas, so I figured I’d give this a shot.
The windows of the storefront is next, so stay tuned.

 

[Astra]

I love your pictures!
Yes, definitely too narrow for two figures to photograph, which is why I’m doing the extensions.
Also, I haven’t really worked on many dioramas, so I figured I’d give this a shot.
The windows of the storefront is next, so stay tuned.

I still can't wrap my head around how you were able to cut the door open. Must be one heck of a saw!

Thank you! Have one more!

"Really, Doctor?"



"Really, Sherlock?"

 

[VashDStampede]

I still can't wrap my head around how you were able to cut the door open. Must be one heck of a saw!

Thank you! Have one more!

"Really, Doctor?"

"Really, Sherlock?"

Awesome pics yet again! I have both of Big Chief Studios Tardis and love them. I can’t wait to take a pic like that next to this Diorama and see the Doctor visit Baker Street.
Not too much progress, but here’s the bottom of the store front.

 

[Chunk]

Started extending the left side of the Diorama:
View attachment 466014

You could possibly move that cable on the left over a bit more to hide the join in the brickwork.

 

[VashDStampede]

You could possibly move that cable on the left over a bit more to hide the join in the brickwork.

Definitely planning on doing just that to hide the seam.

Got a bit more work done today on the store front:



Not quite the same angle, but I think it looks pretty close:

 

[Chunk]

Looks so good!

You could make a step for the shop out of air dry clay. They look similar.

How did you make the pineapple from the previous page? Did you 3D print it? Is the doorknob a dolls house one? I'm considering doing exactly what you're doing.

I want to make the interior at some point, but Sherlock's chair is a pain to get. The Steve Jobs figure that had one included is now a ridiculous price. To make one, I guess it would need someone with silver soldering skills, and I found such a person a couple of years ago, but they moved and stopped making items.

 

[VashDStampede]

Looks so good!

You could make a step for the shop out of air dry clay. They look similar.

How did you make the pineapple from the previous page? Did you 3D print it? Is the doorknob a dolls house one? I'm considering doing exactly what you're doing.

I want to make the interior at some point, but Sherlock's chair is a pain to get. The Steve Jobs figure that had one included is now a ridiculous price. To make one, I guess it would need someone with silver soldering skills, and I found such a person a couple of years ago, but they moved and stopped making items.

Thanks!
I did everything old school with this build, so no computer work or 3D prints, just sheets of wood, styrene, acrylic, etc. I measured and cut by hand or using a jigsaw. The pineapple finial started as a plastic bead that I mounted on a plastic rod (I should have used a metal one). I then coated it with magic sculpt and shaped it as close as I could leaving extra clay for the base and let it dry. I used my drill and placed the rod inside the chuck and used that to refine the shape and sculpt the bottom circles using small files. I then drew the lines and used a small file to carve out the details. To get each individual “eye” section of the pineapple to raise up more, I cheated and did individual globs of paint with a tiny brush and did a few layers until it looked the part.
The doorknob is a round paper fastener top mounted on a piece of metal I had in my parts drawer and mounted on a washer then painted with brass/gold paint.
Even those bars up top that won’t even be seen once the awning is up are individually cut pieces of skewers and glued one by one from the back.

I thought about doing the interior room and the chairs were also my road block. I could probably make them myself, but all the parts in the room would be too time consuming.