Sorry, right clicking has been disabled.

Big Lou's Grill

A LITTLE DOG SPOT IN THE BIG CITY

Welcome to Big Lou's Grill! Big Lou's is on the outskirts of town- right on a branch line- which makes for quite the floor show if you stop by to get a dog. Don't mind the modern vehicles, there's a bit of a time warp going on here.... same goes for that engine. (what can I say, I model a later era.) Big Lou's was FOS Scale Models' first kit way back in 2002! Well there are a few people mulling around Lou's now. So without further ado, lets shrink down to HO size and go exploring! .~MCG

0

Big Lou's Diorama

Open for business!

0

With a few small changes the diorama can fit about any era.

Change the billboard and a sign or two and add some modern cars and you have the 90's. Take the cars away and you have a much earlier era.

0

Another Front Shot

There's a lot of detail to take in here!

0

A little dog spot in the big city

Low angle views are always best - its what we're used to seeing!

0

Here's a close up

Lou takes time to shoot the breeze with a customer. The guy wanted change for the phone, but Lou made him buy a Coke first. What a guy!

0

Signs

My posters would back date this scene to an earlier era. They are all FSM signs, sanded on both sides lightly.

0

Big Lou's Grill Front

Lot's of people milling around Lou's today and a cabbie waiting for that inevitable fare.

0

Front

Hard to make a call with the local creeping by right behind you!

0

The garbage corral.

Looks like garbage day is just around the corner! The little niche by the back shed is the perfect place for Lou to store his junk- out of sight- out of mind.

0

Stucco

This shot shows the detail on the stucco bathroom/ storeroom. I strayed from the kit a lot here. Read about it in the Clinic write up.

0

A little shop in the big city

The clapboard walls have board ends cut in and nail holes added. Light rust streaking down the nail rows looks good on white.

0

More Signs!

Signs are a cheap way to dress everything up. They are also pretty easy to make once you get the hang of it.

0

That roof

The roof is all paper, but I used 2 different colors to suggest the bumpout was added later. Lots of patches too!

0

Lots of concrete!

The concrete was painted with craft paints and lots of cracks and patches were added for that big city look.

0

A full shot of the diorama from the back

This is a great example of what a backdrop can do for realism.

0

Rear view

Another shot of the back. This shows the piles of junk and old crates that Lou has stored out back.

0

Stucco and Fence

The stucco method worked great! Just keep it from getting too rough. Fence is board on board and looks great!

0

More textures

I believe I used 3 grades of dirt/rock texture, which adds interest and mimics reality nicely.

0

The billboard!

I changed this from the kit and used an old Fine Scale Miniatures sign. It took a long time to put together, but it looks great- just ask the Ritz kid!

0

Any SP fans out there?

Also note the prototypical drainage ditch. If I were walking the tracks that's where I'd be!

0

More textures!

There's three different types of construction on the structure: stucco, clapboard, and board on board.

0

The back 40

Here's a shot of the back with the drainage ditch/ hobo highway. There are different ground textures applied for variety.

0

The parking lot shows some signs of neglect

Lou doesn't have to pull the weeds though- they get taken care of by the constant traffic in the lot.

0

Billbooard back

The billboard adds so much! It's looks complicated but the kit made it easy. Yeah FOS!

0

Overall side shot

Check out that wide-body Athearn bluebox. Weathering and detailing are its saving graces.

0

Model what interests you

I would love to shrink down and walk the tracks here. Remembering what drew you to trains in the first place can help with scene construction.

0

Fences

The kit already has a wood fence, so I swapped out the wood rail fence for a Pola metal railing. Variety is the spice of life!

0

Busy day at Big Lou's

People really bring purpose to a scene. Structures make a place but people bring it to life!

0

Love that wall!

The stone retaining wall came with the kit and is very well done.

0

Vehicles

Vehicles are like people to an extent - they can liven up a scene. I wish I had weathered these two though!

0

Don't forget the trash!

If you're modeling the city, don't forget the trash! These are FSM newspapers, but out and lightly stained with ink wash.

0

Overview of the diorama

Here's the "floorplan." Quite a few different surface textures in a small space!