Secret side project ;)

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With those hobbies I have no idea of how you would incorporate them into your Layout and with that said no ideas of what you are constructing with the elevator but I am interested to see more.

Alright then, since it's now 2/3 finished, I think I can give away what the top two levels will be

So, a friend of mine (also into fairly similar interests) got me into, of all things, doll collecting, specifically, 1/6 scale (Barbie sized) fashion dolls!

Their suggestion came from my interests in cosplay and fashion, and figurine collecting, and they suggested trying the Japanese 'Jenny' line since these are similar to Barbie but with a much more Japanese emphasis, and consequently are more anime-like in some regards.

Well, aside from a couple of those on the way from the East, there were a couple of mainstream fashion dolls that caught my eye here in the UK, matching my preference for goth/punk style fashion; Moonlight B.B from the LOL Surprise 'OMG' line, and Emi Vanda from the Rainbow High line.

However, there was one glaring issue; I could display these on a shelf, but that would be tricky in a room with limited shelf space, so I turned to creating a shelf unit above my stairs (as previously noted) to fit them, and other things.

In the end though, I was tempted to buy one of the various pre-made 1/6 scale dollhouses, figuring I should have a dollhouse for them of some sort, as opposed to a shelf, in order to do the hobby properly, so to speak.

Big issue was (almost unsurprisingly), most pre-made doll houses tend to lean towards pink colours (which I didn't want), and none were of the right size to fit the space I had, so I decided to do the next best thing, and make 2 levels of the proposed shelf unit into a doll apartment, hand-built and furnished by yours truly

As such, I retooled the middle and top levels of the unit to be partly taken by the rooms for this apartment, retaining space for storage too, and of course a dedicated level at the bottom, in line with my Plarail bridge, for a reversing loop to be added.

So, my project was to create a totally bespoke storage unit/doll house, and if I do say so myself, it's going rather well












[Big thanks to Rainbow High's Emi Vanda for being the model in this photoshoot, helping to demonstrate the lift ]

As you can see, it's unfurnished at present but I have furniture and decorations on the way, and obviously the top level needs the rest of its walls added, but it's definitely taking shape. The plan is to furnish it in a contemporary, realistic style, with electric lighting and other features.

I admit I'm rather proud of the lift, as it was designed to engineer past several problems I noted with the Barbie and competition equivalents, those being a lack of motorisation potential (my lift will be motorised, connected to the lighting circuit of the apartment on a 12v supply), and in the case of several, not compatible with the Barbie wheelchair - A small detail, but as someone with very strong feelings about inclusive design, it was an absolute must that the lift be able to accommodate the wheelchair (and occupant) as easily as a standing occupant.

In addition, it uses a metal drawer runner (mounted vertically) as a guidance system, giving it a very smooth and level motion compared to the simple friction systems on commercial houses.

Tl:dr, Barbie Dreamhouse, eat your heart out, because I knew I could engineer better

For the record, this whole build, including tool costs, was still about £100 less overall than a Barbie Dreamhouse currently costs in the UK, although that is before decorating, but that's worth thinking about especially when considering how this bespoke solution is much better and fits the surroundings much better, IMHO

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LOL...I would have never guessed this. I had thought that the hobby would have something to do with trains

Well, in fairness, I do have plans to try and get the 'Jenny' brand Bullet Train Stewardess uniform, as a little shout-out to the train hobby lol

Apparently that's been a thing for several years, Takara/Tomy releasing packs containing scale-accurate bullet train stewardess uniforms, including the ones used in the 700 Series Shinkansen

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This project is getting pretty extensive. Anxious to see more.

This project is getting pretty extensive. Anxious to see more.

Well, although building has stopped for now so I can catch up on other stuff, at the very least I have planned the lift/elevator motor setup...

Effectively the entire system is going to be based on a real-world elevator, just miniaturised, powered from the lighting system that'll be fitted to the house.

Since the main lighting in the house is going to be concealed IKEA LED strip which IIRC runs on 12v, the plan is to run a wire from one section of that, into a speed/direction regulator circuit, and then into a geared hi-torque motor, the idea being that it'll be easy to control the lift from the outside.

If it sounds complicated, it really isn't, as all this is stuff readily avaliable on Ebay, and doesn't even need soldering, being mostly based on screw-terminal connections, which naturally makes things easier for installation and repair, and of course powering the entire setup from the lighting circuit saves on needing an additional power supply, so all in all, this might be one of the easier bits of the lift's installation [the worst bit was cabin construction and ensuring the travel was straight without a spirit level  ]

So I part built a micro sized apartment, and before I know it my bedroom is infested with fairies

OK, not quite, but Tinkerbell is iconic enough that I was willing to bend my requirement that my dolls had to be 'realistic', or goth-styled

This is the Disney Store's current model of Tinkerbell doll, cost about £15, and I'll honestly say, she's getting 5 stars from me - Really nicely made and styled, looks just like the film version, really well articulated and posable, and compatible with any Barbie/Blyth sized outfits, as you can see in the pictures modelling her pack-in classic dress, & my current selection of stock Barbie and Chinese Aliexpress fashions - For the money, she's absolutely fab, and it goes without saying I'd recommend her for fans, collectors, and of course kids

Only one point of note - her wings are sewn to her green dress, so if you want her to have wings with other outfits, you'll need to make some (I'm already working on a set of magnetically attachable wings sourced from a poundland/dollar store fairy doll, the plan being to attach magnets that can stick the wings temporarily onto clothes)

More updates on the furnishings and styling of the apartment soon; waiting for my next paycheck to drop to continue the building, so watch this space

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Don't they make a spray to get rid of that infestation?