Since they have been recently discussed on Model Rail Radio, I thought it was time to re-post the pictures of my little block of N scale shops. I found the IHC kits in the bargain box at my local hobby store, and knocked them together in a little over a week of evenings.
The kits are molded in multicolored plastic, with brick walls, dark gray roofs and details, and a colored trim. The left-hand building had white trim, which I colored blue. The center had yellow trim, which I embellished red and green. The right-hand had gray trim, which I made a dilapidated white. Some of the measurements are a little wonky, particularly the windows on the right- hand building, which are too close between stories, and the mail box, which is almost HO scale. Since they are intended to be mid-ground models in a crowded district, the little flaws should disappear into overall setting. If the colors seem unrealistically bright, then you've never been to my neck of the woods. Chinatown, the Mission, North Beach, the Richmond, San Francisco has no shortage of colorful districts! I do hope to someday model a Chinatown on an N scale trolley layout, and these will fit right in.
I'm particularly proud of my mortar work on these buildings. The IHC kits have great brick detail, and thinned Floquil wicks its way through the traces like wildfire. The rooftop details are mostly finished on the nearest building, but the others still need work. One of the included detail pieces is a little clothesline with laundry hanging on it. I've already placed a washtub by the door, so I'm halfway there!
IHC has a few different series of kits in this style, covering residential and commercial blocks, with five kits in each series. Each has its own sidewalk section, so they go together wonderfully. Unfortunately, they're hard to find, so for now my little district is under a building moratorium.
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