11.02.2012

Luetke Office City Tower Build Step # 10

STEP 10

Wrapping everything up in this final post on the office tower!  As I mentioned in the last post, everything was ready to add the upper 11 story section to the bottom 15 story section.  A couple of things need to happen in this step:
  • Do several test fits to ensure that the top section will sit vertical on the bottom section (indeed; I needed to add a bit of shimming material to address a small 'tilt')
  • Solder connections from the brass rods between each section (insulate, etc...)
  • Ensure that the windows are aligned between the two sections.
And below is the first look of the 99% complete structure on my workbench!
 I was anxious to get this structure onto the layout and fill this long awaited spot:
A 'daytime view shows the surrounding area a bit better: 

But I think it looks much better at 'nighttime':
There's a small open space next to the Office Tower that I filled with one of my very first building modification attempts.  This little Tomytec structure has been sitting in storage waiting to find an opportunity to get back onto the layout for a while now, and I just sort of felt a small, older structure might fit the area well.
 While I'm somewhat unhappy with how some of the windows/exterior wall sections turned out.  They are not too noticeably, so I have to look past what are obvious flaws to me and try to appreciate the building overall, which I think turned out okay. 

The interior lighting and accessorizing turned out really well.  The LED strips I used have the perfect luminosity and they feel like real office lights.  The desks and others pieces I added to the lit floors seem convincing enough from a distance.
The rooftop lounge is something I took some liberties with.  The original instructions indicate that this top of the building glass section actually contains two floors, but I decided to skip the additional floor and just go with really high ceilings in this lounge. 

I had another error with the small columns that go around the glass walls just on the inside of the lounge as one of them developed a lean after the roof and other pieces were already applied.  Its too much work (and might cause more damage) to try and fix it, so it'll be yet another flaw I'll have to try and ignore.
For the lounge interior, I did a couple of things.  I created some scratch-built lounge tables and chairs from styrene, painted and installed these, and added some customers.  I also attached some yellow (is there any other kind?) capton tape over the LED's to better distinguish the lounge from the office areas below.  And as you can see in the below photo, some art work for the walls:
And finally, for the surrounding area, the original base piece got cut back even more as it was still too large and wasn't working with the design of the block where I installed it.  I also added some foliage to add a touch of landscaping around the building.
That's it! 

Here is the complete list of the posts/steps for this building:
Step 0 (Preparations)

8 comments:

  1. Excellent job. Nice finishing touches on the lounge.

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  2. That thing's huge!

    But it looks great on the layout. And it's been very interesting following the project along.

    The blank area between the two halves (upper and lower) is just crying out for some kind of sign or light treatment though. That much blank wall on such prime real estate just looks wrong.

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  3. The end result looks great. Especially the interiors. Talking of prime real estate (above), do you think the kit was good value for money? Would you buy and build another Luetke kit and would you recommend them?

    Ross S
    North Berwick
    Scotland UK

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  4. Thanks JD, Ken and Ross!

    @ Ken: That center section is made of some pretty thick plastic, I'm not sure how I would light it. I think you're right through, it would look nice with something there, but I also think a lot of prototypes are plain.

    @Ross: Yes, I think I would buy another kit from them - particularly since they're other pieces are a lot simpler! However, if I added up the cost of the kit with shipping, this is at least a $250 USD building! That doesn't include lights and details either! That is a lot now that I think about it. On the other hand, for a kit that is this large and unusual, I'm not sure that the price is completely wrong!

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  5. The finished product looks great! I have been looking for this kit anywhere on the internet, but can't seem to find it. How did you come by aquiring it? Thanks!

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  6. Hi Matt! Try this link out:

    http://www.luetke-modellbahn.de/shop/index.php?cPath=92_128&sort=2a&page=4

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  7. Can anyone tell me is this building already build?

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    Replies
    1. No, its a kit you have to build yourself.

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