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Sierra Hill – Vertical Village Display

Mike Melius

 

Sierra Hill was designed with a space-saving mindset.  What if you DON’T have floor space for a horizontal layout? Go vertical!

 

 

It can be set up anywhere in a 3’x3′ square space.  I worked from a rough idea and just kept at it, forming this, shaping that til I got the desired look, always keeping in mind the buildings I wanted to use and how their spacial requirements would dictate just how whimsical I could get.

 

It is the perfect way to display your favorite buildings in a spiral setting.  Of course, the sheer wall on the gold mine side dictated I get even more creative and hence, the scratch built gold mine with its horizontal shafts and one building, embedded in the wall with the dramatic trestle. I used Hot Wire Foam Factory tools to carve the foam, specifically the Freehand Router for the cliff detail.

Rounding off the impact were seven waterfalls. I then added a foam backing, offset 1-1/4″ from the layout and mounted 50 blue, pink and orange mini-lights in-between, positioned to give a sunset effect near the center of the horizon.  Of course, most people under 6′ tall miss this part because of its overall height.

 

 

Suggested tools/materials for this project:

Freehand Router • Foam Fusion • Sculpting Tool