Having watched Adam Savage's recent maze build, I've set out to make my own. There are a number of choices I've made differently, including certain measurements, the overall scale, and the choice of materials.
I first researched the dimensions, did the photogrammetry, built the maze graphic, and did a little 3D work to be sure I was on the right track.
The base for the model is plywood with a beveled basswood frame, with the maze map printed to scale and glued on top -- roughly 3 feet x 4 feet in size. The map graphics include a grass verge around the base of each hedge, and gravel everywhere else.
I have almost no experience with either building scale miniatures or working with pink foam, but I figured the miniatures to be the hardest part, so that's where I started. I built the gift-shop first:
And then the map kiosk. Seemed like a good idea at the time to mitre the map frame; probably not worth the effort at that scale! I drilled out the basswood uprights with a hand-held pin vise and a very small bit. They're about the size of matchsticks.
The maze is built from 1/2" pink foam board.
The entrance is built up out of layers of foam glued together:
And the front wall is likewise a layered construction. The blind arches came out a little deeper than I wanted, so I've brought the level up with 1/8" white foam inserts. The pilasters are a two-part construction, with the top as a small cube, and the front as a thin strip covering the entire vertical distance.
The paint is all dollar-store acrylics, with train grass brushed on over spray glue.
Here's the result thus far. The little bench is made from plastic and balsa wood.
"How do you like it?"
I first researched the dimensions, did the photogrammetry, built the maze graphic, and did a little 3D work to be sure I was on the right track.
The base for the model is plywood with a beveled basswood frame, with the maze map printed to scale and glued on top -- roughly 3 feet x 4 feet in size. The map graphics include a grass verge around the base of each hedge, and gravel everywhere else.
I have almost no experience with either building scale miniatures or working with pink foam, but I figured the miniatures to be the hardest part, so that's where I started. I built the gift-shop first:
And then the map kiosk. Seemed like a good idea at the time to mitre the map frame; probably not worth the effort at that scale! I drilled out the basswood uprights with a hand-held pin vise and a very small bit. They're about the size of matchsticks.
The maze is built from 1/2" pink foam board.
The entrance is built up out of layers of foam glued together:
And the front wall is likewise a layered construction. The blind arches came out a little deeper than I wanted, so I've brought the level up with 1/8" white foam inserts. The pilasters are a two-part construction, with the top as a small cube, and the front as a thin strip covering the entire vertical distance.
The paint is all dollar-store acrylics, with train grass brushed on over spray glue.
Here's the result thus far. The little bench is made from plastic and balsa wood.
"How do you like it?"
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![overlook-hotel-maze-map[1].jpg](https://therpf-f28a.kxcdn.com/forums/data/attachments/228/228462-e49f5e802adf99ae1a62fff5de00562a.jpg "overlook-hotel-maze-map[1].jpg")
