If you've been in the hobby for a while, odds are that you have a "junk" plie of Plasticville parts and pieces like this. If you do, there are treasures hidden in it. All you need is an imagination, need for a specific building and some time. New Plasticville buildings are also ripe for customization.
I'm sharing a number of my Plasticville projects here.
I most recently customized a new Plasticville Cathedral building, simply by using paint.
I rubbed tan paint onto the stark white sides and did the same with black paint on the grey roof. The front door, bell and cross were sprayed a bright gold. I made stained glass windows by cutting pieces of transparent orange plastic from a large Halloween pretzel container. Here are some pics of the process.
Before painting:
After painting - note the pretzel container stained window container in the back:
A "before" pic of the old church on the layout - it sat there for over 30 years, time for an upgrade:
The same scene with the new Cathedral:
Another recent project began life as an incomplete, broken, Plasticville Hospital building that I bought at a swap meet for three dollars. Warrenville's growing population needed a new place to live and I envisioned a co-op building hiding in this old hospital.
The first step was to separate the glued sides. The previous owner did not use a lot of glue so a little lacquer thinner brushed on the joints loosened them right up. I needed to reduce the building's depth so that it would fit in the space I had available on the layout. I scored the pieces with a razor knife and snapped them apart at the score line. Note that I also ground off the various hospital signage.
Here is the building re-glued and seems smoothed out with plastic putty:
After sanding and a bath in a weak solution of water and dishwashing detergent I rattle can spray painted the pieces. Note the beige canopy that I cut from a plastic box top and the steps that I had from a prior project that I cut to fit:
I carefully masked the building and sprayed the windows with the same beige paint used on the canopy:
Here is the completed building. The two chimneys on the back of the roof were made from old "Block City" pieces. The planters were made from nuts. Window "glass" cut from plastic packaging was also installed. I printed the sign using my computer and covered it front and back with Scotch tape for rigidity and then glued it to the front.
Home on the layout at last:
I also made a large factory complex using similar methods. It started life in real bad shape:
I found some other pieces from my Plasticville "junk" box and a wood pile:
Completed building, 2 views:
And here it is on the layout:
From the traditional Plasticville Cape Cod house like this one, came the two expanded versions shown below it. Again, using derelict pieces:
This Apartments above Storefront building was made from at least 5 Plasticville "junk" box doners:
This WVRR Maintenance building with a caboose extension also grew from my "junk" boxes:
Here it is on the layout:
And, with nothing more than a little paint, a shack went from this:
To this:
I hope that I encouraged you to enjoy working on "junk" box projects of your own!