# Piko Brewery to Factory



## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

I'm in the process of converting a Piko brewery into a motorcycle factory 

The building doesn't have a loading dock or other provision for getting motorcycles into the boxcars, so the first step was to raise it enough that the floor of the factory came out near railcar height. I accomplished this by building a box and topping it with a scored and painted piece of plastic to represent the wooden dock deck. Then I faced the lower portion with cast stone. There also wasn't any way to get out the back of the building, so I added a roll-up freight door made ot styrene strips.



The painted deck looks good. Once the stone is painted, I think the whole thing will look pretty good.



Since this is a motorcycle factory, I thought that the office should reflect the product. The furniture is handmade, obviously. It looks better through the window than it does in this closeup.



The motorcycle model is cut from thin polystyrene, and the "blueprint" is a piece of polystyrene sheet painted blue and then scratched with a needle to produce white "writing" on the blue background.

This time I cheated a little with the bookcase.



For my first bookcase, I made individual books out of thick styrene, which I then painted and glued to the shelves. It was fun, but ate up a lot of time (and material) This time I glued a printed image of books to a rectangle of wood, then added strips on the face to give it some depth. It's definitely not as nice/realistic as the one I made to go in the switch tower, but it took about 15 minutes to build, instead of hours 

I'll post more here as I make more progress on this one.


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## Robert (Jan 2, 2008)

Nice start, looking forward to the progress. That bookshelf looks well worth your efforts.


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## ewarhol (Mar 3, 2014)

Nice start. Going to have a scene where a motorcycle is being assembled?


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## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

ewarhol said:


> Nice start. Going to have a scene where a motorcycle is being assembled?


Yes. The downstairs already has a long assembly line type bench and several shelves where parts and tools are stored. I'm going to add some racks for frames and wheels also--this is all based on some interior photos from German motorcycle factories in the 20s.

The tricky part will be buying motorcycles to use for parts and to park on the loading dock as "finished" units. 1:24 scale bikes of the prewar era aren't cheap, and I figure I need seven or eight to gibes the full effect.


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## ewarhol (Mar 3, 2014)

Would it be possible to make a mold of one of the motorcycles, then use the cast motorcycles for the inside?


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

I have this model by Maitso in 1:18. A 1936 Harley Davidson.
A little too big for 1:20.3 but It would look the part.










Andrew


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## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

Garratt said:


> I have this model by Maitso in 1:18. A 1936 Harley Davidson.
> A little too big for 1:20.3 but It would look the part.
> 
> 
> ...


That's one I saw on fleabay--and I was thinking a knucklehead would look the part. But I think I need at least seven of them... four to park outside on the loading dock and three to disassemble and use for the "being built" display inside. So I need something less than $15 a pop (plus shipping  ) 

I found this 1:24 model for about $7 each, with free shipping. It looks a little too modern to me, but maybe I could do something to it... If you squint, it sort of looks like an early DKW. Or I could just tell myself people won't look too closely 










If anybody else has a line on inexpensive 20s/30s bikes, chime in


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Which ever way you go you could pull one apart and make a silicone mold for engine blocks etc. The easier things to mold so you can fill the benches with assembly parts.

The cheap $7 ones if pulled apart and use the wheels etc all stacked against the wall then it would be harder to see what they actually are and the scale will be more disguised. 

Try eBay advanced search and set multiple listings 3~10.
The one below is a 53 model $8.99 with 5 available. Ask for combined shipping. It still looks old and could be modified or disassembled for the parts.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Harley-Davidson-Motorcycle-s29-1953Hydra-Glide-1-18-/380669509044?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58a1abbdb4










Andrew


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Wal-Mart had some motor cycles, check them out.
3000toys.com also 1/32 scale but most are modern.


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## dieseldude (Apr 21, 2009)

I've purchased a few 1/24 scale motorcycles at Hobby Lobby. Use their 40% off coupon and the price is reasonable. Oh, and the shop looks great! Looking forward to your progress.


-Kevin.


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## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

Here are Fritz and Earnst working on the assembly line. Fritz is currently holding a shovel handle... which I'll convert into an appropriate tool when I have the bikes. Earnst has a motorcycle engine case, which he has no idea how to assemble, as the screwdriver in his hand makes clear.  The shelves on the left are full of supplies for building motorcycles, while the lower bench to the right will be a tool area.


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Do not forget the training wheels.....


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

"Do not forget the training wheels"

Uh, I think with regards to motorcycles, it's called a side car.

Best,
David Meashey


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## Doug C (Jan 14, 2008)

Great lookin' project !!

"...people won't look too closely .."
Probably, unless involved with a nmra model contest (?)


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## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

More progress...

I got some Motorcycles today. These are 1936 Harley Knuckleheads, which are pretty appropriate for the era. I'll paint over the HD logos on the tanks. One I disassembled for the "in progress" part of the scene--I did cast a couple parts to build the inventory, but they're not at a finished stage yet. 


Fritz and Earnst are still at work. Now with an actual V-twin motor for Earnst to attack with his screwdriver. I think Fritz's shovel handle will become a bender, as he's working on the exhaust. That former window AC on a frame, on the left by the back wall, will become a welder once I've added cables and clamps and painted up the controls on the face.


Earnst and Fritz have been joined by Frtiz's cousin Wolfgang, who is trying to muscle around the semi-completed bike at the end of the bench. Herr Schmidt, the owner, is looking over a completed bike that's waiting to be rolled out onto the loading doc. I need to add a few more bins of parts and crates to the scene. I'm using Hirst Arts molds to cast a lot of the accessories.


There are still some details to add and a good bit more painting to do (shelves, floor, etc) but so far, so good.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Fritz, Earnst, and Wolfgang better hurry up, they will be off to an internment camp in a few years making bikes for the war effort. Herr Schmidt will be hiding under the work bench. 
Looking good. More tools! and nuts n' bolts n' stuff. 

Andrew


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## DennisB (Jan 2, 2008)

Thank you for posting your project. I have a motorcycle shop and a repair shop would be a good addition. Regards, Dennis.


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## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

Some final-stage photos

These are the assembly-line area with the floor painted and most of the "props" in place.




Here's a full-width shot of the back


And a closeup of the loading dock with supporting stone work


And finally, the four motorcycles lined up waiting to go into a boxcar.


I need to finish wiring for the lights and a few other small details, but the end is in sight.


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