# Boardwalk Empire Diner Flat



## Bill C. (Jan 2, 2008)

A couple of years ago I visited the set of HBO's Boardwalk Empire on Staten Island and took a few pictures of the diner that plays a role in the mythical town of Tabor Heights, New Jersey, where lots of Prohibition era mayhem comes down. 

Using my photo editing program I cleaned up one shot, printed it on card stock in two sections, and then glued them to black foam board. It now occupies a spot on a back corner of my little indoor loop. 

Although it is just a building flat, it turned out to be pretty convincing. I credit the late Carl Arendt for being my inspiration for this kind of fool-the-eye experimentation.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Bill that looks great, just a suggestion, if you modeled just that bit of the entry railing and steps, just 1/4 to 1/2" off the face of the flat, it would be even more convincing than it already is. Would give just enough of a foreground to really pop it out.

:-D


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## catherine yronwode (Oct 9, 2013)

That's cute. I agree about "popping just the railing out (you can use a layer of foam core and mount a second copy of that part of the print on it.


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## Bill C. (Jan 2, 2008)

Victor and Catherine, you are absolutely right. The steps leading to the door need to be "popped-out" as you have suggested. This is the kind of situation that calls for that trick. I'll take care of it as soon as I get a chance.

Above is a shot of the Mione Hand Soap factory on my shelf railway where I have used this technique. Not only does the building stand out from the background, but the storage tank stands out from the building thanks to some foam board spacers. By the way, I'm sorry to report that the prototype building in Mickleton, New Jersey has been torn down.


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## catherine yronwode (Oct 9, 2013)

Dang, that Mione Hand Soap factory shoulda oughta have been on the National Registry of Historic Places. So cool. Well, at least it lives on as a flat on a shelf railway!


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## Bill C. (Jan 2, 2008)

From the original photo I cropped the area including the steps and landing, printed it on card stock, mounted it on black foam board, trimmed it with a wallpaper knife (one of those with break-off points), added a spacer also made from foam board scrap, and mounted the assembly onto the front of the diner flat. It adds a little three-dimensional effect without taking up too much space. 

The figure is a Homie of about 1:24 scale.


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