Keep It Rusty – Scale Models » Blog Archive » Full size Saulenas’ Tavern

I’m still finishing Swee’Peas’ Rooming House, but as that build winds down I’ve already begun working on the next: Saulenas’ Tavern.

Bar Mills makes a kit that’s been around for years and I’m using it as a base for my build. I’m only using it in this way because it’s not the full, original Tavern as originally built by Paul Saulenas’ for the F&SM. Here is a reference photo of the Bar Mills kit:

Here is a top down shot of the original on the F&SM:

Essentially, in the Bar Mills kit you are only getting the blue part of the below photo. I’m not sure why it was done this way by Bar Mills, but one thing I do know is I’ll need to scratch build the rest of the structure to make it a more accurate tribute.

I started by laying out some of the main wall sections you get in the Bar Mills kit:

The top piece shown here is the back wall. As I’m extending the length of the building, this piece will be cut and shaped, providing material for the push-out structure at the top of the stairs. Seen here:

The middle piece is not needed and saved for future scratchbuilding. The blank piece will have windows and a doorway cut out in line with the reference photo above.

Also, I stitched together two separate kit sections to make a new, deeper left-hand side of the building. The join will later be covered by electrical conduit or a downspout.

Next up, the rear panel of the building.

As this is longer than the Bar Mills kit, a single panel will need to be cut. I used the following lumber from Northeastern as it’s exactly the same height as the rest of the wall sections:

Once cut and shaped, I had this:

From the same pack of lumber, I also cut a new wall section for the right hand side of the Tavern. I was hesitant using expensive lumber for a wall section that will be completely hidden by Izzy Fish Co (see below reference), but I figured I should, just in case I ever want to undo the Tribute diorama and reposition the Tavern elsewhere.