It’s here, finally.
My first, produced all in-house, HO scale (1:87) craftsman kit just in time for 2022! And I’m very excited to be sharing it with you. This kit produces a 22 x 15″ HO-scale diorama, but if that doesn’t fit your layout then each building can be used separately!
Before we jump into things, here are some important details:
- Kits are made to order and take around 4 weeks to produce, once purchased.
- As a result, your card is charged immediately, securing your purchase.
- No refunds can be made 4 days after purchase date as production begins on your kit.
- This kit is VERY LIMITED. Only 125 to be made. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.
- We are based in the UK.
USA and AUSTRALIAN orders have ZERO import fees/duty.
EU, Canada and other Worldwide orders are liable for import fees/duty, but not always charged. - If your country is not listed when checking out, please email me (found in “Contact” in menu)
USA price:
$360 (without figures)
$425 (with figures)
USA shipping:
$24.00
(total will change to local currency on the shipping part of the checkout)
Enlarge photos by clicking on them.
Somewhere at the end of the nineteenth century, the brother’s Oddmunn took over the family mill. With their new, more youthful perspective, they brought with them the technology of the time: steam — but their renovations are still afoot. Under construction is the new engine shed, housing a large horizontal mill engine that powers the machines and grinding stones inside the mill. With this new conversion, fusing old and new together, a new life has found it’s way into the tiring branchline industry.
This fictional story and scene was born from my own reality. As a newcomer to kit design and manufacture, I found myself bringing a new technology, too: 3D-printing. The printers available today produce details that are UNRIVALED in any other medium and therefore, over the course of hundreds and hundreds of hours, every single detail in this kit has been researched, designed and 3D printed bringing a whole new level of detail for HO. There’s even a woven texture in the grain sacks!
Initially inspired by George Sellios’ Oatman’s Mercantile (that’s where “Oddmunn” came from), I originally set out to create a mercantile of my own. This adventure quickly expanded into designing an entire mill, and then an entire branchline industry. Now all that remains of that original inspiration is the false storefront — and the pigeons! Yes, I made my own 3D pigeons!
Nevertheless, my aim with Oddmunn Brother’s Mill remains: to bring back some of that whimsy and color I dearly miss from George’s line of Fine Scale Miniatures kits.
Anyway, enough of that. Let’s take a walk around, shall we?
Up first, the mill’s main loading bay. Here we can find all the sacks of flour, ground from the barrels of grain it arrived as, now get weighed one last time on the decking, before being tied and stored. The Oddmunn Brothers can be seen here, looking on to their new investment.
See how the MODELU figures really bring this scene to life? It was a fun moment asking one of the MODELU actors to pretend as though he was holding a sheet of 8 x 4!
The highly detailed horizontal engine comes in 8 separate pieces that are easy to assemble. Housed in the yet finished engine shed, this nice little scene not only adds to the narrative of the diorama, but it also allows viewers to see your hard work.
Moving on around, we find the storage barn and general store. Here, all the ready-to-ship sacks are stored awaiting sale or collection. Before the days of pallets and forklifts, the workers manually hump the sacks from the mill to the barn. Someone should tell that guy not to lift with his back!
Around the back, the labourer’s ad-hoc work site allows a private space for construction. Also found here are other less desirable sights like the outhouse, burn barrel and a sleeping worker!
Tid-bit: notice there’s no awning above the work stations. The intention here is that this space is only temporary as the workmen finish the shed. Maybe yours could feature a more permanent workshop here?
At the front, then, is the general store that started it all. Here, shopkeeper Tom welcomes regular customer, Mrs Mulwray. Notice Tom hasn’t had a moment yet to write up what’s available on the blackboard. He has put that door wedge in, though.
Off to the side is a small place for customers to park their vehicles and a wash station for barrels and buckets.
Running alongside the tracks is the transit house. It’s in this little shack that two things happen. 1) the incoming rail deliveries and exports are signed in and out. 2) the workers on their short breaks make use of the relatively comfy sofa on the porch:
Adjacent to the transit house is the towering grain silo. In here, all the excess grain yet to be processed awaits the mill. Notice the ladder access. It’s up there workers would have to climb into the silo and rake the top layer after a new load settles. It’s also through this chute that grain would be siphoned.
Tidbit: each panel in the silo has been etched by the laser, making it a pleasure to model rather than a chore.
Next to the silo is the water tank that feeds the vertical boiler (powering the steam engine) and a scrap pile of old lineshaft gears and stone wheels.
Found on the final corner is the rear loading dock, where the barrels of grain would come in via rail.
Off to the side in the covered way, allowing delivery via vehicle.
Elevated from the rest of the mill is the office of the brother’s Oddmunn. It’s up these steps that they important business decisions are made. And up to now it’s been very successful for them.
It’s also up these steps that they hope there’s a future in their new investment — something that certainly sounds familiar 😉
Thank you for taking the journey with me around the Oddmunn Brother’s Mill.
Any questions or queries, don’t hesitate to ask. I’m available before you order, after you order and (especially) during your build! My email can be found in the “Contact” menu above.
Final tidbit: all proceeds from the sales will be going toward my kid’s educational fund (and development of the next kit!) 🙂
Okay, fun stuff:
- It features laser cut walls, board-by-board walls, 3D-printed walls and more.
- A BOATLOAD of super resolution 3D-printed detail parts. Seriously, there’s a lot. Everything you see is included (except scenery, track and vehicles).
- Laser cut details like doors, windows and even tools like handsaws and wrenches!
- A very comprehensive, material-bound instruction manual. Every aspect is covered.
- Several large, full-size templates aiding all areas of construction.
- The BEST quality stripwood and lumber, without question.
- Optional 3D-printed figures by MODELU. Custom-scanned from real people in period costume, these have been created uniquely for this kit. There are 17 figures in total, all printed using high-resolution resin. Buying them as a set with the kit is a 25% saving from retail!
The most important thing to remember when looking at this diorama is that despite your skill level, you can make this. Using my detailed, picture-assisted guide, I lead you through every-single-step. The only thing you need is time.
