G scale, false front, barber-shop facade
House of Balsa, Inc.
10101 Yucca Rd.
Adelanto CA 92301
Price: $29.95 plus $6.00 s&h (per order)
Web site: www.houseofbalsa.com
Beginner’s laser-cut kit; balsa and 1/8″ plywood pieces; clear plastic for window glazing. Dimensions: 9 1/2″ tall x 7 1/2″ wide x 1 3/4″ deep
Pros: Clear pictorial instructions guide you step by step through the construction; laser-cut pieces easily identified on wood sheets; guides cut into main
sections help builder align the parts
Cons: Some laser cuts not all the way through the wood, requiring a hobby knife to separate pieces; not designed for outdoor use
When you first open the kit, you’re presented with a few sheets of laser-cut plywood and balsa, the parts needing only to be popped out for assembly. Some of the cuts didn’t go all the way through, so you may need an X-acto knife to help free those pieces. You’ll also find plastic for the windows, a lithograph of a barber-shop interior (to put behind the window), and wood and stickers for the requisite barber pole. The parts are neatly identified either on the piece itself or on the wood immediately adjacent to the part. It’s best to remove the parts from the sheets prior to painting, but make sure you can identify the parts that aren’t themselves labeled.
Construction of this kit is straightforward. The illustrated instructions identify each piece by number, so there’s little room for confusion. A full-size plan to help you through any gray areas is also provided. The instructions recommend painting prior to assembly, as painting all the trim once the model is finished would be tedious. I used spray paint, but any paint will work. Some of the plywood has a tendency to warp when sprayed, but not so much that it can’t be flattened out when assembled.
If you follow the instructions, the building goes together very quickly. I think it took me all of 30 minutes once everything was painted. House of Balsa recommends “Zap-a-gap” super glue, which is their own brand of medium-viscosity CA cement. Any other wood adhesive would work as well, but for indoor use, super glue will hold up nicely and afford you the luxury of instant results. One advantage of laser cutting is that some of the parts have guide markers etched into them to help in positioning the pieces. The word “Barber Shop” is burnt into the front, so you know exactly where to position the letters.
In general, laser-cut kits don’t afford the builder the same latitude for personal embellishments that craftsman-style kits do, but this kit does allow a small degree. As I stated earlier, the door is much more suited to a 1:24-scale building. The opening, however, is tall enough that you could easily build a new door scaled to 1:20.3 to fit. You’re also not mandated to hang the “Barber Shop” sign across the top. However, because the words “Barber Shop” are etched into the storefront to assist in positioning the letters, any new sign would have to be placed on a separate signboard that would cover the guides.
All in all, this is a great addition to House of Balsa’s line. It would look great along a back wall of an indoor railroad, or even sitting on the back of a display shelf. It’s easy enough for the beginning modeler to put together without effort, with enough room for personal touches to keep the more experienced modeler interested in taking the kit to the next level.
