Setagaya Buildings Page

(click on each picture to get a larger one)

Tomix

4013 - Suburban house.

Not really altered, but showing what the addition of details like trees, grass and gravel and painting the fence can do to lift the appearance of a plain one-coloured piece of plastic.

4015 - Corner store.

Again, showing what the addition of details like street signs, bicycles, vending machines and schoolgirls can dor. I especially like the effect of the red/white awning edge !!!

4019 - 3 Office buildings (kit) - this item is now obsolete, and has been replaced by 3 separate 'ready to run' painted structures. I used 4 of these kits.

Using two kits, this one has been doubled in height, and I used the blue panels supplied with the kit.

This one is just repainted olive green, but still using the yellow panels supplied with the kit.

This version is repainted cream overall, with no panel highlights.

True brick buildings are very rare in Japan. I have used a mortar wash, from some American company whose name escapes me, to highlight the bricks. The 'Kagome Tomato Sauce' sign comes with the kit, and the Coke sign came out of a magazine. This building came straight off Nihon Mokei Tetsudo.

This building was repainted white, and I made the roof sign 2 sided instead of 4 sided. The 'Akibax' poster came form a web page. I saved the picture many years ago, hoping I could find a use for it one day !!!

I repainted this building a couple of times, and even though I used the same paint, the shade came out different. Actually I liked the effect, so I left it as you see it. The sign came from the brick building, and the 'JAL' poster was from a magazine.

This version is build as per the kit but made twice as high. This building came straight off Nihon Mokei Tetsudo.

4034 - Mansion.

Using two buildings, I made a short one (you need to leave one lower, middle and upper floor), and this one as high as possible. It was repainted dark yellow, and had some roof details added. 

Again I used two buildings, but cut them up to form an 'L' shape. Extra roof details were added from an HO kit, and a small shrine was put in the front corner of the building.

The back shows how only one set of spiral stairs was used, and holes for the other set of stair was not filled in (because you couldn't see that side of the building).

Tomix 4036 - Seven Eleven store - (see below in Greenmax #30).

Kato

This apartment building was repainted in a two-tone style, which is quite common in Japan. Easy to do, as each floor unclips as a separate part.

This house had the same treatment as above.

One of the family restaurants, with the extra machinery detail and painting highlights shown. Even though you cannot see it in these photos, the tables inside are also painted.

The back of the Denny's restaurant, shows how much better it looks with a little painted detail on the exhaust fans and grills, truck dock rubber bumpers, electrical boxes etc.

Greenmax

The bulk of the buildings came from Greenmax, and I used at least 3 of each building - one the normal height, and another two to make a double height version.

29 - Office building with ground level station entrance.

  This is built as per the instructions, and came straight off Nihon Mokei Tetsudo, but with extra signage added. The roof sign board came from the Tomix 4019 kit, and the sign from a photo by Dave Fossett. The Mosburger sign came from a photo I took. Because of the way it was positioned, you could not see that the station entrance steps did not go to a platform !!!

This is a double height version of the same kit, that is still unfinished.

Back of the above building, showing the hole where the station platform entrance is supposed to be.

30 - Office building with overhead station entrance.

This building, which was built as per the instructions and came straight off Nihon Mokei Tetsudo, was not used on Setagaya.

A double height version that was built on top of the Tomix 4036 Seven Eleven store building. I found by chance that the top building section fitted perfectly on top of the Tomix building, and this is a very common arrangement in Japan. The roof sign board came from the Tomix 4019 kit, and the 'Boss' sign from a photo by Dave Fossett.

33 - 6x Small shops

Unfinished: has a single floor extension at the back. Not used on Setagaya.

Unfinished: when I sprayed this, the paint came out in a speckled pattern, but I liked the effect.  Not used on Setagaya.

Unfinished: a food-type shop with exhaust chimney.  Not used on Setagaya.

Unfinished:  Not used on Setagaya.

These two came from Nihon Mokei Tetsudo.  Not used on Setagaya.

Other side of the the above.

A Stockbroker's shop with vending machine outside.

Other side of previous building.

An unfinished shop made double length. Not used on Setagaya.

Other side of previous building.

A Rice shop with an extra floor added on. This was placed in the middle of the Tomix 4008 set of three shops in front of the suburban station.

Other side of previous building.

A Photo shop with half of the 2 floor section, and a full 3 floor section. The side stairs came from the Tomix 4034 Mansion, and the balcony and fences from the scrap box. Note the bicycle outside the upper floor entrance.

Other side of previous building.

An Electrical Goods shop with an 'L' shaped extension with a 4 floor section. The rooftop section was not finished.

Other side of previous building.

An odd shaped Sushi shop with exhaust chimney that I built first, and then found a place where it would fit !!! The front doors came from the Tomix 4034 Mansion, and fitted into a scrap plastic front wall. Again this has the speckled paint effect.

Other side of previous building.

34 - 6x Small houses

Unfinished: a per the catalogue, a row of 3 houses joined together. Not used on Setagaya.

Other side of previous building.

A double length house with 3rd floor extension (that opens out onto a balcony with no fences !!!)

Other side of previous building.

A house I built to fit into a triangular land space.

Other side of previous building.

Another odd shaped building that I built first, and then found a space for it to go. The roof need a bit more detail. I painted one half in Hanzomon line purple so that it looked like 2 separate residences. Even though most buildings in Tokyo are a subdued light colour like white, gray, beige etc, sometimes you see a brightly coloured one, that really stands out. Some houses even have vending machines outside on the street.

Other side of previous building.

A 3 floor building with a single floor extension and undercover car space.

Other side of previous building.

An 'L' shaped twin residence building with extended upper floor section. This is very common in Japan. At least the rooftop balcony is safely fenced in !!!

Other side of previous building.

A double length building with small single floor extension.

Other side of previous building.

A 3 floor building with half sized single floor extension.

Other side of previous building.

A 'normal' building with full size single floor extension.

Other side of previous building.

46-4 - 4x 3 floor city buildings

This one was built as per the instructions, and came straight off Nihon Mokei Tetsudo.

An unfinished extra height version of the previous building type. Note that the side walls are not necessarily joined at the same place and the front (or back).

The original size building, attached to another made from parts of the 46-8 kit. More of the Akibax posters I had saved.

Other side of previous building. Lots of strange angles on this one !!!

This one was built as per the instructions, and came straight off Nihon Mokei Tetsudo.

An unfinished double height version of the previous building type. The side extensions come from the 46-8 kit, and are at an angle to fit a curved street.

Other side of previous building.

This one was built as per the instructions, and came straight off Nihon Mokei Tetsudo.

An unfinished double height version of the previous building type, joined to a 'normal' version of the same style. The side extension comes from the 46-8 kit. 

Other side of previous building.

This one was built as per the instructions, with an extension from the 46-8 kit and came straight off Nihon Mokei Tetsudo.

A double height version of the previous building. The side extensions come from the 46-8 kit.

Other side of previous building.

An  unfinished building made from just the backs used in this kit.

46-6 - 2x 5 floor city buildings

This one was built as per the instructions, with an extension from the 46-8 kit and came straight off Nihon Mokei Tetsudo.

Other side of previous building.

This is an extended height version of the previous building, with an interesting triangular front section made from the 46-8 and a shop front from the 46-4 kit.

Other side of previous building.

This one was built as per the instructions, and came straight off Nihon Mokei Tetsudo.

A double height version of the previous building, with a roof top item from the Tomix 4034 mansion.

46-7 - 5 floor city building + parking tower

This one was built as per the instructions, and came straight off Nihon Mokei Tetsudo.

A double height version of the previous building.

The parking tower was built as per the instructions, and came straight off Nihon Mokei Tetsudo.

Other side of previous building.

A double+ version of the parking tower. These buildings stick out like the proverbial dog's balls in Japan - I have a TALLER version under construction !!!

Other side of previous building. The back is just a sheet of plastic card.

46-8 - Elevator shafts & signage - now obsolete, these parts are now packaged in both 46-6 and 46-7.

Other than the extensions to many of the above buildings, this kit provides a lot of parts that can be used in their own right.

An unfinished round building, built like the one on the kit box instructions.

An unfinished office type building.

An  unfinished department store type building.

Many buildings in Tokyo have sloping back upper floors, to allow light to reach the streets below. I tried to replicate this with this building, also to do it in a 'surprise' colour. The front is actually the back from the 46-6/7 kits. I don't like the signs on the front of this, and may take them off again.

Other side of previous building.

An unfinished very narrow building that is actually narrower at the back !!!

Other side of previous building.

European origin buildings

A Vollmer kit which I could not change in height, so I painted it a different colour, and added more roof details. 

Other side of previous building. Most of these type of European buildings have shops on the ground floor, which I don't want for a residential type building, so this one has an unfinished undercover car park.

A double height version of a popular Vollmer kit, with modifications to the roof level to eliminate the Sata-Fe type beams.

Other side of previous building. Because of the extra parts available from 2 kits, I was able to replace the bottom floor shops.

A Kibri kit, which I could not really change the height of, so I just added roof details

Other side of previous building. In this case both sides of the building look like completely different structures.

A Vollmer building, that I doubled in height. Once again, I was able to replace the bottom floor shops.

Other side of previous building.

A Kibri building that I bought finished & second hand from a guy in the U.S. It needed a bit of cleaning up, but I would KILL to get some more of this kit - I am sure it could be made higher !!! A diorama at the Kato Hobby Center in Tokyo had several of these in the background, and I would have run off with them if they would have fitted in my pocket :-)

Other side of previous building.

A Vollmer signal tower that looks perfect as a small Japanese dwelling (with tiled walls), as long as you cannot see the other side with a gaping hole in it. Not used on Setagaya.

American origin buildings

A DPM Hotel building, which was doubled in height. It came straight off Nihon Mokei Tetsudo, but I turned the large Coke billboard (from a Walthers HO kit) around the other direction..

Parts from the above kit, with the window rails knocked out. It was used in the background between other buildings, hence the need to not finish the lower level sides.

E&OE - all details subject to change without notice. Details current at 28/12/2002