How many of you have a movie theater on your layout? Let's see the theater and what's playing there And have you repainted or otherwise modified the stock building or kit? Let's get those pics posted.
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Heres mine......the pic really does not do it justice since I could not take a detailed shot with the Marquee lit up. The picture blurred for some reason. Do not have the best camera for this, to take pictures in a basement. But as you can see, "pilgrim," my favorite John Wayne movie is always playing at my movie house.
Gave it one more shot.
-Pete
The Luxor was scratch-built (basswood sheet covered with spackling sanded and painted to look like stucco). It is modeled after several art-deco theaters I studied via the internet, etc.
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I made a drive-in theater in my Christmas layout in 2012. I used the Dept 56 Stardust snack stand and created a movie screen out of a digital photo frame loaded with a slideshow of vintage family Christmas photos. It was a small feature of the overall layout, but honestly it was everyone's favorite part. Visitors would sit on our furniture with a clear vantage point to the movie screen and just watch and watch. There's some video at my website Dec 2012 archive: http://gwpreisch.wordpress.com/2012/12/ I'll upload some pics later, darn firewall keeps interrupting
the pics are here in my website Nov archive: http://gwpreisch.wordpress.com/2012/11/
Originally Posted by Lee Willis:
The Luxor was scratch-built (basswood sheet covered with spackling sanded and painted to look like stucco). It is modeled after several art-deco theaters I studied via the internet, etc.
Looks great and it appears big enough to have a screen inside. So many theaters I've sene on layouts over the years are contained within structres that aren't big enough for the restrooms and a cocessions stand, let alone a theater and seats.
Originally Posted by p51:
Looks great and it appears big enough to have a screen inside. So many theaters I've sene on layouts over the years are contained within structres that aren't big enough for the restrooms and a cocessions stand, let alone a theater and seats.
I made it to fit a particular parcel on the layout, but picked the parcel specifically because it would allow a building that would be big enough to actually have had a movie theater inside it. Even so it is a small one: the building is 14 x 6 or thereabouts and has a small lobby and concession area. The actual theater (not modeled - the "interior details" are only the ticket booth and lobby with concession stand) would have a 20-foot wide screen and about 90-110 seats - but at least the 35 people in the line wrapped around the corner would get in to see the movie!
Originally Posted by p51:
Originally Posted by Lee Willis:
The Luxor was scratch-built (basswood sheet covered with spackling sanded and painted to look like stucco). It is modeled after several art-deco theaters I studied via the internet, etc.
Looks great and it appears big enough to have a screen inside. So many theaters I've sene on layouts over the years are contained within structres that aren't big enough for the restrooms and a cocessions stand, let alone a theater and seats.
Have seen a theater where it seems impossible to have 1 screen and yet it is a twin. Will try and get a picture from friends.
Art, that lobby/ticket booth interior looks phenomenal. Is it a 3-dimensional interior you've created or a photo-realistic printed background?
A 2-dimensional print of an interior like yours is exactly what Ameri-Towne should have supplied with their kit as they've done with their other structures.
Seems to me that by them taking the easy out and omitting such an important rendering for their theater kit the result is woefully lacking.
Originally Posted by Chugman:
Here is my Bandbox theater that is copied from the one I attended as a boy. Used to watch 10 cent movies on Saturday afternoons and then we would play cowboys and Indians afterwards.
Art
Thanks, it was a lot of fun to. I searched photos on the Internet and then printed the one I liked best. I mounted the photos on foamcore and then cut the counter out and mounted it ahead of the other background so I could glue a lady behind the counter to give it depth. and then a customer in front of the counter. LED's overhead and you can almost smell the popcorn. Also put a lady in the ticket booth.
Art
Originally Posted by Chugman:
Thanks, it was a lot of fun to. I searched photos on the Internet and then printed the one I liked best. I mounted the photos on foamcore and then cut the counter out and mounted it ahead of the other background so I could glue a lady behind the counter to give it depth. and then a customer in front of the counter. LED's overhead and you can almost smell the popcorn. Also put a lady in the ticket booth.
Art
Art, just sent you an email.
Originally Posted by Lima:
Originally Posted by p51:
Originally Posted by Lee Willis:
The Luxor was scratch-built (basswood sheet covered with spackling sanded and painted to look like stucco). It is modeled after several art-deco theaters I studied via the internet, etc.
Looks great and it appears big enough to have a screen inside. So many theaters I've sene on layouts over the years are contained within structres that aren't big enough for the restrooms and a cocessions stand, let alone a theater and seats.
Have seen a theater where it seems impossible to have 1 screen and yet it is a twin. Will try and get a picture from friends.
We had one like that here in Raleigh for a while - with three screens in a much too tiny building. My wife and I went there once and one of the theaters had 20 seats (four rows of five) and two spaces in back for wheelchairs to park. Wow. It didn't last long but it was a real movie theater in some sense while it lasted.
We don't have this on our layout but wish we did It was built by my friend Nate
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Wow. Now that is truly great! I think I've been to that theater when I was a kid, too.!
what a fantastic model that Loew's theater is. so far the absolutely best one on this post.
Originally Posted by bluelinec4:
We don't have this on our layout but wish we did It was built by my friend Nate
Nate did a excellent job.
Joe, nice gold leaf trim as well as the whole structure
Art, sweet!
Mark, very nice!
Great work and ideas here.
Originally Posted by bluelinec4:
We don't have this on our layout but wish we did It was built by my friend Nate
That is a fantastic model! I just love it when someone scratch builds a real building. Very nice job.
Art
Ameritown theater with Miller Electronics sign, although you can't really see the sign in this front view.
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This is a fun thread. It is interesting what movies people put on the marquee on their model theaters . . .
I am arriving a little late to this party but here goes anyway.... The layout has 4 movie theaters... Here is the first one I put in the city....
Alan
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Alan:
Sweet!
Joe
I built a shopping strip for our club layout which includes a cinema.
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These are beautiful, every one! This is the best thread in a long time. 
This is a great thread! I really like all of the ones pictured, especially the palaces. While I am looking forward to adding an Atlas O building to my layout, I really would like one of these:
A properly illuminated blade (by Miller Engineering!) flashing in the correct sequence would really complete the model!
A future someday project for sure.
That is a cool building. I would like one on my layout, too.
These are all so great and you are giving me so many ideas. They are all believable, too. We've all seen theaters that look like all of these. Great work. Movie theaters -- with their lighted marquees -- are some of my favorite buildings to see on layouts.
Gene - outstanding marquee especially when lite.
Joe
Star Wars showing at our theatre
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