In the past three years I have been asked to give everyone a view of 1:18th town, how it all fits together, what exactly is positioned where and why and I have batted around ideas for how exactly to present the information.  So finally I decided as part of the 3rd anniversary celebration to do it building by building, almost in the order in which they were introduced and how they were introduced. 

What you see above is the original town as it was when I first got it together.  These sets were build by my friend Cap of Diorama Rabbit nearly five or six years ago and were used a few times including the Joecustoms Awards Shows as well as the GI Joe One-Shot Sand Blasting which was made in 2006 but wasn't posted by me until around 2008.  Long wait on that one I guess. 

To kick off the tour, I thought I would start off with the building that kind of kicked it all off, The Comic Shop.   I have kind of given proprietorship of the shop to Superhero Showdown Venom, that wasn't a conscious decision but actually came about by chance one day.  I needed someone behind the counter and he was the figure I was able to track down.  

The comic shop is actually based on a real building, a comic shop I actually owned once.  Business being as it is things came apart, long story, but still the comic shop remains the staple of the town. 

In case you are wondering, the blue spots are from a time I tried to use poster putty for the figures and posing.  I have tried to remove the bits but they still persist.  The whole thing is made from foam core and card board, but mostly foam core.  It's surprisingly sturdy and to be honest has taken a few bumps over the years, more on that later. 

One of the areas I hardly utilize is the dumpster in the back, I think it has only appeared two or three times in Toxie/Scale Wars.  One of the major and most detailed parts of this is something I have never been able to show before.  

Yep, it's got loads of trash, talk about details, unfortunately there has never been an opportunity to show it even when Toxo-Zombie went dumpster diving.  

The interior has been seen obviously but it is fun that the actual interior is a part of the set.  Often (in movies, TV, ect) there is a false interior that is much more controlled.  The one downside of this fact is the lighting of the set is a pain to say the least.  Without lighting you really cannot see the inside of the place.  

Another fantastic detail that Cap added was the display window which is separate from the rest of the shop.  Some have been reading Toxie/Scale Wars the whole time and never noticed it LOL.  

Up front there is a great detail, the flag pole which is removable.  

Another great level of detailing is the posters on the wall.  They are a nice mix of various properties that just add to the character of the place.  Very cool.  

And what comic shop would be complete without overpriced toys over your head.  

A bit closer look at the posters as well as the other side shelf.  

One of my favorite aspects of this comic shop is the comics themselves.  I have actually sat during shooting and tried to figure out which ones I actually have, quite a few actually.  

I have been asked a few times how I keep these in such good shape for so long, WEEEELLLL-

The comic shop did fall off the shelf I had it on, thankfully this bend in the wall was the only result, it feel a good 6 feet which is a testament to the solid construction of this set. 

Hope you have enjoyed part one, up next the Movie Rental place and the Photo Shop.