Red Square

Four years ago I began significant work on my National Capitals project.  My intention is to build Washington, D.C., London, Paris, Berlin, Moscow, and Tokyo.  I am taking a Hollywood approach for most of them.  If you see a large city and the Eiffel Tower and Arch de Triumph are in the background, then you are in Paris.  None of the other buildings matter and so when the scene switches to the New York Street portion of the MGM backlot, since all the signs are in French and some men are wearing berets you still think you are in Paris.

In keeping with that plan I built Moscow represented by Red Square and Lenin's Tomb.  Most of it is paper stuck onto foamcore boards.  The Lenin's Tomb is mostly wood with some plastic.  It has a detailed interior.  My intention is to us this mostly for James Bond espionage games.  This set up is on one of my four side tables.  If more Moscow space is needed for a car chase or something, I can set up other more generic buildings on the main table.  Once the scene is set with this Red Square, then the other buildings just need a few Cyrillic alphabet signs and a poster of Stalin to continue the illusion.

The Saint Basil's Cathedral is a bird house with Christmas tree decorations for the domes.  My concept is that it does not have to be perfect, it has to be recognizable.

I printed out a computer generated Kremlin and GUM department stores that I found on line.  The posters are all from World War Two, or around that time.  Most feature Stalin, military vehicles or Red Square, or all three.

This tower is 3D cardboard with paper covering.  It creates a nice balcony for observers, security personnel, spies, or whatever.  The little trees are from Dollar Tree.  I also have the post WWII tombs on several famous Soviets behind Lenin's Tomb.  I started this project with the purchase of the bird house cathedral in about 1995.  I don't operate on a Five Year plan like the Soviet Union.