One of the reasons I cut new walls to make Watson Mill larger on the inside was to accommodate Gustav’s hobby. Turns out, in addition to avid reading, he’s a miniaturist. :D In researching mini mills, I found this delightful Archistories Windmill “Marienfehn” in Z scale.
Here’s a penny to show the size of the pieces. There’s excellent detailing as well. The pieces seem to be made from some kind of chipboard material, and they recommend the use of wood glue. There are 10 pages of illustrated instructions, but it seems fairly straightforward.
There’s even a motor for it. Yep, the sails go roundy roundy. :D It’s a DC 3V motor, so this should work with a battery holder and switch. I can build a work table to disguise the switch underneath.
I bought some 21-gauge tipped glue syringes since the portions to be glued are so small. Elmer’s wood glue worked well with them (as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases).
The kit goes together easily since the parts are so accurate. The instructions are clear with good drawings.
The motor does work with a 3V battery holder. There are two diodes included to slow down the revolutions per minute (from 33rpm to 15 rpm according to the instructions). Those will be added later once I get the display table built for it. The motor has a quiet wind-up toy sound that’s rather satisfying.
I got out my soldering materials to attach long wires to the motor. I left a lot of length so I can have more to work with later.
The X brace has been left unglued. I plan to make a modest landscape for the display, so I’ll add it once I get that in place.
I didn’t take many photos during the building process since the tiny dabs of glue dry too fast. :] The sails are also just lightly glued right now. I’ll add a stronger adhesive once I’m done. I want to be able to remove the sails during the landscaping process.
The tiny doors can be displayed open, but I like them closed. There was no breathing when handling those tiny hinge accents.
The hub looks so big and solid, but the centers are thin black paper circles applied with needle tip tweezers.
I love the wee windows. Yes, they have “glass” in them.
One of my favorite parts are the red stone slabs. Just a pop of color in the mix. You can also see the fine siding texture here.
Of course, I know you want a movie.:D This was taken with the two diodes taped in place, so this is the final speed of the sails.
Unfortunately, Gustav’s Mill is too large for Watson Mill’s interior. So, we’ll just say Gustav built it to display elsewhere, a museum or gallery. :]
