Props Tips for a Starter Roombox?

Hi! I've made a couple room boxes, one using plywood as a base and one using foamboard. While my plywood room is very sturdy, it takes up a lot of space and is heavy. I really like how quickly the foamboard room came together, I didn't need help w power tools. My favorite inspiration comes from this YouTube channel. https://youtube.com/c/MyFroggyStufftheFroggys.

Good luck!

 

Hi! I'm planning my roombox (only in 1:12 scale though) and I have a few (basic) suggestions that might be a starting point for you!

• you'll probably have to make the roombox msd scale to begin with if you want to use it for your 40cm doll, since the scale difference would be too much (unless you want to make two boxes)
  
• I suggest a heavier base just for stability (or at least something like...museum tack/rubber or rubber feet) with lighter walls -- and consider having grooves around the perimeter of the floor so that you can slide out the walls! this would probably be useful for things like different wallpaper/paint, windows/doors, etc. i'm thinking you could probably do the groove without owning power tools if you use square dowels to manufacture a gap instead of carving out a groove because that sounds like a pain
  
• if you decide to go with the above method, you can probably hide the join between the floor and the wall with dollhouse scale baseboard; that might be a bit too small for your 40cm doll but might be okay for your yosd/tinies
• you can probably do hardwood flooring through contact paper/shelf liners, or dollhouse flooring

I think it'd be easier to do an all-purpose roombox for your smaller dolls, but your msd will probably require something sizeable if you want a versatile box with room to both sit/stand and still photograph well. maybe make a smaller roombox first to get the hang of it before tackling the msd size box?

 

I second what @captain. said! You might even be able to get away with making one floor (depending on the scale of your flooring) and just use different sized walls, if you set it up that way. Using square dowels is absolutely the way I'd go in that case. It works very well! I've even done it just from foamboard.

If you want to do this from foamboard, I recommend either double-layering the floor or using a much sturdier material for the base. For one thing because using glue (like to glue down cut popsicle sticks for flooring) will warp the foamboard because of the moisture, and another thing because you want that added weight and sturdiness. I speak from experience--the last time I tried this, the floor developed a curve that's just enough to drive me bonkers. Glue stick (like for gluing down scrapbook/wrapping/other paper for wallpaper) won't have this problem, but wood/PVA glue sure will. Just using paper for the floor is also an option! Contact paper like was suggested is great for this, and scrapbook paper works too. You can even print off a wood grain/tile/etc texture if you need to.

My other pro tip (assuming you do the slide-walls-into-channels idea) is to think of a way to hold the walls against each other. If you're using MDF or plywood or something, consider drilling shallow holes for magnets. I've also used tape, but for the 1/4 scale if you're not using wood that may be difficult.

I also recommend starting with the smaller box/walls/whatever, because you're going to make a ton of mistakes as you're learning! And of course to have fun! It's a process to get better at it for sure, but it's a rewarding one.