(Nick Busch)
Bringing a Taste of Europe to Iowa
by Pam North
A resident of Davenport, Iowa, Nick Busch was introduced to miniatures when he watched the Lord of the Rings movies. He shared his reaction, saying, “After seeing what was achieved there, I was completely fascinated. It was only 3 years ago when I finally decided to give it a try, and my first attempt was crafting a miniature swing set made out of styrene plastic. About two years ago, I crafted a 1:35 scale diorama of Bilbo Baggins hobbit house from Lord of the Rings. The piece sits right next to my work bench.”
The hobbit house project was done similarly to his current undertaking, which is a 1:35 scale re-imagination of a European-influenced village, and which so far has encompassed five buildings, with two more planned. The idea for the piece has been in his mind for years, inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. “Since I was a kid I always had a vision of European architecture, and with miniatures I am able to create it in a way that fits that vision. Almost the entire project has been scratch-built; the only parts I purchased were the lamp post, windows, and doors. All of the siding, shingles, cobblestones, and bricks were made with plaster, balsa wood, basswood, and some styrene plastic.”
Nick devised his own techniques for creating the piece, with just about everything from trial and error. All of the bricks and cobblestones were made using a mold into which he poured plaster. “I used a small amount of black pigment powder to achieve the gray stone look,” he explained. “I then glued each stone and brick, one by one, until the streets and walls were complete. The houses and buildings I worked on one section at a time, using bricks and balsa wood as the frame of the house. The shingles were thin strips of balsa wood that I scored with a metal brush, and then dyed with a thin amount of weathering oils. Doing each piece individually it gave it a more authentic look.”
The hardest part for him was not getting lazy and cutting corners. “It’s easy to want to rush certain parts, but being patient really shows in the end result,” he recounted. “The final piece did morph slightly over time when I realized the composition on the entire layout wasn’t working. Certain buildings had to be rearranged to get it to look right,which required me to redo some of the road work. I made the piece for the love of the craft; it’s something I have been wanting to do for a long time. My favorite part of it is the mansion; it was that building that took me the longest, but I think it definitely is the highlight of the project. I used many new techniques with the architecture, and I think my decisions really paid off. Probably the most fun part was Squid’s Bar. The idea came from a photo I saw of a bar in Japan, and I put my own spin on it.”
He also had many valuable tips to share to those working in miniature, particularly when age and history are part of the ambience. “One of the biggest mistakes I made when starting off is rushing the process. Taking my time and making sure all my measurements are correct really does add to the quality in the end. When scratch-building doors or windows, having good reference photos makes the process so much easier, and the photos also help for textures. One of the most enjoyable part of crafting the miniatures is the weathering; that’s where the historic appearance is added to the piece, and the miniatures really come to life.”
He still is considering whether to keep the pieces or sell them. “A few people have reached out about buying certain buildings, but nothing has been determined yet. Most of my work I keep on display in my home, as I find it too hard to part with any of them.”
Nick shared his thoughts on creating his projects: “The best part of miniatures for me is that I am able to create scenes that I would want to visit in real life. I really love the architectural designs of English buildings, which translates into most of my work.” Nick gets much of his inspiration from movies and music. “Music scores really help me paint a picture in my head to use in my creation process.”
Nick drives trucks for a living, and manages to combine his home life and miniature life with the help of his family. He had no formal training in the miniature field; most of his creative background is in photography. “I would make all the main structural elements by hand for the scenes, then blend other elements into the backgrounds, adding the sky or what not. The possibilities are endless with creating this type of artwork. and the only thing that holds me back is my own imagination.”
“My family is very supportive of my creative work,” he continued. “My girlfriend, Michelle, designs costumes, and she helps me with new ideas and layouts. My father does a lot of custom woodwork, and he has helped me learn a lot of things that translate into miniatures. He assists with some of my laser cutting, and also with using Adobe Illustrator to get the precise measurements for my cuts.”
Nick learned proficiency in using tools, and said, “The tool I use the most is my micro cutting board. When I am cutting out shingles for the houses, I am able to mass produce them at a very quick rate. It is probably my most used tool for getting multiple cuts at the exact length. The part that I have the most trouble with is bevels and curves on buildings. Getting the bevels to line up just right is extremely tedious and difficult. There really is no simple way to do it.”
Nick’s workplace is his entire basement, which he has transformed into a space for his crafting.
As for what’s next for him and his creations, he had this to say: “This project still has some work to be done. Probably next on the burner is my plan to make a 1:35 scale cathedral, which will require a lot of planning. The windows and stained glass are aspects that will take a lot of trial and error to get right, and the brick layout of the building will be tricky in getting the measurements correct.”

Contact information:
Name:  Nick Busch
Email: nckbusch@gmail.com
Website: www.nicholasbuschphotography.com
Phone: (319) 640-6432
Address: 2235 N Gaines Street, Davenport IA 52804
Instagram: www.instagram.com/flyingthedonut