Hello everyone.

Next up in the build pile is an old Master Creations kit "Blandings and Gallard Cement and Construction Co. Ltd". I'll be heavily modifying the configuration of this kit because I have a specific place I want to put it on the layout and it's pretty narrow. I bought the kit from Ebay and the taller brick building is missing from the kit also.  I've not heard great things about the Master Creations resin walls either so maybe it's for the better.



The kit originally went for $134.95 in 1988. I think that comes to around $300.00 today.


I found it difficult to get a feel for how the kit was going to look from this picture. I also Googled the kit and found nothing.


Instructions are 2 huge front and back newspaper style sheets like older FSM kits. Going over everything it looks like during this time Master Creations was trying to make kits very similar to FSM. The only other large Master Creations kit I built was Minerva Casket and it was very different from this. Minerva Casket was a big box of laser cut parts and confusion.


Lots of lead and stripwood.

I built the small stone office a little while ago as a separate kit. I always liked the building but this one will need to be heavily modified to install on the layout. I might cut the top off the peaked walls and use it as a lower floor for a building.


All the castings are good quality. Not a ridiculous amount of flash either. The windows have a nice wood grain texture. 


The kit came with enough parts to assemble a few trucks.

Looks like this brass sheet goes with the lead vehicle parts castings. Looks like maybe 3 trucks total. I'll probably wait to tackle these.

The kit came with a bag of about 15-20 windows but I'm not sure what they go to. Might be the resin brick building. I'm going to set these aside for now.

I cleaned all the flash from the castings.

I separated all the castings into either wood or metal. These are the castings that represent wood. I stuck these to a sheet of paper with double sided tape and I'll prime them Khaki.

The rest of the castings got blackened with Jax Pewter Black.

In a little while I'm going to flip the castings I primed over and spray the other side so I can start painting them tomorrow.

I like buying older not real popular kits on Ebay when I can get them for cheap enough. I paid $80.00 for this kit and I think it's worth more than that in castings alone. I wish I had all the parts but I'll do my best to turn it into something halfway decent regardless.

-Steve

Looks like a neat one to follow.

I'll be following.

wow, really cool. the box contents really does remind me of FSM kits.......

Steve,

I'll be following along as well.

I have this kit from 1988 and found one on Ebay for Erieman for $114.00 five years ago.

I built the MC Franz Faulk Brewery and found it necessary to use brass square tubing to get the walls straight.

Look forward to seeing what you do with this one.

Tom

BTW, I just checked my kit and the large bag of wood framed windows isn't in my kit. I don't think they go with Blanding and Gallard.

Neat kit Steve.....I'll be looking in on this one. 

Hi Steve.

I'll be watching.  I'm a big fan of MC kits and have a few to build myself.  There is a built up version of this kit for sale at Dad's brass trains at the moment with lots of pictures - which may be of some help.

https://www.brasstrains.com/Classic/Product/Detail/101727/HO-1-87-MC-Master-Creations-21-x-22-Diorama-Blandings-Gallard-Amazing-Detail-Must-See

Cheers, Mark.

I'm glad to have everyone following along.

Tom I think I remember reading a thread about Franz Falk or Fanny Schwans and the walls were unbelievably warped. It might've been your thread? On another forum maybe?

Interesting about the windows. I wonder if someone bought another kit from this guys collection and it's missing all the windows but has all the walls I need.

Thanks for posting that link Mark. I saved the pictures and it will help me with how all the walls go together and some of the little sub assemblies. I have a soft spot for Master Creations kits mainly I think because they were new when I started modeling and I couldn't afford them. Plus they really had some crazy designs on a few. I have a lot of respect for them just for trying to do something totally unique. I'm not referring to this kit but more the Minerva Casket, Rutherford B. Hayes Coachworks, Watt Moreland Waxworks era of kits.

I made a little progress on the kit today. Lots of boring prep work for the first couple steps.


I started prepping the walls for the main shed building. They had me glue a few pieces together side by side.


I set up all the castings for painting. Anything I can drill a hole in for a toothpick I do. I think that's the best way to paint a castings. It's a must for larger barrels. It's much easier to get straight lines by turning the casting while holding the brush stationary. I didn't spike much more than this because I ran into a problem with the castings breaking.


The castings in this kit are very brittle. Might be from age maybe something with the alloy but this one broke when I tried to drill it. I broke 3 of them total.


All the khaki parts are primed and ready to go.

All the walls are braced and drying. This is one of my least favorite parts of building but it's the most necessary. Especially on old wood siding like this.


I started painting the castings. I always use Reaper paints for my castings. I try to get some sort of assembly line order with the painting. I usually do as many as I can until my hands stop holding steady then I move on to something else.

Not a super exciting update today but tomorrow I'll try to get some color on the walls and windows. I need to think on the colors I want to use.

Thanks for following along.

-Steve

No problems, Steve.

The three kits you mention are the three of the four I own along with Fanny Schwahns confectionery.  I would also like Muldoon's distillery.  I keep my eyes on ebay for bargains.

Cheers, Mark.

Steve following along I love these kits.
Your off to a good start.

But boy there directions in most of them were real...

Jerry

Jerry the instructions for this kit don't  seem as bad as some of the others. This kit is pretty straightforward though none of that laser cut glue K17 to H35 stuff. That's where it gets confusing on the "zero stripwood" kits. All the worst MC kits to build seem to have "zero stripwood" advertised on the box.

-Steve

Steve,

The walls on Franz Faulk were warped really bad and I used the brass to get them straight. This is probably what you remember.

On Fanny Schwann only the front wall is resin and fairly thick. I built this one some 15 years after the kit came out with no noticeable warp. The rest of the kit is wood siding.

Tom

Very cool Tom. That little peaked tower roof is pretty neat. All the windows and doors are pretty unique also. Is the siding clapboard? I can't really tell from the pictures.


-Steve

Quote from: SteveCuster on February 12, 2019, 04:48:24 PM
Very cool Tom. That little peaked tower roof is pretty neat. All the windows and doors are pretty unique also. Is the siding clapboard? I can't really tell from the pictures.


-Steve

Steve,

Thank you. The siding is scribed and came with pre-punched nail holes. This is only one half of the building. I've always thought the structure is just a little out of HO scale but a nice design all the same.

I'll show the second half tomorrow afternoon. I'm charging the camera now.

Tom