FSM Kit #295 Fox Run Milling Build by ReadingBob

Started by ReadingBob, June 01, 2014, 12:07:11 PM

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ReadingBob

Time for a new build thread.  I'm going to build the Fine Scale Miniatures Kit #295 Fox Run Milling.

Note: Bear with me on the picture size for the first few posts.  I uploaded these slightly larger than I should have which causes the scroll bar to appear.  I'll get it right sooner or later.



I suspect this puppy is going to take me quite some time to complete but that's okay.  I do this because I enjoy doing it so the longer it takes me the more bang I'm getting for my buck.   :D  My goal is to get this one finished in time to take to the Expo next year to display and, assuming I do a decent enough job of it, after which I'll trade it to Mr. Seckler for the un-built version of the very same kit.   :D

I bought this kit when it first came out in 1997.  In the ad you'll notice it was the last of the 'big' kits before FSM started the Jewel Series.  Well, we all know that some of he Jewel Series ended up being big kits as well and that's just fine by me.

We'll start by pulling the box off the shelf (and dusting it off to take this picture).



Next comes the fun part, opening the box to see what's inside.   :D



This is one of those kits that came with the instructions in a booklet form rather than in several large 'road map' type sheets.  There's bags of wood parts, plastic parts, some metal castings (that I assume didn't fit in the smaller casting box we'll get to later, a large metal wall and some large wood pieces milled to look like concrete wall.



Lot's of strip wood, signs, corrugated aluminum, signs and wire.



And, of course, that famous little box chock full of detail castings.



More in a moment...

Bob Butts
robertbutts1@att.net

There's a fine line between Hobby and Mental Illness.

ReadingBob

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, there's also lot's of templates and cardstock sheets too.



Any time I start a new build the first thing I do is get a new single edge razor blade out and also put new blades in all of my knife handles.  I have two handles with #11 X-Acto blades in them and one with a #18 chisel blade it in.

I started this kit by cleaning the castings.  First I removed the plastic cast stuff using a sprue cutter.  Hard to see it in this picture but it's a handy little tool and makes fairly clean, precise cuts.



I touch up the edges of the plastic parts, where they were 'desprued', with an ordinary emery board.  Just a quick swipe or two to smooth out any rough edges.  Don't get too aggressive with the emery board because it will sand away stuff you don't want sanded away.   :o



The kit includes some plastic barrels that have to be assembled.  I glued them together using plastic cement and a disposable micro brush to apply the cement.



I touched up the metal castings with some small files.  This takes me a while only because I like to examine the castings to see what neat stuff is on them.  There's actually very little filing that needs to be done on most of them.  They're cast very well.



Woo-hoo!  I think I got this picture size thing down.

If a casting has a big goober of metal that needs to be removed I keep an old pair of flush cutting rail nippers handy.  It saves a lot of filing.  There were only one or two places I needed these in this kit though.



More in a moment...


Bob Butts
robertbutts1@att.net

There's a fine line between Hobby and Mental Illness.

ReadingBob

Okay, the next thing I do is a personal preference and can be skipped.  Washing the castings.  In fact, George mentions in the instructions that some modelers do this but he doesn't.  Karl will surely weigh in on this as well.  He doesn't waste the time to was them either.  So, skip it if you like.  I use a small dish of warm water with a drop of dishwashing liquid in it, an old toothbrush and dish of clean water to rinse the casting in.



I change the water I rinse the castings in quite frequently since a little soap transfers over to it with each casting I rinse.



When the castings have dried I lay them out on an old baking sheet with strips of painters tape taped upside down to it to hold the smaller castings in place.  Then I prepare the paint for my airbrush.  I make sure to completely mix my paint, a fresh bottle of Floquil Primer in this case, first.  When I run out of Floquil Primer and Floquil Earth, the two colors I normally use to prime parts, I'll have to switch to something else.  Possibly a rattle can of one of the camouflage colors that's available and has been used, with success, by others.



I use an eyedropper to transfer the paint over into a mixing cup (and small stainless steel measuring cup).  I count how many eyedroppers full of paint I transfer over.



For every three eyedroppers full of paint I add one eyedropper full of thinner.



Time to paint.  I use a Paashe Talon double action, gravity fed airbrush.  I do my painting out in the driveway.  I can't think of a better ventilated place.  I also had a large fan running to help keep me cool (I do live in Florida  8) ).  I start by painting every thing from left to right and back again.



More in a moment...

 
Bob Butts
robertbutts1@att.net

There's a fine line between Hobby and Mental Illness.

ReadingBob

#3
After I complete my first pass I turn my baking sheet 1/4 turn and repeat the process.  I do that two more times until I've hit everything from all for sides.  I want to make sure I get all the edges from all angles.



I let everything sit for a few minutes until they're dry enough to flip over.  Then I flip over the stuff that needs to be primed on all sides and paint the back.



The last thing I do, and probably the most important step in all of this if you want to have an enjoyable experience next time you break out the airbrush, is take my airbrush apart and thoroughly clean it.   ;D



Okay, time to start working on a base for the diorama.  This one requires a large base.  !3" by 20" and two levels.  I'm including the template for the base so Robert has some idea of how much space this thing is going to take up.



I've been trying to decide whether I wanted to make the base out of GatorFoam or plywood.  I decide to try GatorFoam first to see how well I could do it and, if I didn't like the results, then I'd go with plywood.  I have an X-Acto foam board cutter that I use to cut the GatorFoam.  I make several passes with this thing, extending the blade a little bit further out each time, until I cut all the way through the board.  The first pass if made using a ruler.  Once I get a cut through the tough exterior I tried placing a small metal square next to the cutter to keep it straight so I could get a square cut.  I the previous cut guides the blade.



Here's the top piece and the bottom piece cut out.  The GatorFoam I'm using came from large signs that were all over the place at a company event a few years ago.  When the event was over I asked them what they were going to do with the signs and they said most of them would be thrown out.  I ended up dragging three of them out to my van to take home with me.



I had to cut strips to elevate the upper level exactly 1 7/16" above the lower section.  After a miscalculation and a mulligan I got the size of the strips right and used a hot glue gun to glue everything together.  At this point I'm happy with the results.  I could make one out of plywood but it would be heavier and I have more of a fear of plywood warping when I scenic the diorama than I do with the GatorFoam.  I'm not 100% settle on this yet.



That's as far as I've gotten at the moment.  More updates to come as I make some progress.   :D
Bob Butts
robertbutts1@att.net

There's a fine line between Hobby and Mental Illness.

EricQuebec

Very Inspiring.... thank to take time to share it with us. It's always a pleasure to follow a modelers effort on a FSM kit.
Eric Québec city

ReadingBob

Quote from: EricQuebec on June 01, 2014, 02:03:51 PM
Very Inspiring.... thank to take time to share it with us. It's always a pleasure to follow a modelers effort on a FSM kit.
Eric Québec city

Thanks Eric.  Glad to have you following along.   :D
Bob Butts
robertbutts1@att.net

There's a fine line between Hobby and Mental Illness.

Pops


postalkarl

Hi Bob:

Looking forward to your build. Will be following along.

Karl

S&S RR

Bob


Your build threads are second to none! I will be watching with great interest.
John Siekirk
Superior & Seattle Railroad

Janbouli

Great , an FSM build thread is always nice to follow, thanks Bob.
I love photo's, don't we all.

Amagic41

Bob
  Can't wait to see your progress on this one. I'm sure I'll pick up  a thing or 20 along the way a I usually do when following your builds.

Kenny
Ken Crump
KC's Workshop
Bowie,Md
www.kcworkshop.com

gnatshop

Don't get too comfortable and cocky - I'm watchin' over your shoulder!!  ;D ;D ;D ;D
Same as I do on all your builds - I don't intend to miss nuthin that the Ledbetter construction
crew can use on my layout!

Zephyrus52246

Do cookies baked on those cookie sheets taste funny?  Like paint?   ;D I'll be interested to see how the Gatorfoam base works as well.


Jeff

bparrish

Bob.......

I really like your fully ventilated spray booth.

very safe.

see ya
Bob
Did you ever notice how many towns are named after their water towers ! ?

GPdemayo

Great start Bob, I'll be following along on your next adventure!
Gregory P. DeMayo
General Construction Superintendent Emeritus
St. Louis & Denver Railroad
Longwood, FL

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