The Modeler's Forum

Hello Everyone.

I recently started construction on the newest SierraWest kit, O'Neills Fabrication. I've built a few other SW kits and I believe they are some of the finest kits out there right now. I have a build thread on the SierraWest forums for this but I wanted to cross post it here also.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-280616224625-14378528.jpeg)
First step was to add grain texture and some knotholes in the stripwood. This was done with a stiff wire brush out of the welding section of Home Depot. The knots were made with a dull compass.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-280616224625-14465958.jpeg)
After the wood is textured I colored it using a mix of brown colored rembrandt chalks. The technique is very easy just lay the stripwood out and file some dust off
the chalk stick randomly over each board. I then coated the board in rubbing alcohol. I really saturated it, I wanted the dissolve all of the chalk.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-280616224625-14466796.jpeg)
The main wall color is done by using a semi-dry brush and randomly hitting across the tops of the boards. Brett has a video on his website for this, he calls the technique damp brushing. I just tried to do a really sloppy job at drybrushing and it worked out fine.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-280616224626-14468251.jpeg)
Here is picture of all the siding wood colored with the white paint.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-280616224626-144672178.jpeg)
This is the color recommending for the trim, its Americana craft paint "Bluegrass Green'. I was a little bit concerned about how it would look but it worked out
just fine.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-280616224839-14469111.jpeg)
I framed out the window openings with the blue colored wood.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-280616224839-144701986.jpeg)
I added some weathered and textured trim pieces around the window openings.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-280616224840-144712262.jpeg)
The stripwood is then randomly applied to the wall.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-280616224840-144721149.jpeg)
I added the doors and windows. These were colored with the same green, I weathered everything with rembrandt chalks to tone it down, including the window glass.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-280616224840-144731181.jpeg)
Here is closeup of one of the loading docks.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-280616225040-14474616.jpeg)
Other side of the building.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-280616225040-144752068.jpeg)
Another close up of the other walls, the area to the right will be covered.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-280616225041-144761562.jpeg)
This clapboard wall is for the addition that sits over the unfinished area of the first wall. The clapboard is done by covering a piece of laser cut clapboard with individual boards. All the wood was colored with chalks, I painted the doors white and weathered them with brown chalk.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-280616225041-144771385.jpeg)
Here is another view of the addition.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-280616225041-144781837.jpeg)
I glued the addition on to the main wall.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-280616225152-144792081.jpeg)
I added some dock details and glued the walls together. The details were colored with water based paints from Reaper, SierraWest has a full paint set for sale. I weathered them with chalks to tone it down a bit.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-280616225153-144802061.jpeg)
I added the roof over the one dock and added a few warning signs.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-280616225153-144812479.jpeg)
Here is a shot of the interior corner bracing provided with the kit.

I'm not sure if this is picture overload here, the thread is almost completed up to date with my progress.

Everything I built in the past was weathered with A&I and drybrushing, this is my first experiment with chalks and a few other techniques. I decided to follow the instructions word for word to see if I could learn some new techniques. So far I'm happy with the results even if a little outside my comfort zone.

Thanks for checking in.

-Steve

Walls look great. never tried that method either, might have to read up on it.

Fantastic Job Steve,
Your wheathered wood is simply amazing.

Eric Quebec

Wow Steve , first of all thanks for posting this build here , looking great so far , the weathered wood is super realistic.

Hi Steve:

Very nicely done. Really like your peeling paint. It looks just great.

Karl

I'm looking forward to your build on this one Steve.....I'll be ordering that one in a month or so.....to add to the collection of his other unbuilt kits that I have. Think it is a neat looking structure.  8)


And welcome to the forum, your many pictures will be greatly appreciated.  ;D

Steve


It looks great! I'm a big fan of Brett's kits and techniques.  Thank you for posting it here.

Looks fantastic Steve! You know I am a big fan of your work and am so looking forward to watching this project come to life.

Brett

Quote from: sierrawest on June 29, 2016, 09:10:39 AM
Looks fantastic Steve! You know I am a big fan of your work and am so looking forward to watching this project come to life.

Brett

Glad to see you're here.....welcome Brett.  ;D

Thanks everyone!
The peeling paint technique is very easy, I've used several other techniques with mixed results this one is by far the easiest. Brett has a video on his website, he also has a video on coloring and weathering stripwood with chalks, both are very helpful to master these techniques.

Ive almost finished the tower walls. I'll try to post some more pictures tonight.

-Steve

Looking good!


-slim

Quote from: sierrawest on June 29, 2016, 09:10:39 AM
Looks fantastic Steve! You know I am a big fan of your work and am so looking forward to watching this project come to life.

Brett

Brett


Welcome to the Forum!  You will see a number of your kits come to life on this forum in the coming months.

Brett,

Welcome to the forum.

Tom ;D

Thanks for the welcome! I really enjoy watching forum builds. Every builder has their own unique take.

Brett

Wow! Lovely work Steve.
looking very good so far

Steve, I'm all eyes.....

Steve,

The walls and doors look wonderful. Very well done.

Tom ;D

Has anyone thought of doing interior detailing for the kit?

Thanks for all the nice compliments everyone!

I made a bit more progress this week.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-300616225042-144821269.jpeg)
I finished siding the tower, all the techniques are the same as the addition. The freight door is made from adding individual boards to a laser cut frame. I makes it very easy to add as much weathering as you desire just by how much you damage the boards. All the windows and doors are colored with ivory craft paint dabbed on with a very stiff brush over laser cut wood colored with krylon camoflage and weathered with chalks.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-300616225042-145082099.jpeg)
You can see how weathered I made the door better with light behind it.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-300616225042-145091809.jpeg)
Here is the other wall.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-300616225042-14510676.jpeg)
This is the sign for the tower. I sanded the back of it, then cut it out very carefully with the sharpest scissors I could buy. I believe they are stenciling scissors from Michaels craft store.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-300616225042-145111557.jpeg)
I glued the sign over a stripwood base.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-300616225124-14512232.jpeg)
After the glue set I ran my xacto knife between each board. I added some chalk to the sign to tone it down. In the past I've used A&I to weather signs but it does have a tendency to make them illegible, chalk is easier to add weathering but retain the ability to read what the sign says.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-300616225124-14513474.jpeg)
Here is the sign attached to the building. I haven't weather the 2 vent castings yet. I blackened them with Jax Pewter Black and buffed them with a nylon brush in a dremel, I will weather them with chalks when the epoxy sets.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-300616225124-14514829.jpeg)
All the walls are glued together. It took some work to get the corners to look right.

M&K Railway - The welding shop has a full interior. I think a full interior of the main buildings would be nice for an O scale version, Brett might need to charge $1000.00 with all those castings though.

Thanks for checking in. Hopefully I can make some more progress this weekend.
-Steve

Magnificent work. Looking very good ;)

Can I ask, when you said chalks is the same like pastels...?

Thanks Polux.

I'm referring to the artists soft pastel sticks from Rembrandt.
http://www.dickblick.com/products/rembrandt-soft-pastels/
I bought a whole assortment of earth/rust tones. I use a razor against the side of the stick to create a pile of dust, then I use a fairly stiff brush to apply some of the dust to whatever I'm weathering. The pigment is so strong that you don't need a fixative. Check out www.sierrawestscalemodels.com under craftsman university there is a couple videos and links to using pastels to color and weather castings.

-Steve

Very interesting technic on the sign, Steve.
Thank to share it with us.

Eric Quebec city

Quote from: SteveCuster on July 01, 2016, 06:05:37 AM
Thanks Polux.

I'm referring to the artists soft pastel sticks from Rembrandt.
http://www.dickblick.com/products/rembrandt-soft-pastels/
I bought a whole assortment of earth/rust tones. I use a razor against the side of the stick to create a pile of dust, then I use a fairly stiff brush to apply some of the dust to whatever I'm weathering. The pigment is so strong that you don't need a fixative. Check out Sierrawestscalemodels.com under craftsman university there is a couple videos and links to using pastels to color and weather castings.

-Steve

Thank you very much for the info and the link, Steve!!

Thanks again ;)

Thanks everyone.

I made a bit more progress this weekend.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-040716225257-145151322.jpeg)
I colored and weathered the concrete dock casting, the instructions call for a layering of different grays to give the dock is weathered appearance. I made a bit of a mistake weathering it, I added several layers of chalk and when weathering some rust stains using chalk/alcohol wash I completely overdid it. I then tried to use some clean alcohol to thin and tone it down, it created a gray/black/rust wash over the front of the casting. I ended up really liking the look, it brought out all the detail in the casting. I was going for a pretty heavily weathered concrete look so it worked out.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-040716225257-145732450.jpeg)
I also added some junk to the top of the dock roof.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-040716225257-14574637.jpeg)
I mocked up the tower to the siding and found the wall on the main structure was warped pretty bad leaving a large gap. You can't see it in the picture but it was about 1/32 of an inch, no good. The wall warped because I used a A&I wash over it after I added all the siding, I wanted a pretty heavily weathered wall. I stepped outside of the instructions on that one, not a flaw in the design of the kit.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-040716225258-14575140.jpeg)
I pulled the corner braces off and added some bracing to try to pull it back again. It worked fine.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-040716225258-14576685.jpeg)
The tower isn't glued on yet but everything is mocked up. I will further correct the minor gap near the peak when I glue everything together.

Thanks for checking in.

-Steve

Looking great Steve.

Hi Steve:

More very nicely done work. Grat job on the sign. Like all the junk ion the roof.

Karl

Steve


Great work - I'm really enjoying the thread.

Great work Steve; I love colour of this build, is excellent :)

Thanks everyone. Should have some more pictures today or tomorrow.

-Steve

Hi Steve:

beautiful work. Keep the photos coming.

Karl

Thanks Karl.

I made a bit more progress this weekend. I added the roof and rafters, I also made a terrible mistake and I cut the main roof pieces too long and added them to the roof card. I ended up fixing it as best I could but it was very difficult to remove the pieces once they adhered to the backing board. It was a silly mistake, I must've misread the directions and once I caught it it was too late.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-110716003916-146342350.jpeg)
After I pulled the roofing material off I had to glue everything back together but it really damaged the roofcard. I has also already weathered the roof so I had to try to blend everything. This is my gluing setup.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-110716003916-146481826.jpeg)
I ended up respraying to roof with gray again and starting over, I couldn't get the division line to disappear. This is the finished result after redoing it. I used Rust-Oleum Gray auto primer as a base coat, I then coated the roof with different rust colored chalks. I wanted the roof to be a bit darker with less gray so I used rubbing alcohol to make a rust wash over the base gray with the chalk powder. I used Rembrandt Mars Violet powdered over the whole roof to give it a reddish color as per the instructions. I didn't use any alcohol for the Violet just dry chalk.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-110716003916-146492078.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-110716003916-14650406.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-110716003916-14651915.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-110716003940-14652961.jpeg)

Next step is adding the main sign, some chimneys and other details. I hope to get most of those things done tomorrow afternoon.

Thanks for checking in.
-Steve

Nice work Steve. I like how it looks ;)

Looks perfect to me.

Very inspirational & beautiful work!
You didn't make a mistake on the roof....you had a "happy accident" as Bob Ross used to say. It looks great  ;)

Hi Steve:

As I said before. Really like your weathering. Can't wait to see the details added.

Karl

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the feedback.

Progressing along, I added most of the roof details today.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-120716153003-14683944.jpeg)
I added the 2 small chimneys and the L shaped chimney on the addition. They were all blackened with Jax Pewter Black and buffed with a dremel.
I also added a ladder to the roof. I thought it could use a little something extra on this side and I needed to cover a little kink I made in the roof material when I
repaired the roof earlier.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-120716153003-146842161.jpeg)
I made the ladder on the left first. I made it out of scale 2x4s and it's a bit out of scale for my liking, I've made this mistake half a dozen times now I think.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-120716153003-14685796.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-120716153003-146532372.jpeg)
I added the sign to the main roof. It was weathered the same as the tower sign.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-120716153003-146861755.jpeg)

Thanks for checking in. Next step is the Repair and Welding Shop

-Steve

Beautifully ugly work. Brett would be proud!


John

Ditto to all the other comments. Extremely well done.

Tom ;D

Steve, You have done well with the kit (considering the challenges).

Quote from: Cuse on July 12, 2016, 03:58:10 PM
Beautifully ugly work. Brett would be proud!
John

Hah! Very proud!

Excellent recovery Steve. Roof looks great. That roofing card adhesive is crazy strong and I know from personal experience how hard it is to peel corrugated panels off... just saying.

Brett

Beautiful work Steve....even the error is beautiful.

Thanks everyone!

-Steve

Steve, the whole build just screams OLD!

Thanks Andy.

I finished the walls on the welding shop this weekend. One of the nicest parts about this kit is the laser cut interior framework. I always find framing out the interior of a board on board structure to be the most tedious part, these laser cut pieces make it very easy.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-190716171520-148152194.jpeg)
This is how they come out of the box, the detail is excellent.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-190716171520-148162494.jpeg)
I weathered them by scraping some brown chalk over the walls, then I flooded the walls with straight rubbing alcohol.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-190716171520-148172454.jpeg)
I was a little nervous using alcohol to weather these pieces. In the past I've have major issues with warping and laser cut sections like this, especially with my MC Minerva Casket kit. I had no trouble with these walls, they didn't warp at all.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-190716171521-148182182.jpeg)
I added the siding, this was colored the same as the main building only I used less white paint.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-190716171521-148192028.jpeg)
Here is the rear section all finished with all the excess trimmed from the walls.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-190716171853-148201856.jpeg)
This is the side wall, all finished.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-190716171853-14821970.jpeg)
Other side wall all finished. I cracked some of the windows with a razor.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-190716171853-148222178.jpeg)
I added some details to the wall. I added the little shelf and some bottles, on the shelf is a pipe wrench.
All the details are metal here, I used JAX Pewter Black to blacken them, I painted them all with Reaper Miniatures water based paint. I'm using the set that SierraWest sells. I'm making an attempt to get completely away from Floquil/PollyS paints on this kit. The quality of the castings in this kit are unbelievable. They are all crisp/clear with very little flash.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-190716171853-14823146.jpeg)
I detailed the other more plain wall. I added small brass hangers for all the chains and hoses. The chains are brass chain blackened with JAX, the hoses are very thin wire wrapped around a paint brush. The green and red hoses are meant to represent Oxy/Acetylene hoses. The brown hoses would represent an air hose.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-190716171853-148241404.jpeg)
Here is the front wall and side wall together.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-190716172022-14825292.jpeg)
Another side shot. I weathered the front sign the same as the other signs. I didn't slice through the sign for this one, I made a sign and did that and it looked bad to me so I made another.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-190716172022-148261033.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-190716172022-148271453.jpeg)
I have to do something about that shovel, it looks wrong to me. I think I need to show some wear at the bottom (bucket?) portion.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-190716172022-14828243.jpeg)
I glued all the walls together.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-190716172023-148292319.jpeg)

Thanks for checking in. Next step is the dock for the workshop.

-Steve

Those details are great Steve and the weathering with chalk works really well.

Steve,
You have a great eye for coloring and constructing the craftsman kits. Excellent job on the Master Creations Minerva Casket Company and will follow along on this current build thread too. Looking forward to seeing more of your work on this Forum.
Tommy

Thanks Janbouli, the chalk weathering is pretty new to me. It's surprisingly easy.

Thanks Tommy, I'll post a few more of my other completed structures soon.

-Steve

Magnificent work, Steve.
Excellent paintwork on the details ;)

Thanks Pol.lux.

I added the dock and started the roof this week.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290716222243-148882283.jpeg)

I colored the dock the same as the siding but of course I added no white paint.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290716222244-150471306.jpeg)
View of the other side.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290716222244-15048839.jpeg)
A view of the inside decking.

I wanted to use real cedar individual shingles on this kit. I purchased a few sheets from SierraScaleModels.com I used the medium thickness.
I haven't used the real cedar sheets before but I've always been impressed with other modelers work using them. The shingles that come with the kit are very high quality and look excellent, I've just been itching to try out individual shingles on a structure.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290716222359-15049831.jpeg)
I measured the height of the shingle strips that came with the kit and I drew lines on a piece of paper as a guide. I wanted my individual shingles to fit in the guidelines on the SW roofcard. Each shingle is about 14-16" HO Scale.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290716222359-15050784.jpeg)
I used clear 3M double sided tape on the very edges to hold the sheet in place. I then used the guidelines I drew to cut the shingles into strips followed by vertical cuts.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290716222359-15051993.jpeg)
I worked the sheet until I had a decent size pile of different width shingles.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290716222359-150522001.jpeg)
I followed the roof card to keep everything straight. The roof card is self adhesive but I plan on weathering the shingles a bit with a wire brush after I'm done so I glued them with Titebond II.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290716222359-15053947.jpeg)
This is as far as I've gotten so far. It really doesn't take as long as I thought once I get a nice pile of loose shingles the work with.

I'm heading to the beach with my family next week so this will be the last update till I get back.
Thanks for checking in.

-Steve

Excellent work. the individual shingles look fantastic. Can't wait to see them weathered and stained. Gonna look awesome on the tower for sure.

Brett

wouw nice work looking great

Thanks Brett, Thanks Ger

Outstanding work Steve...!!

Thanks Donato

Hi Steve:

Looks great so far. WOW making your own shingles. They look wonderful.

Karl

Steve, been following and it good to see a refreshing build of the kit. Individual shake application is a peaceful satisfing activity, enjoy it. Avoid using any alcohol washes as it will weaken the glues.

Thanks Karl.

Thanks M&K Railway.

Steve- great job. Anxious to see your shake roof finished. I have some of that roofing material but I've never tried it.


You mentioned that your first ladder using 2x4's looked out of scale- so what size stripwood did you use in the replacement? It looks good.

Thanks Mike. I used some wood from my scrap box. I just used the smallest thinnest wood I could find, probably scale 1x1 I think.

I just got back from vacation Sunday, I was able to spend a little bit of time on the kit the last couple days.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-090816231725-151731876.jpeg)
I finished adding the shingles to the welding shop roof, only thing left is the ridge cap and weathering them. My vacation was in Cape May, NJ so I got a whole bunch of pictures of weathered cedar shake. I haven't shingled the tower roof yet, I needed to work out how I planned on capping the ridges.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-090816231725-152841317.jpeg)
I added the support for the addition, the small landing and staircase. It was a good distraction from the monotonous shingling I had just finished. I still want to dirty up to supports a bit, I'm just waiting for everything to dry. It's very fragile.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-090816231726-152852060.jpeg)

Thanks for checking in.

-Steve

The shingles are more then great , in the Netherlands we would call this Monnikkenwerk, Munks work, you must be a very patient man .

The staircase and the shingles look great.  I don't think I'd have the patience to do the individual shingles.   :)


Jeff

Steve.....great work on your build.  8) 
 
I did an O scale build for Capt. Mike's Porcupine Valley RR a while back on the other forum and had a bit of info about the cedar shingles I did for that roof. I did a bit of show and tell about the ridge shingles and thought it might help with your planning for capping the ridges. If you have any questions, feel free to call - 407-834-2183.
 
The link for the build is below and the shingles for the structure run from pg. 3 to 8, with the ridge shingle installation on pg. 7 & 8.

http://www.kitforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7926 (http://www.kitforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7926)

Hi Steve:

Looks great. How you gonna finaish the roof peak. Cap shingles wound be cool.

Karl

Thanks everyone. The shingles weren't as tedious as you would think, I think I've spent nearly as much time straightening out old Campbell's rolled shingles as I did laying out this whole roof.

Gregory - I like what you did with your build, it's basically what I had in mind for a cedar ridge cap.

Karl - I'm thinking of doing a cedar ridge cap like Gregory had done on his O scale kit. The real challenge is the 4 sided tower roof. I've seen them capped in copper but it may look bad on a model, I'll have to do some experimentation. I'm trying to stick with what would be prototypical for my time period (1930s-1940s).

-Steve

Steve, I told you its fun to do real cedar shakes. They look realllly good.


A couple suggestions for next time.


- Put a thin starter row of shake material at the eves. It will reduce the hanging effects the first riw if shajes gets.


- for the ridge, you will need to add a row of half shakes before you do the ridge cap. Otherwise the ridge cap looks too wide or disjointed.


- for the ridge cap, make it consustent with the feel and look of the rest of the buikdings. Avoid copper and lean tiward lead (more common) or boards.


Keep up the great work.


Marty

Thanks Marty. I like the lead idea but I don't know if the contrast will look bad. I have to review some prototype pictures. I'm still experimenting with this type of roof.

-Steve

Steve,

Which ever way you go with the ridge, in real life it must cover the last course of shingles sufficiently to keep water from getting under the course at the ridge.


This varies with the material used, but a metal cap should extend at least 8" to 10" down from the ridge. For wood shingles, that distance is at least 10".

Steve


I just got caught up with your thread.  Great work!  Love the shingles. You have inspired me to try individual shingles on one of my next few builds. Thanks for sharing this with us.

I had uploaded some new pictures but they got deleted with the forum crash. Here goes again..

Thanks John, Greg and Mario!

I got most of the tower shingled this weekend, I took a break to add the other staircase and awnings.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-170816214202-15316226.jpeg)
For this roof I got a little smarter and cut all my shingles into this bottle cap. When I was doing the welding shop roof I just made a big pile of them on my workbench. I tend to breath heavy when I'm concentrating and I ended up blowing them all over the place.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-170816214202-15333261.jpeg)
Before I got started I made a copy of the roof card, I used it as a guide to cut the edge pieces. In the past I've used scissors to trim strip shingles but that wouldn't work for the individual shingles.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-170816214203-153341425.jpeg)
Moving along with the shingles.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-170816214203-15335731.jpeg)
The hardest part so far was the very top, I kept disturbing the shingles I had already done when adding new shingles.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-170816214203-153361818.jpeg)
I got the edges glued up before I did the ridges. The roof card comes with a square cardstock piece that goes under the roof to keep the corners square, another great SW design. Simple but very effective. I've fought to keep these types of roofs true in other kits I've built.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-170816214236-15337484.jpeg)
I glued a scale 4x4 in the ridge gap to give myself a better surface to glue to ridge cap shingles on.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-170816214236-15338371.jpeg)
I finished the side staircase/awning in between shingling. These little details really make structures like this interesting, I'm a huge fan of porches and staircases.

Thanks for checking in. Next on the menu is finishing up the shingles and adding some color to them. I'm doing some color experiments tonight.

-Steve

Steve, you are a braver man than I. I would have glued the roof together first and then shingled it. It's much more complicated and a bigger challenge than what you did.  Good work.

Steve


Very nice work!

The hips look great Steve.  8) 8) 8)

Quote from: GPdemayo on August 18, 2016, 08:59:29 AM
The hips look great Steve.  8) 8) 8)

Well it depends on whose hips they are!!!  ;D

Thanks everyone. I finished the roof tonight, I'll be weathering and coloring it tomorrow hopefully.

-Steve

Hi Steve:

The roof looks wonderful. WOW!!! you even made cap shingles. You don't see that very much. Can't to see it on the building.

Karl

Thanks Karl!
The cap was the most tedious part, it took a good amount of patience to get everything lined up correctly. Should be adding some color and the finial tonight.

-Steve

Good morning everyone, I finally got to apply some color to these shingles.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-210816085049-15398400.jpeg)
I finished all the hip shingles, I let them dry for 24 hours before I did anything to them for fear of disturbing them. All the shingles were glued on with Franklins Titebond II.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-210816085049-154012379.jpeg)
I wanted to avoid coloring the roof with any washes if I could help it. I believe the Titebond II glue could hold up to the solvent or alcohol but I was concerned about the roof card warping. I started with 408.5 Raw Umber as the base roof color.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-210816085049-1540222.jpeg)

I applied Rembrandt 408.5 to the entire roof with a little 408.7.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-210816085049-15403352.jpeg)
I drybrushed some Apple Barrel Granite Gray on the shingles.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-210816085049-154041207.jpeg)
I liked the color of the shingles until I placed the colored roof on the structure. I didn't like the roof against the color of the wall, I thought the roof was too light to me and it looked wrong.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-210816085234-154051006.jpeg)
I went over the roof with 409.3 this time, a darker brown color. You can see the color shade difference in this picture.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-210816085234-1540666.jpeg)
This color looked much better to me. I think it gives a more subtle transition between the 2 colors.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-210816085234-154071998.jpeg)
I wanted to add a copper roof peak cap before I added the finial to the roof. I see this detail a lot on some of the older buildings around my town. I used the copy I made earlier of the roof card, I cut out the peak and folded it together.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-210816085234-154081515.jpeg)
For the copper color I painted the paper with Rust-Oleum dark gray automotive primer, followed by these 2 colors combined to make a lighter whitish green. The paint was applied with a stiff brush dabbed on, I wanted a consistent paint color.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-210816085235-154091670.jpeg)
I painted the finial the same as the paper. I didn't blacked it because I wanted the base colors to match. I brushed it with some random brown chalks to tone it down. I need to touch up the glue joint between the paper and the casting, the epoxy is still drying in this shot.

Thanks for checking in,

-Steve

Nice weathered copper look on the finial and the cap.  I wouldn't have thought of "painting" the shingles with pastels.  Looks great.


Jeff

nice work looking great

Steve, no complaints here, well done.

Absolutely perfect!

Thanks Jeff, Der, Marty and Darryl.

Just lovin' it

It just keeps getting better and better.....beautiful work!

Wow - that's some very fine modeling!

Thanks Andy, Steve and John.

Hi Steve:

Beautiful job on the roof. I just love what you did with the finial. Just perfect.

Karl

Thanks Karl

Hi Steve:

You are quite welcome.

Karl

Good afternoon everyone. I worked out a few of the smaller details over the weekend.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290816153047-155692434.jpeg)
I finished the tarpaper roof over the rear freight doors.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290816153047-155992360.jpeg)
Here is it mocked up in place. It won't be fully installed until I mount the structure to the base. I am combining this structure with SW Quincy Salvage, once I get all the main subassemblies completed I will begin work on that kit.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290816153047-156001646.jpeg)
I mocked up the corrugated metal roof on the side of the welding shop. I'm not finished weathering this roof but I will wait till it's installed against the shingle roof to finish it.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290816153047-156012022.jpeg)
Here is another overall shot. I also added the small porch on the tower.

Thanks for checking in, next step is the tank.

-Steve

Love the different types of roofing , the tower is sure a highlight.

Thanks Jan, I think every type of roofing is represented in this kit. Even 2 different types of corrugated metal.

-Steve

Steve


The model is looking great!

Thanks John

looking very nice

Steve, the model is looking great!

Steve, that is some nice professional work.

Thanks Ger, John and Donato.

I completed the tank assembly today. It's a super easy and very cool detail.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-300816161658-156021014.jpeg)
The tank was first colored with black Rust-Oleum camo paint, black primer would work fine as well. The letter was done with a stencil and some light gray automotive primer. Everything was weathered with pastel chalks, applied dry.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-300816161658-156181039.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-300816161658-15619824.jpeg)
I moved all the sub-assemblies of this kit on the shelf, I won't be building it any further until I build SierraWest Quincy Salvage. The 2 kits will be combined into a large salvage/used oil and welding industry.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-300816161659-15620949.jpeg)
I cleaned my workbench off, ready to open up the box and get started.

Thanks for checking in, I plan on starting another thread for the Quincy portion. Stay tuned.

-Steve

Wow, what a nice clean organized desk!  The only time my desk looks like this will be when I set it up after we move :-(


dave

Quote from: deemery on August 30, 2016, 04:53:10 PM
Wow, what a nice clean organized desk!  The only time my desk looks like this will be when I set it up after we move :-(


dave

I think he's fooling us , on the other side of the aisle he has his workbench , this is where his wife does her hobby  ;)

Hi Steve:

WOW!!!! Very very nicely done. Great colors and weathering.

Karl

The buildings came out great.  I'll be interested to see how you combine the two kits.

Jeff 

Thanks Everyone.

Excellence, True Excellence

Great work on the kit Steve..... 8)  This will be a great reference source when I get around to doing mine.

Hi Steve.....I am in the process of designing the space for this kit on the layout and would love to know what the footprints of the various parts of this kit are. Any chance you could pass them along?


You can reach me at 407-834-2183 or demayoind@aol.com.


Thanks

Thanks Darryl and Greg.

Greg, I'll send you the footprint later today when I get finished work. It's not a huge kit just densely packed with detail. Mine will be 18" x 27" with Quincy Salvage combined.

-Steve

Thanks Steve.....appreciate the help.   :)

Hello Everyone. I made a bit more progress on the O'Neills welding shop over the long weekend. If you've been following along between this thread and my Quincy Salvage build I plan on combining them into a larger diorama. I'm almost to the point where I can glue some things down. I had to re-do my base, I needed to add a few
inches on all sides. It felt very cramped for a salvage yard.


I added most of the interior details and some of the exterior porch details to the welding shop.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-271216211403-190611103.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-271216211403-190631009.jpeg)
The details in both of these kits are really incredible. I'm not sure which ones are from O'Neills and which from Quincy's. I painted and detailed them all at the same time.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-271216211403-190641230.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-271216211403-19065692.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-271216211403-190661927.jpeg)
I need to add some junk under this workbench and I think I'm mostly done the interior.

My next step is adding some interior lighting, I'll be using the same setup as my Quincy lighting.

Thanks for checking in.

-Steve

Beautiful "junk" and clutter .....

Outstanding modeling!! Love this stuff.


John

Quote from: Cuse on December 28, 2016, 06:53:14 AM
Outstanding modeling!! Love this stuff.


John

Steve



John's comments say it all. Thanks for sharing your build with us.

HI Steve:

Excellent job on this kit. Great detail and weathering is perfect.

Karl

Thanks for the nice comments everyone.

That's a beauty, Steve!
Excellent work, simply magnificent ;)

Thanks Pol.lux

Steve,


You have done an absolutely beautiful job on the build. Can't wait to see the other elements of the build. Keep up the beautiful work. These buildings are going to be great together. Happy New Year to you.


Frank / Erieman

Quote from: Erieman on December 28, 2016, 05:41:34 PM
Steve,


You have done an absolutely beautiful job on the build. Can't wait to see the other elements of the build. Keep up the beautiful work. These buildings are going to be great together. Happy New Year to you.


Frank / Erieman

Steve,



Don't want to be the broken record here so I'll just "ditto" all the other comments.

Tom

Thanks Frank and Tom. Happy new year to you too.

Can I ditto Tom's ditto?

Thanks Donato

Absolutely perfect work Steve. I still cant believe you get these effects in HO. This looks like O scale!

At the risk of getting shot for poking at a perfectly executed build of this structure, does it make sense to have any cross bracing in the foundation timbers? If the foundation vertical timbers were put in as pilings into the ground then the design is true and probably works without. If they are sitting on the ground then they would wobble a bit? Visually, I am not sure if they would look good with x bracing or not... (I can't believe I am attempting to be a "rivet counter"!!!)

Again, not a poke in any way, just an observation over a couple of drams of scotch late at night to create conversation!!

Also, the light shining through some of the boards in the walls in a few of the photos is just excellent!! Very satisfying model and workmanship indeed!

Thanks Darryl, I believe they are designed to simulate 8x8 pilings buried in the ground. As short as they are and as heavy as the lumber is it should look natural once they are buried in the scenery. I'll definitely reevaluate the look once I put it all together. It's not too difficult to add some bracing if it looks like it needs it.

The light shining through the boards is one of my favorite things about board on board construction. It really becomes a cool effect when the interior is lit up and the roof is on. I have the lights installed now but I'm still working out how I plan to hide the wiring. 2 leds lamps are installed inside, 1 led gooseneck over the door and 1 under the overhang that will go to the right of the building. The scale lighting is some of the most challenging stuff for me.

-Steve

I think you're right Steve. Once they are "buried" they will look solid. Brett does such perfect kit design and execution. Every time I have the privilege to see is stuff at shows, it amazes me. Your work is definitely in that class.

Thanks Darryl, Brett really does a great job putting everything together. I think my modeling improves with each SW kit I build.

-Steve

Small update today. I'm starting to get some of the details installed on the diorama. I redid the base last week so I had to recut all the elevations. I used a base of 3/4 MDF and blue foam for everything else. I cut all the hills and valleys with a snap-blade knife then I used plaster to tie everything together.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-030117231352-19120543.jpeg)
I made and installed the first of many fences tonight. I used Brett's template but I had to lengthen it a few inches. I re-used the O'Neills stencil for the last time I think.
I spaced the lettering out a bit to make it look different. Anyone know a place I can get custom stencils cut?

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-030117231353-191321145.jpeg)
Overhead shot of the same scene, the scenery is still wet. The cobblestone road I bought from Randy Pepprock/Downtown Deco. I haven't seen them listed on the Downtown Deco website, I purchased mine off Ebay from Randy. I primed them with light gray auto primer, followed by a mix of A&I and some chalks.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-030117231353-19133930.jpeg)
I completed and installed the trestle. The scenery under it is nowhere near complete, I'll be adding a whole mess of junk and weeds to the area. I just needed to get the
trestle secure so I could lay the track.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-030117231353-19134408.jpeg)
I temporarily placed all the main structures down so I could get a feel for how everything will look. Any comments or suggestions are certainly welcome.

Thanks for checking in.
-Steve

Really great work! Those cobblestone streets are excellent and the fence stencil came out really well too!


John

Thanks John, this is my first time experimenting with a cobblestone street. I've always like the ones on the F&SM.

Small update, I added some LEDs to the interior of the welding shop today.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-070117014841-191672395.jpeg)
I used the same techniques described in my Quincy Salvage barn to add LEDs to the interior. I plan on adding as much lighting as I have the patience for in this diorama.
Obviously the shingle roof has not been colored or weathered yet, it's not secured either.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-070117014841-191721883.jpeg)
This is the second attempt at wiring them up, I accidentally applied full 12v to the 3 LEDS with no resistor and it burned them up. Very frustrating but I managed to get everything wired back up.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-070117014841-19173175.jpeg)
I'm trying to avoid removable roofs to show off the interior details. This is my second attempt to do this on a model. It's challenging but the scale lighting with a full detailed interior really looks cool to me.

Thanks for checking in.

-Steve

The lighting really shows off your excellent interior detailing. 


Jeff

Thanks Jeff

Quote from: Zephyrus52246 on January 07, 2017, 11:37:25 AM
The lighting really shows off your excellent interior detailing. 


Jeff

Wow - it sure does!  It looks great!

Steve, Superb!!!  The interior and the lighting complement each other.....GREAT!!

Thanks John, Thanks Donato

Nice.  Very very Nice!

Thanks Mark

Steve,
Very nice work indeed....who's LED did you use?
Loren...

Thanks Loren, I used a few suppliers. The tubing and shade is from Ngineering , I bought the prewired micro LEds from eBay they are from China sold under the name WeBeHonest I think.

Steve,
The Ngineering lamp shades are great, used them on the Hoffinmier Brewery, but soldering the LED was not some much fun, as was trying to get them to work with the magnet wire.. I will have to look for the LEDs you bought.
Thanks,
Loren...

Steve,
You just convinced me to light part of my new build, just purchased the 0402 pre wired warm white leds from webehonest.....still have some of the Ngineering parts left.
Thanks,
Loren...

Glad I could help Loren. The only downside is the LEDs take a long time to get to you. It was a few weeks so order way more than you need.
I'm pretty patient when it comes to fine detail work but soldering those micro LEDs just isn't worth it to me, at least not when I can buy 20 pre-done for around $10.00

I also used www.ledcalc.com to calculate necessary resistors for my circuits. Just punch in your values and it tells you the resistor you need.

Steve,

Looking really good.  Great build and terrific diorama.  Looking forward to seeing this completed.

Frank

Thanks Frank. It took a while but it's finally starting to come together.

Nice work Steve.  8)

Thanks Gregory

Small update tonight, I got the roof mostly finished for the welding shop. I used the same techniques as the tower and the small shed, individual cedar shingles colored with chalk washes followed by dry brushing with white and light gray.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-130117231421-193041558.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-130117231421-19305876.jpeg)

I installed the track and I plan to plant the main building this weekend. I'll post another update as soon as I get them down.

Thanks for checking in.

-Steve

 Hi Steve

Wow. Very nice. I like.
Gna be a showcase. :)

Mario
FW&RRry

Steve


This is some first class modeling! I am following your thread with great interest. I look forward to watching your progress.

Thanks Mario, Thanks John

Steve,
what size tubing did you end up using for the lights? I have the .018 tubing left, but the LED wire size is .28mm, which is .011, hence two wire should not be able to fit into the ngineering tubing, unless you use the .025 tube??????
Loren...

For the hanging lights I used the .028 I believe. Anything smaller and you need to use the magnet wire.

-Steve

I made some more progress today. I have a good feel for how all the roadways and paths are going to go now I think. I'm moving pretty slowly with this diorama, almost treating it as a whole bunch of small scenes. This is my first kit I approached this way. I usually try to scenic everything at once, under Brett's advice I am taking a different approach

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-160117230119-193572187.jpeg)
I added the other side of the fence. This fence sits pretty close to the covered drive for the O'Neills welding shop.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-160117230119-193581599.jpeg)
I started detailing the pit area. I'm working my way out from the corner as you can see. The tractor is a Jordan I did a terrible job building when I was a kid. I sprayed it rust colored and applied some chalks. This is one of my favorite scenes in the diorama, I still have a whole bunch of junk to add.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-160117230118-193221711.jpeg)
I started detailing under the covered drive of the barn. I may put a vehicle under here but I'm not sure yet.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-160117230118-19356660.jpeg)
This is what it will look like with the covered drive in place. Still need to finish the roof.

Thanks for checking in.

-Steve

I love the pit full of scrap, particularly the imperfect concrete,  and the "dust" is amazing!! I'm torn between wanting to vacuum and being too grossed out to touch it  :)


(what a strange hobby)


Really excellent work!


John

When you add more junk and scrap to that pit be sure to not cover up too much of the concrete, it looks amazing .

I agree with Jan, the concrete is amazing.  Great job all around.


Jeff

Thanks everyone. The concrete wall is definitely a favorite part piece of the diorama. The detail in the castings are great. I colored them with a base of gray auto primer, I dusted them with some different brown colored chalks followed by A&I wash. The wash was pretty heavy to spread the chalks around.

REALLY nice Steve! Modeling is superb.


Just a reminder for folks that want to "roll their own" and don't want to pay full price for the Ngineering stuff - go to my store www.microlumina.com (http://www.microlumina.com) to get a discount on the Ngineering stuff. I just overhauled the store and there is a lot more stuff listed. Still need to add some product photos though.  :P


-slim

Nice concrete Steve. Really looks real...!!

Quote from: Donato on January 17, 2017, 11:25:24 AM
Nice concrete Steve. Really looks real...!!

You mean it's not real ?????

Great looking job Steve

Jim

Thanks Slim, Donato and Jim.

Slim, I'm going to need some more tubing for some outdoor lights soon. I'll check your site.

I made a bit more progress over the weekend. I got the main O'Neills buildings glued in place. Brett has really included some cool details with this kit. As usual with his kits, every detail is covered.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-220117205726-194232057.jpeg)
I added some more details to the pit area. The dirt is dry now so you can see a little better the color.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-220117205726-19424733.jpeg)
I installed the tower porch, the piping that runs under the porch, the tank and platform and the welding shop. I had to make sure I completed detailed behind the tank and under the platforms, I knew I couldn't add detail later very easily. The road in the front area is still drying in this shot.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-220117205726-194251509.jpeg)
I think the piping with the shut-off valve is one of the most interesting details. Really shows how much research Brett does when creating a kit.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-220117205727-19426765.jpeg)
I permanently installed the welding shop. The road is all still wet. This area is sparse and clean right now, I'll be fixing that shortly.

I'm working on the drum tipping cradle, then Ill be adding all the details to the concrete platform area.

Thanks for checking in.
-Steve

Steve


The build is looking great. Love the details!

WOW , this looks great , the pit is just fantastic , this must be such a fun kit to build.

The diorama looks fantastic Steve. :) 8)

Stay cool and run steam........ 8) 8)

Thanks guys. I really appreciate the feedback.

I made a bit more progress on the detailing of the O'Neills portion of the diorama last week. I apologize in advance, this is a fairly picture loaded update.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290117222127-19527257.jpeg)
I added the details to the area on the right side of the welding shop. I also glued the drive-thru framework in place.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290117222127-195282109.jpeg)
Here is a little closer shot of this area. This area is for dumping waste oil barrels. The barrel dumping cradle is laser cut, it's a super cool detail.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290117222127-19529876.jpeg)
I added quite a bit more details to the other side of the welding shop, I also glued the drive-under framework in place.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290117222127-195302165.jpeg)
Here is that area zoomed out a bit. I use quite a bit of scrap wood for filling in detailed scenes. I think it adds a junked-up feel bit it costs nothing.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290117221845-195202306.jpeg)
it took me a bit to figure out how I was going to deal with the transition between the scrapyard scene and the fabrication company area. I ended up just making a hill and covering it in weeds, bushes and garbage. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, I'll add some more junk in the hill but I'm trying to make sure I have enough details for the whole diorama.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290117221845-195211470.jpeg)
I glued the roof to the left in place, the roof on the right is just placed there for now.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290117221845-19522620.jpeg)
The foreground area is still in-process.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290117221845-19523440.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290117221846-195241061.jpeg)
The scrapyard trash hill at a different angle.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290117221932-195252256.jpeg)
This is the rear area, I haven't detailed anything past this point.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-290117221933-195261568.jpeg)
Here is an overall shot of the front of O'Neills. The area to the left is still being detailed and the ground is still wet.

Fantastic Job, Steve.

Eric Quebec

Hi Steve:

Just beautiful work. I just love your weathering. Great junk pile to.

Karl

Steve,
Excellent work......will have to up my game......

Loren...

Thanks Eric, Karl and Loren.

Steve


All I can say is your thread has become my first stop when I sign on the forum. Some just plan great modeling. I look forward to each update. Keep up the great work. It is all about the details!

Steve,

It all looks so nasty and crappy, meaning it looks all so natural. I love it, fantastic job.

Tom ;D

Thanks John, that's a great compliment, I'll try to update more frequently.

Thanks Tom, that's the feel I was going for. I've never been to a clean and organized scrap business, I'm sure it was much worse before the EPA and OSHA.

Well done Steve.....you've set the bar a tad high for me to follow with my build.  8)

Thanks Greg. Just follow Brett's instructions and it'll come out great.

Hello everyone, it's time for my weekly update.

I made some more progress detailing and scenic-ing the area around the front and back of O'Neills.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-050217223459-19736698.jpeg)
I tried to make sure I had logical paths around the junk. I think it really helps define a scene, fences are also helpful for boxing a scene in.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-050217223500-19770100.jpeg)
A close-up shot of some Brett's great castings. The pipe is made from brass piping I purchased from Amazon. I blackened it with Jax Brass Black.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006MZMHS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Cheap way to add some detail to a scene.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-050217223500-19771688.jpeg)
Under the stairs and the side of the loading dock. The pipes under the stairs are made from styrene spray painted black.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-050217223500-19772347.jpeg)
A different angle shot of the front of the building.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-050217223500-19773569.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-050217223539-197742181.jpeg)
Trackside loading dock. I finished this area on Friday. I'll be adding some more weeds to the road area, this dirt road leads down to the salvage yard.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-050217223539-19775304.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-050217223539-19776308.jpeg)


Thanks for checking in. I'm finishing up the fence that borders the main salvage yard area, then I'll be starting the scenery for the lower level.

-Steve

Steve,

OUTSTANDING!!!!!!

Frank

Steve,
In my opinion, that's just about as good as it gets! The muted colors throughout, the spacing, placement, ground cover, textures. Just perfect! A Best In Show!


John

HI Steve:

WOW you are doing an absolutely wonderful job with this. colors and weathering are perfect.

Karl

Thanks for the nice comments everyone!

Quote from: Cuse on February 06, 2017, 06:35:47 AM
Steve,
In my opinion, that's just about as good as it gets! The muted colors throughout, the spacing, placement, ground cover, textures. Just perfect! A Best In Show!


John

I second this post.

Thanks John

Hello Everyone.

Time for my weekly update. I made some progress gluing everything down and getting a scenic base for the main yard area.

I've been working all over the yard area each night but only for a few minutes so I'm having a hard time keeping track of what I've done since last week. Everything is glued in place and I'm just working my way around the yard area. I have a whole mess of car kits to build and a steam crane before I'll be anywhere near close to "finished".

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-120217213309-202082056.jpeg)
I installed the shed to the right and covered the whole area with my dirt base. This shot gives a good overall of how everything with flow together. I was really torn with the fencing, I made a wood fence to surround the yard but it really made it feel small when I installed it. I think I will leave it open and continue the yard a bit once I install in on the layout. If I made this diorama any bigger I'd never be able to transport it. I plan on possibly bringing it to Altoona.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-120217213309-20306648.jpeg)
Took me a bit to place this building correctly. I tried it at different angles but nothing seem right except straight on.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-120217213309-203071900.jpeg)
I added this small fence to frame in the tank scene.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-120217213309-20308512.jpeg)
These tanks are another fantastic Sierra West casting, one of my favorites. Brett really did a wonderful job with both the detail in the wood and the concrete base. The main castings are resin, the upper piping is made from brass rod blackened with Jax. The small valve on the front is white metal blackened.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-120217213339-203101092.jpeg)
Another shot of the tanks.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-120217213339-20311680.jpeg)
The pit area is a work in progress, I expect it will take me some time to get to a spot where it doesn't feel too empty. In my quest for cheap and plentiful salvage yard details I ended up cannibalizing a Central Valley Pratt Truss bridge kit I started but never finished. It's loaded with good detail and way more than I will need for this area. Great I beam castings, metal plates etc...

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-120217213310-203091462.jpeg)
Looking into the yard area from O'Neills. Still too empty for a working salvage operation but I'll get there..
I still need to work on the cobblestone a bit, the color is not right and I need to hide the seams better.

Thanks for checking in. I still need to add the roof to the Quincy shed drive-thru and a few other minor details. It really feels like it's coming together now. Feels good to get all this stuff off my workbench and placed in the scene.

-Steve

Steve,

Looking great.  Excellent work.

Frank

A work of art , especially the soil and ground cover , the paths look so real.

HI Steve:

Beautifully done. Your Modeling is beautifully done.

Karl

Fantastic diorama, just wonderful.

Tom ;D

Steve


It gets better with every detail! There are no minor details when you are modeling at this level. Fantastic!

Thanks for the nice comments everyone!

Outstanding Work Steve......and neat too...!!  Love the detailing.

Thanks Donato!

I added a few more small details this past week.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-220217223558-203122195.jpeg)
I had this neat older SS Ltd chain hoist kit in my detail box for a long time. I decided to use it in the front of the O'Neills building.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-220217223559-203942098.jpeg)
Everything was just blackened and dusted with chalk. The casting was broken on the left bottom arm. I used the chain to cover the area I glued together.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-220217223559-203951822.jpeg)
I added the roof to the barn drive-thru. I'll be adding some junk to the roof I think.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-220217223559-203962094.jpeg)
I had quite a few Woodland Scenics vehicle kits on my shelf. They are inexpensive kits but the quality of the castings aren't great. I decided to make an attempt to build one of the Cat bulldozers. This is the end result of my efforts.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-220217223559-203971608.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-220217223636-20398822.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-220217223636-203992419.jpeg)
The rags are all Kleenex, the wrenches are laser cut from Vectorcut. The bucket casting is one of Brett's.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-220217223636-204001299.jpeg)
Here is how it will look placed in the scene.

Thanks for checking in. I'm thinking of doing a few small videos showing some of my techniques if anyone is interested. Let me know what you'd like to see.

-Steve

Steve,
Looking excellent.....I have to take the time to watch the build videos on the Sierra west site still. Looks like they have a wealth of skills in them...You Say you just followed the videos?
Loren...

Thanks Loren. Brett has some really good videos on his site, definitely check them out. Most of the coloring and weathering came from the kit instructions, specifically the O'Neills Fabrication kit. I used more of the O'Neills weathering advice and applied it to the Quincy Salvage buildings. The damp-brushing video on the website really helped me pin down the technique for the main walls also.

-Steve

What a great way to hide that the Cat is not that well cast , not only do the rags hide it but they add the story of them working on the Cat to it. Haven't seen the SW video's yet , and if you think you can add video's with other tricks and trades , by all means , please do so.

Steve,
This diorama is spectacular in every way. I would certainly welcome the chance to watch any videos you shared regarding your techniques. The Sierra West techniques are amazing and the more angles, words, examples and images I can get would be appreciated.


Thanks, John

Steve


I would be interested in any technique videos you would care to share.  Thanks again for sharing your work on this thread. Fantastic!

Thanks Jan, Thanks John.

I tried to use the rags and tarps to cover the chunkiness of the casting and tie it better into the scene.

Thanks John. I'll think about some ideas for some videos and put something up.

Wonderful scene Steve..... 8)

Thanks Gregory

Steve,
Beautiful job. Are the structures going to be lighted? What scale is the rail? Love all the texture and use of color on the build. Looking forward to your build of the steam crane. Keep up the great work.


Frank / Erieman

Thanks Frank. I have full interiors and lights installed in both the barn and the welding shop. I also added a light under the white building addition. The rail is code 83. I really like code 70 or 55 for branchline stuff like this but the rest of my railroad is 83.

While you were posting this I was just looking over the instructions of the steam crane. I may build a few Jordans before I tackle it. It's a very complex kit and I have to get the courage to start it.

Here's a couple pictures of the lighting setup.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-230217220702-204011195.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-230217220703-2040660.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-230217220703-204072278.jpeg)

-Steve

Beautiful work, I'm so impressed with this diorama! What did you use for the dirt? I read thru the thread , maybe I missed it.....

Thanks Bob!

The dirt is just regular Pennsylvania dirt. I got a couple yards of dirt delivered over the summer for some areas of my yard and I took two 5 gallon buckets and set them aside for my modeling. I baked it and sifted it through a couple screens. For the finer areas I used a cheap mortar and pestle I got off amazon to grind the dirt to a very fine powder. I mainly used that for the pathways. The rest of the ground cover is darker colored WS ground foam, my favorite is the "Earth" color. I used Silfor for the weeds from SceneryExpress.

I always had a problem getting my dirt fine enough, Brett Gallant gave me the mortar and pestle idea and it works great.

-Steve

Holy Crap, mortar and pestle! Duh, Why didn't I think of that! I got some dirt from Scenery Express, which is such a nice color.....i do like that Pennsy dirt!

The thing that, I guess, is so striking to me, is the muted consistent base colors throughout. Dave Frary talked about it in his books-from an artist's perspective. The color range is so limited, it's almost like a black & white or Sepia photo. Unless it's the dustbowl...it's really not as bright as the world. But it's just amazing to me. The colors from grass to dirt to roof to tractor (even to "red" rags) are so controlled/limited/consistent/contained...I wish I had artist words to nail it down. ::)


Just great. I'll go with GREAT


John

Thanks for the nice comments John. I try to make a real effort to make everything sort of blend together. When I look at the pictures I take I try to make sure nothing pops out too much. If anything does I use either chalk or A&I to tone it down. The red rags are one of my favorite little details, super easy to do and they help pull all the details together into the scene. They are made with pieces of Kleenex. I separate the sheet to 1 ply, cut a square out and crumple it up. I put a small spot of glue down, then I touch the tissue with paint thinner with enough that it saturates the tissue but not anything around it. After it's wet with thinner I use a drop of paint, in this case it was Floquil Boxcar Red. I believe alcohol will replace thinner for water based paints. Same technique for the tarps on the tractor only I used Floquil Pullman Green. This is the only part of the whole diorama I used solvent based Floquil paints.

-Steve

Steve


Thanks for the great tip on using the mortar & pestle to grind sand finer.  I tested it out today and it worked great - see the full report on my experiment on my S&S Railroad Build thread (Volume 2).

Hi Steve:

Very nicely done. You did a great job on that structure. Great colors and weathering.

Karl

Thanks Karl

Hello Everyone,

Small update for this week. I finished a Jordan Model T Stake Truck kit for the diorama. I started with this kit because it's one of my favorites and it's a pretty simple one to build. I haven't built many of these kits, I find they can be pretty frustrating at times. I think I broke the front wheels off 10 times while trying to weather it.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-020317222622-20448275.jpeg)
I painted the truck using rattle can black for the undercarriage and Reaper Jungle Camo from the SW paint set for the green. I made the sign the same way I did the signs for the main buildings. Just paper glued to a piece of stripwood and weathered with chalks.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-020317222622-204581086.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-020317222622-204592143.jpeg)
The pipes are styrene tubes, the drums are from SierraWest and the metal plates are from a Central Valley bridge kit.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-020317222622-204601802.jpeg)
I moved it around a bit to get a feel for where it should sit. I like it down here by the shed I think.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-020317222622-204611233.jpeg)

Thanks for checking in. I have a few more vehicles to build. Next up is either the Vintage Vehicles Erie B-2 Steam Crane I got from Erieman or one of the 2 Wiseman tow trucks I bought.

-Steve

Hi Steve,

     Love the truck, the fence, all the nice details here- the coloring of everything looks awesome!
     If you would allow me to say one thing, (and I ran into this myself), the ends of the plastic tubing show a really thick pipe wall, and to my eyes it throws off the scale of the pipe.  I have used a borer tool at the end of my Dremel to thin the wall thickness at the ends of tubing. Also, those little round straw stirrers found at some coffee places work nice also for pipe.

Thanks Rpdylan. You're right about the pipe, I'll try to ream it out tonight and see how it looks.

Steve,
As always, great work on the truck...........
Loren...

Thanks Loren

Hello Everyone, I made a bit more progress this week. I mostly completed the Vintage Vehicles Erie B-2 Steam Crane. The only part I didn't complete is the main hook, I plan on replacing it with a magnet. I ordered one from Shapeways.com but it'll be a while before it gets here. This kit was a little intimidating at first but it's actually very well engineered and not very difficult to construct. Lots of small pieces but everything fits together well and the instructions are very clear. It's a shame it's no longer in production either from Vintage Vehicles or Jordan.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-110317003759-20553232.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-110317003759-205661290.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-110317003759-205672371.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-110317003759-205681946.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-110317003759-205692255.jpeg)
Here it is placed on the diorama.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-110317003825-20570418.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-110317003825-205712363.jpeg)

Special thanks to Frank/Erieman for the steam crane kit. I was having a hard time locating one and Frank came through and sold it to me for a super reasonable price.

Thanks again Frank.


-Steve

Steve,
Nice job on the crane.  It looks right at home in your beautiful diorama.

Thanks Jerry.

Nice looking crane.  The diorama really looks great.

Jeff

Steve


First class modeling the scene looks great.

Steve,
I ordered some HO things from Shapeways, and it also said they are being special made, and it would take some time. five days later it was on my doorstep....Also down the road, if you ever need another Crane, check out Rio Grande Models...
Loren...

Thanks everyone for the nice comments!

Loren, I looked into Rio Grande but he doesn't make a crane kit like this. The closest thing is his Erie Drag Line kit.

I cleaned my workbench and temporarily placed the diorama on my layout in the area where it will go today. I took a couple pictures of the configuration of my layout, I'm going to be moving the sidings around to accommodate this diorama.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-110317203933-205911321.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-110317203933-206261219.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-110317203933-206271018.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-110317203933-206282006.jpeg)

I might take a short break from this for little while. I'd like to get some of the buildings permanently placed on my layout and finish some of the scenery base.

Thanks for checking in.

-Steve

Steve,


Great job on the crane. Glad it went together better than you expected. As far as a magnet, check out model masterpieces. I don't know if the are still around or not, but they have an overhead crane with a beautiful magnet. Perhaps you might find one at a swap meet. I used one on the crane that i used on Raymo's truck & salvage yard. Here is a pic of the magnet. Perhaps there might be one of the parts manufacturers that might offer the magnet.


Great job on the layout. Looking marvelous. Is that a safe to your building stash or just a door into the train room? 


Frank / Erieman

Thanks Frank. I found a magnet on shapeways.com I'm going to try. It's 3D printed so I'm not sure how detailed it will be. I've never worked with anything 3D printed before.

The door just leads to my workshop. My basement is split at the beam, front is the layout room and rear is my workshop.

-Steve

Wow!  That is going to be one sensational layout once all the dioramas are incorporated into it.  Please post lots of photos for us to drool over.

Your layout is coming along great! Love the photos! Please keep posting, I love learning from these threads

What Jerry & Bob said......that's a gaggle of good looking craftsman kits Steve.  8)

Steve the diorama looks fantastic along with the other finished builds on your layout. Keep us posted on your layout progress it looks very nice so far.

Your diorama really came out first class Steve.  Beautiful work.  I love the crane as well.  It will go well in the yard.  Thanks for all of the pics.

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate the feedback.

Hello Everyone.

It's been a little while since I posted an update. I had a sewer pipe let loose in the corner of my basement workshop. I had only moved this diorama a few days before or it would've ruined the whole thing. Once I cleaned everything up I decided to paint the basement floor and redo the walls. I also re-organized my workshop a bit.

I've been mostly working on a few vehicles and doing some work on the layout. Here's a small update on what I've been doing.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-020517215639-214851346.jpeg)
I got the magnet 3d printed from Shapeways. I lost the main crane hook/pulley from the steam crane kit so it took me a while to find one that worked. This one is from a Tichy small crane kit.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-020517215639-216562058.jpeg)
The magnet had a little tab on the top with a hole in it for the hook to go through. It seemed very unrealistic to me so I cut it off and added some chain. Most of the crane photos I found online had chains on 4 anchors supporting the magnet.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-020517215639-21657384.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-020517215639-21658899.jpeg)
I also built this Kleiber Open Cab Wrecker kit from Wiseman Models. I find these metal vehicle kits very difficult to build and even more difficult to build quickly. My main issue is gluing them together. Epoxy seems like the only option but even 1 minute epoxy takes much longer than that to setup enough to handle the vehicle. I find myself really having to plan ahead to make sure I let the glue setup.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-020517215639-216591646.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-020517215707-216602401.jpeg)
All of the pieces are blackened with Jax Pewter Black prior to assembly. I used the Sierra West paint set to paint everything. Dirty Grey for the cab and Grimy Black for the undercarriage. I weathered with A&I and chalks. The decking is stripwood, I wasn't crazy about the wood simulated with metal the kit came with.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-020517215707-216612399.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-020517222350-216621925.jpeg)
I added a little era appropriate PA license plate to the back of it.
You can print them out from the website http://www.acme.com/licensemaker/licensemaker.cgi?state=Arkansas&text=LFA+627&plate=1989&r=550537855

The website will randomly generate any era or state. Pretty cool stuff.

The wrenches are from Vectorcut.

I have a few more vehicle kits to assemble for the diorama yet. I have another tow truck from Wiseman, this one is the Mack.

Thanks for checking in.

-Steve

WOW , Steve those vehicles came out beautiful.

Quote from: Janbouli on May 03, 2017, 03:04:31 AM
WOW , Steve those vehicles came out beautiful.

Steve,

I agree with Jan, most excellent on the vehicles.

Tom ;D

Hi Steve:

Vehicles look just great. I always admire you guys that can build them. Keep up the good work.

Karl

Been slowly paging through this mighty fine build Steve.
Beautiful work.
--Rich

PS I too love the Rembrandt chalks. You might try Sinopia pigments sometime. I love their stuff.

Steve,
             Wow!  Man, your layout work is what I call stupid good! You are definitely serious about the overall theme of your layout.  Those little details are really cool and your weathering is awesome.  Keep on, keepin' on brother!  Thanx Thom...

Steve,
Excellent job on both vehicles!

Thanks Everyone!

Steve,
As always very nice job on the equipment....
Loren...

Thanks Loren

The vehicles and your layout look great Steve.  I wonder if there is a name for those of us that like old and rusty better than new and shinny. ;) 

Thanks John. I'm not sure what you'd call us. New and shiny always looks wrong to me.

Beautiful work on the vehicles!!! One question.....how do you get them to "hover" over the work surface?????

Thanks Donato. It's a magic trick, harder with the lead vehicles.

Hello everyone. Small update today, I staged some of the vehicles on the diorama and I finished a Jordan Mack Stake truck.

My main focus in modeling has always been wood structure kits. One of the main mistakes I made when building Jordan kits is priming/painting all the parts prior to assembly. It made it difficult to glue everything together. Also the glue used is critical. I used Tamiya liquid cement for this kit and it went together pretty easily. I imagine lots of wood kit modelers find the same challenges when building plastic kits.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-060517215737-217871182.jpeg)
I made the sign using the same methods I used for the signs on salvage yard building. I used black spray primer for the main portions of the truck and Boxcar Red from the SW paint set.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-060517215737-218051587.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-060517215737-21806580.jpeg)
Steam crane staged on the layout.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-060517215737-21807725.jpeg)
The magnet casting is nice and heavy so it falls pretty naturally against the scenery.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-060517215737-218081020.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-060517215817-218091453.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-060517215817-21810821.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-060517215817-218112266.jpeg)

Thanks for checking in. I'll be taking a little break from building vehicles kits for a while. I'm going to pick a small structure from my shelf to build to break things up a bit.

-Steve

Just magnificent Steve, thanks for sharing this wonderful build.

Really really great modeling. As good as it gets!


John

Wow - All I can do is repeat what Jan and John said. Fantastic. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Steve,
             What an absolutely fabulous set of pictures of that beautiful modeling.  Question:  How did you get George to build that for you?  I thought he did his layout only. ha.  Just awesome. Keep working sir.  Thanx Thom...

Steve excellent work.

Jerry

Thanks Everyone!

Thom, George has always been a huge inspiration to me. His modeling is what got me into modeling in the first place. That's a great compliment to me, thanks.

-Steve

Steve .... GREAT!!! Wow, I love the banged up and slightly squashed ash can with lumber scraps outside the fence....!!!

Brother your great work is all over the place.
ed

Steve,

Awesome build!!!!

Frank

Excellent build Steve.  Detail and quality of work is fantastic.

Thanks everyone

Hi Steve:

Very well done. You can be proud.

Karl

Thanks Karl