For my build challenge I decided to do the older FSM stone water tank. It's always been one of my favorite kits, I built one several years ago but sold it. I chose a smaller structure so I can finish it quickly and get back on my O'Neills/Quincy Salvage diorama.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-200916225227-161842500.jpeg)
The box was a little beat up, also I was missing the instructions. Luckily I had the old sheet from the one I had previously built.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-200916225227-161881727.jpeg)
I primed all the castings except those that represent metal, I will blacken those. I used Rust-Oleum Camo Sand color for any wood parts and Rust-Oleum Gray primer for the stone work. I touched up a few stones using Rembrandt chalks mixed with alcohol to make a wash. All the wood parts are colored with SierraWest Reaper Earth, it almost perfectly matched Rust-Oleum Sand. Although I have a full rack of Floquil paints and some of the stains I am making an effort to not use them, I hate to rely on a paint I can no longer get. The SierraWest paint set is water based and works great. The brick is colored with Apple Barrel Barn Red, I applied it very lightly. I only wanted to colored the tops of the bricks.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-200916225227-161891268.jpeg)
This is the wall after 1 A&I wash. It still looks pretty terrible, it will take at least 1 more wash to make it start to look how I want it.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-200916225227-161901450.jpeg)
While the walls were drying I glued the tank support framework together. Some of these older kits have you glue wood directly to the template, I make a copy of the template and cover it with clear double sided tape. I use a piece of stripwood as a guide to keep everything straight also. Both techniques are from SierraWest kits and they work really well.
Thanks for checking in.
-Steve
Looking good so far Steve.
Steve,
Looking good, I'll follow as well.
Tom ;D
Great choice Steve! I will be following along.
I love FSM kits!
Jaime
Quote from: NEMMRRC on September 21, 2016, 07:56:03 AM
I love FSM kits!
Jaime
Ditto that! I built this a long, long time ago and had a lot of fun doing so. It'll be fun to follow along with your build Steve.
Hi Bob:
I love FSM kits to. I have built several. Your stone work looks great. I'll be following along.
Karl
Cool!! Interesting subject!!
Comes the kit with the figure...?
I made a bit more progress today on the kit.
Pol.lux - It does not come with the figure, I believe it's an older Weston figure sold by Campbells. I think for a long time Weston figures were a favorite of George's, most of the kits and dioramas have one on them.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-210916224148-161991168.jpeg)
I got the stone base mostly finished. I added 3 washes total of A&I followed by some antique white dry brushing. For the windows, doors and wood trim I also applied 3 coats A&I but I wasn't happy with the color so I added a dusting of white chalk followed by dirty brown chalk.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-210916224147-16191688.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-210916224148-161971320.jpeg)
Gluing the walls together produced some seriously visible seams. I will cover them with ladders and some vines.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-210916224148-161982347.jpeg)
I was having a difficult time getting a clear photo showing all the detail. I cracked the glass in the frames and dirtied the acetate with dullcoat and chalk. I love the stonework on these older FSM kits. It's also very noticeable both front and rear walls are the same castings as are the sides, Ill add some details to make that less noticeable.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-210916224207-162001138.jpeg)
I colored and scribed the wood sheets for the tank. I glued 1 sheet on the tank, the kit requires you to piece in a small section to complete the tank. I took a bunch of rubber bands from my 3 year olds rubber band ball to glue the sheet on the cardboard core. The rubber bands in this kit are basically dust at this point, I believe they are much older than I am. I'll have to go to the store the replace his rubber bands before he notices.
Thanks for checking in.
-Steve
Looks good, Steve. The kit was released in 1985.
Vilius
Love the stone work and colors. Yes, the figure is by Weston/Campbell.
http://www.campbellscalemodels.com/Default.asp (http://www.campbellscalemodels.com/Default.asp)
That figure no longer appears on the web site.
Tom ;D
The stone work came out nice.
Jeff
Excellent stone work for sure.
Steve, Been following along. Like most HO Scale modlers love the detail & wimsy that George gives us in his kits. I collect Fos Scale & FSM kits. Two years ago I started collect Campbell/Weston figures. I know that Preiser are a little bit better however it is fun when building an old FSM kit to use the old Weston figures. I do like the way the stone work looks that you have done.
Mike Sigmon
Jacksonville
Thanks everyone.
I made some more progress today.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-220916225655-162122262.jpeg)
I added the tank support framework to the base. I had build it a few days ago, I always try to work a few steps ahead so I don't get bogged down waiting for things to dry.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-220916225655-16296534.jpeg)
The tank bands are secured using these tiny nails. A very easy and smart way to keep them straight. I also scribed lines earlier using a dull blade to hold the bands in place.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-220916225655-162972437.jpeg)
I started routing the thread used for the bands, they get wrapped around the nails then the nails get pushed in. I added some white glue for good measure under the nails.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-220916225655-16298736.jpeg)
I routed the thread across the whole tank, it only took about 5 minutes.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-220916225655-16299760.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-220916225736-163001660.jpeg)
I added the spout support and the level gauge. The level gauge is paper, I dirtied it with chalk. I prefer chalk to weather signs, it makes them very dirty still legible.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-220916225737-16301188.jpeg)
I added band lugs. I also took a minute to make sure each band was straight before I glued the lugs in place. Nothing kills a water tank model more than sloppy tank bands in my opinion.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-220916225737-163021178.jpeg)
I added a second row of band lugs. All the lugs were blackened using JAX pewter black. After I installed them I touched them with a mix of rust colored chalk and alcohol.
Thanks for checking in. I should be tackling the roof tomorrow. My goal is to have this kit finished the weekend so I can jump back on my Quincy Salvage build.
-Steve
Nice progress!
Quote from: SteveCuster on September 21, 2016, 10:56:28 PM
I made a bit more progress today on the kit.
Pol.lux - It does not come with the figure, I believe it's an older Weston figure sold by Campbells. I think for a long time Weston figures were a favorite of George's, most of the kits and dioramas have one on them.
Thank you very much for the info Steve.
What a lovely build are you doing.....;)
Nice .... !!! A+
Thanks Mark, Pol.lux and Donato
Good morning everyone.
Made a bit more progress this morning, worked on completing the roof on the tank.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-250916074845-16303159.jpeg)
For this model I glued the roof card on first, then added the shingles.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-250916074845-164142082.jpeg)
I decided the use individual cedar shingles for the roof. The kit comes with Campbells shingles but they need to be cut down to 1-4 shingle strips anyway to work the curve of the roof. It was just as easy to use the individual shingles.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-250916074845-164151281.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-250916074845-164162282.jpeg)
Thanks for checking in.
-Steve
Steve
Nice job on the build so far.
Jim
I love the individual cedar shingles. Love them!
Jaime
Quote from: NEMMRRC on September 25, 2016, 06:08:43 PM
I love the individual cedar shingles. Love them!
Jaime
Me too! Great work Steve.
Hi Steve:
Great progress so far. Colors look great. I'm following along.
Karl
Clean and tidy work. This roof looks excellent!!
Thanks for the compliments everyone. Individual shingles are a relatively new thing to me, I just started using them on my O'Neills Fabrication build. I'm getting faster with them and I like the results so Ill probably use them more often. Plus they go a really long way, I used about half a sheet for this roof. They are $3.95 for a 5 sheet pack from http://www.sierrascalemodels.com
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-250916233616-16424872.jpeg)
I used chalk and alcohol to color the shingles. After the wash dried I dusted on dry chalk to dirty it up a bit more.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-250916233616-16460564.jpeg)
I wanted to make them a bit more sun-bleached so I drybrushed them with Antique White craft paint. You can see the difference pretty well in this photo.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-250916233616-1646181.jpeg)
I will probably go back and add a few more colors to the roof to give it some depth. I usually like to walk away from something like this for a couple hours before I weather any more. It's easy to keep going and ruin a model.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-250916233616-16462144.jpeg)
Here is the overall shot. I will add the rafter tails, the finial and the rest of the details tomorrow.
Thanks for checking in.
-Steve
Hi Steve:
Great looking roof to go along with the well done stone walls.
Karl
Nicely looking roof, Steve. What thickness shingles did you use?
Vilius
Thanks Karl, Vilius.
I used the standard .018 thickness sheets
-Steve
I pretty much finished up the model today aside from planting it and adding scenery which I will do once I install it on my layout. Overall this was a very fun kit to build, lots of cool detail in a small model. It measures less than 2" x 2". I wish I still had the original I built when I was a teenager, would be interesting to compare my coloring and weathering techniques.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-270916221447-164752136.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-270916221447-164761591.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-270916221423-164741173.jpeg)
This was the most tedious part. The lead castings are always tough to glue in place, especially when you are as impatient as I am. I almost always try to work in the area before the glue is dry and I end up knocking the castings off. I'm a big fan of resin castings due to the weight difference.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-270916221423-164731522.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-270916221423-164721946.jpeg)
I added a drop of epoxy in the barrel to simulate water.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/487-270916221423-16463949.jpeg)
Thanks for following along. Now to clean up my workbench and get back on my SW Quincy Salvage/O'Neills Fabrication diorama.
-Steve
Steve,
Beautiful job on the water tank. Love the colors.
Tom ;D
That turned out great, Steve. Perfect weathering.
Jeff
Hi Steve:
What can I say but WOW!!! Very very well done. Great colors and light weathering.
Karl
Great work Steve..... 8)
Thanks everyone for the nice compliments.
Great Job on the Water Tank. I like the size and coloring of it.
Jim
Thanks Jim. It's a cool little structure
Quote from: S&S RR on September 25, 2016, 07:35:42 PM
Quote from: NEMMRRC on September 25, 2016, 06:08:43 PM
I love the individual cedar shingles. Love them!
Jaime
Me too! Great work Steve.
Me three!
That shingle work looks terrific!
-Joe
Steve,
Great job! The shingles are the best I have ever seen on a water tank top. What is hard to believe is this tank is HO Scale. Just the thought of cutting & hand laying shingles in a concentric shaped cone top & keeping them looking perfect you get the best done award (if there is one)
Mike Sigmon
Jacksonville, FL
Beautiful water tower Steve. Very nicely done. :) Wish we had some of these kits in N scale.
Stay cool and run steam..... 8) 8)
Steve
Awesome job on this build.
Jim
Thanks Everyone!
The individual shingles aren't as difficult as you might think. I just followed the roof card lines to keep them straight. Im glad you guys like them. I plan on using them from now on on most of my models.
-Steve
Excellent! You really did a great job on this one.
Steve
Very nice work! It looks great!
Thanks Mark, John.
Great job, Steve! I used real cedar shingles on couple of buildings from Houligan Alley kit. I really liked them although it was real pain to cut them. I am thinking about employing the technology to do that part for me. I used Elizabeth Karmel's cedar grilling wraps BTW.
Vilius
Nice.
So there is a water barrel to douse off any fires on a water tower....?🤔 ;D
Jaime
Quote from: TheUkranian on September 29, 2016, 11:40:56 AM
Great job, Steve! I used real cedar shingles on couple of buildings from Houligan Alley kit. I really liked them although it was real pain to cut them. I am thinking about employing the technology to do that part for me. I used Elizabeth Karmel's cedar grilling wraps BTW.
Vilius
I've done it once before an while a tad tedious it is worth it and it can be a lot of fun:
http://www.kitforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8236
http://www.kitforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8732&start=100
Jaime
Thanks Vilius, Jamie.
Looks great Jaime. I'll look into the cooking supply cedar wraps although I am happy with the Sierra Scale Models sheets. I have a Jamestown Water Stop in the queue to be built, I'm sure Ill use these shingles on that kit when I build it. My next challenge is I plan on doing a really beat up wood shake roof with missing sections and exposed boards. Should be challenging.
-Steve