The Modeler's Forum

I recently started construction on Sierra West Scale Models Shelby's Marine Service.  This kit was released in 1998.  I wanted to take a break from the layout construction once the track was completed.  But I still have 50 switches to install.

The first step is to prepare the strip wood.  I did this by mixing a jar of about 20ounces of water and adding a teaspoon of India Ink to the solution.  Instead of adding Polyscale paints, I added Model Master acrylic paint, 3/4 - 1 teaspoon of grimy black, a oily black and dirt, to the solution.  There are 11 bags of strip wood to stain.  Each bag of strip wood was placed in a shallow pan filled with the stain and allowed to soak for 24 hours or so.  I used this older technique because there is so much strip wood in this kit, it seemed a lot faster that using the pastel chalks and alcohol. Also, since I have done both methods, the soaking method tuned out very well.

24 hours in water doesn't swell/ soften the strip wood?

Hi Steve:

Have fun with that one. Looks like a nice kit.

Karl

Looking forward to this build Steve.  ;D

The strip wood does not get soft nor swell at all Bob. 

Thanks for the encouragement Karl and Greg.

Here is what the strip wood looks like after taking out of pan and air dried.  The color is varied among the boards and within the individual boards.  It has a nicely aged look to it.

I use a template to build the framing for the walls.  I use double sided scotch tape to hold the studs in place.

Here are several pictures of the siding applied to the stud walls.  The peeling paint effect was achieved with the damp brush technique found on Sierra West site. 

Steve,

I meant to comment earlier but got side tracked. This will be another winner for all of us to see your building skills in action.

I'm on the front row having worked my way up. :P

Tom ;D

Tom,

Hope you will enjoy it. 

Quote from: sdrees on March 04, 2017, 04:33:23 PM
Tom,

Hope you will enjoy it.

Steve,

I am already enjoying it. Thanks for posting the thread.

Tom ;D

The second story walls are chip board and need to be braced to prevent warping.  This was done with 1/4" strip wood.

Also, the second story chip board walls and the first story are glued together and the trip is applied. The front wall first and second story walls are not in line.

Awesome work! I need to try your strip wood technique! Love the way your walls came out!

Hi Bob,

Thanks, For more information on this go to the Sierra West Scale Models Web site.  There is a lot of information there on these and more techniques.

Steve


The build is looking great so far!

You're off to a great start Steve.  I really like the way your walls came out.  I'll be following along.

Thanks John and Mark for you comments.  Much appreciated.

Steve,
Walls are looking great.  Looks like you have mastered Brett's damp brush technique.

Thanks Jerry, appreciate the nice comment.

Hi Steve:

Looks like you are off to a great start on this one.

Karl

Thanks Karl, I am enjoying building structures again.

Hi Steve:

Have fun I'll be watching.

Karl

Here is a look at the installed windows.

And now I am gluing the first set of walls together on the main building.

I raised the walls today.  Also included are pictures of the first floor interior walls that we seem to forget.  They will be exposed in the diorama.  I went thru the structure and toned down the nail holes.  Seems that I forgot a couple.

Looking good Steve!

What Mark said!

Great start Steve.  Coloring looks perfect.

Jerry

I can't decide which is better, the outside wall or the interior wall.   ;D  Looking great.


Jeff

Jeff, I can't decide either.  Thanks for stopping by.

Hi Mark, Jerry and Jerry,

Thanks for the compliments, much appreciate them.

Good work Steve.....I love the window that the stick is holding open.  8)

Hi Greg,

It is all those little details that make things interesting.  Thanks for stopping by.

I have been working on the walls for the bait shop recently. I wire brushed the clap board siding to provide the wood grain. Then I used Rembrandt pastels for staining the clap board. I then lightly sanded the siding to show wear on the edges of the clap board siding. I raised some of the ends of the siding with a No. 11 blade and used a pin to make the nail holes. I then used the damp brushing technique for the color coat and then several coats of a light A/I solution.

I placed the dry transfers. I was very lucky that the large ones came out OK. Also, I cut out some of the printed signs, sanded the back on the larger ones to make them thinner and worked them into the clapboard siding by using a No. 11 blade and cut them along the edges of the clapboard siding. Since the printed signs were glossy, I used a flat acrylic clear coat to dull them.

The bright red paint at the bottom on the first picture will not be seen once the walls are assembled.

After looking at the last picture, I am going to redo the trim around the door.  It is to wide.

looking real good Steve! your build is coming along nicely!  I need to experiment with using pastels for the base color, rather than for weathering.....I'm a "dry sponger"....

Wow , great signing.

Hi Steve:

Looks great so far. Keep the pics flowing.

Karl

Steve,
Great job, love how the signs came out.  The contrast with some sharp new signs, and others old and faded is a really nice touch.

I have erected the walls for the bait and tackle shop. I also redid the trim around the screen door.

Steve,

Very well done. Love the weathering and color.

Tom ;D

Hi Steve:

Ditto on what Tom Said.

Karl

Thanks Tom and Karl.  It seems now that I spend more time trying to make my models look old and dilapidated, than actually building the model. It is more time consuming to make a peeling paint than to do a sparkling new paint job. But it is well worth it.

Great build and weathering Steve. :) 8)

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

nice weathering effect on the trim.  The sign over the door came out great! Great work Steve!

Hey Bob and Bob,

Thanks for the nice comments.

Really coming along nicely Steve.  Keep the progress photos coming.

Thanks Mark and here are more photo's

Here is a series of photo's that show the construction of the wharves.  In the first picture I laid out the framing for the main wharf.  The second picture where I am placing the planking and the 3rd and 4th pictures with the completed main wharf and the bait and tackle shop wharf.

I am starting the construction of the diorama base.  I made a template so that I could cut out the 4 different layers of 1/2" Styrofoam to form the terrain.  The base is a 15' x 20" of 1/2" Gator Board.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/245-270317223708.jpeg)

I used a piece of carbon paper and a pin wheel to transfer the patterns to the Styrofoam sheets.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/245-270317223851.jpeg)

I then cut out the Styrofoam sheets.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/245-270317223812.jpeg)

I then used a latex caulk to glue the layers together.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/245-270317224026.jpeg)

Here are several photo's of a trial fit for the wharves.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/245-270317224120.jpeg)

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/245-270317224209.jpeg)

looking good! did you stain the decking with homemade AI or use something else?

Do the instructions tell you the height of the topography Steve? Or is there a certain way to know how high the wharf should be to the water?

The decks of the wharf look great, following with much interest.

When this kit came out in 1998 Brett was using a mixture of different polyscale paints and water.  You then soaked the strip wood in the solution for 24 hrs more or less depending how dark you wanted it or how much variation you wanted in the color of the strip wood.  So I did it this way because of all the strip wood in the kit. 

Today, he would probably have you use Rembrandt Pastels and Alcohol.  Where you would scrape the pastel stick with a sharp knife to form a powder and then use the alcohol to dissolve it and stain the wood.  if you are interested go to his website and check out his craftsman university.
www.sierrawestscalemodels.com.

After the initial staining, and the wharves were built, I did use an Alcohol India ink solution. 

Hi Jan,

The instructions do tell you how high to make the wharves.  They also give you some vague idea of what the topography should look like. 

Glad you are following along.

OK more progress on the diorama base for Shelby's Marina.  I used Sculptamode to shape the front slope of the base. I had to redo the riprap on the bait and tackle side of the marina.  I used rocks from my backyard and it turned out that they were to large so I had to take a jack hammer to them to make them smaller and I think it looks good now.  I used a fine Woodland Scenics ballast for the barnacles.

Attached also are some prototype pictures that I used as guidelines for the coloring of the piling and the rock wall and riprap at the waterline.

One more picture of the pile wall.

Hi Steve:

This diorama is starting to look really great. The two buildings are coming along very nicely. I'm enjoying your build.

Karl

Steve,
Great job on that pile wall, I really like the changes in color where the water has weathered the pilings.

Thanks Karl and Jerry for the nice comments.  There is a lot more to do in this area.

Attached are progress photo's of my project. I have placed the basic ground cover for the foreground of the diorama. I painted the sculptamode then applied real dirt which I had sifted through a nylon stocking. I then applied a courser material for some texture. Then I applied some debris. Once the rest of the diorama is completed, there is a lot more details to add.

I glued the support piles in place and then glued the wharves to the piles. On the boat works, I applied the decorative piles.

Nice work Steve.  The whole scene is really coming together.

Great modeling Steve, I really appreciate you showing us how you build the dio's and then place them in your layout, looking forward to when you do scenery to bond it all together.

Thanks Mark and Jan. 

Steve,

Getting caught up on your build. Beautiful work, the water front looks wonderful.

Tom ;D

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/245-040517223141.jpeg)

SierraWest Scale Models include many many castings in their kits that add lots of detail to their Here is a quick guide on how I go about it.  As you can see from the photo, I use many types of paint, Rembrandt soft pastels, Reaper acrylic paints, craft acrylic paints from Michaels and what ever other paint I may need.

The first step for me is to prime the castings with a spay paint.  For wood items, I spray the castings with a earth tone color. For metal items, I will use a gray colored paint.  In this case, I used an air brush.

I always use a piece of glass for my palette because it is so easy to cleanup.  I just use a straight razor blade to scrape the glass.

On the left side of the glass are powders made from the soft pastels.  In this case I used pastel numbers 408.3, 408.5, 408.7, various shades of raw umber, 231.3 a shade of yellow ochre. 
I use alcohol to mix with the powder to paint all the wood surfaces on the castings.

Then I use the acrylic paint to paint all the little details of the castings such as wood and metal barrels, various tools, cans, buckets, parts, etc

I will then use an A/I solution and go over the whole casting and then let the alcohol dry.  I will then use various shades burnt sienna and add rust where I want it.

Once the casting is complete, I will then dust it with a light gray or earth tone to dull the colors so that non of them draws your attention.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/245-040517223431.jpeg)
These castings are completed.   

Nice work on the castings, Steve.


Jeff

Hi Steve:

The castings look great.

Karl

Steve, you are getting along great with the build.

thanks Jeff, Marty and Karl,  this is only about a third of them, and more to do.  Then there are some things that I want to update on the diorama to bring it into the early 1950's such as the stationary steam engine etc and the boat will be a powered with a diesel engine instead of sails. This will require more castings.

Steve, It is always a joy watching a Sierra West kit being built. You are doing some fine modeling.
Thank you for sharing. It is a very generous gesture.
ed

I have been working lately on the loading dock, overhead crane pieces and the hoist house.  here are some progress photo's of the hoist house.

I have modified the front of the building because I am going to install an electric winch in it that will be able to be seen. 

Ed,

Thanks for stopping by and the nice compliment.

Hi Steve:

The weathering looks just great. Love the red you used on the walls.

Karl

Steve,
What Karl said.

What Jerry and Karl said.....only double!!

I have been working on the fishing boat. This will be in the repair yard when the diorama is complete What I have done is add a prop and rudder to the boat. Also the cabin I made the walls out of 1/64" bass plywood and made several templates and wrapped it around and glued the plywood to them. The roof is 1/32" bass plywood.

I have applied the outside plumbing to the exterior of the main building for Shelby's Marine

I have also been painting for of the castings for the diorama.

Great job sir.
ed

Thanks Ed for stopping by.

The diorama is now taking shape after completing all the subassemblies and painting all the castings. The boat repair building has been mounted to the diorama, the siding from the mainline has been laid, the remainder of the scenery base has been place and now some of the detailed castings.

Looking great Steve , the pilars are the real thing.

Steve,
Your castings look great, building even better, and scenery is coming along well.  This is going to be an amazing scene when you complete it and get it on your layout.

Thanks Jerry and Jan.  Yes the piling adds a lot of interest to the scene.

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Thanks Donato, much appreciated.

Steve,

The build is stunning. The pilings and walls look very realistic. Well done, very well done.

Tom ;D

Hi Steve:

Looks beautiful. Keep the pics coming.

Karl

Thanks Karl

Attached are pictures of activities completed in the past couple of days including the main stairway and the fence and barrel dump by the stone wall.

Stunning details , you are a master Steve.

Steve,
Absolutely beautiful!  I love how the building looks "timeworn", yet not derelict.  Scenery and the barrel dump are great, too.

Steve, with all those details the mini-scenes just pop out and another layer for the viewer who takes their time to look for them. Keep it up! 

Thanks Jan, The Judge, and Jerry for your nice comments.  What makes it interesting in building this diorama is the story that I am trying to tell with the mini scenes.

Some really fantastic modeling Steve.  All the buildings work great with the scenes you're developing.  Thanks for all of the photos!

Mark, thanks for stopping by.  Appreciate your comments.

You done good Steve!!

Steve,

Can't improve on any one's comments. Well done.

Tom ;D

Tom,

Thanks for the comment. 

I have glued the winch house to its base on the diorama.  The story for the boiler and piping is the winch was originally powered by a coal fired boiler.  later the boiler was removed and an electric powered winch was installed

Steve,

It is so realistic, it looks like something out of "Honey I shrunk the structures" movie! Just excellent, I want to be like you when I grow up.

Tom ;D

Hey Tom,

I hope my scenery turns out as good as yours when I get to it. 

really great work!


John

John, rely appreciate it the comment

U

Hi Steve:

Looks great. Love the coloring on the building. Looks very natural.

Karl

Steve that wood coloring perfect.

Jerry

Quote from: sdrees on June 13, 2017, 08:06:56 PM
Hey Tom,

I hope my scenery turns out as good as yours when I get to it.

Steve,

Thank you but my guess is that you will surpass mine easily. ;D ;D

Tom ;D

Since my wife and I returned from our trip to New England, I have been spending time at the bench.  I have added the fishing boat to the diorama and some of the details around it.  here are the latest progress photo's.

Wow, fantastic looking Steve.  I feel like I'm walking through a real boat yard!

Hi Steve,


Your progress is impressive.  This is some fantastic modeling!

Steve,

Top notch modeling. Super realistic weathering and diorama. Beautiful work.

Tom ;D

Very nice work Steve. Right-on with the textures and colors.

Thanks for the comments Bobby, Tom and Mike.  I appreciate them very much.

Outstanding Steve. I agree, the photos make you think you are in the scene.  Love the painter's scaffolding.

Wow!! What a great work!!
Looks magnificent Steve! I love the weathering and the general look ;)

Truly outstanding Steve.

Steve, glad to see you got inspiration from your trip Down East.


dave

Amazing detail you put into the area around the slipway Steve..... 8)

I appreciate the latest comments, Donato, Curt, Dave, Greg and Pol.lux.  Dave, my wife and I really enjoyed the trip down the Maine Coast and all the small harbors.  I looked for ideas every where we went.

There is a prototype for everything.  ;D

Really great work. Beautiful diorama!


John

Since the last posting, I have installed the roofs on the main building, finished the loading dock and added various details to the scene. The tar paper roof was spray painted with box car red, and once installed was weathered with Rembrandt pastels of white, grays and some tans.

Since electrical power was added to the hoist house, I thought that the main building should be upgraded with electrical power also and propane.

Since this a boat repair operation on this side of the diorama, I thought that there should be some marine parts somewhere on the loading dock.

Here are the results.

Additional pictures

Steve,
Looking really good !!!  8) ...
Tommy

Steve,

Amazing build and talent. Just wonderful all the way.

Tom ;D

Hi Steve:
Very well done so far. You are quite the modeler.

Karl

Beautiful work, Steve.

Jeff

Really beautiful build.

Wow!! Magnificent work!!
Looks really good ;)

thanks everybody for the nice compliments.  On to the Bait and Tackle shop.

Steve, you are a Master!

I hope to someday start on an H0 layout with harbor scenes , I hope I can get it to half the quality of yours Steve, that would still make a beautiful layout.

Dude,
Karl O says you are quite the modeler. Doesn't get better than that. I agree.
ed

Great build! Spectacular work!


John

Ok, I am now finishing up the Bait and Tackle shop. Yesterday, I installed the roof and shingles on the building. I also added some signage that bait and tackle was available.

Wonderful work Steve.

I have this dream of a waterfront layout with this kit among the shanties and docks. Too bad it's so darn expensive nowadays. Maybe I can get my hands of plans someday. In the meantime I get to watch someone with a solid skill set produce a very nice scene.

--Rich

Hi Steve:

Looking beautiful. Great colors & weathering.

Karl

Great modeling Steve.

Here are the latest pictures of the bait and tackle shop. 

That is some really great work!


John

Hi Steve:

WOW!!!!! very well done. Great colors & weathering.

Karl

thanks John and Karl, I appreciate your comments.

(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fyouandeye.us%2Fsfd%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fewpt_cache%2F367x275_85_1_c_FFFFFF_fb1e92f8999184a68086e124a73205ac.jpg&hash=9fe17538b59fb9d6aa8c59085cfbeb9aa9ab295d)

Mahwbellus, abzolutely mahwbellus!  ~mike c

I have completed the overhead crane.  I used styrene structural shapes for the steal beams and the channel for the carrier.

Great work Steve.

Steve, the build really stands out.

It just gets better and better Steve. 

Thanks Curt, Marty and Mark.  The comments are very much appreciated.

Beautiful, wonderful, realistic .... just plain WOW

I am getting closer to pouring the water. I have been working on some of the landscape for the diorama and just about finished. I made the tree from sage brush as the armatures, polyfiber and course turf. The grass that you see is the static grass. The boom truck was kit bashed from a Sylvan kit.

Steve without the little people in it that last photo could easily pass for the real thing, that tree is awesome, the details and weathering on your diorama are as good as it gets.

Beautiful modeling Steve.

Yeah, yeah, yeah Steve .... but who is that hottie in the tight pants and red top????

Jan and Curt, thanks very much for the kind words.

Donato, If I told you, I have to kill you.

Here are the semi final photo's of my version of Shelby's Marine Service.

For the water, I painted the gator board base in various blue green tones at the beginning of the project. Once almost everything was complete I then built a dam around the front edge of the diorama using first masking tape, then strips of Strathmore board which I glued to the edge of the gator board. I then brushed on a thin coat of Evirotex to seal the dam useing Envirotex Lite and I also caulked some areas where it looked like leaks may occur. I poured it in 3 different layers about 1/8" thick. I then used a brush to stipple the Mod Podge on to add the texture to the Envirotex. As a final coat, I brushed on a water base varnish.

All comments are appreciated. If something doesn't look right or could be improved, please let me know.

More pictures

And more pictures because you guys like lots of them

Fantastic!

Quote from: Cuse on August 15, 2017, 08:06:44 PM
Fantastic!

I'll add superb to that.

Really beautiful modeling.

Steve


First class modeling all the way - Love it!

Just took ANOTHER look...the whitewash is perfect throughout, the rust and wood grain on the crane and the boat -perfect! Really nice overall!


John

Hi Steve:

Absolutely Beautiful job on this kit.

Karl

Excellent work Steve..... 8)

Steve,


Awesome job. Really like the convertible. Got license plates on the cars? Love everything. Best of luck in Denver.


Frank / Erieman

Thanks everybody for your encouraging comments.  Good luck on your entry in Denver, Frank.

Steve, that looks entirely "real" that I was almost ready to ask you for directions on how to get there....!!

Here are some more pictures.  And Frank, I do have license plates.

Steve


How did you do the fish? Great modeling!

Hi John,

The fish that the fisherman is holding is a Preiser figure.  The fish on the cleaning station are a casting from Model Tech Studios.

Amazing scene.....well done Steve.  8)

Don't ya just hate in when someone comes along and posts pictures of the fantastic job they did on a model that is  :'(  no longer available  :'(


-sniff-


Really nice work Steve! Kudos!


-slim

Hey Gary, Thanks very much for the comment. 

Slim, you can do what I did, and buy it on the after market like I did a couple of years ago.  The kit was still in its shrink wrap and never opened when I purchased it. You got all those people who like to purchase these kits when they come out, but never build them.

Slim, I think there was one on sale on e-bay last week.
ed

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Great job!!!

Quote from: engine909 on August 28, 2017, 08:40:11 PM
Slim, I think there was one on sale on e-bay last week.
ed

I have The Shipyard and the Foss Landing kits but not Shelby's Marine service. I like how Shelby's is open at the ground floor. I might do the "unthinkable"  :o and open up (modify) the shipyard building like the way Shelby's Marine is. I'll have to take some good looks at your build and make some notes.


-slim

Slim,

Are you coming to the narrow gauge convention?  I have it with me.  It will be in the  contest.

Quote from: sdrees on August 29, 2017, 09:16:45 PM
Slim,

Are you coming to the narrow gauge convention?  I have it with me.  It will be in the  contest.

Unfortunately no Steve. Wish I was going. I like the NNGC's and this year's location - but the schedule just wouldn't allow!


-slim

Steve,
Do you remember what the cost was for this kit? I just got one on "The Crazies" shopping site, and have no reference to its original price.
Thanks,
Loren...

Loren,

I don't know because I bought it on the after market.

OK, let there be light. I am kicking myself in the butt for not doing this when it was under construction. And when I completed the build, I could not see all the remarkable details inside the boat shop.

I just completed adding lighting afterwards , it worked out very well without any major damage to the existing build.

I took some 3/32" x 1/4" strip wood and cut a slot in it where I place all the wires and so the top of the strip wood would be flush.

I wired the LED's in parallel and added a current regulator diode to the circuit. Some people will tell you that you should not wire LED's in parallel. YOu can find the pro's and con's on the internet. It works for me.

The LED fixtures were purchased from Bill's Decals. The come all assembled with the leeds soldered to the LED and with the light shade. He used a stranded wire for the leeds instead of solid wire.

I then covered the top of the strip wood with 3M double coated adhesive transfer tape.

I was able to install the assembly in the ceiling of the boat shop with my fat fingers and not doing any major damage to the model. there are just a few minor repairs.

Now you can see the magnificent details inside the structure.

Wow, really nice! I need to keep lighting in mind when I start my new builds,,,, especially ones that will be up front of the layout

Amazing Steve, great modeling made even better by lighting.

Wow. That is outstanding!! Great photography too.


John

Steve,


Simply a stunning interior!  Everything from the interior walls to the details looks so real!


The tip on how you added lighting after the fact is one I'm sure many forum members can use.

Great job Steve.

Lighting is great.....not all the wonderful detailing you did is highlighted.  8)

The name of the company for light fixtures is Dave's Decals instead of Bill's.



https://www.davart.net/?product_cat=scale-details

I am running seriously short of words that I feel are sufficient to properly describe this build.  Excellent?  Outstanding?  Wonderful?  All of the preceding?  :o  Wowser!  ;D

Thanks Bob.  Means a lot coming from you