I received the FOS Gardiner kit for Christmas, finished the freebee kit and am now getting ready to start on the main kit. I plan on several modifications. The lean-to on the front right side will be moved to the back and I plan on extending the platform the entire length of the front and possibly add a extra door or two.
I have decided on Tamiya XF-9 Hull Red as the trim and can't decide on either the Tamiya Flat White XF-2 or the Tamiya Buff XF-57 for the main wall color. Any suggestions?
I would go with the buff. But it is your choice, just a lot of builds seem to be a combination of another colour with white.........Just my shilling's worth.
Mike :)
Nice choice, Kurt.
I don't remember seeing a build of this kit. I, too, would go with the buff.
Cheers, Mark.
Neat kit Curt.....looking forward to your build. :)
Curt,
Great choice for the challenge. I've threatened to buy this one several times but as yet, no.
Looking forward to the build.
Tom ;D
Welcome to the Challenge!
Thank you Mike, Mark, Greg, Tom, and Dave K. I decided to go with the Buff wall color. The deciding vote was my wife. ::)
Spent a couple of hours today cutting out parts, sanding and trimming. I also figured out how to modify the large door in the front that starts on ground level since I am going to run the platform across the entire front. Sorry no pictures.
I do not know wat happened to my Post, but Great job so far and I will be following you on tis build.
Nim
Jim thank you for following.
Today I spent a couple of hours gluing together windows, priming them, priming the detail parts, and putting the wood strips in a A&I bath. The bathtub ??? in the photo cost me $1.49 at Walmart and is cut down using a jig saw.
The grey rattle can paint is darker than I thought it was when I bought it today. Tomorrow I should get the wall bracing complete and paint the interior black.
Great start! I'll be following along on your progress.
I'm following along as well. I agree with others that that the Hull Red and Tan look like a nice combo. To me the Flat White and Hull Red contrast a little too much due to the darkness of the Hull Red. That's just me though. :D
Mark and Bob thank you for your comments and following.
Today I spent about 3 hours on the build. I braced the wooden parts, painted the interior flat black and after that dried I put a coat of A&I on the outside. Three hours is about the max that I can stay focused working on kits. There are a bunch of fiberboard walls that the directions say don't need braced (I believe I glue the exterior of them with individual 2x10's that will be orientated vertically). Tomorrow I hope to start on the exterior painting along with the wall trim.
Curt, nice start on this fascinating kit. I have looked at it many times on the FOS site and am fascinated by the rambling-shambling nature of it. Needless to say I'm following with great interest.
--George
George thanks for following.
Today I spent a couple of hours working on the kit. First I painted the exterior walls buff (A&I applied yesterday), painted the Tichy windows and door the trim color. After that I painted the wood trim. I realized after I had finished, the trim color was extremely dark although it was thinned by windshield wiper fluid. I thought about it for a bit and then dabbed or rubbed Buff color on them making them more acceptable to my eye. After the walls dried I applied 2 coats of very thin trim color to the bottom 1/2 inch of the exterior walls.
You probably notice on one of the large walls that the doorway has a smooth piece of wood on the bottom part. Unfortunately I did not have the proper board to match the rest of the wall. It will be covered by the extended platform that will be in front of it and normal viewing will be to look down so I figure it will not be seen.
Tomorrow I plan on painting on the laser cut doors, windows, and stairs.
Curt,
Great job, the colors do compliment each other. Looking very good.
Tom ;D
Tom thank you.
Today I spent several hours today painting and gluing together the laser cut windows and doors. After that I attached the trim to the wood walls. Tomorrow I plan on gluing the windows and doors in the wood walls. I figure I'm about a 1/3 done with the kit.
Nice color pairing.👍🏻
Looking good Curt.
Jim
Dave and Jim Thank You.
Today I glued the windows and doors in, well except one that I have a issue with. I glued in the glass and shades also. The upper doorway without a door has 2 sides of the door (the only 2 that fits the width but not the height. I sent a message to Doug Foscale (well my wife did because she was showing how to send a message by the computer) so hopefully it will get figured out soon. Tomorrow I plan on putting on the signage and that will be it until I return on Sunday afternoon.
I almost forgot, the 2 doors that are cut short are because the extended platform will fit along the base of the cut doors.
Curt,
Gardiner's is coming together nicely. The doors, windows and shades look great. Looking forward to the rest.
Tom ;D
Curt, good color choices. Looking forward to seeing more of your build.
Tom and Larry thank you for the kind words.
Today I put the signage on the wood walls via thin double sided tape. I aged them and decided to put a coat of A&I on the laser cut doors to dull them a little more. Also, since I had no response from Doug Foscale about the door fit I decided to make my own. I looked at a picture of it online and replicated it. I will be back to the kit on Monday.
Looking great Curt , very nice color choice . Have you done the signs with double sided tape before or is this an experiment?
Jan thank you. I've always used the tape. I'm leary of using glue because of the chance of a uneven coat, globs or getting it on the sign side.
Based on being out of town and then hurting my fingers it's been a week since the last post. Today I did a side project of removing the box off a Athearn 40' GN car and replacing it with a Pennsy Merchandise Service shell that I had. I also put KD couplers and wheels on it.
On the build I attached the wooden walls together including the 2 wall inset. The wooden portion is 8.5 inches long with another 6.5 inches in length to the main portion with fiberboard addon's. There are also several structures/features that go on the roof.
Looking good Curt , especially for a one hand guy ;)
Very nice, Curt. Interesting lines on that structure and well accented by your paint scheme.
--George
Thank you Jan and George for your kind words.
I forgot to mention I received a message from Doug Foscale last Friday when I was in Cocoa. He told me what I needed to do so I removed the doors I built and used the kit doors (they look nicer).
Today I did a dry fit of the fiberboard walls making adjustments in the slots (too tight) then sprayed the inside flat black. After that I attached the 2x10's on the appropriate walls. The 2x10's already had a coat of A&I so I brushed on a coat of Sandalwood Pickling wash followed by a alcohol wash. I have to get a rattle can of light grey for the corrugated wall and roof material (brown in color now).
Curt,
Very nicely done. It is really going to look great when finished. All thumbs up from this side of town.
Tom ;D
Thank you Tom for your kind words.
Today I spent about 3 hours working only on the corrugated wall material that goes on the exterior fiberboard walls. There were 6 sheets that measured 8.5 x 2 inches that after cutting to individual pieces were 3/8 x 1 inch. Thank goodness for the Chopper.
Before cutting I painted the sheets with:
1. Light Gray rattle can (complete cover)
2. Light random rattle can Warm Caramel
3. Dry Sponge White, Burnt Umber, and Teddy Bear (yellowish).
4. Light coat of 2.5% A&I to smooth it out
Today I spent a couple of hours applying corrugated panels to 4 fiberboard walls. I still have 2 more to do. I had to stop because of a headache. The pieces are made from a heavier material than I have used in the past but I find the cut edges are very delicate and are easy to split.
The light brown color streaks are the color on the edge when it splits so I will have to touch up but can probably cover the spots with some weathering. I hope to finish the last 2 walls tomorrow but I'm raking the yard so who knows?
Curt,
Nice job on placing the corrugated siding on the walls. I agree, they will look much better when the edges are touch up with paint.
Tom ;D
Tom- Thank you.
No modeling today since yard work took over the day.
Nice progress Curt.....siding looks good. 8)
Looks really good Curt.
Jim
Looking good, Kurt.
I'm enjoying your thread.
Cheers, Mark.
Thank you Greg, Jim, and Mark for your kind words.
Today I spent several hours applying the corrugated wall panels and after that I put in the windows, doors and blinds. I touched up the raw edges of the panels with diluted burnt umber. I first tried with MM Rust but it was too bright. I actually like the burnt umber. To me it looks like a weathered tar or something similar.
I need to add some signage and rig up the channels for the sliding door. The kit came with 2 door attachments for the top.
Darn photo is oriented correctly in my computer photo album.
Hey Curt:
The walls look just fine. Keep the pic flowing.
Karl
Thank you Karl.
Today I only spent about an hour on the build. I was tired so I couldn't seem to get motivated. I browsed the directions and couldn't find any mention of tracks for the sliding door (or find pictures of them) so I added them. The attachment points were provided in the kit. The next step is to put the fiberboard walls together.
I just realized why my photos are not orientated properly. I have the auto rotate feature is off on my phone...SMH.
Today I finished up the fiberboard walls. Touched up some spots on the walls, glued them together. and added corrugated siding to the corners. For the corners I used Wild West corrugated material because it is much more flexible than what came with the kit. I also had to add panels to two walls (upper) on the one end because I did not realize they needed panels until I viewed pictures at the company site. Last but not least I glued the two assemblies together.
Steps that are left to do are, roofing, build 2 billboards, build 2 small shacks that go on the roof, build a extended loading platform (I envision double the kit length), and build a lean-to for shoeing horses that I'm moving from the front to the rear of the wooden building to facilitate the extended platform and layout roads.
Looking fantastic Curt , the different kinds of walls , the signs , great.
Jan thank you for your kind words.
I didn't do anything over the weekend because I wasn't feeling well. Today I feel half way decent so I did a little bit on the build. I cut out the roof cards and after doing a quick test fit (photo) I blackened the edges with a black sharpie. I also sprayed the rolled roofing flat black. I like applying the roofing to the roof cards before mounting on the roof. I'm not sure if I'll get to it tomorrow because I need to clean the gutters after all our rain.
Curt,
Wonderful build and the siding really came out fantastic.
I hope you get over the flu and don't bring it, the flu, over here. 8) 8)
Tom ;D
Thank you Tom for your kind words. No worries, I'm feeling much better.
Today I cut the rolled roofing into strips and then did about half the roof. After I finished today I sat looking at the build and decided to put Wild West shake shingles on the peaked roof to break up all that black. Of course it all needs weathering badly. The profile of the flat roofs will be broken up by 2 billboards.
Curt, very nice. I like the lengthy, added-to look of the build so far.
--George
Looking good Curt and I like the idea of the shingles on the peaked roof.
Looks great, siding came out perfectly colored.
Curt,
I have been following, but did not comment earlier. This is coming together nicely, certainly lots of interesting textures and additions to the main structure.
Thank you George, Jan, Lynn, and Jerry for following and your kind words.
Today I finished off the basic roof sections. As I mentioned earlier I used Wild West shake shingles for the peaked roof. I forgot to mention yesterday I looked up the typical width of roofing tar paper (36 in) which converted to HO is slightly less than 1/2 in. I was looking at the size and to my eye it just seemed too wide so I cut the strips at 1/4 inch.
As I was fitting the roof card on the right side of the roof I discovered that this end of the building wasn't square. This probably happened while installing a lower wall inset. Based on this I recut a roof card from a spiral notebook cover. I also glued a scrap piece of clapboard to the back side to stiffen it since a shack and billboard will be sitting on it. I also added bracing under the right side so there is a slight angle on the roof for water drainage.
Love the ridge shingles Curt..... 8)
Comin' along great...👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you Greg and Dave.
I was planning on an extended day at the workbench today, but alas life interfered :( I did manage to get an hour in. I prepped the walls for a small room on the roof and added trim under the installed roof cards.
Next up is putting in a small flat awning that has 3 support wires. I have never done one of these so I'm a little apprehensive about it. There are 2 of these on the build. The instructions just pretty much say install them ???.
Sorry no pictures today. I probably won't get back to the build until Sunday.
Curt,
Here are photos of two different overhanging roofs that I made. Not sure what Doug uses, if it is simply a piece of card I would use the Mott roof technique. For that roof I glued a 3x6 or similar to the clapboard and used it to support the roof. By doing it that way the roof will be level from side to side. I use a fast setting glue like Aileen's Tacky glue and hold the roof in place until it is fairly firm, then use whatever I can find to support it in position until it dries completely. I do drill the edge of the overhanging roof and the side of the building for the rods before I glue the roof in place. I put a bend in the (wire) rod where it goes thru the roof and then eyeball the bend for the wall. Insert the rod into the roof and then feed it into the wall. Once I am satisfied that all rods look uniform, I use ACC to secure the end to the overhand and then use either ACC or epoxy inside the building wall. Hope this helps.
Jerry that definitely helps and I appreciate your assistance.
Hey Curt:
Looks great.
Karl
Karl thank you.
I decided last night I'm going to build a mock up of the awning before I try it on the kit so I can work out any issues without messing up the build.
Really looking good Curt. Keep those pics coming!
Nice close-ups, Curt. Really nice work.
Cheers, Mark.
Thank you Mark (MAP) and Mark D. for following and your kind words.
Today I didn't get much done other than completed another shack that goes on the roof, but I haven't glued it on the roof yet. I also tar papered the 2 overhang roofs and a third that will be used for practice tomorrow. On the practice roof I also glued the bracing on the back side of the roof so it will be like the actual roof.
Tomorrow I'll do the mockup.
Today I built the mockup. The left guide wire is .015 phosphor (Tichy) wire and the other 2 are .020 gauge. I wasn't sure which size to use and asked my son and he said the smaller wire looked better. After that I had everything prepped ready to be installed on the build when daughter called and asked if I could pick up youngest grandson from school since he was sick so that ended the modeling today.
I took a closer look at the second roof that I thought used guide wires but it actually has wooden side supports. After the roofs it's on to the 2 billboards.
Today I feel like I got a lot done. First I mounted the front door overhang roof with the 3 retaining wires. I dry brushed rust and black on the .015 phosphor wire. After this I mounted the overhang roof above the sliding door on the front side and finally I built the first of 2 bill boards. It's not glued down because I need to weather the roofing sections first.
Tomorrow after I finish the second billboard I need to do some thinking. I would like to replace the provided stairs (laser cut cardboard) with a wood set.
Great looking billboard Curt, looks like someone gathered some wood and made a billboard out of it because he needed one but that was all the wood he had, love it.
Jan- Thank you for your observation and kindness.
Today I built the second billboard which is more traditional in appearance. After that I cut out and painted the wood parts for the stairs. I decided not to go with what was in the kit (not wood), but used it as a template. The stair risers are from NESL (from a previous project). I painted everything in Tamiya NATO Black that when dry looks faded or weathered. Tomorrow I plan on putting the stairs together.
Looking good Curt! I like the finish on the corrugated panels. :D
Curt,
Very well done. I also like the corrugated panels, weathering and all.
Tom ;D
Thank you Bob and Tom for your kind words.
Today I decided to change my next step in the build. Although all the stair parts are prepped and ready I decided last night to build the platform first so that there's no future issue with the length of the stairs after the platform is in place. Based on this I built the sub frame out of wood (double the original kit length) and cut out 180 individual boards (2x10 strip wood) and stained it all in Hunterline Med Brown. After the top is glued down (hopefully tomorrow) I will take fine sandpaper to it for weathering. I'm planning on putting a ramp on the left end of the platform and a set of stairs on the right side.
Curt,
Doug's design offers lots of differences in siding materials. Your paint and weathering is really bringing out the best in his design.
Jerry thank you for your kind words.
Today I put the scale 2x10 boards on the frame (not weathered in picture), cut and stained the legs and cross bracing. I also built the ramp for the left side of the platform. The platform is 11x3/4 inches.
Today I finished building the main part of the platform. To finish I need to add stairs on the right end. Next up on the agenda is building the stairs from the upper door (right of Purina sign) to the platform. After those 2 items all that is left to build (structure) is a lean to shed that was originally on the front but I am moving to the rear because I wanted a longer platform. I also need to add the base (concrete) and lighting. I probably won't start on the stairs until Tuesday since I have some family stuff tomorrow.
Curt,
Nicely done my friend. I love the weathering on the loading platform.
Tom
Quote from: ACL1504 on February 10, 2019, 05:02:26 PM
I love the weathering on the loading platform.
Tom
That makes two of us , they look like they have really been worn from shoving stuff around and walking on them.
Looks really good Curt.
Jim
Yes, looking fantastic, Curt.
--George
Thank you Tom, Jan, Jim and George for your kind words and for following along.
Today I built the upper stairs. The only kit pieces that I used were the guard rails. They are much nicer than I could of made from scratch. After that I made the stairs on the end of the dock. Finally I painted the fiberboard base MM Aged Concrete.
Great looking structure - so much variety in building materials. I really like the faded effect on the wood decking.
What a great and fun structure with all the different elements. You're doing a great job Curt.
Great progress Curt.....looking good. 8)
Thank you Vince, Jan and Greg for your very kind words.
Today I glued on the "foundation", added a support beam and spent the majority of my time painting detail parts. It looks like I have 3 more things left to do:
1. Install 3 exterior lights.
2. Final weathering
3. Build exterior lean to. This will be last since it has minimal support for strength.
In the photo the detail parts at the top and people are from my part drawers. The other parts came with the kit.
Nice job Curt
Doug
Thank you Doug.
Today I hooked up the exterior lighting. I wanted to place 3 lights, but I was only able to do 2 since that's all I had. I also had to run out to get more shrink tubing. Hooking up lighting is usually my hardest thing to do but today it went surprisingly well and they have been tested on the layout power buss.
Lighting brings out the best in a build. Is that power buss a separate one for lighting and accessories?
Hey Curt:
Beautiful job so far.
Karl
Jan and Karl thank you for your kind words.
Jan I attach the lighting to the track power buss. I don't have a separate one. My track power is right at 15 VAC.
Today I attached all the mounted detail parts except for the billboards. Next step is the weathering which I expect to do on Sunday. After weathering I will mount the billboards.
When I went to attach the small building on the right sided roof I didn't like the way it sat on the rolled roofing. First I thought to put tar paper on the bottom with half the width to be glued to the existing roofing but after doing that I didn't like that either. So I decided to use a piece of the waste fiberboard painted black to act as a foundation. Although I liked it I felt it was too thick, so last but not least I got a piece of thick paper, painted it and that is what I ended up using.
Curt, very nice! Your persistence with getting just the right look with the rooftop shed paid off well.
--George
Curt,
That is really turned out to be a nice build. Looks great.
Tom ;D
Great work on the build Curt.
Thank you George, Tom, and Mark for your kind words.
Today I weathered the roof and attached the 2 billboards. I'm not sure I'm happy with the roof. I watched a couple of videos from FOS scale models and Kathy Millat (sp?) before I started. I had the rolled roofing the way I was happy with then I brushed 91% RA over it as both videos said to do and now I'm not sure. The big right hand roof I actually had to put more weathering powder on it because for some reason it had a whitish haze to it after the RA.
I also started cutting out boards for the lean to shed. I'm pretty sure I'm going to add some bracing on the sides of it to make it stronger and moveable.
Hey Curt:
Looks great to me.
Karl
Curt--looks good . I have not yet tried the method for weathering rolled roofing that is illustrated on the FOS video. I've watched it as well and was a little hesitant to try it, but you show good results even if you had to go back over with more weathering powder. My current kit has several large expanses of rolled roofing, so I think I'll watch the videos a third and forth time to be sure I'm doing it correctly.
--George
Thank you Karl and George for your kind words.
Today I built the shed for the Farrier. About the only part I made following directions was the front. I decided to put sides on and a full roof to strengthen the shed. That is officially the end of construction for this kit. I kept track of the hours building this (first time) and today I hit 65 hours.
Tomorrow I will take a set of overall pictures.
Great build , great thread , thank you Curt
Curt,
This just gets better and better! Well done.
Tom ;D
Well done Curt.
Jim
Comin' along great.👍🏻
Very well done Curt.....I enjoyed your build. 8)
Looks fantastic, Curt.
Cheers, Mark.
Thank you Jan, Tom, Jim, Dave, Greg, and Mark for your kind words.
Today I added what details I could before placing the structure on the layout. The exterior shed details will be put in on the layout.
Curt, great build--and the details really make it come alive. Thanks for the thread!
--George
Those details look familiar ;) , love it Curt. Are you going to give the little people a bit of a wash, really makes them look more realistic.
Thank you George and Jan for your kind words.
Jan, I had never thought of that, but I gave them a A&I bath.
I'll post a picture when I have the siding complete where my last two builds will go.
That turned out nicely. Great work.
Jeff
Just back in control country and catching up. Great detail! I am going to re-read a bunch of your thread. Looks great.
Jim D
Thank you for your kind words Jeff and Jim D.
I continue to prep the siding. The next step is laying out the roads and parking lots.
EXCELLENT work! ;D
Thank you Darryl for your kind words.
Hey Curt:
very well done. Great colors and weathering.
Karl
Thank you for your kind words Karl.
Thank you to everyone for following along the build. The siding is complete with the exception of replacing about half of the vehicles that are very cheap and way too new for my modeling era.
The siding originally had the Walthers stock pens, meat packing plant, ice house, and a plastic generic train station. Now I still have the Walthers ice house (changed the textures), FOS Preston Printers, FOS Gardiner's, and a laser cut small passenger station (can't remember the brand) and a FOS freebie newsstand. The siding is much more open now which I will have to get used to.
Looking great Curt, nice new scene.
Lots of interest there, Curt. It fits into the scene nicely.
--George
Nice looking scene.
Thank you Jan, George, and Bob D. for your kind words.
Excellent job Curt! Nice addition to the layout.
Awesome job Curt!
It looks great on the layout Curt..... 8)
Thank you Greg, Bob, and Bruce for your kind words.
Curt, thanks for showing building the kit as well how you put it into your layout. It came out great.
Jim D
Great ride, Curt...well done.👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you Jim and Dave for your kind words.
That is a very neat looking scene and very well done.
Jim
Thank you so much Jim.
Very nice work on a great Foscale design. Good looking siding!
John
Great looking scene! Thanks for all of the pics.
Thank you John and Mark for your kind words.
Curt,
The building finished off really well, great build, great scene and great layout. Well, for the Pennsy that is. ;D ;D
Tom ;D
Thanks Tom for your kind words...I think ;D