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I have not seen this built before on the forum so I thought I would post a build. Here in the UK we are hoping the Covid restrictions will be eased on 19 July, with 80% of the population fully vaccinated, it is about time!

This kit was the special at the Fine Scale Expo in 2013 and it has been lying about ever since waiting to be built. Here is the pictures of the box and various parts. It is loosely based on a post office in East Tilton, New Hampshire.

Mike

Mike,

I'll be following along on this one.

Tom  ;D

I have this kit somewhere, it doesn't seem that long ago when I bought it.

Thanks Tom and Raymo.
Here are the kit parts for the post office. The walls are doubled up so there no need for bracing. However I have noticed the back wall  has been cut upside down. As it the back wall I think I can live with it.

Neat looking structure Mike.....I'll be looking in.  :)

However there is a problem with the metal roofing material supplied with the kit. Two pieces of HO Stand Seam Mtl RF/SD were supplied with my kit. The roof is to be covered by four pieces and it is 31 scale feet in width, so you need 4 times that 124 scale feet. Unfortunately the material supplied is 58 ft wide so the kit has 116 scale feet of material for the roof. The front porch is also to be covered with this material and is 42 scale feet wide. With luck I have a packet of Northeastern in stock and I calculate I will need to use three more pieces to make up the difference. Raymo if you have the kit I suggest you check before starting it.
Mike

Thanks Greg.
Mike

Quote from: madharry on June 28, 2021, 01:33:38 PM
However there is a problem with the metal roofing material supplied with the kit. Two pieces of HO Stand Seam Mtl RF/SD were supplied with my kit. The roof is to be covered by four pieces and it is 31 scale feet in width, so you need 4 times that 124 scale feet. Unfortunately the material supplied is 58 ft wide so the kit has 116 scale feet of material for the roof. The front porch is also to be covered with this material and is 42 scale feet wide. With luck I have a packet of Northeastern in stock and I calculate I will need to use three more pieces to make up the difference. Raymo if you have the kit I suggest you check before starting it.
Mike

Thanks for the tip Mike. I know where Brian lives if it comes up short.. ;D

Oh, good.  I have this waiting in the wings as well.  Will be looking over the shoulder.

Hey Mike:

Looking just great so far. I'm following along.

Karl

thanks Bob and Karl for following.
I painted the walls white with a spray can.............

Cont'd I then prepared the windows and doors for painting. I chose a slightly brighter green than suggested for the kit.

You may have noticed that I spray painted four walls in the last picture. These are the freight office walls. They are covered in aged clapboard siding and scribed siding. Despite being packed well the scribed siding had broken. So I pieced this together and glued it to the bottom of the walls before spray painting it. The siding is most vulnerable at it's thinnest just under the doors. I then added the white clapboard siding to the walls.
Mike

Looking good, Mike.

Its a neat looking kit.  Watching with interest.

Cheers, Mark.

Thanks Mark.
Whilst I was saving the siding on the freight house walls, I decided  to check the base the walls fit into. Unfortunately the laser cut slots in the base were not wide enough and I had to use a knife to widen them. Finally the tabs on the walls fit into the slots neatly. No big thing but it might confuse a beginner.
Mike

Mike,
That's a neat looking kit. Never made it to those Craftsman Structure shows to pick up those special offerings...
Nice start...will follow along too...
Tommy

Thanks very much Tommy.
Here are all the walls for both structures with the windows and doors fitted. Some laser cut acetate is supplied with the kit but unfortunately not enough to do all the windows. I used my own supply for the two main "shop" windows and used canopy glue on the rest.
Mike

This is a great kit. Two of my friends - George Dutka and Don Janes, have also built this kit.


George ran into a couple of issues building his - that he covered in his blog. See this post -
http://whiteriverdivision.blogspot.com/2014/11/rj-elwell-general-store-best-kit.html


Don has a summary of his build here -
http://whiteriverdivision.blogspot.com/2015/12/elwell-general-store-green-mtn-version.html


Hope this helps,


Marty

Hey Mad Harry:

Looks just great so far. Keep the pics flowing.

Karl

Quote from: CVSNE on July 06, 2021, 09:43:41 AM
This is a great kit. Two of my friends - George Dutka and Don Janes, have also built this kit.


George ran into a couple of issues building his - that he covered in his blog. See this post -
http://whiteriverdivision.blogspot.com/2014/11/rj-elwell-general-store-best-kit.html (http://whiteriverdivision.blogspot.com/2014/11/rj-elwell-general-store-best-kit.html)


Don has a summary of his build here -
http://whiteriverdivision.blogspot.com/2015/12/elwell-general-store-green-mtn-version.html (http://whiteriverdivision.blogspot.com/2015/12/elwell-general-store-green-mtn-version.html)


Hope this helps,


Marty

Thanks Marty,I have already discovered like George that my kit does not have the shutters or the porch roof. I have no shutters in stock but I can probably fabricate the roof from materials to hand.
Mike

Thanks Karl for your support.
Mike

Two in progress pictures of the structures with the walls erected. The eave trim boards were a very tight fit. The roofs are next. They slot over the walls but the slots are too narrow and will need some fettling.
Mike

Looking good Mike!   :)  Always a bit of an extra challenge when things are a tight fit or don't fit at all. 

Thanks Bob. A bit of slow progress as all the ceilings in the home are being re-plastered. I have to keep moving things around to avoid getting plaster on my models. Three in progress pictures. The roofs have been applied and I have changed the porch roof on the store from a metal roof to shingles.........
Mike

Mike,

Looks great, very nicely done.

Tom  ;D

A straight cut needle file works well for enlarging slots in tab-and-slot kits.  I'd rather the slots be slightly too small than too large.


dave

Hey Mike:

Looks just great so far. Love the colors.

Karl.

Great progress Mike.....looking good.

Looking good Mike. We are starting an indoor painting and carpet project in our home that's going to keep me moving stuff around for a few weeks.  Spending so much time at home the last 18 months has given "the boss" lots of ideas. ::)

Quote from: S&S RR on July 14, 2021, 08:05:29 AM
Looking good Mike. We are starting an indoor painting and carpet project in our home that's going to keep me moving stuff around for a few weeks.  Spending so much time at home the last 18 months has given "the boss" lots of ideas. ::)

Thanks John. Yes the walls and ceilings are to be painted next. Then the render and woodwork outside. Then probably new carpets and curtains. At least we will be keeping the local economy happy.
Mike

A big thank you to Tom, Greg, Karl and Dave.
Mike