It's time for a new build thread. This one will be the small FOS Yard Office No. 3 (https://fosscalemodels.com/collections/ho-scale-kits/products/yard-office-three-ho-scale-kit) which is a combination of both a wood structure and a masonry structure.
The (kind of dumb) reason I elected to build this one is that it was sitting on top of my work bench, but I couldn't figure out how to squeeze it back in the drawers that were already stuff full of unbuilt kits. ::)
I actually received this one for X-Mas a year or two back and hadn't even taken the shrink wrap off the box. The price on the box doesn't match the current price, $67.50, shown on the FOS website.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-031221072754-51300195.jpeg)
There's a lot of pictures of FOS kits on the cover of the box. This particular model is pictured in the bottom row, the second one in.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-031221072754-513011565.jpeg)
The back of that cover sheet on the box contains a lot of signs. A nice touch. :)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-031221072754-51302973.jpeg)
Opening the box for the first time to see what's inside. ;D
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-031221072755-513031026.jpeg)
Walls (wood and hydrocal), strip wood, laser cut details, cast metal parts, etc.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-031221072755-513042499.jpeg)
Instructions and templates.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-031221073024-513052074.jpeg)
More in a moment... ;)
Time to get started. I started by cleaning up the castings. There are a couple of 55-gallon drums included in the kit. These have a rather thick sprue at the bottom that's a little thick for my sprue cutter, so I use an old flush cut rail nipper to remove them from the sprue.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-031221073024-513062416.jpeg)
Then I smooth the cut out by gently sliding them back and forth over an emery board.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-031221073024-5130785.jpeg)
The regular sprue cutter works great for the rest of the plastic castings.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-031221073024-513081359.jpeg)
I use a file to clean up the metal castings.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-031221073024-513092005.jpeg)
The laser cut doors, windows, etc. were removed from the carrier sheet using a single edge razor blade. I almost always start off a new build with a fresh razor blade and new #11 blade in my X-Acto.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-031221073218-513101780.jpeg)
After removing the clapboard walls from the carrier sheet, I sanded the edges with an emery board to square them up.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-031221073218-513111552.jpeg)
More in a moment.... ;)
I braced the clapboard walls, per the templates, by running a bead of glue (Canopy Glue in the case) along the strip wood matching roughly the height of the wall.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-031221073218-513121682.jpeg)
Then I smooth the glue out with my fingertip (wiping off my fingertip after doing that so I don't transfer glue to something else by mistake).
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-031221073218-513131907.jpeg)
The bracing material is positioned where it needs to go. If it's against and edge I used a metal angle to make sure the bracing doesn't extend beyond the edge of the wall.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-031221073218-513141294.jpeg)
Then the bracing gets weighed down for a few minutes until the glue starts to grab.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-031221073317-51315406.jpeg)
The bracing is then trimmed to match the height of the wall using a single edged razor blade.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-031221073317-513161142.jpeg)
I used a tool I picked up at Home Depot, to distress the wood. I think this is a steel brush used to clean up pipes but it's great for imparting some grain into the walls and strip wood. ;)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-031221073317-51317570.jpeg)
More in a moment... :D
Oops...only one more picture for today. ::)
I stained the strip wood and clapboard walls with Hunterline Light Gray Weathering Mix.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-031221073317-51318148.jpeg)
That's it for today! Thanks for following alone!
Bob,
I'm caught up now and will check your progress in a couple of weeks. You should have this one and one other finished by then. 8)
Tom ;D
I'll be following Bob.
Bob,
Will follow along.
Enjoy your photo updates on your builds.
Tommy
Always love a Bob Build.
Jeff
What's the masonry material? Plaster?
Looks like a nice structure, I'm sure you'll do your usual great job documenting it.
dave
Good start Bob...I'll be following
John
Your starting off with your usual great tutorial.
Looking forward to another great build by you.
Jerry
I just jumped on board, too. Looks like fun.
--Opa George
I'll be looking in Bob..... :)
Quote from: ACL1504 on December 05, 2021, 12:52:27 PM
Bob,
I'm caught up now and will check your progress in a couple of weeks. You should have this one and one other finished by then. 8)
Tom ;D
Thanks Tom! I hope I have it finished by then and I sure hope I can bring it down to show it off sooner, rather than later. Praying for a full and speedy recovery.
Quote from: PRR Modeler on December 05, 2021, 02:00:23 PM
I'll be following Bob.
Thanks Curt! Happy to have you along for the ride. :D
Quote from: tom.boyd.125 on December 05, 2021, 02:17:37 PM
Bob,
Will follow along.
Enjoy your photo updates on your builds.
Tommy
Thanks Tommy! Happy to have you along for the ride as well. This one is small, but it should be a fun one.
Quote from: Zephyrus52246 on December 05, 2021, 05:22:07 PM
Always love a Bob Build.
Jeff
Jeff. I appreciate that! :D Happy to have you on board for the journey. Should be fun.
Quote from: deemery on December 05, 2021, 06:24:13 PM
What's the masonry material? Plaster?
Looks like a nice structure, I'm sure you'll do your usual great job documenting it.
dave
Dave - Thank you! The other structure is made up of hydrocal castings. I'll be working on them today. I've been kind of itching to break out a hydrocal kit (like a Downtown Deco kit). This one offers the best of both worlds. :D
Quote from: cuse on December 05, 2021, 09:28:44 PM
Good start Bob...I'll be following
John
Thanks John! Should be a fun. I need to work on improving my brick coloring and this seems like a good one to practice on. ;)
Quote from: Jerry on December 05, 2021, 09:58:16 PM
Your starting off with your usual great tutorial.
Looking forward to another great build by you.
Jerry
Thank you very much Jerry! I'm glad to have you following along. :D
Quote from: Opa George on December 06, 2021, 06:34:28 AM
I just jumped on board, too. Looks like fun.
--Opa George
I appreciate having you along for the ride Opa George! This one has been fun so far. I think it's a neat little design by Doug and I like the mix of materials. ;)
Quote from: GPdemayo on December 06, 2021, 07:44:50 AM
I'll be looking in Bob..... :)
Thanks Butty! Glad to have you along for the ride. May be a little while until you get to see it. Hopefully not too long though.
Time for a progress report/update. :)
My go to method for peeling paint. "Dry sponge" some Acrylic Craft (Folk Art) Dove Gray on the walls, windows, doors, trim pieces. The only trick here is to get some paint on the sponge and then remove as much as possible before dabbing the sponge on the parts. Just trying to transfer a little of the gray to to parts. Not paint the parts. I followed this up with some Khaki Tan using the same method.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120203-514792225.jpeg)
Next up I gave everything a coat of Hunterline Weathering Mix Light Gray. Sometimes I use A&I. Here's where I noticed one thing that's different about using the Vallejo Acrylic Model Colors for the doors, windows and trim. When I used Floquil or PollyScale paints for and then dabbed the Dove Gray and Khaki Tan over them (previous step) if I got a little heavy handed with the dabbing I could bring it back in this step by washing away some of the Gray and Tan with the Weathering Mix or A&I. The Floquil or PollyScale was impervious to both. The Vallejo's aren't. So I need to be just a tad more careful with the "Dry sponge" technique.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120203-51480726.jpeg)
Next up I drybrushed everything with some Acrylic Craft paint Ivory White. Just enough to highlight the edges or any raised surfaces.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120203-51481591.jpeg)
Since all the windows are relatively small I used MicroScale Industries Micro Kristal Klear for the glass. Just spread a little over the opening to create a thin film and let it dry.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120203-514822254.jpeg)
I add the corner trim to the wooden walls per the templates. I glued it to the edge longer than necessary.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120203-51483372.jpeg)
Then trimmed the trim to fit using a single edged razor blade.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120259-514842394.jpeg)
More in a moment... ;)
Skipping ahead a bit. I painted the inside of the walls black with a craft store acrylic paint and installed the doors and windows. Next up is to add some window shades. I have a sheet of plain while paper I painted a tan color (probably Floquil Depot Buff). I cut a strip slightly wider than the window openings.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120259-514851615.jpeg)
The lopped of a few pieces. The length isn't particularly important.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120259-514862230.jpeg)
A smidge of glue is applied around the window openings (on the inside of course).
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120259-514871754.jpeg)
Then add the window blind. Vary the amount they're 'drawn' a little so they don't all look uniform.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120259-51488471.jpeg)
Now the wood walls are pretty well finished they can be glued together. I use a square to keep things square. ;)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120401-51489282.jpeg)
Hit Post too early....more in a moment.... :)
When the walls were assembled I added (almost forgot actually) the trim across the top. Like the corner trim I added it longer than necessary.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120401-51490977.jpeg)
Then I trimmed it to fit with a single edge razor blade. After I finished I touched up the cut ends with a the Hunterline Weathering Mix. Yeah, they should be painted the trim color, weathered, etc. but the Weathering Mix does a good enough job hiding the cut ends. ;)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120401-514912019.jpeg)
On the the hydrocal walls. I checked the back of the walls (only the ones that will have the edge of the adjoining walls glued to the back side) and noticed a slight curve to them. So I took them outside and sand the back side as flat as I could get it.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120401-514921901.jpeg)
I did the same for the edge of the side walls that will be glued to the back of the front walls.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120402-514932386.jpeg)
Then I glued the four walls together using two part five minute epoxy. I tried to get everything as square and lined up as I possibly could to minimize the visible joints. One mistake I made was I used my standard method of creating two L shapes and then gluing the two together to form the box. It would have been better, I think, If I had glued the two side walls to the front wall to get the best possible joint in the front and then add the rear wall last where the joints are less likely to be visible.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120451-51494947.jpeg)
Here's my two L's.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120451-514951103.jpeg)
More in a moment.... ;)
I filled in the joints with spackle. First I taped off the joint so I wouldn't fill in the nice brick detail and then applied the spackle.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120452-514962131.jpeg)
There isn't going to be a lot pictures for the painting part. After priming the walls with a rattle can white primer I tried a process of adding layers upon layers of thinned acrylic paints going from lighter, bright shades to darker colors. Brick walls are one of those things I really need to improve my skills on and that's one of the reasons I decided to build this kit. As I added the various colors the idea was to not get a uniform color. Heck, if I want one uniform color I would have just painted it that final color. ;D
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120452-514972121.jpeg)
Next, and this ended up being kind of a wasted step as I'll explain in a moment, I painted individual bricks various colors from light to dark.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120452-51498569.jpeg)
Final picture for today. I tried a couple different methods of adding mortar to the joints. A good place to practice, on this kit, is the section of the wall that the wood structure will end up being glued to. First I tried Hunterline Weathering Mix Cement color. I like the color but it didn't flow into the joints like I had hoped it would and when I wiped it off the surface of the bricks it took the brick colors with it. I ended up using a thin was of an acrylic white/tan mix. That made the surface of the brick walls lighter so I touched them up with some drybrushing of brick colors (mixes of the colors I had previously used) followed by a light wash of A&I.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120514-514991958.jpeg)
I finally got the point where I found the brick color acceptable. Not great but acceptable. I'm going to continue to work on the stone base though. I'll try some more washes and maybe some chalks and/or Pan Pastels until it looks better to my eye. ;)
As always, thanks for following along!
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-201221120514-514991958.jpeg)
Great job Bob. I will probably be building thIs kit when I start on the peninsula. What is the square black hole in the large window?
Bob,
I think the walls look fine. I have several Downtown Deco kits to build. I've been putting them off cause I don't feel comfortable doing the Hydrocal brick thing. I definitely need to come out of my comfort zone and give one a try.
Tom ;D
I've gotten good results messing with gouache (opaque watercolor), I got a cheap student set at Michaels with a 40% coupon. The advantage is that you can easily wash it off if you don't like the result. The disadvantage is that you should seal the results when you do like it, otherwise the gouache could get washed off doing scenery.
dave
Bob great tutorial as usual. I like the brick coloring nice job.
And a nice job on weathering the wood walls.
Always a pleasure following one of your builds.
Jerry
Hey Bob:
Looks like you are moving right along. Looks great so far.
Karl
Looking really neat, Bob.
The brick colour looks completely different from before and after the addition of mortar. I assume thats the AI. I like the finished colour much better. Its nice having the variety of mediums.
Cheers, Mark.
Quote from: PRR Modeler on December 21, 2021, 08:32:15 AM
Great job Bob. I will probably be building thIs kit when I start on the peninsula. What is the square black hole in the large window?
Thanks Curt! This has been a fun one to build so far. Are you referring to the window (square black hole) in the large freight door on the left or something else?
I'll be sure to bring it along to a future SBG get together when they start up again. ;)
Quote from: ACL1504 on December 21, 2021, 09:00:15 AM
Bob,
I think the walls look fine. I have several Downtown Deco kits to build. I've been putting them off cause I don't feel comfortable doing the Hydrocal brick thing. I definitely need to come out of my comfort zone and give one a try.
Tom ;D
Hi Tom! Break out one of those Downtown Deco kits and give it a whirl. They're a lot of fun and the detail is absolutely wonderful. The part I enjoy most is painting them. I start with a base color and then continue to add thin washes of various colors until I settle on something that pleases the eye. All with cheap craft store acrylics.
Quote from: deemery on December 21, 2021, 09:42:22 AM
I've gotten good results messing with gouache (opaque watercolor), I got a cheap student set at Michaels with a 40% coupon. The advantage is that you can easily wash it off if you don't like the result. The disadvantage is that you should seal the results when you do like it, otherwise the gouache could get washed off doing scenery.
dave
Thanks for the tip Dave! I have make a note in my phone to look for that stuff next time I'm in one of the craft stores.
Quote from: Jerry on December 21, 2021, 11:28:48 AM
Bob great tutorial as usual. I like the brick coloring nice job.
And a nice job on weathering the wood walls.
Always a pleasure following one of your builds.
Jerry
Thank you for the kind comment Jerry! More to come. One of these days. ::)
Quote from: postalkarl on December 21, 2021, 06:03:11 PM
Hey Bob:
Looks like you are moving right along. Looks great so far.
Karl
Thanks Karl! Much appreciated. I like the combination of brick and wood on this one.
Quote from: Mark Dalrymple on December 21, 2021, 11:06:44 PM
Looking really neat, Bob.
The brick colour looks completely different from before and after the addition of mortar. I assume thats the AI. I like the finished colour much better. Its nice having the variety of mediums.
Cheers, Mark.
Thank you Mark! Yes, the process went along something like this...looks better, looks better, looks worse, looks better, looks worse..... The trick seems to be stopping at a point where "looks better" is pleasing to my eye. ;D I always struggle a bit with mortar. I want it to be just visible but not overpowering. After the mortar was added the surface of the bricks took far too much of the white so I did do a combo of dry brushing some brick color on it followed by a coat of light A&I to tone it back down.
Nice work on the plaster walls. I have to do something similar - I just have to remember to stop at looks-good-to-me. 8)
BTW the plaster section is from an old Ed Fulasz design (Kit #2½: "The Office"). I have a copy as produced by Jimmy.
--Rich
Quote from: richbeau on December 22, 2021, 12:00:19 PM
Nice work on the plaster walls. I have to do something similar - I just have to remember to stop at looks-good-to-me. 8)
BTW the plaster section is from an old Ed Fulasz design (Kit #2½: "The Office"). I have a copy as produced by Jimmy.
--Rich
Thanks Rich! Sorry for taking so long to respond to this one. The plaster castings in this kit are nice. :D
Okay. It's time to wrap this one up so I can at least start on my Challenge build before Dr. Jeff gets to Act 4. ;D
I applied a little bit of AK Interactive Moss deposits to the bottom of the structure and then washed it off with some thinner to just give a hint of growth around the base where things remain damp. Since a loading dock will hide the base I figured that's a good place to start so I can get comfortable with the process before I get to the parts that will be visible.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-220122111923-51764691.jpeg)
Time for the roofs. I applied 3M Transfer Tape to the top of the roof cards and trimmed it to size with an X-Acto.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-220122111923-517661207.jpeg)
I cut 3' wide strips of roofing paper (Stoney Creek Designs - the same stuff Tom used on his Red Bird Taxi build only green instead of red) and then sanded the edge from the backside to give it a little bit of an uneven/tattered/worn appearance.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-220122111924-517671851.jpeg)
When I had enough strips of roofing material ready I peeled off the backing of the transfer tape to expose the sticky roof card.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-220122111924-517682382.jpeg)
Then I applied the roofing material starting at the bottom edge and working my way up overlapping each strip slightly.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-220122111924-51769999.jpeg)
Then I flipped the structure over and trimmed the strips with a pair of scissors. I left a little bit of the strip to fold down over the edge slightly. Not prototypical, I know, but I like the look.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-220122112038-517702236.jpeg)
More in a moment... ;)
I used the 3M transfer tape on the loading dock as well to apply the planks.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-220122112038-517712178.jpeg)
The planks were applied longer than needed and then trimmed to fit after the fact with a single edged razor blade.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-220122112038-51772107.jpeg)
Normally I drill/cut a hole in the roof for the chimney but the roof card on the plaster cast structure was thicker than normal, so I opted to cut the base of the chimney casting at an angle to match the pitch of the roof instead. I used an old pair of rail nippers to cut the casting and then a file to smooth it out. Surprisingly I got it close enough just eyeballing it.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-220122112038-517731985.jpeg)
Here's the finished structure. I opted to add some lights over the doors but none inside.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-220122112038-51774427.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-220122112123-517751886.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-220122112124-517761597.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/56-220122112124-51777659.jpeg)
Thanks for following along! This was a fun little kit and I think it'll look great when it's in place with some track and rolling stock around it. ;) Now to crack open that challenge build kit!
Great build Bob. Another top notch effort. What's the purpose of the square hole in the door?
Pretty cool..... sir
Thanx
Bob
Very nice , and lighting always does it for me, wonderful.
Nice job, Bob. Especially like the brick and stone work. And yes, I'm already working on Act IV. ;D
Jeff
Quote from: PRR Modeler on January 22, 2022, 12:10:23 PM
Great build Bob. Another top notch effort. What's the purpose of the square hole in the door?
Thanks Curt! That square hole is just a window. No idea why Doug decided only one door would have a window but I'm sure there's a prototype for it somewhere. ;)
Quote from: bparrish on January 22, 2022, 02:16:25 PM
Pretty cool..... sir
Thanx
Bob
Thank you Bob! Glad you stopped on by to check it out. :D
Quote from: Janbouli on January 22, 2022, 03:15:30 PM
Very nice , and lighting always does it for me, wonderful.
Thanks Jan! I almost didn't do the lighting on this one. At the last minute I thought it would look better with some outside ligthing. 8)
Quote from: Zephyrus52246 on January 22, 2022, 04:08:42 PM
Nice job, Bob. Especially like the brick and stone work. And yes, I'm already working on Act IV. ;D
Jeff
Thank you Jeff! The brick turned out close to what I wanted and I'm happy with it. I need to do some more masonry structures. My challenge build (Act I of I) will be a large brick structure. ;)
Very nice build Bob, as per your usual !!
The stone and wood structures play nicely off of each other, and your paint scheme compliments the look.
The exterior lighting adds a wonderful touch as well.
I've got this one on the shelf and will refer back to your thread when I get to tackle mine.
All the best,
--Paul
Another A+! Wonderful tutorial as usual.
Looking forward to your challenge build.
Jerry
Splendid job, Bob.
Looks great.
Cheers, Mark.
Nicely done.
Quote from: PaulS on January 23, 2022, 10:01:14 AM
Very nice build Bob, as per your usual !!
The stone and wood structures play nicely off of each other, and your paint scheme compliments the look.
The exterior lighting adds a wonderful touch as well.
I've got this one on the shelf and will refer back to your thread when I get to tackle mine.
All the best,
--Paul
Thank you Paul! Good to hear from you. You'll enjoy this one. It's a nice little kit and should look great on your layout. :D
Quote from: Jerry on January 23, 2022, 10:33:39 AM
Another A+! Wonderful tutorial as usual.
Looking forward to your challenge build.
Jerry
Thanks Jerry! I need to place an order for some lighting circuits for my challenge build but I did get started on it. New thread to be started whenever I get around resizing and uploading the pictures. ::)
Quote from: Mark Dalrymple on January 23, 2022, 12:55:45 PM
Splendid job, Bob.
Looks great.
Cheers, Mark.
Thank you Mark! I'm happy with the way it turned out. Now to find a place to stash it until I need it someday. ;D
Quote from: Oldguy on January 24, 2022, 10:48:02 AM
Nicely done.
Thank you Bob! Appreciate having you follow along and comment. :D
hey Bob:
that came out quite nicely.
Karl
Quote from: postalkarl on January 25, 2022, 05:17:29 PM
hey Bob:
that came out quite nicely.
Karl
Thanks Karl! A lot of the credit has to go to Doug for putting out such a great little kit and for inspiration as well. Kudos to Ed Fulasz as well since the hydrocal walls are based on one of his original kit designs.
Nice work. Such an interesting little structure...good idea using the "roof" tape on the decking...I need to open my mind like that
John