Well, I've had some vacant real estate on the layout for some time. Been playing with possibilities and letting ideas simmer, so it's time to move forward. I bought a Walther's kit, Reliable warehouse and storage.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-250224172814-52446488.jpeg)
After testing my plan with a cardstock mockup, I split the model in two, using the front and back to create two buildings:
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-250224172814-52449827.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-250224172815-524501573.jpeg)
As you can see, I just did a basic paint job on these brick surfaces, with a wash to age the surface and bring out the details. I'm going to give you a Cliff Notes version of this build thread, because there are some of the folks on here who do such a marvelous job of the play by play details of their projects. You can see some of how I reinforced these structures:
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-250224172815-52451960.jpeg)
I spray painted the interior of the wall with rattle can black. I have no plans to light these, but it makes the walls less translucent. There is a base plate for the structure, but it is just the outline of the walls. After I cut it in half, to make it more sturdy, I glued it to a piece of 1/8" craft plywood. After the walls were fastened I added a scrap of 1/2" plywood cut to fit inside the walls. This give the assembly more weight down low.
I like the finish you achieved on both buildings. The front and rear of the structure are different enough I would not have realized they were from the same kit. Adding the plywood to add some weight and stability is a good idea (and one I may borrow).
Nice job on the brick painting. As someone mentioned there is enough difference in the 2 sides to allow you to get 2 buildings out of the kit.
Looks good Rollin..... 8)
Nice weathering on the background structures.
Jeff
As you saw in the picture above, the 'back' side of the warehouse has a loading dock. It needs to fit up against the rail siding, so the roof must be wider. I added a piece of styrene to the half of the roof, thus:
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-230324165531-524961735.jpeg)
I had a scrap piece of heavy paper with an embossed texture, so that will serve for roofing
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-230324165532-524972415.jpeg)
Some shortcuts save time and are "good enuf" for now.
Nice work there, Rollin
Terry
The rest of the background is provided by a FOS kit that includes three structures
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-230324165532-524981086.jpeg)
I wanted this to be a little taller, so I made an exposed foundation, after all this is the back of the building. I used some printed texture of a block wall, and made a bulkhead (cellar door) out of pieces from the scrap box.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-230324165532-524991726.jpeg)
I appreciate that folks are checking out this thread and thanks for the comments. I've been sort of teasing about this being just background buildings, because they are the background for a new neighborhood. Here's a sneak peak at the larger area:
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-230324165532-525001265.jpeg)
I really like that mocked-up town, both the mock-ups, and the result.
dave
It's going to be a real nice neighborhood, and there are several reasons why it HAD to start out as mockups. The neighborhood has a name, given to it by the designers.
FOS called it Axle Road. It was the limited edition kit for 2022.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-010424043155.jpeg)
My wife gave me this kit for Christmas in 2022, when we were in the middle of our move, having sold our home in Florida and moved to Ohio. At that point in time, we were still house hunting for a new place. The modules that survived from my shelf layout in the garage were packed in a POD.
When we finally found a house, and moved in, slowly I started planning what to do in my basement. I have always liked the process of mocking up a new kit, and it's very easy to do. Just lay the walls on your scanner, hit COPY, and glue the pages to some cardboard. Cut out the pieces, hold them together with tape, maybe use some scrap wood for a base.
Now start playing with the 'dollhouses', see how they can be arranged, all while the valuable kit parts themselves stay safely packed away.
Looking good, Rollin.
You should have fun with that 2022 kit. Will be good to see it made up. I use the same process when kitbashing, except I print off 3 copies of each wall and then take to them with scissors. You can cut and sellotape together to your hearts content and the walls remain brand new until you are happy with your design and you have a clear plan of attack.
Cheers, Mark.
Looks pretty good so far. After I finally get my first town done, there's another to be built. I think doing the mockups is a great idea, instead of moving the finished structures again and again.
Jeff
Hello Rollin, that will be quite an impressive town when done. That big FOS kit will take some work, but the end result will be worth all the effort.
Yup, this impressive and done the right way.
Axle Road has a total of 9 and a half buildings, the half is a fenced-in storage yard between two structures. My intended footprint includes all but one of these structures. The instructions take you thru these one by one, starting with some of the smaller, simpler builds. I'm usually working on two of these at once, so I can have assemblies or paint drying while I work on another section. For simplicity and continuity, let me present these one at a time.
The first one we'll look at is Krug Auto Collision. Here's the cardboard mockup next to the actual walls:
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-050424130912-525012445.jpeg)
With bracing applied:
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-050424130912-525042500.jpeg)
Now we'll do a quick application of A&I wash:
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-050424130912-525051466.jpeg)
After sponge painting the walls, I used my magnetic jig to keep things square:
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-050424130913-5250647.jpeg)
It can be a little tricky when you have an inside corner to glue that leaves a section hanging out:
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-050424130913-525071544.jpeg)
This little wing where the front door is located had no bracing and really wanted to curl up before it was attached to the small side wall.
Hello Rollin, you're off to a great start. Don't you love the magnetic jig ? I use mine all the time and can't believe how I used to assemble walls before I got it.
More positioning in the magnetic jig gets all the walls:
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-050424131040-5250838.jpeg)
You can see how the little extension joins the main building with a tab into a slot on the wall
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-050424131040-52509684.jpeg)
The windows in the back are plastic, but the front is made of layers of chipboard, as is the big door. Add some signage and the whole effect is pretty good. ( The roof has not been glued in place yet.)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-180424213136-52520755.jpeg)
The next building up is the Dixie Cafe. It's a very simple wedge shape. Here are the walls
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-180424213136-525211243.jpeg)
There's a vey big painted sign to put on one wall, and the roof has a lot of interesting detail. The vent is a casting, and the Air conditioner is a 3D printed part. Also a 3D sign which mounts on some thin frames. Just like Jeff and his gas station signs, I'm going to set that aside for installation much later.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-180424213137-52522371.jpeg)
The flat roof only overhangs the wall by a fraction, and it just felt too thin. So when I was adding bracing to keep it nice and flat, I decided to add some extra trim along the edge.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-180424213137-525241528.jpeg)
I really like how this gives some definition to the edge of the roof. Also, the sign on the side of the building looks about right after I treated it with a light wash of white paint. Just faded enough!
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-180424213137-525232084.jpeg)
Came out great. Love the roof and the wall signs.
Jim
Well done Rollin.....is the HVAC package unit for the roof from a manufacturer or did you do it yourself? 8)
Quote from: GPdemayo on April 25, 2024, 07:47:10 AMWell done Rollin.....is the HVAC package unit for the roof from a manufacturer or did you do it yourself? 8)
There is one small box in the Axle Road kit that contains all the 3D printed parts, from a very large roof assembly to very fine detail parts. The AC unit is one of these.
Time to catch up a bit...
On these small structures, I'm usually working on two at once, just so I can keep going while paint or glue dries...
The next ones are Warren Radio and Bergen Glass. They form a block with the Krug building.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-240524090758-52626619.jpeg)
Bergen is a simple structure. I did use a two tone paint scheme to give it more interest
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-240524090758-526252414.jpeg)
Warren Radio is much more interesting. It has a stucco portion, plus a wing that may have been added later that has brick walls. So we get to try some different techniques with this build, which is one of the reasons a mega kit like this is both a challenge, and a delight.
There is a powder provided by FOS that will create the stucco texture. (I have seen on the forum where some people have achieved this using water putty.) Mix this powder with just enough water to create a slurry. Too much water and the texture will be runny. Apply this to the composite board which is the base, and it looks like this:
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-240524090758-52624190.jpeg)
The brick side wing starts with a piece that has the bricks laser etched. There is a front wall and a back wall, plus another section that goes to another structure. Start by painting the base coat, which is the underlying bricks, which I made burnt orange.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-240524090759-526271777.jpeg)
Then, using the other colors shown above, I picked out individual bricks in a random pattern. When dry, we seal this with a spray on clear coat. Finally, a dark wash was applied to tone everything down and blend it. I wanted this part of the building to look really grimy. It turned out like this
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/714-240524091059-526312045.jpeg)
I like how the bricks came out. The stucco looks pretty good as well.
Jeff
Rollin,
Can't wait to see more progress photos of your project. There's some mighty fine structures to see.
Tommy