The Modeler's Forum

Hi guys, and happy new year!

I've been waiting for this challenge to start.  I have been thinking about what I might do this year - with the hope of actually finishing!  I have been gathering materials, locating kits and forming a plan.  I have also been getting ready for a 2fatpossums (our modelling group) two day modelling session coming up this Thursday and Friday.  I'm hoping to make some good progress on this project then.

My project this year is another large seafood processing plant for Tellynott.  The signage is named after that which I found on the small company at Jacksons Bay, South Westland, New Zealand, just before Christmas.  I have switched the name Tellynott with Jackson's Bay.  I like having Fiordland in the name, as it helps set the locale when viewing the layout.  As the plan shows, the site for this winter challenge is an unusual shape.  This is because I have to fit it around existing scenery and structures.  Indeed, I have to join the large bash to both my previously built Walthers Sugar Refinery bash and the end wall to the Creamoata diorama which I built from a DPM M. T. Arms Hotel kit.

Photo 1 - So here is my quick sketch of a plan - the measurements are accurate.  I'll start off with the three kitbashes, and hopefully have time to do the scratchbuild as well.  Living in New Zealand, I did the measurements using centimetres.  It is an odd shape, as I have to fit it around my layout, but it all fits within the parameters with a total of 1775.56 square centimetres (275.21").  I have allowed extra space around the scratchbuilt structure for scenery and also an area in front of the Atlas Middlesex kitbash.  All my dimensions and workings are on the plan.
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Photo 2 - Here is the site on my layout viewed from the right.  You can see it fits against the Creamoata diorama at right and will be joined to the Walther's Sugar refinery kitbash at left centre.  The walls of the Atlas Middlesex Manufacturing and Walther's Front Street Warehouse are sitting in position to help me visualise the finished bash and help me form a kitbashing plan.
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Photo 3 - Here is the site from the front.  This shows the main part of the scratchbuild shown as a cardboard mockup.  There is a further tower to left.
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Photo 4 - Shows the Walther's kit box.
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Photo 5 - Shows the Atlas kit box.
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Photo 6 - Shows the Design Preservation Models M. T. Arms Hotel kit.  I will be using the back wall from two of these kits.  I also have two of the Atlas kits, but will likely only use one.
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More soon, cheers, Mark.

This will be fun to watch!

dave

Mark, Cheers,

I'm in the front row with my Diet Pepsi. 

Tom

This should be really interesting.

Jerry

Thanks, Dave, Tom and Jerry. 

I agree, it should be a lot of fun!

Photo 1 - Shows the view from the left end.  A couple of things to note here.  The building to the left will be raised up to allow for loading docks.  The paper photocopy of the building at back left has a road in front of it.  This road will disappear into the kitbash and I will need to make a cutout and add a beam to allow for this.  As a result, a large part of this side wall will not be visible - which is a good thing because I only have one of this kit and I'm figuring with the added height and 6-story section at back, I will need it all!
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Photo 2 - The plan of attack.  My quick sketch plans are often drawn on whatever is handy.  In this case it was the kit instruction sheet.  You can see my cutting plan at top, the front wall splices to the right and the left and right wall splices at middle and bottom left.  I will use 1.5mm styrene for the unseen section of the left wall.
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More soon, cheers, Mark.

I've scanned wall sides and printed the results to get some planning templates.  Most recently (last year's build) I did that with a South River kit to figure out how to rearrange the wall pieces to get a longer building where the back wall would not be visible. 

Mounting those templates onto foamcore and taping them together was a pretty good way to get 3d mock-ups.

dave

Quote from: deemery on January 06, 2026, 02:34:21 PMI've scanned wall sides and printed the results to get some planning templates.  Most recently (last year's build) I did that with a South River kit to figure out how to rearrange the wall pieces to get a longer building where the back wall would not be visible. 

Mounting those templates onto foamcore and taping them together was a pretty good way to get 3d mock-ups.

dave

Hi Dave.

Yes - I often do this.  You can see the photocopied kit walls in the last photo.  We don't have a scanner at present and it is summer school holidays here, so My wife isn't going into school where there is a room full of scanners and photocopy machines.  I've got a pretty good idea of what I am doing, so don't foresee too many problems in the general shape and design.  I decided designing with kit walls would suffice in this situation.

Cheers, Mark.

Mark nice project and looking forward watching you add your twist on things.

Quote from: Mark Dalrymple on January 06, 2026, 11:52:22 PMI decided designing with kit walls would suffice in this situation.

There's less risk when using styrene walls during design/mock-up than with the old plaster walls from SRMW and other plaster kits.  Every time I touched one of those walls, I lived in fear that I'd drop it!   :o   (If you remember the big Colorado Midland roundhouse project I did about 15 years ago, I did have some damage to some of the plaster walls.  Fortunately, they cracked, rather than shattered.)

dave

Thanks for joining the Winter Challenge Mark;

You've outlined an ambitious project! It will be educational watching it come together, great start. FYI the wife and I love New Zealand, one of the best trips we have ever taken. 

Jim

Mark; This is an ambitious project, will enjoy seeing it progress.

Quote from: Jim Donovan on January 07, 2026, 12:36:40 PMThanks for joining the Winter Challenge Mark;

You've outlined an ambitious project! It will be educational watching it come together, great start. FYI the wife and I love New Zealand, one of the best trips we have ever taken.

Jim

Thanks, Jim.

Just before Christmas my wife and I did a wonderful drive down to Haast via the Haast Pass where we spent four days exploring the area before driving up the West Coast and across Arthurs Pass.  The scenery was spectacular, and is also the locale of my Shadowlands and Tellynott layout.  We did lots of forest walks, I took hundreds of photos and also collected some scenery materials for modelling.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: KentuckySouthern on January 07, 2026, 12:39:58 PMMark; This is an ambitious project, will enjoy seeing it progress.

Thanks, Karl.

I'm about to leave for our two day modelling meet.  Hoping to make some good progress on the project, and have a great time with friends!

Cheers, Mark.

 8)

Hi guys.

Nice to have you looking in, Philip.

I got some good progress done yesterday.  I only have a few minutes before I have to leave for day two of our modelling meet, so a quick update.

Photo 1 - I started with the Walthers kitbash.  Here are the two front walls cut, sanded and spliced together.
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Photo 2 - Here is the right side.
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Photo 3 - Here is the left side.  I have cut out the hole for the road to go through.  I used 1.5mm styrene for the unseen section.   I buy this in large sheets (approximately 4.5'x2.5') from a local plastic manufacturer.  One sheet costs around $15US.
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Photo 4 - Like I said, things were tight.  Here are my leftovers.  I may still use the basement sections for below my Atlas kitbash.  All gluing was done on a piece of glass with some lunch paper between the glass and the wall, using medium viscosity CA.
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More soon, cheers, Mark.

Mark nice start on your build.

Mark,

You have made some great progress in the kitbash.  I really had to look to see where the seams were.  Looking forward to see the next update.

Quote from: Larry C on January 08, 2026, 05:06:46 PMMark nice start on your build.

Thanks, Larry.

I got a chunk more done today.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: elwoodblues on January 08, 2026, 07:33:13 PMMark,

You have made some great progress in the kitbash.  I really had to look to see where the seams were.  Looking forward to see the next update.

Thanks, Ron.

Next update soon.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Photo 1 - Here is the basic shell put together viewed from the left.
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Photo 2 - A view from the right.
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Photo 3 - One from behind.  You can see in this photo I cut the length of the base down and spliced back together.  I have also added stripwood supports for one of the mid floor supports.
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Photo 4 - A view from the left again.  I made up an I-beam and two studs to support the building above the roadway from some bridge girders.  The mid floors have been added and painted black.  I always sand my sheet plastic before any application to give it good tooth for painting.  Mistake of the day - I wanted to add a top plastic support to hold the top of the fourth story walls nice and rigid for painting, before adding the roof.  I had forgotten that my hand would not be small enough to get in this one-story cubbyhole for window installation.  The four story wall heights were slightly out after the splicing and so I added thin styrene shims to the top of the walls to correct.  These will be under the eves and so the fact that there will be no bricks here will never be seen. 
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Photo 5 - Taping the corners for putty.  If you look carefully you can see I have cut a rectangular hole in the fourth floor to allow my hand access from the two floors below.  This would have been far easier on the cutting board before installation, but a dremel and a small saw got the job done.  I also added vertical timbers between the windows from the basement to floor one and from floor 2 to floor four.  There is also a support at the top of level 6, and one cut for level 4 behind the stepped back front wall.
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Photo 6 - A closer view of the structure.  It is nice and rigid now.  I will add further vertical supports for the upper two stories.  The back wall is cut, but wont be installed until after the windows and glazing is installed.  I will add vertical timberwork for this, too.  I will likely leave this back wall removable.
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More soon, cheers, Mark.

Mark,

You have made a lot of progress the past two days.  That is one big building.

Great start. I like the idea of sanding the sheet plastic to help keep the paint on.

Jim

Mark, Cheers,

This will be a great addition to the layout. I'm on the front row for this one.

Tom

Mark that certainly is one large building. I can see lots and lots and lots of windows going into this; should be very impressive to view.

Quote from: elwoodblues on January 09, 2026, 10:52:01 PMMark,

You have made a lot of progress the past two days.  That is one big building.

Thanks, Ron.

I have more progress to add yet.  I typically get a lot done on our 2fatpossums modelling weekends.  I like to start a new project that I can really sink my teeth into, so the timing of the challenge was perfect.  We have another meet booked in for the start of March.  We are getting the tail end of the Ozzy heat wave here in NZ this weekend.  Nowhere near as bas as Victoria (up to 45degrees Celsius), but enough to keep me inside for most of the day and get a bit more modelling done!

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Jim Donovan on January 10, 2026, 08:29:14 AMGreat start. I like the idea of sanding the sheet plastic to help keep the paint on.

Jim

Thanks, Jim.

It also makes the plastic far easier to mark with a fine pencil.  I don't know if you have access to a plastic manufacturer by you, but it is so much cheaper than buying evergreen or plastistruct sheet products.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: ACL1504 on January 10, 2026, 10:40:08 AMMark, Cheers,

This will be a great addition to the layout. I'm on the front row for this one.

Tom

Thanks, Tom.

Great to have you along for the ride, diet pepsi in hand!  Yes - it is a large gap that will be filled in.  The left end of this structure is at the very end of module 2.  I'll have to remember that when it comes time to work on the next structure to the left.  The scratchbuilt section also crosses the module join.  I may make the enclosed elevator between the main building and the tower removable.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Larry C on January 10, 2026, 02:37:10 PMMark that certainly is one large building. I can see lots and lots and lots of windows going into this; should be very impressive to view.

Thanks, Larry.

Yes - the windows for this build got a wash and primer spray yesterday evening.  There are brick inserts for some of the window openings that I will also use.  My plan is to paint them a different colour to the rest of the structure to show the passing of time and alterations and developments to the complex.  That is why I didn't glue them in before priming.  The Atlas kit only comes with a few brick window inserts - which is a shame.  I would like a lot more.  That building also has a lot of windows.  Being on a separate sheet and being able to insert them after painting makes the painting much easier.  The DPM M. T. Arms Hotel kit will be the real challenge to paint.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Photo 1 - Here are the back walls from two DPM M. T. Arms Hotel kits.
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Photo 2 - Here you can see I have cut the cornice off one kit wall and spliced this to the bottom of the other kit wall.  I have then cut a section off at left to be the front wall (the left end of these walls has the brick patten embossed around the corner).  I did another vertical cut to fabricate the left wall.
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Photo 3 - Here are the two fabricated walls glued together with a 1.5mm styrene foundation added.  Cuts were started using a foot long steel ruler and kraft knife and then completed with a Tamiya plastic scriber.  I am holding the kitbash in position on my layout against the end of the Creamoata diorama to which it will eventually be attached.
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Photo 4 - Here is a bottom and top wall from the Atlas Middlesex Manufacturing kit taped together.  I have positioned one of the end walls behind the top wall at left, which is what I intend to use to lengthen the wall.
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Photo 5 - Shows the elevator shaft walls from one kit.  My intention is to splice the walls from two elevator shafts together vertically to create an eight story shaft.
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Photo 6 - Test fitting and checking out the appearances.
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More soon, cheers, Mark.

I think Middlesex Mfg is one of the all time great kitbashing kits.  I always enjoy seeing big buildings and good kitbashes. 

dave

Mark that's quite the building. Your imagineering techniques are really good; but I think you'll be seeing windows in your sleep after this build.

YIPES Mark !!!!! :o  At the rate you going you are going to be finished in a week.  ;D

That is one huge building.  I just moved my chair closer to the front.

Quote from: elwoodblues on January 11, 2026, 07:37:47 PMYIPES Mark !!!!! :o  At the rate you going you are going to be finished in a week.  ;D

That is one huge building.  I just moved my chair closer to the front.

All but the window glazing :-(  

dave

Quote from: deemery on January 11, 2026, 04:02:22 PMI think Middlesex Mfg is one of the all time great kitbashing kits.  I always enjoy seeing big buildings and good kitbashes.

dave

Thanks, Dave.

Its very handy having such big walls.  It means a lot less splicing together.  My favourite so far would be the Heljan brewery and malt house.  I've created two large kitbashes on my layout from one kit and I still have walls left over.  The Walthers American Hardware co. is another good one.  Like the DPM M T Arms hotel, it has two walls of one design and two walls of another.  I find these sorts of kits very versatile, especially if you buy two of them.  Milwaukee beer and ale is another good one.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Larry C on January 11, 2026, 06:01:55 PMMark that's quite the building. Your imagineering techniques are really good; but I think you'll be seeing windows in your sleep after this build.

Thanks, Larry.

I guess it makes a change from sheep!

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: elwoodblues on January 11, 2026, 07:37:47 PMYIPES Mark !!!!! :o  At the rate you going you are going to be finished in a week.  ;D

That is one huge building.  I just moved my chair closer to the front.

Thanks, Ron.

Never fear - the painting will take a lot longer!

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Photo 1 - Shows the splice of the end wall to the front and back wall.  Whenever I splice a wall that has a 45degree chamfer on it I tack the walls together and then lay a bead of plastic rod in the rebate.  More CA is then added to create a strong bond.
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Photo 2 - The foundation sections were cut off one group of three walls and then three 8-story walls were created.  These were then glued together.  I fabricated some square pieces of 1.5mm styrene and glued between all the floors to keep the tower square and true (two of these are visible in photo 3).  I fabricated a brick insert to lay in the door opening on the fifth floor of the main wall.  The elevator tower was then glued to the main wall.  I cut the small piece of roof off the main roof piece and trimmed the cornice for a good fit.
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Photo 3 - Problem number two.  This kit, like most plastic kits, is not designed with painting in mind.  Indeed, most people building a kit like this assemble it in factory colours and simply place it on the layout.  Windows and glazing are glued in place before adding the tower to the main wall.  I wanted to prime and paint the entire structure before adding windows.  This meant there would be no access to install the windows to the tower after it had been glued to the main wall.  Again, I used a small drill to drill holes in the corners of 8 openings and used a knife, scriber and dremel to remove the plastic from the main wall behind the elevator tower windows.  In this photo you can see I have removed the bottom five pieces.
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Photo 4 - Here I have used my razor saw to cut a vertical line through the cornice and a chisel blade to remove the excess.  This is to fit the side wall from the M T Arms Hotel kitbash.
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More soon, cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Below is a bit of background about how this diorama fits into my layout's imagined reality.
We recently when on a short holiday to visit the locale of my Shadowlands and Tellynott Railroad.  It is something I have been wanting to do for a long time.  It is a beautiful part of the world, with one of the highest annual rainfalls, and this leads to a land cloaked in a thousand different shades of green.

Photo 1 - Shows the bridge over the Arawhata River, a few miles before Jacksons Bay.  This is the sort of river valley I can imagine my geared locomotives chuffing through as they embark on the 4% ruling grades.  At the far side of this river was a shingle road that went a further 20km south, as far as it is possible to drive south in South Westland.
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Philosophy

Tellynott is my representation of Jacksons Bay, South Westland, New Zealand, and what might have been if the 1870's settlement had progressed as first intended.  A haphazard town has developed on the steep terrain surrounding the bay and Tellynott has become the hub for the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand.  It is the closest port to Australia, the closest port to the Haast Pass, the lowest pass across the Southern Alps, and surrounded by seas with great fishing.  Fiordland is some 80 kilometres south of Tellynott, and the waters between are home to the Fiordland crayfish (New Zealand Southern Rock Lobster).  This delicacy is highly prized for its exceptionally sweet and succulent meat.  The Tasman Sea is also abounded with plentiful supplies of Tarakihi, Blue Cod, Snapper and Hoki.  Salmon and Trout were introduced to local rivers in the area, and these are brought to the plant along with whitebait by rail.  Shellfish and Oysters are also harvested and processed at the plant.  In my fictional story the Tellynott depot of the Fiordland Rock Lobster company was first constructed in the early 1880's.  The original structure has been kept and is the timber structure by the sea (hopefully I will have time to scratchbuild this structure as part of this years challenge).  The saltwater environment has been harsh over the past 50 years, and this old wooden structure is rather run down.  As the company expanded, various other buildings were built or acquired over time.  This created a bit of a hodgepodge appearance, with various aerial walkways and small extensions clinging to the side of some of these larger structures.  As my layout is set in the early 1930's, Shadowlands is still in a deep depression, and so things are generally pretty run down.

Photo 2 - A view of the Tasman Sea from Jacksons Bay, over the grave of one of the original settlers.
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Photo 3 - A panoramic photo of Jacksons Bay from the wharf.  This wharf was supposed to be built in the 1870's but finally arrived some 60+ years late.  In my alternative reality this wharf was built as the government of the day promised, leading to a thriving settlement.  Those steep hills covered in forest is where my town of Tellynott is located.
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Photo 4 - The sign which spawned an idea.  You can see the actual Jacksons Bay depot of the Fiordland Rock Lobster Company is somewhat smaller than my version.  But I really liked the 'Fiordland' name helping place my layout locale.  Everyone knows where Fiordland is!
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Photo 5 - A view of the Cascade River at the end of the 20km Jacksons River Road, over the martyr Pass.  The Hermitage Swamp is one of the largest unmodified wetlands in New Zealand and produces abundant whitebait.  This used to be flown to markets by small aircraft.
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The Walther's Fireproof Warehouse kit came with a good number of brick inserts for the openings.  I will paint these a different colour from the rest of the kit to help give the feel of change over time, as if a different brick was used at a later date to brick over the windows.  I will add various scratchbuilt aerial walkways suspended from the side of some of the structures to help convey this history of change.  Painting and weathering will employ techniques to accentuate the age and hard life of the structures and the salt air.

I feel that larger industries appear more realistic on a layout and provide more realistic operation.  I will apply this ideal to the Tellynott depot of the Fiordland Rock Lobster Company by joining together various structures with aerial elevators and walkovers.  This will visually connect the different buildings within the complex, making it appear a much larger industry, and also give a sense of logic to the diorama.  I'm still researching the time appropriate processing methods of the various seafood and river foods, and appropriate details will be added as the scene develops.  This sense of logic expands into my wider layout, with a lot of thought put into the logic of the roads in Tellynott.  Indeed, this is the reason for a road disappearing 'through' the back of this Walther's kitbash.  I also spent several hours working on the track design to get aesthetically pleasing spurs to service the industry.

Photo 6 - Inspiration for the suspended walkways hanging on the side of the larger structures.
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More soon, cheers, Mark.

Mark,

Beautiful photos and a great explanation about the planning that went into your layout.  As I'm sure you know, I'm a big fan!

Nice background information about your project. Looking at Fiordland here and elsewhere on the net makes me think about visiting NZ, but so far I've never been south of the equator in those longitudes.

When I join styrene wall panels edge-to-edge, I fill the joint with tube (model airplane) styrene cement, perhaps placing a styrene sheet reinforcement over it.

Quote from: jbvb on January 16, 2026, 11:56:40 AMNice background information about your project. Looking at Fiordland here and elsewhere on the net makes me think about visiting NZ, but so far I've never been south of the equator in those longitudes.

I've been down the west coast of South Island, although not as far south as Mark's layout.  It's absolutely worth the journey.  

dave

Quote from: jerryrbeach on January 16, 2026, 09:57:44 AMMark,

Beautiful photos and a great explanation about the planning that went into your layout.  As I'm sure you know, I'm a big fan!

Thank you for your kind words, Jerry.

I was trying to give context to the diorama I am building for this challenge.  Question one asks about your philosophy, approach and techniques used when building your diorama.  I felt I needed to set the scene in order to show the thinking behind my actions.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: jbvb on January 16, 2026, 11:56:40 AMNice background information about your project. Looking at Fiordland here and elsewhere on the net makes me think about visiting NZ, but so far I've never been south of the equator in those longitudes.

When I join styrene wall panels edge-to-edge, I fill the joint with tube (model airplane) styrene cement, perhaps placing a styrene sheet reinforcement over it.

Thanks, James.

Keep an eye on my layout thread.  I'm updating again and I will be adding a few photos from our trip.  I took 688 photos while away!  There certainly wont be that many, but I think it is good to set the scene of where my fictional layout resides in my alternative history.

Cheers, Mark.

Certainly an interesting project with all the cutting up of kit walls to make something new.
Great design and what you've done so far looks very good.

Quote from: Rick on January 16, 2026, 03:50:30 PMCertainly an interesting project with all the cutting up of kit walls to make something new.
Great design and what you've done so far looks very good.

Thanks, Rick.

I do enjoy cutting up kits and making something new!  Plodding away at things.  It was a bit too windy at the dog show today to make much progress.  I got some windows glazed ready for installation.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Philosophy continued

Another big part of my approach to my structure modelling is to try to always think of my kits as a box of bits.  This includes, to some degree, craftsman kits.  I try to change everything I build significantly from what is intended to create something unique.  I kitbash, kitmingle and scratchbuild.  I often use prototype photos as inspiration and then try to think of kits I own that resemble that look, and then go about cutting those kits up and splicing them back together to create a 'feel' that gets me close.  Planning is usually done with scissors, cardboard and sellotape and photocopies of the kit walls.

Back to the build

Photo 1 - Test fitting to see how things are looking.  The Walther's kitbash has been primed with grey primer.
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Photo 2 - A view from the original structure at the shoreline.  This shot shows a little of the lower tower and angled covered conveyer.  This will be a fun little scratchbuild.  I hope I can find the time!
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Photo 3 - In a little closer.  I'm holding the DPM kitbash in place.
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Photo 4 - Paint colours going on.  I decided on Josonja's burnt umber for the main colour.  I wanted a dark colour to contrast nicely with the brick inserts.  I smeared in a bit of red ochre and mars black as I painted.  I used a large round brush and wiped most of the paint off.
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Photo 5 - I painted the brick inserts with the Studio Acrylics red ochre mixed with varying amounts of Reeves mars black for variation.
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Photo 6 - After gluing in the brick inserts I went about picking out a few bricks here and there in darker and lighter shades.
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More soon, cheers, Mark.

That's coming along really well.  I like the dark brick on the main structure walls, that's something I wouldn't have thought to try.

dave

Quote from: deemery on January 18, 2026, 04:59:08 PMThat's coming along really well.  I like the dark brick on the main structure walls, that's something I wouldn't have thought to try.

dave

Even the oldest coots among us barely remember when everything burned coal, from the local gasworks and electric power plant to the downtown businesses to everyone's house. My layout's structures probably aren't dirty enough for 1950, though maybe much of the winter soot would have washed off the houses by August.

Quote from: deemery on January 18, 2026, 04:59:08 PMThat's coming along really well.  I like the dark brick on the main structure walls, that's something I wouldn't have thought to try.

dave

Thanks, Dave.

I tried this colour on a much smaller structure on my layout a few years back.  After grout was added I really liked the way it came out.  So I thought I would try it on something bigger.  I'm planning on doing the Large Atlas kitbash a more classic brick colour.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: jbvb on January 18, 2026, 05:51:46 PM

Quote from: deemery on January 18, 2026, 04:59:08 PMThat's coming along really well.  I like the dark brick on the main structure walls, that's something I wouldn't have thought to try.

dave

Even the oldest coots among us barely remember when everything burned coal, from the local gasworks and electric power plant to the downtown businesses to everyone's house. My layout's structures probably aren't dirty enough for 1950, though maybe much of the winter soot would have washed off the houses by August.

Hi James.

Tellynott has a lot of stacks and the area has a lot of coal, so everyone will be burning it.  There is also the fact that the area in which Shadowlands is set has one of the highest rainfalls in the world to take into consideration...

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Photo 1 - Here are the colours I used for the Walther's kitbash.
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Photo 2 - I tried Selleys 'spackfilla rapid' as a grout. 
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Photo 3 - I put about a teaspoon full in a small container and watered it down to the consistency of milk.  I applied this with a #4 round brush, working it into all the mortar lines.  I wiped the excess off with a damp cloth, rinsing as necessary in a bucket of water.  I took the majority off with an initial pass, cleaned the cloth, and then went back over the wall again getting the rest off and using my finger nail through the cloth to remove spackle under sills and around lintels.
IMG20260115123257comp.jpg

Photo 4 - Here is the end result.
IMG20260115122433comp.jpg

Photo 5 - A closer view.  I liked the outcome and will use this method again.  On walls with lots of positive and negative detail I think my usual chalk grouting will probably still prove better, as it is easy to remove excess with a small brush.
IMG20260115140920comp.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Continuing...

Photo 6 - I  washed the windows in dish washing detergent and warm water (as I did with the Walther's kitbash) and after it had dried I sprayed with grey primer.  I let this cure and then sprayed with Belton molotow premium moss green.  I dry brushed the front with Josonja's unbleached titanium.  I then dry brushed using a number 7 round brush from the back of the windows, hitting at an angle up, down, left and right, using Mig old wood.  I used a light prodding motion.  I then hit the front straight on.  Finally, I dry brushed with Josonja's antique green.
IMG20260116155525comp.jpg

Photo 7 - Here are two of my dry brushing colours for the windows.
IMG20260115173119comp.jpg

Photo 8 - We had visitors around so I snuck the kitbash into position.  Here it is with the windows put in on the right side.
IMG20260116151120comp.jpg

Photo 9 - I glued the glazing to the back side of the windows using Zap high viscosity CA.  I sprayed the back of the glazing with Dullcote.  There was some cutting of the excess plastic around some of the windows to fit around my bracing timber.  I test fitted each window as I went.  There was usually some tweaking to be done to get a good fit.  I also worked out which hand was going to hold the window and exactly what motion was to be used to get the window into position.  Some of them were rather tricky to get to!  I then applied 10 drops of medium viscosity CA around the window and contorted my chosen arm with the window precariously balanced on my finger tip and inserted the window into the opening.  All went fairly well until Wilbur, or bullmastiff, went past at great speed and got the chord of the lamp caught around his leg!  In order to save the lamp from crashing to the concrete floor I had to let go of the structure with one hand and hold it just with the other while I unraveled the panicked dog.  When I returned to my work, fearing great disaster, by some miracle the window had slipped snuggly into position while I was wresting with the dog and the lamp.  I don't trust CA long term, so I add Aleenes tacky glue around both the pains of glazing and the windows.  I did one wall at a time and then applied the tacky glue and let set over night.
IMG20260116154253comp.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

I don't think I'll try to recreate your window seating approach, not even with one of our toy poodles... 

The window coloring makes a nice contrast with the brick.

dave

Mark,

I had a lot of catching up to do.  :o  I was afraid that the size of the building would overpower the adjacent structures but looking at the building in place it fits right in.  I also like the contrast between the main building and the window inserts.

Mark, your brick walls look very realistic.

 8) A very industrious project! Looking great!

Quote from: elwoodblues on January 18, 2026, 09:48:19 PMMark,

I had a lot of catching up to do.  :o  I was afraid that the size of the building would overpower the adjacent structures but looking at the building in place it fits right in.  I also like the contrast between the main building and the window inserts.

Thanks, Ron.

I think when the low pitched gable roof goes on with cupola it will change things up again.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: deemery on January 18, 2026, 07:17:35 PMI don't think I'll try to recreate your window seating approach, not even with one of our toy poodles... 

The window coloring makes a nice contrast with the brick.

dave

Thanks, Dave.

A poodle would definitely be better.  Wilbur weighs around 140 pounds!

I'm pleased with that green.  They are nice paints, but I noticed the stock was rather low last time I was in the art shop - I hope they are not discontinuing the range!

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Rick on January 19, 2026, 05:36:49 AMMark, your brick walls look very realistic.

Thanks, Rick.

Brick walls are fun to do.  I'm enjoying kitbashing again.  Its been a little while.  That board on board sawmill has taken an age...

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Philip on January 19, 2026, 01:51:45 PM8) A very industrious project! Looking great!

Thanks, Philip.

I'm hoping to keep the momentum up!

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Photo 1 - You can see I have added an angled styrene wall and roof for the road to disappear into.  Before the windows were added I painted the sills with Tamiya FX-83 medium sea grey.
IMG20260119093714comp.jpg

Photo 2 - Here is the area surrounding the kitbash that will be added to the left.  This kitbash will not be a part of the challenge, but I will likely mock something up so you get the gist.
IMG20260119093704comp.jpg

Photo 3 - The front wall.
IMG20260119093620comp.jpg

Photo 4 - a close up of the 5th and 6th story frontage.
IMG20260119093724comp.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Mark Dalrymple on January 19, 2026, 03:56:55 PMA poodle would definitely be better.  Wilbur weighs around 140 pounds!

I'm pleased with that green.  They are nice paints, but I noticed the stock was rather low last time I was in the art shop - I hope they are not discontinuing the range!

Cheers, Mark.

My 'fat boy' weighs less than 14 lbs (but he feels a lot heavier when he's tight next to me trying to push me off the bed...), the other one is about 11 1/2 lbs.  What do you use to thin the acrylics for brushing?

dave

QuoteWhat do you use to thin the acrylics for brushing?

For the brickwork, I don't thin.  For the sills when using Tamiya FX I use isopropyl alcohol.

Cheers, Mark.

Mark great coloring on the brick walls; something different.

Quote from: Larry C on January 20, 2026, 08:39:40 PMMark great coloring on the brick walls; something different.

Thanks, Larry.

Yes - a change is as good as a holiday...  Hoping to get a bit more done on modelling Thursday.  I might 'pool' supplies for that scratchbuild.  That way I can do a bit of pre planning modelling!  Any excuse!

Cheers, Mark.

Mark, excellent progress and terrific coloring choices.

Quote from: PRR Modeler on January 22, 2026, 06:25:26 PMMark, excellent progress and terrific coloring choices.

Thanks very much, Curt.

There are some nice colours in that spray paint range.  I was in the art shop on Wednesday and asked about their unstocked shelves.  Apparently they are so popular they can't keep up with the orders.  No problems with getting anything, and all the colour swatches are on their website.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

A short update.

Photo 1 - Here is a photo of the DPM kitbash glued at right angles to the Atlas kitbash.  As previously shown I had cut, chiseled and sanded any positive detail from the Atlas wall in order to achieve a good, tight fit when joining the two walls.  I applied a bead of medium CA to edge of the bottom half of the DPM wall and then glued in position.  The top half I applied a bead of thin CA to the inside seam, held in position and let the capillary action create a bond.  I used a square when gluing to make sure things were pretty good for 90 degrees.
IMG20260123132802comp.jpg

Photo 2 - Using my paper plan I had drawn up along with measurements of the walls, I marked and cut out a base from 1.5mm styrene.  I bought 3 more sheets of this last week so I should be all good for a few more years!  The sheets are 4 1/2' x 2 1/2'.  On todays exchange rate they cost a little under $20US a sheet.  I made a copy of the base before trimming to fit the kit base I had attached and the small jut out at the end of the wall.  I had to allow for the thickness of the walls.  I glued the base into position on a flat surface with a piece of grease proof paper on top.  After this had set I applied Aleenes tacky glue to the back of all the joins, but left gaps around the basement windows.  I want to test fit this on the layout before adding a roof and floors, and as this modelling Thursday was at my friend, Neil's house, I left this project to set up while I carried on with something else.
IMG20260123132829comp.jpg

Photo 3 - A closeup shot.
IMG20260123132836comp.jpg

Photo 4 - I started marking out and cutting walls for the scratchbuild.  There was a fair bit of decision making about the types of cladding materials I would use, and this slowed me down a bit.  I decided to mix up the front wall with thin vertical siding for the tower and weatherboard to the left and right.  The wall to the left of the tower actually sits considerably higher than shown in the photo, and I will splice some 1.5mm styrene to the bottom.  The majority of the rest of the cladding will be wider vertical scribed siding.
IMG20260123133009comp.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Mark,

I don't know how you can build so many structures all at once!.
I would be lost.

Rich

Mark, nice job of glueing the walls together.

Mark,

The way you cut the wall sections and glue them together seamlessly is incredible.  Once painted the seams will be invisible.

Mark nice work on getting the walls fitted tightly. Like Ron said once painted it will look seamless. Have fun with the scratch build.

Mark those walls glued together perfect!!

Jerry

Quote from: Pennman on January 23, 2026, 12:34:40 AMMark,

I don't know how you can build so many structures all at once!.
I would be lost.

Rich

Hi Rich.

If this building was a kit it would come with walls cut to size and shape and with all the openings cut in the walls.  Things would be labeled and there would be some sort of construction sequence.  Windows and doors would be selected (or materials and templates provided - I think I will have to scratchbuild most of the doors) and corner trim and stripwood for loading docks, decks, rafters and other trim packaged.  I can do all of that and then put the build aside.  This time around I'm hoping to do all of that and keep going.  I can juggle four balls pretty well.  I never quite got the hang of five - maybe its time to get them out and start practicing again!

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Rick on January 23, 2026, 06:31:48 AMMark, nice job of glueing the walls together.

QuoteThe way you cut the wall sections and glue them together seamlessly is incredible.  Once painted the seams will be invisible.

QuoteMark nice work on getting the walls fitted tightly. Like Ron said once painted it will look seamless. Have fun with the scratch build.

QuoteMark those walls glued together perfect!!

Thanks, Rick, Ron, Larry and Jerry.

I bit of time spent at the fitting stage always pays dividends.  I often do the same when doing an internal corner with weatherboards.  I should find time today to do a test fit and hopefully get a bit more done tomorrow, Sunday.

Cheers, and thanks for following along, Mark.

Mark, Cheers,

You are making some great progress. I really like the wall colors, the brick insert contrast as well as the green windows. They seem to please my eye as very natural looking for old brick buildings.

Fantastic, step by step, I'm enjoying the journey.

Tom

Quote from: ACL1504 on January 23, 2026, 03:10:20 PMMark, Cheers,

You are making some great progress. I really like the wall colors, the brick insert contrast as well as the green windows. They seem to please my eye as very natural looking for old brick buildings.

Fantastic, step by step, I'm enjoying the journey.

Tom

Thank you for your kind words, Tom.

I went through the paint swatches for the Belton range of spray paints, writing down the #'s and names of anything I though I might use on buildings.  I listed over 80 different colours!  That would be over $1,000, so I wont be buying all those!  But it is nice to know there are so many options available.  Greens, browns and off whites seem to work well for window and door colours to my eye, and contrast nicely with the brick colours.  I was pleased with how easily and well my quick method of 'stabbing' on the weathered wood colour and dry brushing with a lighter shade of green was.  I think the windows look much better weathered.

I'm pleased you are enjoying my step-by-step.  I like to let pictures tell the story for the most part and just fill in a few details and explanations.

Cheers, Mark.

Mark,

Your plan of attack with choosing paint colors makes perfect sense to me.
I try to picture what a particular color would look like next to another one
and what that building would look like in the overall area, and change them up
accordingly. I wouldn't want one to stand out over any of the others. Sort of
a blend-in flow. I like your way of doing things.

Rich

I just caught up with this build Mark.

It looks like you have been very productive with some massive structures and your progress is amazing. Excellent work, as usual..... 8)

Mark, the brick work is great.  I just read through the whole thread, I'll be sure to check back.  Great progress so far, and what a challenge this will be.  Like most of us, I've been centered on my own projects, and it's below zero here, a good time to model. Keep up the good work.

Quote from: Pennman on January 23, 2026, 10:10:15 PMMark,

Your plan of attack with choosing paint colors makes perfect sense to me.
I try to picture what a particular color would look like next to another one
and what that building would look like in the overall area, and change them up
accordingly. I wouldn't want one to stand out over any of the others. Sort of
a blend-in flow. I like your way of doing things.

Rich

Thanks, Rich.

Yes - I feel its important to look at what surrounds the diorama you are working on.  Not just for colour, but for shape, negative and positive detail, heights and cladding and roofing types.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: GPdemayo on January 24, 2026, 11:42:38 AMI just caught up with this build Mark.

It looks like you have been very productive with some massive structures and your progress is amazing. Excellent work, as usual..... 8)

Thanks, Greg.

I'm enjoying working with plastics for a change.  Its modelling Sunday here in NZ so I'm hoping to get a bit more done this afternoon.  We have some family staying with us, but they are leaving around lunchtime.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: craftsmankits on January 24, 2026, 01:10:22 PMMark, the brick work is great.  I just read through the whole thread, I'll be sure to check back.  Great progress so far, and what a challenge this will be.  Like most of us, I've been centered on my own projects, and it's below zero here, a good time to model. Keep up the good work.

Thank you!

Yes - winter has become my favourite season for modelling since buying a lifestyle block.  Those weeds stop growing and the lawns don't need mowing!  Now that the model room has the wall built in front of the roller door things are fully insulated.  The roof at the front has a large overhang and I really noticed a big difference this summer.  It stayed nice and cool during those hot spells.  With a bit of heating winter should be comfortable, too.  I'm looking forwards to getting further ahead on this project.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

A bit of progress was made on Sunday afternoon.

Photo 1 - First up was test fitting the DPM kitbash against the existing Creamoata diorama.  There were several trips in and out to the model room cutting the base and foundation with an exacto saw and craft knife until I had a perfect fit.
IMG20260125144613comp.jpg

Photo 2 - A view from the other direction.
IMG20260125144651comp.jpg

Photo 3 - I then went about filling the corner seams on the elevator tower.  This is what I use.  Low tack painters tape, Tamiya putty, fine sandpaper and a knife blade.
IMG20260125164430comp.jpg

Photo 4 - Shows the putty applied and the tape removed.
IMG20260125160631comp.jpg

Photo 5 - I use a blade to remove the majority of the excess putty and then fine sandpaper to sand off anything remaining.  I finished up by running my scriber along all the front horizontal brick courses at the corners to put mortar lines back in the puttied corners.
IMG20260125164102comp.jpg

Photo 6 - I finished up my day sorting windows ready for spray painting.  Here they are drying after a wash with warm water and dish washing detergent.  There were some 6/6 windows and some 8/8 windows.  As I had two kits I almost had enough to do the entire facade with 8/8 windows (which I preferred) so that is what I have opted for.  I have 6 brick inserts and a few windows for vents to be added as well as a few extras of the 6/6.  I also cut sprues from the downpipes and sanded for painting. 
IMG20260125182537comp.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Great progress Mark.

Mark your moving right along on this build.

Question who is going to wash all those windows when they get dirty??  ;) ;D :)

Jerry

Mark, Cheers,

I'm impressed, this is way faster than your normal work progress. I love all the large structures and your challenge is looking up, or should I say taking shape?  ;D

Great stuff Mark.

Tom

Mark, all that back and forth cutting and test fitting was worth it.
Nice job getting that section to fit perfectly.

Mark,

Nice job overall, but especially the corners.  I need to remember how you did them.

Mike

Quote from: PRR Modeler on January 26, 2026, 09:37:52 AMGreat progress Mark.

Thanks, Curt.

Chipping away at it.  I had to take my wife's car into town today for a service, so made a quick dash to the art store to pick up some spray paint.  I got four colours for upcoming projects, so I have a selection to choose from.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Jerry on January 26, 2026, 10:11:18 AMMark your moving right along on this build.

Question who is going to wash all those windows when they get dirty??  ;) ;D :)

Jerry

Thanks, Jerry.

Mmmm - good point.  Maybe I should add some window washes...

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: ACL1504 on January 26, 2026, 03:39:47 PMMark, Cheers,

I'm impressed, this is way faster than your normal work progress. I love all the large structures and your challenge is looking up, or should I say taking shape?  ;D

Great stuff Mark.

Thanks, Tom.

It was great to start the project off with a modelling weekend.  It meant I got a lot of momentum up.  Hopefully I can keep it going.  I know next Thursday's modelling session will be spent making trees.  I'm not sure I will be able to fit one into the diorama...

Cheers, Mark.

Tom

Quote from: Rick on January 26, 2026, 04:02:20 PMMark, all that back and forth cutting and test fitting was worth it.
Nice job getting that section to fit perfectly.

Thanks, Rick.

Yes - It turned out pretty well.  There is still a slight gap between the walls in floor 1, but I didn't want to stress the existing wall too much, its close to 20 years ago when I built that diorama.  I can easily shunt that lamppost a smidge to the left.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Michael Hohn on January 26, 2026, 04:46:43 PMMark,

Nice job overall, but especially the corners.  I need to remember how you did them.

Mike

Thanks, Mike.

I always think it is worth the extra work on those corners.  I remembered to grab another roll of painters tape while in the hardware shop today.  The one in the photo is getting near the end of it's life.

Cheers, Mark.

Mark those are some tall buildings but fit in nicely with the rest. Great putty job btw.

Quote from: Larry C on January 27, 2026, 07:38:39 AMMark those are some tall buildings but fit in nicely with the rest. Great putty job btw.

Thanks very much, Larry.

I've built the land up in the corners of Tellynott meaning I only need to use three story structures to gain the same height.  I wanted my eye level to be below the top of the buildings.  Of course, I also wanted some variations in the height of those buildings and a nice natural flow.

Cheers, Mark.

Howdy Mark, 

I'm getting dizzy looking up to the top of those tall buildings...  Nice work and a fun build to follow.

Have fun, mike

Quote from: friscomike on January 29, 2026, 06:18:36 PMHowdy Mark,

I'm getting dizzy looking up to the top of those tall buildings...  Nice work and a fun build to follow.

Have fun, mike

Thanks, Mike.

I'm pleased you are enjoying following along.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

A little more progress to share.

Photo 1 - Shows the paints I used.  I tried to match the existing colour on the other walls of the DPM kitbash.  I chose Fas burnt sienna.  The Atlas walls were done using Chromacryl red oxide.  I smeared on mars black when applying both colours and worked this in to the wet paint to get darker patches.  I did the DPM part first and then applied low tack painters tape down the seam before applying the red oxide.  The walls were dry brushed using a #7 hog bristle brush.  The windows were painted with belton #209 CMP dark brown.
IMG20260130145328comp.jpg

Photo 2 - Here are the windows.  I'll weather these as I did to my previous windows.
IMG20260130145000comp.jpg

Photo 3 - Here are the walls.  Next is to hand pick out a few bricks and work out where the exterior elevated walkways will go.  This will help me decide where to place the different windows and brick inserts.
IMG20260130144840comp.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Mark how about a quick how you weather the windows.

Jerry

You did a nice job on the dirt spots and windows.

Mark love the coloring on the righthand building; looks quite natural.

Quote from: Jerry on January 29, 2026, 11:57:06 PMMark how about a quick how you weather the windows.

Jerry

Hi Jerry.

I'll do a little 'how to' when I weather these ones. 

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: PRR Modeler on January 30, 2026, 09:22:28 AMYou did a nice job on the dirt spots and windows.

Thanks, Curt.

Painting the individual bricks helps pull it all together.  More darker bricks in the lighter areas and lighter bricks in the darker areas.  If I am sensible, I will work out where all the aerial walkways are going first.  Not much point painting individual bricks and then covering them up!

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Larry C on January 30, 2026, 06:16:02 PMMark love the coloring on the righthand building; looks quite natural.

Thanks, Larry.

Yes - I really like that colour.  Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be available anymore.  I put the base colour on a section probably about two stories tall, one face, and then add a few spots of mars black.  I then work the spots into the wall.  The black mixes with the terracotta and creates darker patches.  If I aren't happy I just add a bit more terracotta and lighten the smudge.  I always wipe most of the paint off the brush first.  Experience has taught me that rustic is good.  A swirly, smudgy mess can be pulled together with some individual bricks picked out, and then the mortar ties everything together.

Cheers, Mark.

Yeah, the secret with that Tamiya putty is to scrape it before it turns hard.
If not, then you gotta get the jackhammer!  ;D  It's good stuff though.
I think I'll check back for more tips on coloring the brickwork, that's one
of my downfalls and you seem to have a good handle on it. Thanks

Rich

Quote from: Pennman on February 01, 2026, 12:28:48 AMYeah, the secret with that Tamiya putty is to scrape it before it turns hard.
If not, then you gotta get the jackhammer!  ;D  It's good stuff though.
I think I'll check back for more tips on coloring the brickwork, that's one
of my downfalls and you seem to have a good handle on it. Thanks

Rich

Hi Rich.

Yes - I think I forgot to mention that.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

I got some good progress done on this project yesterday afternoon (modelling Sunday).

Photo 1 - I got some polystyrene strip from the barn and trimmed it to an appropriate size.  I then went about trying different configurations until I found something I liked for my aerial walkways.
IMG20260201121313comp.jpg

Photo 2 - This is the brush I use for picking out individual bricks in a darker or lighter colour.  This is a mid level brush, costing around $12US I would imagine (I paid $20 NZ).  With its very long bristles and sharp point it holds a lot of paint.  If you water the paint down a bit I was finding I could paint around 20 individual bricks before reloading the brush.  After reloading you need to hold the brush sidways on a piece of card and spin it to work the bristles (and paint) to a nice sharp point.
IMG20260201131121comp.jpg

Photo 3 - My hog bristle #7 brush.  Here I am dabbing/ stabbing Mig old wood paint on the edges of the mullions from the back of the windows.  I roll the brush in the paint to make sure it is on all sides of the brush and then remove most of the paint onto a paper towel.  I stab the paint on all the windows in one direction and then spin the sprue 90 degrees.  I do this north, south east and west.
IMG20260201143318comp.jpg

Photo 4 - Here is the result from the front, showing the paint on the side of the mullions.
IMG20260201143433comp.jpg

Photo 5 - What the back looks like after paint has been applied in all directions, from the back.
IMG20260201143749comp.jpg

Photo 6 - A view from the front.
IMG20260201143807comp.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark. 

Hi again.

Photo 7 - Now I apply paint dabbing down from the front.  If you go in from the four angles again you will get paint into the crevasses where the paint lasts the longest.  I want my structure to look very warn so I was heavy handed with this step.  By removing more paint onto a paper towel you can certainly pull this back a few notches.  If I decide I have gone too far I will try applying a puff or two of the  brown rattle can from a distance.  Dry brushing is still to be done.
IMG20260201144046comp.jpg[attach

Photo 8 - Here is the first section of the wall with the mortar applied.  I tried a small section with some watered down spackle, but it soon became obvious that it was going to be an absolute nightmare to remove the excess from around all the positive detail.  I decided to go back to my old faithful - Gallery soft pastels by Mungyo.  These are a cheap brand.  I have tried the more expensive brands but find they bind too well and stick to the face of the bricks.

IMG20260201170013comp.jpg
moderator edit to repair some mark-up that prevented the photo from displaying.

Photo 9 - Here I am working the pastel into the mortar lines with a nice soft brush.
IMG20260201180638como.jpg

Photo 10 - The oils on my finger(s and thumbs) then work the pastel further, and remove it from the brick face.  They are kind of like giant squeegees.  You have to keep changing fingers/ thumbs.
IMG20260201180804comp.jpg

Photo 11 - Here is a close up.  You can see the pastel gets stuck around the positive detail.
IMG20260201181146comp.jpg

Photo 12 - I use a fine brush to loosen this and then a soft close blow to remove.
IMG20260201181228comp.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Hi again.

Photo 13 - As this was such a big structure I adhered the chalk to the wall in stages.  Here I have taped paper over the sections I have yet to do.  I fix using an artists pastel/ pencil fixative.  Dullcote will dissolve most of the chalk.
IMG20260201182924comp.jpg

Photo 14 - Another area coming together.  This shows the wall after the first pass with my finger(s) where I remove the majority of the chalk from the brick face.
IMG20260201184140comp.jpg

Photo 15 - And here is the same wall after further working.  I just have the chalk that has built up around all that positive detail to remove now.
IMG20260201184357comp.jpg

Photo 16 - The grouted wall.  Nice and rustic.  The DPM wall has deep mortar lines and there is perhaps too much chalk on it.  I may cover the Atlas wall and spray the DPM wall with Dullcote.  This will dissolve more of the chalk.
IMG20260201232755comp.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Great looking progress Mark.

Quote from: PRR Modeler on February 02, 2026, 02:51:52 PMGreat looking progress Mark.

Thanks, Curt.

The grouting takes quite some time on a building this size.

Thanks for checking in on my progress.

Cheers, Mark.

Howdy Mark,

Your brick treatment looks amazing.  Adding mortar has always been a challenge, but your technique with chalks works great.  I, too, found that Dullcote dissolves the mortar, so I'll try the fixative.  The walkways are a nice touch.

Have fun,
mike

Great job Mark.  That is one huge building to grout!!

Jerry

QuoteHowdy Mark,

Your brick treatment looks amazing.  Adding mortar has always been a challenge, but your technique with chalks works great.  I, too, found that Dullcote dissolves the mortar, so I'll try the fixative.  The walkways are a nice touch.

Have fun,
mike

Thanks, Mike.

You still have to go light on the application.  Yes - mortar is easy to do on flat walls, but I really like walls with lots of decoration, fancy cornices and the like.  I'm sure you could still use spackle, but you would need some specialised little tools to remove the excess from all those little nooks and crannies.  I might look into that for my next smaller brick structure.  The aerial walkways should be fun to do.  I haven't finalised the design, but I have a few ideas.

Photo 1 - Showing the pastel, pencil, charcoal fixative I use.  Bought from an art supply store.
IMG20260205084642comp.jpg

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Jerry on February 04, 2026, 09:21:22 AMGreat job Mark.  That is one huge building to grout!!

Jerry

Thanks, Jerry.

It sure was!  It literally took several hours to do.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Photo 1 - I painted the sills with Tamiya FX83 medium sea grey thinned with a few drops of isopropyl alcohol.  I used the same brush as I did to pick out the individual bricks.  I then went about gluing in all the windows using a few drops of medium CA.  I didn't drybrush the windows, as I decided my heavy handed weathering was enough.  Actually, when the windows were cut from their sprues and glued into the building I though they looked good.  As I am changing up the order in which I add the floors on this one, I still have good access from the back and so will glaze in situ.  Of course, I will need to pre glaze the small windows for the elevator shaft (still to do).  I added a couple of brick inserts and some windows with sheeted over pains for some ventilation.  I'm also looking at scratchbuilding a stack for the right corner and adding a fire escape.  Fun, fun fun!
IMG20260203195545comp.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

For removing spackle from nooks and crannies, let me suggest these make-up applicators:
51pSzqse17L._SX679_.jpg
Those should be easy to find at a beauty supply store or your favorite on-line marketplace.  (I searched for "cotton pointed make up swabs")

dave

Mark, the brick walls look fantastic.
Good technique on applying the mortar.

Mark even though that looks like quite the process the end result is really worth it; great job and tutorial.

Mark, Cheers,

Old, nasty and weathered bricks, love it!

Tom

Thanks for the information, Dave.

I do wonder whether they would leave hairs behind as they ware.  I'm sure their will be multiple choices in the makeup section.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Rick on February 04, 2026, 06:43:32 PMMark, the brick walls look fantastic.
Good technique on applying the mortar.

Thanks, Rick.

I like that well worn look.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Larry C on February 05, 2026, 10:09:50 AMMark even though that looks like quite the process the end result is really worth it; great job and tutorial.

Thanks, Larry.

It is only really such a process because the building is so big.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: ACL1504 on February 05, 2026, 10:52:48 AMMark, Cheers,

Old, nasty and weathered bricks, love it!

Tom

Thanks, Tom.

Yes - nasty indeed!

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Thursday saw me starting work on my first Kahikatea tree (white pine) and so there was no progress to report.  Yesterday I was back on the tools for modelling Sunday.

I started off by glazing the 8 smaller windows for the elevator shaft.  These were then glued into position using medium CA.  As these were difficult to get into position, I pressed them in first and then added CA with a toothpick to the edges.  Just a drop in the four corners.

Photo 1 - The kit provided reasonably thin glazing material.  I cut this into strips slightly narrower then the window width. 
IMG20260208133756comp.jpg

Photo 2 - I then cut the pieces to height on my chopper.
IMG20260208133853comp.jpg

Photo 3 - Here are some of the pieces.
IMG20260208134109comp.jpg

Photo 4 - I applied six small drops of CA to the back of the windows on the edges.  Using a pair of tweezers I placed the piece of glazing in position and used a piece of stripwood to hold until the glue had set. After all the glazing was glued in position I gave the back of the windows a spray with Dullcote.  When this was dry I worked on cutting out the remaining floor sections to strengthen the kitbash and keep it square and true.  Once these were cut I marked their height on the back of the kitbash and cut and glued in stripwood.  I then glued the three floors and roof pieces into position using CA.  I applied glue to the edge of the floor/ roof that fit around the DPM kitbash and the start of the Atlas kitbash and held firmly in position until set.  I then applied lines of CA in sections of a few inches and held the floors/ roof pieces hard against the back of the kitbash and hard down on the stripwood until set, letting capillary action take the CA were it needed to to make a bond.  After the four pieces were glued in, I did a test fit in the model room.  I needed to enlarge the two cutouts in each floor piece for the vertical stripwood on the back of the Creamoata kitbash.  Another test fit showed a perfect fit.  The final job of the day was to add Aleenes tacky glue around all the windows and doors.  I also added this glue to the top and bottom of the floors and the bottom of the roof piece.
IMG20260208223317comp.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Great progress Mark. I dislike doing windows.

Quote from: PRR Modeler on February 08, 2026, 03:36:01 PMGreat progress Mark. I dislike doing windows.

I think everyone dislikes doing windows  ;D   That's worse than doing shingles.

dave

Quote from: PRR Modeler on February 08, 2026, 03:36:01 PMGreat progress Mark. I dislike doing windows.

Thanks, Curt.

The windows are nearly all done - Just the DPM M. T. Arms Hotel to go.  Those windows are cast in so there is lots of fiddley painting to do.

Cheers, Mark.

Mark,

Very neat job on the windows.  Most find it hard to maintain focus and keep an edge doing such a fussy, repetitive task.

Mike

Quote from: Michael Hohn on February 09, 2026, 06:23:50 PMMark,

Very neat job on the windows.  Most find it hard to maintain focus and keep an edge doing such a fussy, repetitive task.

Mike

Thanks, Mike.

I didn't find this one too bad.  Access was good, which helped - apart from the eight windows in the elevator shaft.

Cheers, Mark.

Howdy Mark,

I think I would go stir crazy with that many windows. Excellent work adding glazing, and yes, if I only have two windows, I wouldn't like doing them.

Have fun,
mike

Quote from: friscomike on February 11, 2026, 12:49:01 AMHowdy Mark,

I think I would go stir crazy with that many windows. Excellent work adding glazing, and yes, if I only have two windows, I wouldn't like doing them.

Have fun,
mike

Hi, Mike.

No crazier than usual here!  I actually think the DPM windows are the trickiest.  Cutting in in miniature can be challenging.  That is this afternoons modelling adventure.

Cheers, Mark.

Mark, Cheers,

Great job on the windows and all around on the build. Looking good to me.

Tom

Quote from: ACL1504 on February 12, 2026, 08:32:02 AMMark, Cheers,

Great job on the windows and all around on the build. Looking good to me.

Tom

Thanks, Tom.

I made some good progress on cutting in the cast windows in the DPM M. T. Arms Hotel kitbash yesterday.  It does take quite a bit of time, though.  I didn't quite get through it all.  I'm hoping to get the last ones finished off this afternoon.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Photo 1 - Cutting in was done with my Da Vinci #4 long bristled brush.  As mentioned earlier, this brush holds a lot of paint but still gives a very fine tip.  I used the Tamiya XF-83 medium sea grey for the sills and window surrounds, opting to paint these first.  I thinned this paint with isopropyl alcohol, about two parts paint to one part alcohol.
IMG20260212152121comp.jpg

Photo 2 - I followed up with the green for the windows (still to be weathered).  I used Model Color 70.970 deep green for this.  I thinned the paint 2:1 with water.  I still have some touch ups to do with the gray.
IMG20260213172039comp.jpg

Photo 3 - Shows a view from further back.  I really like working with this brush when doing detail work such as this, and can't recommend it highly enough.  I would imagine you would need to shop at an art supply store to find one of these (I have to in NZ).  Weathering should tone the green back a notch!  It was pretty fiddly stuff, especially with the windows closest to the internal wall.
IMG20260213194116comp.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Mark, this brush?  https://www.dickblick.com/items/da-vinci-maestro-2-hog-bristle-brush-filbert-long-handle-size-4/  

dave

No, Dave.

Hopefully, this works.

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00O2UX61E?ref_=mr_referred_us_au_nz&th=1

Very nice painting on the sills and frames Mark.

Quote from: Mark Dalrymple on February 14, 2026, 03:47:26 AMNo, Dave.

Hopefully, this works.

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00O2UX61E?ref_=mr_referred_us_au_nz&th=1

Thanks, that shows me what shape you mean.  Not sure I've seen that in bristle, I'll have to look for it.

dave

Mark,

Just catching up on the build, the brickwork and windows look great.

Quote from: PRR Modeler on February 14, 2026, 06:37:27 AMVery nice painting on the sills and frames Mark.

Thanks very much, Curt.

I'm hoping to get the benchwork for this area done today, which will include making a diorama base.  It's quite a bit of work so we will see...

Cheers, Mark.

QuoteThanks, that shows me what shape you mean.  Not sure I've seen that in bristle, I'll have to look for it.

Hi Dave.

The bristles on this brush are 3/4" long at the tip.  I've done a lot of painting with it and it still holds a very good tip.  But best is how much painting you can do without reloading.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: elwoodblues on February 14, 2026, 11:08:28 AMMark,

Just catching up on the build, the brickwork and windows look great.

Thanks, Ron.

I quite enjoy cutting in a few windows.  30 was perhaps one or two too many...

Cheers, Mark.

Mark great paint effect on the bricks. Are you cross-eyed yet from doing all those window? Lol.

Quote from: Larry C on February 15, 2026, 10:38:18 AMMark great paint effect on the bricks. Are you cross-eyed yet from doing all those window? Lol.

Thanks, Larry.

Not quite...

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Photo 1 - So progress on the challenge has gone on a necessary tangent.  This first photo shows a photo taken a year or so back.  It shows the 'sandwich' of polystyrene and ceiling tile top that I decided many years ago to use for my base in Tellynott.  This sandwich sits on top of a 16mm MDF base on L-girder framework and is some 4 1/2" thick.  During the process of installing point motors in the rest of my layout I decided to redo all this baseboard to allow installation of point motors on the underside of 16mm MDF trackbed.  In order to make a diorama base for this years challenge, it was really necessary to redo all the benchwork on this module - module #2a.
IMG20241228184353comp.jpg

Photo 2 - My plan was to remove all areas of sandwiched material where track was to be laid and add rises to the original 16mm MDF and cut and add a new section of 16mm MDF on top.  Cubbyholes would be cut into the lower MDF to allow access to the bottom of the top piece of MDF for point motor installation.  This also means that motors can be swapped out if there are future problems.  I will add a section on this to my layout thread in the upcoming days, and so won't go into much detail here.  However, I cut a large piece of craft paper and then slowly marked and cut this to shape.  Two dioramas needed the track frontage cut off - a nerve racking job!  (This was not just to give access to the point motors, but also to swap the track from code 100 to code 75 and the turnouts from insulfrog to electrofrog.)  The paper template was then used to mark out the shape on the top piece of 16mm MDF.  I also drew the track plan onto the craft paper while pinned to the sandwich, and this was then transposed onto the MDF using a compass, nail and hammer.
IMG20260216174427comp.jpg

Photo 3 - You can see here the cut line for the diorama base (back left of the top MDF - where the front section is sagging).  I still have a little way to go on this project, but will be back making progress on the diorama tomorrow.
IMG20260216153310comp.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

It sure looks like you have been busy Mark.

Mark that is one great looking diorama.

Jerry

Mark gets more done in a week than I get done in a year!

dave

Mark, Cheers,

What a wonderful looking scene. The tall structures really make it believable. Fantastic job all the way sir.

Tom

Quote from: PRR Modeler on February 18, 2026, 07:15:52 AMIt sure looks like you have been busy Mark.

Thanks, Curt.

I try to get out to the model room no later than 11am on a Sunday and work through to 7pm.  It's usually my one big time slot of the week.  Projects like this take a fair bit of just looking and deciding which way is best to tackle the job.  If I just roll up my sleeves and get into it without first giving due consideration to the whole process I typically find myself half way through the job saying 'but what about that?'  Sometimes those 'that's' can be major problems!

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Jerry on February 18, 2026, 10:10:19 AMMark that is one great looking diorama.

Jerry

Thanks, Jerry.

Cutting the trackwork off the front of the Creamoata diorama and the curved turnout out of the Innes aerated water diorama were moments!  I used a sharp hand saw and just tried to keep things plumb and cut through the 4 1/2" sandwich.  In the end things went pretty smoothly and no damage was caused.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: deemery on February 18, 2026, 10:50:43 AMMark gets more done in a week than I get done in a year!

dave

Thanks, Dave.

I've told you a million times - do not exaggerate!  You seem to be getting through the work in good time at the moment.  The farm scene is coming on nicely.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: ACL1504 on February 18, 2026, 01:42:12 PMMark, Cheers,

What a wonderful looking scene. The tall structures really make it believable. Fantastic job all the way sir.

Tom

Thank you for your kind words, Tom.

Lets not think about how close this location is to the alpine fault line!  Those brick multi-storied structures wont last!  There are several small towns on the West Coast built with half the town on one side of the fault line and the other half on the other side!

https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/west-coast/council-continues-urge-fault-line-properties-be-moved

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Photo 1 - I just thought I would add this photo to show the cubby holes I cut in the original baseboard to give access to the point motors to be installed above.  I cut these by drilling 10mm holes in the corners and using my jigsaw to cut the four straight lines.  Then the hoover to clean up the mess!
IMG20260217194559comp.jpg

Cheers, Mark.

Nice work! I really like that era!

Great job of thinking ahead because the thing hardest to get to will break the first!

Quote from: Philip on February 20, 2026, 09:31:54 PMNice work! I really like that era!

Thanks, Philip.

Yes - the depression era also gives my town 65 years to have been built.  Plenty of time for a substantial town to have been built and some of it to be in a state of disrepair.  Our local town, Rolleston expanded from some 5000 residents in 2006 to over 34000 last year.  It has been interesting to see such quick expansion.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: PRR Modeler on February 21, 2026, 08:18:17 AMGreat job of thinking ahead because the thing hardest to get to will break the first!

Thanks, Curt.

Absolutely!

Cheers, Mark.

Mark,

Thanks for the overview of the overall scene, you made some huge progress in a very short time.  With the tall building your new build will fit right in seemlessly.

Quote from: elwoodblues on February 21, 2026, 12:44:50 PMMark,

Thanks for the overview of the overall scene, you made some huge progress in a very short time.  With the tall building your new build will fit right in seemlessly.

Thanks, Ron.

Yes - it really needed to be done.  I have one more very tricky piece to do on the far end of the Innes aerated water manufacturer diorama.  I'm working up the courage to tackle that turnout!  But hopefully, when all done, there will be no issues with fit.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Well, there was a bit too much wind at the dog shows on Saturday, so I spent my downtime reading.  Today, I got a bit of work done on the scratchbuild.

Photo 1 - I got the rest of the walls for the cannery measured out and cut to size.  There was a little bit of splicing to do as well.
IMG20260222152344comp.jpg

Photo 2 - Here are the walls for the tower that will sit on the lower wharf.
IMG20260222160056comp.jpg

Photo 3 - Once all the walls were cut I changed things up and scratchbuilt some vents for the walls.  I used evergreen clapboard and strip styrene to create the illusion of louvers.  I still have to add strip styrene to the three long skinny ones.
IMG20260222191146comp.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Take a thin point permanent (black) marker and run it along the undersides of the scribes.  That adds shadow, and makes it look more like a vent:
mill-tower.jpeg
(A firm hand helps, practice on some scrap first...)

dave

Great looking progress Mark.

Howdy Mark,

The build is progressing well.  Nice work on cutting the different components.  The louvers are exceptional.

Have fun,
mike

QuoteTake a thin point permanent (black) marker and run it along the undersides of the scribes.  That adds shadow, and makes it look more like a vent.

Thanks for the tip, Dave.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: PRR Modeler on February 22, 2026, 09:08:40 AMGreat looking progress Mark.

Thanks very much, Curt.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: friscomike on February 22, 2026, 06:12:31 PMHowdy Mark,

The build is progressing well.  Nice work on cutting the different components.  The louvers are exceptional.

Have fun,
mike

Thanks, Mike.

I was finding them rather fiddly to build so I though I'd give my ptastistruct glue that I found on the shelf a go.  It just melted the plastic and quickly ruined my next louver, so back to fiddly and medium CA!

Cheers, Mark.

Cool looking building, Mark.

Looking great! One big bite for a challenge!  ;D 

Very impressive scene Mark, looking good..... 8)

Quote from: Michael Hohn on February 24, 2026, 03:07:27 PMCool looking building, Mark.

Thanks, Michael.

It's been fun designing this scene.  I was back working on the trackbed surrounding the diorama today.  I should be back working on the structures this Sunday.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Philip on February 25, 2026, 09:50:56 AMLooking great! One big bite for a challenge!  ;D 

Thanks, Philip.

I always take big bites.  I just have to find time to chew for long enough!

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: GPdemayo on February 25, 2026, 11:59:07 AMVery impressive scene Mark, looking good..... 8)

Thanks, Greg.

I'm looking forward to working on the scratchbuilt section.  I also have some scratchbuilding in the form of aerial walkovers and the large stack that will be fun.

Cheers, Mark.

Mark that's coming along nicely.

Mark,

Don't know how I missed your last update but the louvers look great.

Quote from: Larry C on February 26, 2026, 09:35:48 AMMark that's coming along nicely.

Thanks, Larry.

We have a modelling meet here the first weekend in March.  I'm hoping to make a big chunk of progress then.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: elwoodblues on February 26, 2026, 11:22:09 AMMark,

Don't know how I missed your last update but the louvers look great.

Thanks, Ron.

These is always lots to look at on the forum - sometimes things are easy to miss.  Thanks for the compliment!  We have a bit of a garden tour tomorrow so will be busy weeding today.  Hopefully back to some modelling on Sunday.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

We had another nice weekend modelling in my garage last weekend.  Of course, I was hosting, so there was a fair bit of preparing lunches and making sure everyone had what they needed.  Various requests came up during the weekend for items that inevitably got left at home, and I think I was able to fulfill them all.

Photo 1 - Shows the top section to the Walther's Front Street Building.
IMG20260311170621comp.jpg

Photo 2 - For the long section behind the tower I needed to cut the walls and roof pieces down.  You can also see at left the scratchbuilt wall I fabricated to keep the end square and true.
IMG20260307112524comp.jpg

Photo 3 - I assembled the two square towers.  The roof pieces were tricky to find, as they were done in Clear plastic and packaged with the window glazing.  I didn't look there for quite some time! I then measured and cut down the window walls and the roof sections.  I made a back wall to sit against the 5th story behind and to keep things square and true (shown in photo 2).  I glued together using medium CA, gave a wash with dishwashing detergent and warm water and when dry, sprayed with rattle can grey primer.  The next day I sprayed with rattle can moss green - the same colour as the windows.
IMG20260307112520comp.jpg

Photo 4 - Shows the base for the towers (you can see the raised mounting pieces over which the rooftop towers and cupola sit).  You can see I have attached the main roof.  I made up trusses to keep the roof true and add strength.  There was a problem with the longer roof sagging so I glued in a styrene strut widthways underneath the sub roof to push the sag up.  This helped quite a bit, but I couldn't get things quite perfect.  I will address this issue in a later step.
IMG20260307112533comp.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Part 2 - While the rooftop towers and cupola dried, I scratchbuilt some doors.

Photo 5 - My method for this is to tape some low tack painters tape, sticky side up, to my cutting mat.  I tape this just above one of the horizontal lines on the mat and can then use this to line things up.  I mark my door widths (internal measurement) and door centres and draw right angle lines at these points on the tape.  I then set up my chopper at the correct length for the vertical timbers.  I generally paint the doors the cladding colour and the trim in an off white.  I used Josonya's antique green (which is pretty close to the moss green cladding colour) and Folk Art vintage white for the trim.  I used 6x1's and 4x1's for the timber.  The one inch thick stripwood is a bit more fragile and difficult to work with, but results in scale thickness doors.  The vertical timbers are laid with slight gaps between them.  I used 6x1's but worked both from the centre out and the outside in, using 4x1's as necessary.  6x1's are added as facings for the double doors using canopy glue, and these sit slightly proud of the door edges.  In this way the facings can sit back hard against the cladding and the doors will be flush with the cladding.
IMG20260307164401comp.jpg

Photo 6 - 4x1's are then added to create bracing for the doors.  I cut these to size in situ using a single edged razor blade.
IMG20260307165054comp.jpg

Photo 7 - The horizontal pieces are cut to allow the doors to open.  Hinges are added.  These are Vector cut ones.  I think I may add bolt heads.  You can see I have trimmed the door head ends.  Thresholds are added and once the canopy glue has dried completely, I cut the tape and then carefully peel it off from the back of the doors.  It is best not to leave this job for more than a day or two, as the glue on the tape holds better and better as time goes on.
IMG20260311174214comp.jpg

Photo 8 - Here are the second set.  These hinges are Tichy Train Group ones.  You can see I changed up the design for a bit of variety.
IMG20260311174233comp.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Howdy Mark, 

That's excellent work on the doors.  The hinges look terrific.

Have fun,
mike

Awesome!

Excellent job on the door. I'm ordering me some hinges!

Quote from: friscomike on March 11, 2026, 07:09:33 AMHowdy Mark,

That's excellent work on the doors.  The hinges look terrific.

Have fun,
mike

Thanks, Mike.

I don't believe Vector cut are in business anymore, but Tichy Train Group sure are.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Philip on March 11, 2026, 09:17:12 AMAwesome!

Thanks, Philip!

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: PRR Modeler on March 11, 2026, 03:13:44 PMExcellent job on the door. I'm ordering me some hinges!

Thanks, Curt.

I believe it will have to be the Tichy Train Group ones.

Cheers, Mark.

Vector Cut did -really cool- stuff!  I was sorry they went away, and I wish someone would look at the kinds of things they did and come out with a similar line.  (Laser cut or 3D printed.)

dave

Hi guys.

Photo 1 - I decided that because I needed to flash against the brickwork, the cupola and the towers, that I may as well add masking tape rolled roofing to the entire roof.  This roofing should be above eye height, so I opted to use the tape at full width, rather than cutting it down to the existing lap widths on the styrene roofing.  I first sanded the styrene roofing to give it some tooth so the tape would adhere better.  For this job I used high tack tape.  Here you can see I have added tape with flashings to the brickwork and window wall.  For the window wall piece I measured from the edge of the lap back to the window wall and then added 1.5mm for the flashing.
IMG20260309094434comp.jpg

Photo 2 - Here I am getting the piece ready to go in front of the tower.  I put a small fold at the tower end for a flashing.  I then put in position using tweezers to hold the end with the lap.
IMG20260309094551comp.jpg

Photo 3 - I placed my ruler against the tower front and marked this position on the tape at the edge of the lap.
IMG20260309094631comp.jpg

Photo 4 - The piece was then carefully placed in position, using the tweezers to get the lap right on the pencil mark and the edge flush and parallel with the lap in the styrene.  I then cut a small nick in the tape at the corner of the tower.
IMG20260309095101comp.jpg

Photo 5 - Finally, I piece of tape was cut to the correct width and added, lapping the roofing at each end.  Again, by lining the front of the piece of tape up with the styrene lap and keeping it nice and parallel, and providing you have got your width just right, after pressing the tape in position you should end up with a nice flashing.  I use my finger to press the tape down, running it backward and forward, my finger nails to press it into the roofing laps and flashing edges, and a toothpick whenever the going gets rough (or tricky).  By using a toothpick when adhering the flashing to the board and batten cladding, and doing every second board first and then coming back to do all the remaining boards, the tape stretches around the battens.  The ends of the roofing were cut back with scissors and the remaining flashing folded over the edge.
IMG20260309101209comp.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Great job Mark.

Mark the doors look fantastic and really like the way you do rolled roofing.

Quote from: deemery on March 12, 2026, 05:00:29 PMVector Cut did -really cool- stuff!  I was sorry they went away, and I wish someone would look at the kinds of things they did and come out with a similar line.  (Laser cut or 3D printed.)

dave

They did indeed, Dave.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: PRR Modeler on March 12, 2026, 05:51:00 PMGreat job Mark.

Thanks, Curt.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Larry C on March 12, 2026, 08:00:02 PMMark the doors look fantastic and really like the way you do rolled roofing.

Thanks, Larry.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Photo 1 - Shows the gap between the window wall and the main roof.  This is where the roof sagged underneath.
IMG20260309101453comp.jpg

Photo 2 - After adding the tape with flashing the gap is no more.
IMG20260309104335comp.jpg

Photo 3 - I cut three centre pieces of rolled roofing and added them to each side of the two vents.  I cut small nicks in the end to create a small flashing.  I then cut two small pieces like the one shown in the photo and added these to the two sides.
IMG20260309163154comp.jpg

Photo 4 - Here is the small piece adhered in position.
IMG20260309163334comp.jpg

Photo 5 - Finally, a long skinny piece was cut and wrapped around the vent base.
IMG20260309164400comp.jpg

Photo 6 - I painted using Vallejo Model Color Negro Black (70.950).
IMG20260309202548comp.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

That looks really nice, Mark.  The cupolas and clerestory add a lot of industrial style.

Mark,

Great tutorial in how you did the roof, the finished result looks great.

Quote from: Michael Hohn on March 14, 2026, 03:00:49 PMThat looks really nice, Mark.  The cupolas and clerestory add a lot of industrial style.

Thanks, Michael.

I agree.  I figured they would change things up a lot, but for once I didn't do a full mock-up, so I had my fingers crossed.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: elwoodblues on March 14, 2026, 07:25:19 PMMark,

Great tutorial in how you did the roof, the finished result looks great.

Thanks, Ron.

I tend to favour pictures and captions for telling my story.  It's just a matter of remembering to take those pictures!

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Photo 1 - I measured my walls and cut out a base and top piece from 1.5mm styrene.  I will likely cut the centre out of the base to give some access inside.  Either that or make the back removable.
IMG20260315190058comp.jpg

Photo 2 - Here are some of the walls.  It will be quite a tricky assembly, and I'm note quite sure how I will go about it yet.  I have cut out all the openings, with the exception of the high vent on the right front wall.  I have saved this until after painting as the omission of the cladding for the vent will make the wall quite fragile until it is assembled.  The walls were weathered by using Golden titanium buff with splodges of Woodland Scenics stone gray.  I then applied my leather dye and isopropyl and alcohol mix and pressed to dry.  I painted both sides to help alleviate warpage, but with water based products this tends to only help so much, hence the pressing.
IMG20260315190359comp.jpg

Photo 3 - Here are the same walls with their vents and doors in place.
IMG20260315191201comp.jpg

Photo 4 - Here is the last double door for the small tower down on the wharf.  I added door hardware to this one .I still have to add that to the others and tone down the hinges.
IMG20260315191213comp.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Very nice Mark. Would using strip wood on the inside for a gluing surface and bracing work?

Mark really nice work. I agree with Curt, bracing could go a long ways with assembly.

Mark just outstanding work all around.

Jerry

Quote from: PRR Modeler on March 15, 2026, 07:50:03 AMVery nice Mark. Would using strip wood on the inside for a gluing surface and bracing work?

QuoteMark really nice work. I agree with Curt, bracing could go a long ways with assembly.

Thanks, Curt and Larry.

What I mean is I'm not quite sure what order I will assemble this structure in, not how to go about it.  Once painted I will add the 6x6 corner trim and then start gluing the outer walls to the base and each other.  But it might be worthwhile adding horizontal bracing before assembly for the top styrene section.  That will then give me a flat, level surface to build the tower on top of.  I can then cut the roof around the tower, rather than cutting the tower walls to the pitch of the roof.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Jerry on March 15, 2026, 01:17:08 PMMark just outstanding work all around.

Jerry

Thanks very much, Jerry.

I might write to Don Tichy and suggest he makes up a sprue of door hardware, runners and perhaps some smaller and different types of hinges.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Mark Dalrymple on March 15, 2026, 05:11:20 PM

Quote from: Jerry on March 15, 2026, 01:17:08 PMMark just outstanding work all around.

Jerry

Thanks very much, Jerry.

I might write to Don Tichy and suggest he makes up a sprue of door hardware, runners and perhaps some smaller and different types of hinges.

Cheers, Mark.

I've found Don to be very receptive to suggestions.  Even better if you send him detailed pictures/drawings of what should be on that sprue, so he doesn't have to do a lot of research.

dave

Likey!  8)

Quote from: Philip on March 19, 2026, 07:49:52 AMLikey!  8)

Thanks, Philip!

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Well, time is ticking along and I have a week in Oz for the narrow gauge convention coming up before the challenge finishes, so I best get cracking!

Photo 1 - Here I am putting the front wall together.  The vents are just sitting in position at this stage.  These walls seemed to warp a lot, so I used pretty substantial bracing.  Also, as I used several different types of cladding, I had grain going both horizontally and vertically.  I also needed to brace above and below the two full length vents.
IMG20260320114908c.jpg

Photo 2 - Here we are looking at the front wall from the back.  You can see what I mean about the bracing!  I also needed to join the seams.  I have added horizontal bracing through the mid section for the rectangular styrene strengthener.  I'd call it a floor, but it is not going in at floor height.  I've also braced the rakes for the roofing.  Usually, I keep these bracing pieces 1.5mm down from the top and put 1.5mm styrene on top, within the walls, for a sub roof.  But those cladding pieces were wanting to warp so badly that I deemed it necessary to brace right to the top.
IMG20260321152106c.jpg

Photo 3 - I started by gluing the back wall and smaller side wall to the base.  I did this on a piece of glass with grease proof paper on top to keep things straight and true and to not glue the the structure to my cutting mat!  Again, you can see the short sections of beefy horizontal bracing going right to the tower extremities and the corner bracing glued in between.  Also notice the horizontal bracing for the mid floor.
IMG20260321154936c.jpg

Photo 4 - At this stage I decided to glue in the mid floor piece of 1.5mm styrene for added strength and stability.  It would not have been possible to get this piece in later.  As it was, I had to kind of thread it in at an angle to get it under the gable bracing.  I tried to take a photo of this, but was short by one hand!  These are the sort of order problems I allure to when talking about not knowing how I will go about a project.  With complicated scratchbuilding there is always a fair amount of problem solving to be done along the way.  You can see I have cut out all the notches for the various pieces of bracing that will be in the way.
IMG20260321154955c.jpg

Photo 5 - A view from above.  I have also added a piece of styrene to the the left wall (right when viewed from the back).  It is 1.5mm shorter than the outer walls, as it will sit on top of the styrene base.
IMG20260321155007c.jpg

Photo 6 - Small issues arise along the way.  Here, I noticed that the right hand wall was slightly longer than the base.  I used CA to glue on a scrap of styrene to the base and added a .5mm shim at left. 
IMG20260321161037c.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Continuing...

Photo 7 - Here we see the base trimmed to the right size.  I find it much easier to add a substantial piece, let the CA cure properly, and then trim, than trying to find the right size shims.  The smaller shims are also far more difficult to handle.
IMG20260321161215c.jpg

Photo 8 - Going back a bit...  I was worried about the structural integrity of cutting the slot out for this vent near the soffit, so I opted to cut and chisel out a rebate.
IMG20260316172609c.jpg

Photo 9 - A close up of my painting.  After weathering, I use my trusty long bristled brush to add paint under the laps on the weatherboard, kind of bouncing the brush along to create a random, uneven appearance.  This is where the paint stays on the longest in the prototype, as it has some protection from the driving rain and weather.  I then use an inside out gym sock to dry dab on more paint.  The dry dabbing does not get paint into those crevices, and so without using a fine brush to apply paint there, I find the appearance very jarring and unnatural, especially when using white.
IMG20260316170954c.jpg

Photo 10 - Here is the wall mocked up with doors and vents.
IMG20260316173840c.jpg

Photo 11 - With the vertical siding I use the fine brush to apply paint in the crevices between the boards.  Those long bristles hold quite a lot of paint, and so if watered down a bit, it flows for some time before reloading is necessary.
IMG20260319132540c.jpg

Photo 12 - Here is the vertical cladding after dry dabbing.  Paint colours are Josonja's antique green and Folk Art ivory white.
IMG20260319132736c.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Continuing...

Photo 13 - Here is the back wall assembled with corner trim added.  I added corner trim in green below the triangular jut out.  This will sit against the aerial walkover.
IMG20260319163856c.jpg

Photo 14 - Here are the four main walls assembled.
IMG20260321162714c.jpg

Photo 15 - A view from the right front corner.
IMG20260321162719c.jpg

Photo 16 - A view from the back left.
IMG20260321162731c.jpg

Photo 17 - A straight on view from the front at height.
IMG20260321164556c.jpg

Photo 18 - A angled view from the front left.
IMG20260321164605c.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Great looking progress Mark.

Mark, how did you notch the styrene floor for the bracing?

dave

Quote from: PRR Modeler on March 21, 2026, 06:16:13 PMGreat looking progress Mark.

Thanks, Curt.

We're getting there.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: deemery on March 21, 2026, 07:07:19 PMMark, how did you notch the styrene floor for the bracing?

dave

Hi Dave.

I used by razor saw to cut the cuts at 90 degrees to the edge and then scored and snapped the parallel cuts.

Cheers, Mark.

Mark, thanks.  I was wondering if you tried one of those plastic nibbler tools. 

dave

Hi guys.

Photo 1 - So when I went to add the front wall to the jut out I discovered a problem!  The front wall was considerably taller than the two side walls.  The only thing I can think of is that I made up a smaller vent to start with and decided it looked too narrow so then made up a taller one.  I must have used the wrong one when measuring.  Anyway - it has to be fixed.
IMG20260321173423c.jpg

Photo 2 - After measuring again (!!!) I marked and cut the side wall down.
IMG20260321173442c.jpg

Photo 3 - I used my razor saw to cut off the bracing pieces.
IMG20260321173543c.jpg

Photo 4 - I measured and marked the styrene base and then cut the extra off.
IMG20260321173835c.jpg

Photo 5 - You can see I added a new piece of bracing to the inside of the second side wall before removing the original piece.
IMG20260321174225c.jpg

Photo 6 - I cut the second side wall to size and then added a new piece of 6x6 to the corner.
IMG20260321174401c.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Continuing...

Photo 7 - Here is the shortened protrusion.  I actually like the dimensions of this better.
IMG20260321190900c.jpg

Photo 8 - From the other corner.
IMG20260321190908c.jpg

Photo 9- Mocked up with all the vents, doors and windows in place, tilted because they kept falling out.
IMG20260321192336c.jpg

Next up will be to tackle the aerial walkover/ conveyor hallway and tower.

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Well done Mark. Scratch building can be interesting at times.

Howdy Mark,

The lobster company is progressing well.  Congrats on the fine work.  

Have fun,
mike

Quote from: PRR Modeler on March 23, 2026, 12:28:05 PMWell done Mark. Scratch building can be interesting at times.

Thanks, Curt.

Yes.  Sometimes you have to face some unique challenges...

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: friscomike on March 23, 2026, 02:42:52 PMHowdy Mark,

The lobster company is progressing well.  Congrats on the fine work. 

Have fun,
mike

Thanks, Mike.

Its been an interesting project.  Still a lot to do!

Cheers, Mark.

Mark,

Very fine work.  Excellent recovery on the mistake.  Complex structures present a multitude of opportunities for error. 

Mike

Quote from: Michael Hohn on March 24, 2026, 03:26:34 PMMark,

Very fine work.  Excellent recovery on the mistake.  Complex structures present a multitude of opportunities for error. 

Mike

Thanks, Mike.

They do, indeed!  Its not just us modellers.  Over they years I have seen multitudes of manufacturing errors in the building world.  Frames and trusses that needed to be cut down or replaced.  Hours of chasing measurements around foundation boxing trying to find why things aren't working out, only to finally find it is an error in the diagonal on the plan, or they have allowed for brick cladding rather than timber.  Its good to remember these things when you're swearing at yourself for being an idiot...

Cheers, Mark.

Mark just getting caught up here.

That is some really outstanding work your producing here.
A real pleasure following along.

Jerry

Quote from: Mark Dalrymple on March 24, 2026, 04:53:09 PM

Quote from: Michael Hohn on March 24, 2026, 03:26:34 PMMark,

Very fine work.  Excellent recovery on the mistake.  Complex structures present a multitude of opportunities for error. 

Mike

Thanks, Mike.

They do, indeed!  Its not just us modellers.  Over they years I have seen multitudes of manufacturing errors in the building world.  Frames and trusses that needed to be cut down or replaced.  Hours of chasing measurements around foundation boxing trying to find why things aren't working out, only to finally find it is an error in the diagonal on the plan, or they have allowed for brick cladding rather than timber.  Its good to remember these things when you're swearing at yourself for being an idiot...

Cheers, Mark.

There's a prototype for everything (including errors!)

dave

Hi guys.

Photo 1 - Next up was the walkover.  This houses a conveyor belt which transports products across to the Walthers kitbash.  I made up a cardboard template and then marked and cut out 6 interior bracing pieces from 1.5mm styrene.  I also made up a base.
IMG20260322155032c.jpg

Photo 2 - These were then assembled.  I cut rectangular pieces to hold the bracing pieces plumb and also to act as a ridge line.  I filed the ridge to a peak.  You can see I also cut notches higher up on the sides of the bracing pieces (before installation).  These are to allow for horizontal bracing stripwood to run along near the top of the side walls.
IMG20260322170443c.jpg

Photo 3 - Here is the walkover in position.  I used 12x12 bracing to check the height was consistent.
IMG20260322184111c.jpg

Photo 4 - Here I am setting up the tower.
IMG20260324211536c.jpg

Photo 5 - Here is the interior of the tower.  You can see I made up two square styrene pieces to keep everything straight, true and square, along with a lot of bracing.
IMG20260324212940c.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Continuing...

Photo 6 - Here I am attaching 12x12's for the roof supports.  I usually use 1.5mm styrene and put bracing up the rakes 1.5mm below the top of the cladding to allow for the thickness of the styrene, but because of the major cladding warping, and deeming it necessary to adhere bracing right to the top of the walls, this was my solution.
IMG20260325210156c.jpg

Photo 7 - Roof bracing around the tower.
IMG20260325210203c.jpg

Photo 8 - I cut out sub-roofing from black card.  I always think this makes the single biggest difference to the appearance of a model in progress.  This is why I try to always add roofing to my mockups.  We view so much of our modelling from above that I think it is too much of an important element to leave off when trying to visualise how a scene will look.  In this photo you can also see the beams I made up by splicing together some bridge girders.
IMG20260325220422c.jpg

Photo 9 - A view from the other side.  I gave the main structure 18" soffits while keeping the tower, walkover and front addition to 10" soffits.  These proportions looked right to me.  Sub-roofs are just sitting in position at the moment.  I cut the small piece which roofs the triangle of the tower off the main walkover piece at the ridge line and then spliced another piece on with 10" soffits.  I also added a piece of 12x12 to the underside of the slanted tower roof so it sits in the correct position (it kept sliding off).
IMG20260325220430c.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Jerry on March 25, 2026, 05:03:13 PMMark just getting caught up here.

That is some really outstanding work your producing here.
A real pleasure following along.

Jerry

Thanks so much, Jerry.  It is very kind of you to say so.

Please note, I was half way through my next update when we had a power outage for several hours.  Hence, there is now another two posts for you to catch up on!

Cheers, Mark.

QuoteThere's a prototype for everything (including errors!)

Absolutely, Dave!

Outstanding scratch building Mark. I might of missed it but what isvthe purpose of the tower?

Mark,

I had a lot of catching up to do, you have made a lot of progress since my last visit.  The building look great and is interesting with all the angles it has.  I also found it fascinating how you use styrene bracing within the wood building construction.

Quote from: PRR Modeler on March 26, 2026, 07:18:37 AMOutstanding scratch building Mark. I might of missed it but what isvthe purpose of the tower?

Thanks, Curt!

I have little information, just an image, that I am working from.  My guess would be it houses a vertical elevator that would transport the catch up to the second floor where it would then be transferred onto the horizontal elevator.  The top of the tower would house the elevator workings.  If anyone has further information on this, please let me know.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: elwoodblues on March 26, 2026, 10:53:59 AMMark,

I had a lot of catching up to do, you have made a lot of progress since my last visit.  The building look great and is interesting with all the angles it has.  I also found it fascinating how you use styrene bracing within the wood building construction.

Thank you, Ron.

I use styrene a lot in my scratchbuilding and kitbashing, regardless of the medium I am using - resin, plastic, wood, plaster.  I like working with it and my methods add a lot of structural integrity to my builds.  Buying it in large sheets as I do also makes it inexpensive (less than $20US for a 4.5'x2.5' sheet of 16th" thick).

Cheers, Mark.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Photo 1 - I place a piece of card against the slope of the roof section and mark the vertical wall and roof pitch.  I then take this piece of card to my cutting mat, cut out the pencil marks and cut a square cut off the vertical wall cut.  The result is the piece of card in my chopper.  This is the rake of the roof section.  The cut against the stock of the chopper is parallel with the wall base.  Rafter sticks can then be put against this rake and the chopper will provide plumb cuts for rafter tails.  By adjusting the stop, rafter tails of the correct length can be cut.  Simply cut one, check its fit, and adjust the stop as necessary.
IMG20260326150159c.jpg

Photo 2 - Here is my simple jig for cutting fly rafters.  The plumb cut line is marked at right crossing the pitch line and I simply measure the desired length and mark this at the other end of the pitch line.  Once the fly rafter is put in position, a single edged razor blade is used to cut the second plumb cut.
IMG20260326152147c.jpg

Photo 3 - After measuring and cutting out my roof pieces and checking these for fit, I hold them in place and use a 0.5mm clutch pencil to mark the intersection of the top of the wall and the underside of the roof on the underside of the roof piece.  I then divide the length into appropriate rafter spacings and mark with a pencil.  I always feel rafters closer together look better on a model.  I went for 18" spacings here.  3' is probably more common.  The tiny rafter tails have their top edges dipped in a pool of canopy glue, the excess wiped off and then are placed in position with the roof card upside down on my workbench.  I use tweezers for this job.  I place the rafter tails with their pointed ends at the inside of the pencil mark.  The fly rafters should go on the roof card extremity.  In the prototype, these pieces are supported by purlins and outriggers, and in return, support the extremity of the roof.  Placing them against the side of the cladding is pointless, as the wall to which the cladding is fixed is supporting the roof.  They are, however, very necessary at the roof's extremities, especially with larger soffits.  Fascia is often attached to the fly rafters.
IMG20260326152155c.jpg

Photo 4 - The roof card is put in position, and all those pecky rafter tails should be perfect!
IMG20260326152336c.jpg

Photo 5 - I zipped outside and took a photo of our barn to help clarify (hopefully).  Most buildings have soffits nailed to the underside of the timber and so all this isn't usually seen.  Our barn is a little unusual in that the fly rafters are thicker than the fascia.  I can only assume they changed their minds on what size fascia to use half way through the build.  You can clearly see the out riggers (at 90 degrees to the fascia and fly rafters), and above these are 3x2" purlins.  The fascia running along parallel with the flat wall hides all those rafter tails.  In our models we tend to leave these pieces off, as it looks better.  If doing so it only makes sense to me that we also leave off the gable fascia.  The timber running up the gable wall is cut between the outriggers, which are attached to the first truss or rafter into the structure.  The gable wall is kept lower then the rafters to allow these our riggers to rest on the top plate of the gable wall and give good support to the fly rafters.  Wow!  That was really quite hard to explain!
IMG20260327152013c.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Nice job on the roof and eaves.

Mark great work.  And a nice little tutorial on how to make them.

Jerry

Quote from: PRR Modeler on March 27, 2026, 07:26:00 AMNice job on the roof and eaves.

Thanks, Curt.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: Jerry on March 27, 2026, 10:04:24 AMMark great work.  And a nice little tutorial on how to make them.

Jerry

Thanks, Jerry.

Rafter tails are all done now...

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Photo 1 - I decided to roof the walkover with Campbell's corrugated iron.  I like this product as it is close to scale thickness and the undulations are spaced correctly.  I start by cutting the closest length roofing material I have down to the correct length for my model.  In this case I didn't need to do any cutting, as the 8' strip was just right.  I then cut each length into three shorter lengths and set up a simple jig using painters tape.  I set up a piece at each end of the iron and mark the nail rows for fixing onto the purlins on the tape.  I space these evenly at whatever works out closest to 3' centres.  I tape a strip of iron to the cutting mat so that the bottom is just below the bottom row of nails.  I vary the height of each piece slightly.  This is so that when attaching the individual pieces of iron, when I line up the nail rows, the length of each piece of iron will change slightly, giving a nice random appearance.  You need to choose your pieces carefully from the various piles to achieve this effect.  I then us a blunt, fine pointed compass to put indentations along these nail lines, every second undulation.  You have to get the pressure just right - enough to create a small dimple on the opposite side of the iron, but not so much as to pierce the iron.  I don't put nails at the top of the strip, as these will either be covered by the next piece of iron above, or by a flashing.  Once I have added nail rows to a few 1/3 length strips, I score and snap (by wiggling back and forward) the strip into individual pieces.  I make these around 10-11mm wide, which scales out to around 3'.  I added some square lines to the sub roof to help keep things in alignment.  I apply double sided tape to the sub roof and start attaching the corrugated iron pieces.  These now need to be flipped so that the undulations are up to resemble lead headed nails.  If the gaps between laps show up too much, or anything appears loose, I apply a drop of CA to some painters tape and then cut a small triangle of double sided tape backing.  I run the pointy end of the backing through the drop of CA and then run this under the upper of the two corrugated iron pieces.  I then hold the upper piece down with my 6" steel rule end for around 30 seconds. 
IMG20260329105024c.jpg

Photo 2 - Here is the right side of the roof finished.  I cut down a small strip of iron to use over the longer section of roofing.
IMG20260329191648c.jpg

Photo 3 - A close up from the other side.  I still have to add the fly rafters to the side of this longer roof section (bottom of the tower) but will wait until the corrugated iron is painted.  It is important to run the double sided tape in a piece that can be folded over the top of the ridge, thus leaving double sided tape along the top of the ridgeline.  It is also important to leave the roofing iron down a fraction from the top of the ridge, to leave room for the 1.2mm styrene rod that will make up the 'spine' of the ridge capping to adhere to the double sided tape on the ridge.
IMG20260329191657c.jpg

Photo 4 - A view from the side.
IMG20260329191707c.jpg

Photo 5 - I did most of this roofing at the dog show.  I made up this simple extruded foam holder which fitted snuggly into a chilly bin for damage free transport.  I am also finding it useful for working on the structure at home on my work bench, especially as it is now getting quite fragile.
IMG20260329191735c.jpg

Photo 6 - A view of the extruded foam 'holder' from the other side.
IMG20260329191747c.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Continuing...

Photo 7 - Here is the ridge capping added to the walkover.
IMG20260330104815c.jpg

Photo 8 - I start with a piece of aluminium foil.  I smooth this out and then stick it to a piece of double sided tape.
IMG20260330105137c.jpg

Photo 9 - I peel off the double sided tape backing and stick it down to my cutting mat, sticky side up, nice and taught.  A piece of 1.2mm rod is cut to the correct length and then carefully laid down the centre of the tape.  I trim the ends of the tape, leaving enough to fold over the edges.
IMG20260330105400c.jpg

Photo 10 - Using my finger and thumb I caress the tape around the sides of the rod somewhat.  I then flatten the bottom sections out (bending them back the other way).  The rod is then carefully laid down the centre of the ridgeline.
IMG20260330105632c.jpg

Photo 11 - I use my thumb nail to crease the foil further down the sides of the rod and shape it until it reaches the corrugated iron.
IMG20260330105710c.jpg

Photo 12 - A toothpick is then used to mold the flashing into the undulations of the iron.  A knife is used to cut a couple of small slits into the end flashing and this is folded around the end of the ridge capping.  The ridge appears to be way off centre in this photo.  It is an illusion.  Its actually pretty good.
IMG20260330110134c.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Mark thanks for your method of doing ridge caps. I will give this a try next time around. It looks much better than what I do.

Howdy Mark,

The structure looks great.  The corrugated iron roofing looks perfect.  The ridge cap is brilliant.  

Have fun,
mike

Quote from: PRR Modeler on March 30, 2026, 07:48:54 AMMark thanks for your method of doing ridge caps. I will give this a try next time around. It looks much better than what I do.

Thanks, Curt.

Let me know if you have any difficulties, and I'll try to fill in any blanks there may be.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: friscomike on March 30, 2026, 08:00:39 AMHowdy Mark,

The structure looks great.  The corrugated iron roofing looks perfect.  The ridge cap is brilliant. 

Have fun,
mike

Thank you for your kind words, Mike.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Photo 1 - I made up a flashing from aluminium foil and double sided tape.  This was carefully put into position using tweezers, the end of my 6" ruler and a toothpick.
IMG20260330110918c.jpg

Photo 2 - I used high tack masking tape for the main roof area.  I marked the centre of the roll and then used that old builders trick of using your fingers as a guide and running a line around the centre of the width.  I peeled off the tape, stuck the end to my workbench, and used scissors to cut it down the centre line.  I cut off sections at approximately a scale 33' to represent the product arriving in rolls.  The first piece was taped into position, trimmed, and then the offcut used for the second run, just like in the prototype.
IMG20260330112128c.jpg

Photo 3 - Here is the first roof finished.  I taped the last piece to my cutting mat, measured and marked, allowing for a return flashing up the wall, marked the starting line on the roof, and then stuck into position, using tweezers as an aid.
IMG20260330114520c.jpg

Photo 4 - Here is the other side.  I also used my tiny scissors to cut little squares off the front corners.  The tape was folded over the edge and adhered to the edge of the card using my thumbnail.  I added a small strip around the external corner of the tower to the flashing.
IMG20260330143254c.jpg

Photo 5 - I added double sided tape to the single story addition roof.
IMG20260330145239c.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Continuing...

Photo 6 - I decided to use Campbell shingles on the single story addition roof.  I find the double sided tape makes it easy to get the curved nature of the rows of shingles out.  I adhere them with a press of my thumbnail every inch or so.  I marked the sub roof at 3/32" spacings and drew lines across the sub roof for a guide when adding the shingles.  This is about the only time I don't work in metric.
IMG20260330151950c.jpg

Photo 7 - Between every row of shingles I add a bead of canopy glue.  I find the double sided tape on its own isn't quite enough for this task.  After each row of shingles was added it was trimmed to length using my tiny scissors.  Generally, I add Campbell shingles before gluing the roof to the structure.  This was a gentle reminder of why.
IMG20260330152022c.jpg

Photo 8 - The finished roof.  I added a masking tape flashing.
IMG20260330154613c.jpg

Photo 9 - A view from above showing the finished roofs.  You can see I opted to add a tar paper roof to the top of the tower.
IMG20260330155727c.jpg

Photo 10 - A view from the front.
IMG20260330155733c.jpg

Photo 11 - A view from the left corner.
IMG20260330155741c.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Masking tape for roofing paper, and Campbell paper shingles!   Roofing approaches I remember from the 1960s, that still look good....

dave

The roofing looks great Mark.

Quote from: deemery on March 30, 2026, 06:03:23 PMMasking tape for roofing paper, and Campbell paper shingles!   Roofing approaches I remember from the 1960s, that still look good....

dave

So true, Dave.

Cheers, Mark.

Quote from: PRR Modeler on March 30, 2026, 06:17:23 PMThe roofing looks great Mark.

Thanks, Curt.

Cheers, Mark.

Mark,

I like the variety in roofing, especially when done so well.

Mike

Mark,

Excellent all the way. Your build is coming along nicely and it will look fantastic on the layout.

Tom

Mark those roofs look really good and like the various textures.

QuoteMark,

I like the variety in roofing, especially when done so well.

QuoteExcellent all the way. Your build is coming along nicely and it will look fantastic on the layout.

QuoteMark those roofs look really good and like the various textures.

Thanks very much, Mike, Tom and Larry.

Yes - I like to change up the roofs a bit, but I also like to predominantly use corrugated iron to keep things closer to the New Zealand prototype.  We certainly are the land of the wrinkly tin!  Tom - I'm looking forward to placing the complex on the layout.  The old fishery at the front should make a nice forefront obstacle to frame views behind, especially with the enclosed conveyor and walkover traversing the tracks.

I arrived back in NZ this afternoon after a great week away at the 16th Australian narrow gauge convention, held in Melbourne.  There were twelve of us from NZ, and 7 of us staying together.  As you can imagine, it was train chaos!  We all had a great time and came back super inspired!  I have a little time left to work on my challenge so will try to make another decent chunk of progress over the coming week.

Cheers, Mark.

Doesn't seem to matter what kind of roofing you use.  It all comes out perfect!  A job well done.

Jerry

Quote from: Jerry on April 07, 2026, 11:19:47 AMDoesn't seem to matter what kind of roofing you use.  It all comes out perfect!  A job well done.

Jerry

Thank you for the kind comment, Jerry.

I'm set up in the garage for an afternoon's modelling.  I have a very large list of tasks to complete on my project.  Hopefully I can tick a few off!

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

I got a few little jobs done yesterday.

Photo 1 - I cut some tank bodies from some dowel.  I cut planks from 6x1's and 4x1's and glued these to the body.
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Photo 2 - I laid a piece of high tack tape on my cutting mat and measured and cut it into strips.  I removed every second strip and painted using Mig rust tracks.  Removing every second strip means the edges get painted.  I used 2 pi r to get the length right, allowing a little extra for a lap.
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Photo 3 - I marked the position of the bands at four spots around the circumference of the tank and carefully wrapped them around using my eyeometer 1969 to line up.  I started in the same place with each band and will put the laps to the back.  I added Campbell band tighteners.  They were the only ones I had on hand, but will be looking into getting some better ones.  I painted the top of the tank dark green/ black and added Golden gloss gel.  This was quite thick and so it looks like a windy day.  The base was made from 8x2's.  I still have to add legs, braces and install.
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Photo 4 - I made up a blackish brown wash and applied this to the shingles, getting the brush underneath any lifted shingles. 
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Photo 5 - Once dry I did a series of dry brushes using paynes grey, tans and off whites.
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More soon, cheers, Mark.

Howdy, Mark, the tank bands and couplings look terrific.  I like the roofing.  Although Campbell's shingles are old compared with the new ones, you've made them look fantastic.  Nice work as usual.  Have fun, mike

Great job Mark. I especially like the tank which is outstanding.

Mark nice coloring on the roof and like Curt stated the tank is outstanding; the turnbuckles look fantastic.

Mark wonderful job on that tank!!

Jerry

Mark, the tank looks great as well a the shingles. 

Quote from: friscomike on April 10, 2026, 06:32:44 PMHowdy, Mark, the tank bands and couplings look terrific.  I like the roofing.  Although Campbell's shingles are old compared with the new ones, you've made them look fantastic.  Nice work as usual.  Have fun, mike

QuoteGreat job Mark. I especially like the tank which is outstanding.

QuoteMark nice coloring on the roof and like Curt stated the tank is outstanding; the turnbuckles look fantastic.

QuoteMark wonderful job on that tank!!

QuoteMark, the tank looks great as well a the shingles.

Thank you for the great comments, Mike, Curt, Larry, Jerry and Ron!

Mike - I still really like the Campbells shingles.  I find this Troels Kirk painting method works very well and is pretty idiot proof.

The tank is pretty easy to do.  I'm pleased you all like the bands - again, very simple.

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Photo 1 - I made up a sign from some wooden letters.  I attached a couple of strips of 4x4 to some painters tape, sticky side out and attached the letters using canopy glue and a toothpick.  I also had to make a second R from a P and a V.
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Photo 2 - Here is the sign made up.
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Photo 3 - I sprayed the sign matt black and then hand painted the top of the letters using Golden titan buff.  this is the colour I use to tone down my stripwood when I leave it in the bath for too long.
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Photo 4 - I used the inside out gym sock to dry paint on Folk Art vintage white.
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Photo 5 - Yesterday, after spending several hours working on my water tank, and having just finished a tank stand for the pitched roof, I went for lunch with the dog following me.  Without me noticing, he snuck back into the garage, must have bumped the modelling table and knocked the water tank to the floor.  Michelle found him chewing something on the mat in the dining room.  No prizes for guessing what!  It took about an hour to resurrect the tank (hiding some nasty teeth marks at the back) and I had to rebuild the stand.  It took me until dinner time to forgive Wilbur!  I was lucky he was found so quickly and spat the tank out so quickly, or resurrection would have been impossible!  I stripped off some of the bands, removed the buckles and cut the boards off as shown.
IMG20260412130707c.jpg

Photo 6 - Here is the tank after applying new planks to hide the teeth marks and replacing the tank bands as needed.
IMG20260412131809c.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Mark,

So, the dog really did eat your homework.

Fabulous job on the tank, both times.

Mike

Canine weathering!  That's a new technique.

dave

OH!! Wilbur what did you do!!!  ;D

Nice fix on the tank and I really like the waves in the water!!

Jerry

QuoteMark,

So, the dog really did eat your homework.

Fabulous job on the tank, both times.

QuoteCanine weathering!  That's a new technique.OH!! Wilbur what did you do!!!  ;D

Nice fix on the tank and I really like the waves in the water!!

Thanks very much, Mike, Dave and Jerry.

Yes - the dog ate my homework!  I'm pleased you like the waves, Jerry.

The new stand is built.  Again!

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Photo 1 - I drew a template on some painters tape and constructed a ladder.  I ripped some 4x2 in half to make the rungs.
IMG20260412151819c.jpg

Photo 2 - I used 1.5mm styrene to make the shell for the walkways hanging off the side of the Atlas kitbash.
IMG20260414101312c.jpg

Photo 3 - Here they are in position.
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Photo 4 - I used a chisel attachment to remove all the positive detail on the wall where these two walkway/ stairways are to go - sills and lintels.
IMG20260414104535c.jpg

Photo 5 - I used a square and strip of styrene to mark the styrene shells for high tack masking tape.
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Photo 6 - Here is the tape going on.  I was able to see the lines through the tape, so was able to line the top piece of tape up with the lines.
IMG20260414120401c.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Continuing...

Photo 7 - Here is the original factory from the front.  Doors have been glued into position, ladder has been attached and the water tank is in position with input and output pipes.   I also fabricated and added door hardware.  Note:  tank is not yet glued, and had moved from its correct position in this photo.
IMG20260415082348c.jpg

Photo 8 - A close up of the resurrected water tank.  My second tank stand holds the tank level.  The roof has been dry-brushed and some stacks added.
IMG20260415082411c.jpg

Photo 9 - The signage glued to the side of the walkover.  I gave the red roof a second coat of cavalry paint and when dry, dry-brushed with Jo Sonya's unbleached titanium.  I painted these black roofs with Jo Sonya's carbon black, which I far preferred to the last paint I used.  Nice and smooth and dries very matt.  The rafter tails were also given a paint with some stain and then some white.
IMG20260415082435c.jpg

Photo 10 - The walkways/ stairways in position.  I will add battens to these.  Painted with Jo Sonya's carbon black and dry-brushed with Jo Sonya's unbleached titanium.
IMG20260415082559c.jpg

More soon, cheers, Mark.

Excellent modeling, Mark.

Quote from: Michael Hohn on April 14, 2026, 08:30:31 PMExcellent modeling, Mark.

Thanks very much, Michael.

It's been a fun project.  I've also been quite disciplined (for me), with very few tangents, and nothing unnecesseccary.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

Photo 1 - Here is a view from the back showing all the blinds.
IMG20260415140151c.jpg

Photo 2 - A view from the front.  I touched up the sills in FX83 grey, dusted the window surrounds with white chalk to tone down the green and then glazed all the windows in the DPM M T Arms Hotel kitbash.  Once glazed I gave the inside a spray with Dullcote to frost the glass.  Blinds were then added to both the DPM and Atlas kitbashes.  I used craft paper brown, dark brown and grey for the Atlas kitbash and two shades of green for the DPM kitbash.
IMG20260415180633c.jpg

Photo 3 - After doing my second aerial walkway I had come up with a better technique, so I stripped the tape off the first one and redid it.  When done I added 4x1 trim to the edges and over the tape laps.  I also added a tar paper roof to the two kitbashes (not shown).
IMG20260415180637c.jpg

Photo 4 - None of my clamps were able to clamp the aerial walkways as desired, so I had to improvise.
IMG20260415200854c.jpg

I'm assuming the challenge goes until midnight on the 15th?  So hopefully I will be able to take these models over to the barn and mock them up for some final photos tomorrow morning, after the glue has set.  I also have some 6x2's and 8x2's in a stain bath and hope to make up the loading platform for the Walthers kitbash as a last project.  I will not be able to glue these structures in place as there is still a large chunk of work to be done on the trackbed and surrounding dioramas first.  I did some of this during the challenge, but like many jobs in our modelling worlds it was far more complex and involved than I had first considered.

I would like to thank everyone that checked out my progress, and thanks to all that made the effort to leave a comment (or several!)  They are always very much appreciated.  This was a big undertaking, and I'm pleased with the way I have stuck it out.  This is not my strong point - I usually find something to take my attention once I have solved all the problems on a given project.  It is also another big chunk of real estate largely completed for my Urban scene.

More soon, cheers, Mark.

As usual Mark you have produced an outstanding build and it looks fantastic.

Quote from: PRR Modeler on April 15, 2026, 07:23:53 AMAs usual Mark you have produced an outstanding build and it looks fantastic.

Thank you so much Curt.

It's been great to have you along for the journey.

Cheers, Mark.

Final shots

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More in a sec...

Final shots 2

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Cheers, Mark.

Mark, Cheers,

Wowser, what a fantastic looking build. And, it fits right in with the Telleynot theme.

All thumbs up from here.

Tom

Outstanding, Mark. 

I don't know where I'd even start on a facility like that. 

Mike

The combination of the building layout and the coloring makes this look like it 'organically expanded'.  

dave

What a project!  Great work!

Jeff

Hi guys.

As promised, one last detail.

Photo 1 - The deck plan drawn on some painters tape, sticky side up.  Note - plan is flipped to build upside down.
IMG20260416101006c.jpg

Photo 2 - 8x2 decking is added to the tape.  Small gaps can be left between the boards if desired (I added the occasional piece of 6x2 for variety).  The plan is laid (upside down) on top of the boards, the shape drawn in pencil, and cut out with a single edged razorblade.  Joists are then added, and these give the structure strength and hold it all together.  Note I added only short 8x2's at some of the ends to save on timber.
IMG20260416112542c.jpg

Photo 3 - Bearers are added and then posts are cut and added.  Prototype practice would be to attach the posts on top (underneath) the bearers.  The way I have built it would require extra fixings for strength, but it makes the model far easier to build.  Finally, 6x2 cross braces are added.  Then simply cut the deck off the painters tape, turn over, and remove the tape.  I pull the tape across the deck rather than up, just in case the upwards motion pulls any boards off.  Lastly, touch up the board ends with stain.
IMG20260416123042c.jpg

Photo 4 - The deck in position ready for its first load!
IMG20260416124056c.jpg

Cheers, Mark.

Howdy Mark,

Fiordland is an amazing structure that profiles your talent. Congrats on completing this fantastic build.

Have fun,
mike

QuoteMark, Cheers,

Wowser, what a fantastic looking build. And, it fits right in with the Telleynot theme.

All thumbs up from here.

Tom

QuoteOutstanding, Mark.

I don't know where I'd even start on a facility like that.

Mike

QuoteThe combination of the building layout and the coloring makes this look like it 'organically expanded'. 

dave

QuoteWhat a project!  Great work!

Jeff

QuoteHowdy Mark,

Fiordland is an amazing structure that profiles your talent. Congrats on completing this fantastic build.

Have fun,
mike

Thank you very much, Tom, Mike, Dave, Jeff and Mike.

I always try to make my scenes look like they are organically expanded and so am pleased you think I have succeeded.  This has been a fun build.  I think all three of the kits I used work well for kitbashing.  The Atlas Middlesex Manufacturing, in particular, can create a large structure without too many splices.  Now it is time to get back to some work on the layout.  Winter is coming and I hope to spend a good deal of time working on construction.  Thank you all so much for looking in on my progress and for all the great comments.

Cheers, Mark.

I just went back and stepped through all 19 pages, to see how this evolved from concept to finished product.

dave

Quote from: deemery on April 16, 2026, 05:39:12 PMI just went back and stepped through all 19 pages, to see how this evolved from concept to finished product.

dave

Thanks very much, Dave.

I hope you enjoyed your revisit.  Indeed, I take that as quite the compliment.

Cheers, Mark.