Treadwell and Ware

[kathy.millatt]

Thanks Alan

It does make the build more fun.  Modelling is quite a solitary hobby so it's nice to be able to share.

Kathy

[kathy.millatt]

I completed the L roof following my own blog post on the main mill roof. I didn't bother with quite so many pen colours as they don't show a lot. I also need to do the lichen but want to try a different technique.

[kathy.millatt]

I'm lighting my buildings so need some rough interiors. I expect my windows will be grubby so the mill equipment just needs to be the right size and shape.

At Christmas I bought two packs of Micro blocks for £2. They are cheap small lego knock offs.



I made some basic blocks for the mill machinery.



I primed then painted them green with a hobby spray paint I had knocking around. I then added some gubbins on top to make them more interesting.



This is the ground floor:





First floor:



And the top floor is just a few view blocks:



It's hard to take photos through the window:



I need some knitting as it's a knitting mill so I scrunched up some tissue.



I put it on a plastic bag and dripped water on it and scrunched more:



My underfloor heating is excellent for drying stuff. I'm not totally sold as they are a bit large so the jury's out still.

[kathy.millatt]

I'm clearing off the last few tasks on the structures. First up was to build the link as the last building before I assemble the structures.

It's two wooden sides and a cardboard roof. I painted the laser cut walls with a Aged Wood Mig Wash, then put on rubber cement - Copydex, on the ridges before a slightly diluted coat of white Vallejo paint.

I peeled off the cement:



Then used a Cold Grey Mig Wash on top. I weathered some areas with a darker Mig Wash and some AK interactive slime colours:



Whilst I was at, I got organised and did the rest of the painted woodwork such as the covered stairs and porch canopy:





Finally I glued it in place. I left out the foundation stones that came with the kit out as my Ware knitters is lower than the brick building that the original plan joined onto:



I changed how I am going to wire the diorama with only one set of straws now coming up under Ware:



I cut a groove to channel the wires through under the buildings. My hot foam knife made this easy:



I soldered some connectors onto the wires and Ware's roof as it is removable:



The interior roof LEDs look cool:



I then glued all the remaining interiors in place. This is Ware:



Finally I got out my big bottle of white glue and stuck everything down!





For a bit of light relief I mixed up some lichen coloured paint:



Then used an airbrush to splatter the paint off a brush onto the roof. Jury's out on whether it looks as good as just splodging it on. More practice is needed!  I've put another Mig wash on and will try again as I realise I forgot to put the pigments in.





I still have to do the lighting in the main building plus the flashing and valleys on the roofs. My decorator has taken over the kitchen and I have a lot on over the next few weeks so that's it on the structures before the end of February.

[kathy.millatt]

I'm about half way through the diorama so I thought I would post some final photos of where I have got to:





















I got out my new camera and tried taking some night shots too:

[deemery]

Very nice!   I like the clever use of Legos for the mill interior.


dave

[oldbloodhound]

Nice.  I like the way your lichen/moss came out on the roof.  Very realistic.

[gnatshop]

A very impressive grouping of large industrial buildings!!
You've still got that foresight, great imagination and the skill to bring it to life!

[Jerry]

A great combination of buildings.  Excellent job of doing this thread and craftsmanship.

Jerry

[chooch41]

Awesome job.... SRMW are very nice kits. Your work is very inspiring......


Brad

[kathy.millatt]

Thanks Guys

I really appreciate the positive comments.

I'm off to visit the States next week so this is on a break for a bit.  I've a few bits to rework, like the lichen needs a bit more on it, the gap between buildings needs a clever solution and I need to dirty up the windows so the lego is only a shape, not lego!

It's been great fun building again and I'm looking forward to getting back to it in March when my decorator gets his stuff out of my modelling area!

Kathy

[Erieman]

Thanks Guys

I really appreciate the positive comments.

I'm off to visit the States next week so this is on a break for a bit.  I've a few bits to rework, like the lichen needs a bit more on it, the gap between buildings needs a clever solution and I need to dirty up the windows so the lego is only a shape, not lego!

It's been great fun building again and I'm looking forward to getting back to it in March when my decorator gets his stuff out of my modelling area!

Kathy

Kathy,

The complex is looking marvelous. That is a big undertaking, Well done. I notice that you are coming to the States. Arizona by chance? BOD Meeting? Drop me a PM. If you have time, there are several great layouts nearby.

Frank / Erieman

[tom.boyd.125]

Kathy,
At the start of this year, I visited your SRMW build as a guest on this forum, and read about you using the putty on the seams with tape on both sides to make it more manageable instead of just smearing into the walls, and then cleaning the whole seam up with a knife. That tip was used by myself many times recently doing a few builds of plaster and urethane wall kits. THANK YOU for sharing that info. It was very helpful to me.
I finally joined the forum this week, and purchased a T-Shirt too.
Tom Boyd
Center City, MN.

[GPdemayo]

Great work Kathy.....that's going to be one terrific scene. 

[PaulS]

Kathy, hope you are doing well ..


Just went through your Threadwell / Ware build and you are doing a fantastic job on this.  And thank you for sharing all of your tips, techniques and lessons learned.   I have also started using the Mig products and have been gleaning a lot from our military modeler friends as part of my structure and diorama building.


So wondering if you have made any more progress on your diorama, and if so could you share more of your pictures with us.  Also, how were you able to finally get the "sheen" off of your buildings?  Did the curing help?  And did you have to go back over with another coat of dullcoat, chalks or otherwise?


Thanks Kathy and look forward to seeing this diorama in situ as part of your layout.
All the best,
--Paul