Builders in Scale "The Waterfront"

[Oldguy]

I want to thank you for your Waterfront build.
As a way of background, I bought just about every Builders in Scale kit produced as the Haggards (?) used to come to our area meets to sell both their kits and individual parts over the years.  I bought this one thinking I could use it on a river waterfront.  But going to a more proto-lance locale had me taking to train shows in one of my for sale boxes as it would no longer fit my needs.  However, your build has shown me that I can, in fact, use the individual buildings in a Midwest setting with some slight modification.
Thanks again and good work on the build.

[Opa George]

Doug,
Thank you very much!

Bob,
Kind words indeed, thank you!  I do believe these structures would look quite at home in the Midwest, either close to a water feature such as a river or creek, or far from it. The next structure, the cannery, includes signs identifying it as a tuna cannery, but that is probably the only feature that distinctly ties it to a coastal or bayside locale. Change signs and add a few different details and it could be a chicken processing plant, a brewery or any number small manufacturing plants. I will have it well underway so you can see close up how it looks, in about a week.


Best to all!
George

[Opa George]

Next up is the cannery. This is the third, and if you don't count the dock, the last structure in the kit. It is also the focal point of the kit, with a covered second story porch, skylights and a cast waterfront cement foundation that extends down to the water.

I cut out the door and window openings, measured and cut out openings for two large industrial wall vents. The instructions indicated I should choose from two possible wall positions for a vent, and the castings parts list mentioned only one vent--but there were two wall vent castings in the box, so I decided to use both. Below are the walls with the bracing installed:


To my eye, that bracing looked somewhat meager, so I studied the drawings and instructions and added additional heavy duty bracing. I think I cleared all of the joints and special areas, but I was pretty sure I was ok with the freight house and ended up blocking a door installations, so we'll see.


Castings for the walls are primed with Rustoleum white primer (rattle can).  The wall vent and bonus wall vent are in the upper left:


Finally, I added nail holes with a ponce wheel and distressed the boards with a file card. Also some random cuts, scrapes and scratches. I may add more later. Then a wash of A & I, which is still wet, in the view below:


Paint will be next. I am thinking blue and white, but I also have an idea for something a little "different," whimsical and unique.  I'm going to play around on some scrap wood before showing my hand on my paint scheme.

[ACL1504]

George,

Nice job on the first build and I'm looking forward to the cannery build.

Tom

[jerryrbeach]

George,


Just getting caught up on this thread.  I'm looking forward to the cannery build and seeing everything come together.

[postalkarl]

Hey George:

Looking great. Like your colors.

Karl

[Opa George]

Tom--thank you very much! Yes, the cannery should be fun as well. I think it has the most potential for creativity.

Jerry--thank you for looking in. I'll have the trio of buildings in this kit together in the end, but will need to wait for final location on the layout as I'm looking to incorporate another kit into the area and I want to get those structures built before siting.

Karl--Thanks much! I took wall coloring a step further. See my next post!

[Opa George]

So I gave the walls a dry-brushing with basic white acrylic craft paint.  I was going for a "memory of paint" look. But I had my heart set on a two-tone paint job: white and a deep blue. Because I wanted a sense of whimsey on this working fish cannery, I decided to try a wave effect on the ground floor.  I used blue painter tape and drew a wave design freehand in black fine-point marker.  Then I carefully cut out the design:


Treating it like a stencil, I dry-brushed  with acrylic "bright blue."  I was afraid of losing the wave detail by dry-brushing as light as I had applied the white, so I went a little heavier at the top near the top of the design. Here is the result. I must say I am very happy with it. 


This might be one of those love it or hate it things.  For now I really like it. We'll see how it continues as the kit progresses.

[GPdemayo]

Great whimsy George.....

[vinceg]

Neat idea, George. The tape not only makes a stencil but it also adheres to the surface for easier application.

[PRR Modeler]

That is a neat technique.

[Opa George]

Gregory, Vince and Curt--thank you!  I am liking how things are turning out with this structure.

Update--computer problems prevented me from posting for a few days, so today's update fast forwards a few steps. The window and door castings were installed, glazed, venetian blinds and shades installed, and a few posters and signs added to the walls. Time to put the walls together.  Here I encountered a few mistakes--not sure if I misread instructions or what, but nothing too bad. Just had to relocate some bracing. Below are pics of the basic structure shell. At one point the shell overhangs the foundation by a good margin. That is where the concrete wall will be attached. You can see the wall casting to the right in the first picture.






I had to restrain my urge to plaster a ton of posters on the walls, lest I obscure my wave pattern.

[Opa George]

Below are pics of the cannery with the dock started. I followed the instructions and fixed a thin strip of masking tape, sticky side up, over the plan, then positioned the 14 joists on end, to which were glued the supporting beams. Removing the dried assembly from the sticky tape--even working slowly and with care--proved to be a problem and I pulled about a quarter of the joists away from one of the beams. In hindsight, I think it would have been easier to turn the structure on its roof and glue the joists to the underside of the office floor and work down from there.


Here is the dock from the other end. I have some trimming and touch-up to do, but will save that after completing the dock. I'm also thinking of adding on some tie plates cut from cardstock with nut and bolt castings--not part of the kit.


And the rear of the cannery showing the porch. The concrete foundation is showing a bit of a sheen that needs attention--probably from the acrylic wash I used to color it.

[PRR Modeler]

The wave is a really nice touch now that the building is assembled.

[Opa George]

The wave is a really nice touch now that the building is assembled.

Thanks for that note, Curt. The building will be in a small commercial area on the edge of my waterfront resort area.