FOS Bandits Roost

[postalkarl]

Hey Opa George:

You are doing a just beautiful job on this one. Keep those photos coming.

Karl

[Opa George]

Thank you, Karl, Tom and Jim.

I'll try to get a photo or two up this evening.  Last evening I finished scribing and distressing the Annex walls and got two types of weathering stain on: A & I and some Hunterline.  No paint yet. While they dried I started cleaning up a large box of castings I got from Railroad Kits at Timonium, and got so involved I never got to painting the wall.
--Opa George

[postalkarl]

Hey George:

You are quite welcome.

Karl

[vinceg]

George, your work looks great. And, now that I am also in the middle of building Bandit's Roost, I have to say that I have a whole new level of respect for your modeling skills. This is my first FOS kit. Instructions are "lean" to put it mildly. Having to fish around on multiple sheets for parts of the same building adds to the challenge.  If this were my first kit, I would be cooked. Definitely got spoiled with the guidance you get from an FSM or SRMW kit (and, I'm expecting the same from Sierra West). Part of growing up as a modeler, I reckon.

Cheers,
V

[Opa George]

George, your work looks great. And, now that I am also in the middle of building Bandit's Roost, I have to say that I have a whole new level of respect for your modeling skills. This is my first FOS kit. Instructions are "lean" to put it mildly. Having to fish around on multiple sheets for parts of the same building adds to the challenge.  If this were my first kit, I would be cooked. Definitely got spoiled with the guidance you get from an FSM or SRMW kit (and, I'm expecting the same from Sierra West). Part of growing up as a modeler, I reckon.

Cheers,
V

Vince, thanks for the words of encouragement. Please ask if you get to a mystery or confusing part. 
Your note that walls are spread out over various sheets is quite true. I've come to approach the really big FOS kits kind of like a puzzle that I have to solve before starting construction. Strange to say, I have come to rather enjoy the hunt.

As far as the extra steps or detailing that might be glossed over in the instructions, my best advice is to go to the FOS Scale Models Facebook page and search for the photo sets of Bandits Roost.  I saved every one I could find to my local computer hard drive.  Opened to their full resolution in any photo viewer, they reveal tons of close-up detail from just about every angle.

--Opa George

[Opa George]

Here are the walls to the Annex painted, braced and ready for doors, windows and detailing.  The four at the top will have individual boards applied, so they require no finishing at the moment.  I went with white and yellow ochre for the colors.


Here are the same walls with windows, glazing, shades and a few signs.  I'll start assembling tomorrow.


--Opa George

[Opa George]

Here are the annex walls in sub assemblies.  The smallest section is the first floor. The task board assembly is waiting to be covered in 2x10 boards.  I stained them with three different shades of Hunterline stain: Blue Gray, Light Gray and Driftwood, plus a fourth batch in my own A&I solution.  Most were then sponge painted with white on one side only, and one strip painted a mossy green on one side.


All of the sub assemblies now together into the three-story annex.  The small first floor goes flush against the "Vallon Paint" side. I marked a tiny centerline mark on both the first floor and the second floor to line them up.


The other side.


This end faces the reservoir (back of the diorama).


This side faces the front of the diorama.  Vallon Paint will connect flush to the right wall.


A top-down view.  I added some black construction paper to overlap between the second and third floor joint underneath the individual board assembly, to guard against any light leaks.


Tomorrow I'll put a roof on.
--Opa George

[PRR Modeler]

Awesome modeling George.

[Opa George]

Thanks for checking in and for the nice comment, Curt!

Last evening I added the roof and the rafter tails.  Nothing unusual, standard procedure:


Tonight the muse visited and told me to put a big hole in the roof. Admittedly it would have been easier to form the hole and the underlying rafters before gluing the roof in place, but who wants it easy? This way is more fun.


I began covering the hole with torn roofing paper. The watercolor markers are handy for coloring the torn edges of the paper, and for coloring the cardboard around the edges of the hole.  This color is "Charcoal."


Some more roofing paper on the left side, so I can show some missing metal panels. Then I began laying in rows of corrugated roofing.


This is as far as I got before work called. So more tomorrow, including finishing up this side and then starting on the other side of the roof.


--Opa George 

[PRR Modeler]

Love the roof.

[MAP]

Looking great George!  Nice job with the peeling paint effect, and the roof looks nicely decrepit!

[postalkarl]

Hey George:

Looks just great. Love the hole in the roof. Paint and weathering is also done well.

Karl

[Opa George]

Hi Curt, Mark and Karl, really appreciate you looking in. Thanks!

Well the Annex roof is done, or should I say "done for?"  The old man sent a few of his boys up to spread out some tarps to keep the rain off the stock.  They seem to have got one tarp on before quitting for lunch, or a smoke, or maybe it started raining...




Next job: I need to make the supports that actually keep the building from falling down.
--Opa George

[vinceg]

Wow -- the tarps and the rope look amazing.

[S&S RR]

George


Ditto what Vince said! Fantastic details.