FSM Kit #295 Fox Run Milling Build by ReadingBob

[gnatshop]

Great build, but, dam, the pictures reminded me of how much I miss that purty green grass and trees
in Floridy!! 
We mowed the yard today (probably for the last time this year), so I'll think about you when you're
mowing on Christmas day!! 

Gman,
You are most welcome to come visit and I'll let you cut my grass when you get here.
Tom    

Bob, I ain't answerin' that Floridy Cracker 'almost ex-lawman'!!
But you can pass on an answer - "It'll snow in Floridy before I mow his yard!  I might lay in
his pool and watch him, though!!" 
I know that's what the Babe does!!!   

[deemery]

Great build, but, dam, the pictures reminded me of how much I miss that purty green grass and trees
in Floridy!! 
We mowed the yard today (probably for the last time this year), so I'll think about you when you're
mowing on Christmas day!! 

Gman,
You are most welcome to come visit and I'll let you cut my grass when you get here.
Tom    

Bob, I ain't answerin' that Floridy Cracker 'almost ex-lawman'!!
But you can pass on an answer - "It'll snow in Floridy before I mow his yard!  I might lay in
his pool and watch him, though!!" 
I know that's what the Babe does!!!   

Gee, Bob, looks like you have a new lawn service from Gnat:



Of course, the problem now is getting to deliver on that promise!
dave
(p.s. blame global climate change.)

[GPdemayo]

Don't worry Bob.....I've got plenty of wood for the fireplace and with your wine stash, we'll make it thru the winter! 

[DACS]

Bob, if you could set up the photo so there are no 1:1 evidence to be seen, with the exception of some distant trees and sky, that would pass as a 1:1 structure.
Gawgious, simply gawgious!

Dave  HWCRR
Seattle

[ReadingBob]

Bob, if you could set up the photo so there are no 1:1 evidence to be seen, with the exception of some distant trees and sky, that would pass as a 1:1 structure.
Gawgious, simply gawgious!

Dave  HWCRR
Seattle

Thanks for the wonderful (as well as funny) Bill, LongHornCaddy, Gnat, Dave, Greg and Dave!  I think Dave's comment that it might pass for a 1:1 structure might be the Holy Grail of compliments.   

Sorry there hasn't been an update for quite some time now.  I've been working on this but some of the stuff I've been doing with the secondary structures would be a repeat of the stuff from the main structure so I thought I'd skip most of that.  But now might be a good time to bring everybody current on the build.

I built the smaller structure that sits off to the side of the main structure.  I started out with the idea that the roof would be removable on this one so I could access the interior from above to work on the lights.  I made some roof trusses and glued them into position where they'd be just inside the end walls.


The roof on this structure is covered with corrugated aluminum panels.  This time around I was able to us the 3M Transfer Tape to attaché the panels.  You apply the tape, peel away the backing and what you're left with is a roof with the adhesive material attached to it.

It's very easy to add the panels to the sticky roof.  I primed them first, added them to the roof and finished them later by painting them a concrete color and then adding several layers of rust powders and Dullcoat.  The fact that the roof was removable at this point made it easier to do that without fear of getting anything on the structure itself.


The scale house walls were glued together and then the concrete foundation was glued on the bottom.  Flush with the back.


This structure has awnings that go over some of the windows.  They're printed on card stock.  First I scribe the lines that needed to be folded (using care to not cut all the way through) and then I cut them out.

Then the awnings were braced on the underside using strip wood.  This won't be visible when they're attached to the structure.


Oops...gotta run to the store.  I'll finish posting my progress report later today (I hope).  I have more done than what's shown here.  Thanks for following along.

[ACL1504]

Looking good Bobby, looking very good.

Tom

[ReadingBob]

Thanks Tom!  Back from the store so I'll resume posting.   

I added a little glue along the side of bracing and folded up (I guess that technically down) the sides of the awning.


Then I held it the sides in place until the glue started to set.  There are way more awnings printed on the sheet then you need for the kit which is nice.  I'll save the rest for something else.  After the glue dried I filled in the edges (where I scribed them so they'd fold down, with a little white glue and let that dry.  Then I painted them Coach Green, weathered them and glued them into place.


Next up was the shed that attaches to the rear of the supply structure/scale house.  The three walls were built directly on the templates by gluing down the main braces with the tiniest spot of white glue I that would hold them in place during construction.  A single edge razor blade slide under them lifted them off the template.


A few of the pieces along the top were cut longer than necessary and trimmed to fit after the fact using a single edge razor blade.


The outside of the three walls were painted and weather to match the structure (Box Car Red) and then glued together.  This makes for a very fragile little structure until the roof is glued into place.


The roof for the shed has to have a notch cut into it to fit around the smokestack as shown in the picture.  I marked the location where the notch was needed cut it and test fitted the piece in place before applying the rolled roofing material and gluing the roof in place.  Notice the two support wires from the smokestack to the roof?  They foiled my plan to keep that main roof removable.  It was handy, however, to have the roof removable while I was painting it and applying the rust colored powders.


More in a moment...

[ReadingBob]

I can't recall why I took this picture.  I guess it was to show the bracing for the lower roof that gets applied to the front of the shed.  The lower roof is covered in corrugated panels.


There's another shed that goes on the lower level behind the trestle.  This one is made out of cardstock.  I cut it out using an X-Acto and a steel ruler.  First the opening for the window was cut out (and the window test fitted), then the edges that need to fold were scribed but not cut all the way through, then the entire section was cut out.


I added bracing to the interior per the instructions.


After the glue for the bracing set the walls were bent at 90 degree angles and glued in place to form the structure.


The structure was finished by painting it a similar color to the rolled roofing (the sides are supposed to be covered in rolled roofing), exterior bracing was added to cover the 'seams' of the rolled roofing to hold it in place, the doors, windows, door trim, posters, etc. were added.  I also constructed the outdoor workbench and shelter that also goes on the lower level.


Time to start on the roads.  I deviated from the instructions (and my normal M.O.) here and used something called Concrete Paving Material from the Arizona Mineral and Rock Company.  I started by pouring a little white glue into a container.


More in a moment...

[ReadingBob]

Then added an equal part of water.  I mixed the two together.


Then I poured some of the Concrete Paving Material into the thinned white glue mix.


I mixed it up until I got a consistency that was good to work with (a little experimentation with this stuff is in order to find the consistency you like).


Next I spread a little white glue over the area that was to be 'paved' using my finger (it ain't modeling if you ain't getting messy  ).


Then I started spreading my paving material over the streets using an offset artists thingie (that's a technical term).  I tried to get the streets as smooth and level as I could.


This picture doesn't show it as well as I hoped it might but the road down the hills got a little bit 'wavy' when it dried.  It is, after all, heavy card stock so the watery paving material affected it somewhat.  Even if I had used what the instructions called for, drywall joint compound, the instructions warn that this would happen and subsequent coats might be needed to level it out.  So I added a second layer to fix the issue.


More in a moment...

[ReadingBob]

The next thing I tried was sanding the streets.  This lightened them up a bit as well as smoothed them out.  This stuff is tough when it's dry to I had to use a coarse sandpaper.  It does soften up though when it gets wet so there are different ways to work with the roads.


After the roads were in place and I was satisfied with how they looked I scribed in expansion joints with a X-Acto and a ruler.  The joints are 10' feet (HO Scale feet of course) a part.  Then I started adding the first layer of dirt, weeds and grass to small sections of the diorama.


And that's where I'm at at the moment.  Working my way around the diorama adding dirt and weeds.     This is when things really start to pop but it takes some time for the landscaping to dry.

Thanks for following along!

[jerryrbeach]

Bob,
Fantastic work on the main building!  But, I have really been waiting to see you build the red "barn".  It is one of my favorite buildings George has done.  It is so simple, yet the details like the arched window, and the sagging corrugated roof over the plain red walls, somehow strikes a special chord with me.  I really like the removable roof, looking forward to seeing it lighted up!  This update was certainly worth the wait!

[postalkarl]

Hi Bob:

Nice progress and it looks great. I love that little red building.

Karl

[S&S RR]

Bob

Looking great - can't wait to see this all detailed out.

[ReadingBob]

Bob,
Fantastic work on the main building!  But, I have really been waiting to see you build the red "barn".  It is one of my favorite buildings George has done.  It is so simple, yet the details like the arched window, and the sagging corrugated roof over the plain red walls, somehow strikes a special chord with me.  I really like the removable roof, looking forward to seeing it lighted up!  This update was certainly worth the wait!

Thanks Jerry!  I ended up gluing the removable roof on because of the guy wires for the smoke stack but I have a big enough opening underneath that I'll be able to get in there to add some lights.  Lighting will be one of the last things I do.   

[ReadingBob]

Hi Bob:

Nice progress and it looks great. I love that little red building.

Karl

Thanks Karl!  This is another gem from George for sure.