2020 Build Challenge: JJ Hollender's Boxing Gym by FOS Scale Models

[Todd W.]

Ok, since I missed out last year partly due to my own procrastination and part to a live facebook build Brett and I were doing for six weeks, I am going to do this one.  I have always liked this JJ Hollender's Boxing Gym kit by FOS Scale Models, and never pulled the trigger to buy it until it was no longer available... Then it became hard to find.....At the Timonium show there it sat on the table of one vendor who deals in OOP kits and I didn't blink an eye and grabbed it up.  It's been calling my name from the shelf since November as I finished an FSM kit....finally.  This is my first build thread on the forum so here goes nothing....lol.

I will start tonight with some inside the box photos of some or most of all the parts involved.  More to come. 

[NEMMRRC]

Great choice. It'll be a fun build for sure.


Jaime

[PRR Modeler]

I'll be following.

[Mark Dalrymple]

I'll be watching.

This is one of the first craftsman kits I bought.  It has a spot on my layout and a mock-up sitting waiting patiently in its place.  I even have a picture of a skinny boxer from back in the day who was a NZ champ for his division and lived in the area I'm modelling.

Looking forward to your progress.

Cheers, Mark.

[Opa George]

Todd, can't wait to see this one take shape. It has a lot of character.
--Opa George

[GPdemayo]

Looks like it will be a fun build Todd.....I'll be looking in. 

[ReadingBob]

I'll be following along as well. This is a neat kit and a lot of fun to build.   

[Raymo]

Sweet! Hockey players like a good fight!

[JimF]

I've been undecided on this kit since I 1st saw it. I'll be following along.

Jim

[ACL1504]

Todd,

I have this one in my stash and one day will get to it. I'll be following along with much interest.

Tom

[Todd W.]

After bracing all of the clapboard walls with the stripwood, plenty of which was provided, I distressed the wood with a few strokes of the file card, lifted a few boards, and then spray painted with a light gray primer in a rattle can.  After a night of drying I took a sea sponge and stippled on some Folkart Camel color acrylic craft paint.  then lightly did the same over the Camel with Folkart Mushroom craft paint which gave the lighter camel tone a bit of a dirty look....."Dirty Camel" if you will. 

I like to work all my walls details while laying flat way prior to assembly. this way I can spend as much time as necessary to work over every small nuance that I want to bring out.  So I built the Nash buildboard by gluing the sign onto an exact same size piece of chipboard and then framed it with scale 2x4s which I had painted Hunter green.  Then attached it to the wall as instructed.  The sign itself prior to this I dabbed lightly with another sea sponge and some antique white to take away some of the boldness of the printed sign and give it some age.  I call this dry sponging, just like dry brushing.  same concept.  Take the paint out as much as you can on an paper towel before applying it and less is more. 

The Boxing Mural on the other wall was a paper sign sanded from behind with 400 grit sandpaper to where it is thin but not to where it tares.  The used white glue to place on the wall.  Allowed to sit about 3 or 4 minutes, no longer, and used a burnishing tool to press the sign into each clap board ridge.  When all done, I dry brushed antique white in spots, then mixed up some "Dirty Camel" that we had before, and with a small extremely thin brush lightly painted some of the edges to match the main color with some faux fading look, like the sign was painted on and now fading at spots...  Also do the same on several boards that are inside the signs main body.  Some inside fading. 

I added some painted casting for fire prevention that came with the kit, and painted my windows Americana craft paint in Dark Pine. and drybrushed with antique white again very lightly to show some wear and fade.  The glass is glazed on with gallery glass clear frost, and the blinds are painted on from behind.  any other touchups I will add before assembly..

[Todd W.]

Next up I braced the walls that will be covered with stucco.  There is a lot of bracing and I imagine this is to support the wall to hold the stucco as it always adds a bit of extra weight to the wall when dry.  I have done stucco before with Liquitex stucco made for canvas painting art and it has turned out spectacular.  this will be my first time to use the Durhams Rock Hard Water Putty that FOS Scale Models puts with the kit in a small plastic baggie.  I bought a box of the stuff a few months ago at Lowe's for less than $3, because I read about it and heard Dave Frary speak of it for roads, but I have yet to work up the nerve to try it until now.  I could very easily just use my Liquitex stuff as I know how it will work.  But how do you learn anything new that way?   Isn't it better to know  of a few techniques?  Did the same contractors and builders do every house in town?  I assure you not!  lol

More to come

[Opa George]

Todd, simply spectacular results so far.  The colors are perfect--a classic combination for a reason--they just go so well together.
I like weathering clapboard walls, but you have perfected the lifted and broken board look!  I aspire to that level of realism. Good job.

I must also give kudos to your posters and signs.  Masterful!  Very interested in how you do with the Durhams as stucco.  I struggle with it and have trouble getting mine to look as good as Doug's pilot models.
--Opa George

[Mark Dalrymple]

Beautiful results, Todd.

Cheers, Mark.

[rpdylan]

great work Todd!  I've been a fan of Galley Glass for years, although some people hate it, and the frosted one is always my "go to" for windows....
   You're braver than me going outside of your comfort zone with the Durham's Putty, I have used the stuff for house applications and it is indeed rock hard when dry- I like the way the Liquitex sands down- I'm curious as to how the Durham's comes out on your build.