Master Creations Watt-Moreland Waxworks

[Lynnb]

Very nice George, alot of unique roof lines.

[Opa George]

Thanks very much everyone for the wonderful comments.  I have the structure essentially finished except for a few minor details that I will add as I get it placed on the layout. 

Here are some pics of the main waxworks building and the barn, which I had not yet shown, in the approximate location on the layout. Actual height in relation to each other still needs to be worked out.  The barn in sitting at the module low point, but will actually be up on level with the main floor of the house.

For reference, this site is just to the left of the Bandits Roost module.  The narrow gauge line that runs along the main street in Bandits Roost has a spur that will connect to the waxworks trestle.

You can see Bandits Roost in the background.


Main loading dock and trestle. I was sweating installation of the sign and gate, but it was surprisingly easy. 



The track is Peco HOn30 flex track.

I have a few structural adjustments to make, and a few "fixes" to hide some imperfections in the trim.


The level of architectural detail included with the kit is really nice, but I wanted a bit more.  From the start as I worked with the kit, I saved the "dropouts," which are the small laser cut waste pieces that cling to the parts. These provided quite a few of the ornamental shapes that add an extra level of "gingerbread" to this Victorian mansion factory.

The instructions mentioned two balls that attach to the underside of the front door supports.  These were nowhere to be found--probably lost in the 25 years that this kit changed ownership hands.  So I used two appropriate beads from my miscellaneous detail stash. 


Here is the office end. As I mentioned earlier, the barn will get some interior detailing and sit up higher, on level with the main house.


A nice shot of the rusted gate and waxworks sign. I started by spray priming these parts gray, then liberally dry-brushed with black to simulate iron, and followed with three colors of rusty brown for the rust.  All but the primer (rustoleum) were cheap craft store acrylics.


The rear of the mansion. Nice shot of the roof ironwork--very finely laser cut detail.


I'll post some more commentary soon--am due in a work meeting shortly.  I'll also keep posting as I add the painted detail castings and as I add terrain and scenery.

--Opa George

[Mark Dalrymple]

Looks wonderful, George.

A masterpiece in miniature.

Cheers, Mark.

[cuse]

Great George,


What a colorful, distinctive building. Very nice build.


John

[GPdemayo]

That is one wild looking building George.....well done. 

[Opa George]

That is one wild looking building George.....well done. 

Thanks, Greg, and everyone.

Just so you guys know, I actually reigned it in a little on my color schemes.        Many of these houses were pretty wild in their original colors. A lot have been repainted over the decades to our more conservative modern aesthetics.  Here are two prototypes that provided inspiration:




I hit a minor bump today.  In adding dirt fill under the rail trestles, I knew the wood base would give me trouble.  I misted lightly with some wet water, added my dirt, then watered down white glue--trying to use as little as possible to avoid warping.   I weighted the track and left it to dry. 

An hour later I checked on it and noted the base had lifted only very slightly in a few places--not too bad--I could disguise it with additional scenicking.  But then I realized that very slight lift under the monolith was magnified by the height, and at the top where the "WAXWORKS" sign attached, the cant was significant enough to cause the sign to bow out. Rats.  I applied more weight and used a clamp to straighten everything, but I don't know if it will hold.  We'll see tomorrow.   Worse case scenario is I remove the sign and file off enough to allow for the change.  So it's not a disaster.

--Opa George

[jerryrbeach]

George,


I love every bit of trim, scallop, and fancy work.  But what really stands out to me is the masterful job you did on the gate!  Fingers crossed everything dries out OK and you can proceed w/o any issues.

[Opa George]

Thanks, Jerry! Time will tell on the base. 

Everyone--In re-reading my earlier post, I think it sounds a bit cranky, but was certainly not meant that way and I hope no one thinks I was  complaining. Strictly in fun. I love and appreciate all the feedback. This forum is the most supportive and friendly venue I've ever seen.

--Opa George

[Opa George]

Looks like its been a while since I posted progress pics.  I have spent several days painting detail castings.  This kit came with a LOT of detail castings, in both white metal and brass.  There were some I did not even realize were there until I sorted them for painting--they are so tiny. The winner of the lot is a brass sprue of coffee mugs--I did not know what they were until I looked at them with a magnifying glass.  Amazing! 

I've also been making plaster casts of walls and rock faces, to help this module fit into my layout.  But to begin, I wanted to get the base web of cardboard strips and foam showboard covered with a plaster shell so I can apply ground cover.  Having grown up using strips of newspaper dipped in a pot of plaster, I was looking for an alternative. I found it in plaster impregnated rolls. These are fantastic and I highly recommend them for ease of use. I used Woodland Scenics, but you can get a cheaper version that is just as good at craft stores and even medical supply houses (although my wife informed me for medical use, they now use fiberglass instead of the cloth mesh).

Below are two pics of the snow-white landscape before painting:




And here are two pics with a base coat of earth brown acrylic paint.




On top of this will come a layer of all purpose sand from Home Depot, which I've found looks really nice as dirt, followed by various colors of ground foam. 

--Opa George

[Mark Dalrymple]

Exciting stuff, George!  Looking most excellent.

I was amazed by the number and quality of castings when I bought my first MC kit - Fanny Schwahns.  I have plans to turn my waxworks into a mental asylum - perhaps in a bit more of a rundown state than yours.

Cheers, Mark.

[Opa George]

Exciting stuff, George!  Looking most excellent.

I was amazed by the number and quality of castings when I bought my first MC kit - Fanny Schwahns.  I have plans to turn my waxworks into a mental asylum - perhaps in a bit more of a rundown state than yours.

Cheers, Mark.

I love the old kits with beaucoup castings!  I'll certainly be following a build of an asylum.  That will be very cool.
--Opa George

[NEMMRRC]

Excellent job.


Jaime

[deemery]

George, when you go to Home Depot for their sand, take a stroll through the tile aisle and look at the colored sands from those two part grout systems.   I've been using them to both mix in with my standard "dirt" and for things like roads where I want a different color.  Then head to the paint dept and pick a couple paint chips that look close to your 'standard dirt'. Take those home and -look at them in the light in your layout room.-  You'll be surprised how different a color looks at home from how it looks at the store.  I did some experiments with a bunch of sample colors (Those little $3 containers of custom mixed paint) to pick the best match in my layout lighting for my own 'standard dirt'.


dave

[Opa George]

George, when you go to Home Depot for their sand, take a stroll through the tile aisle and look at the colored sands from those two part grout systems.   I've been using them to both mix in with my standard "dirt" and for things like roads where I want a different color.  Then head to the paint dept and pick a couple paint chips that look close to your 'standard dirt'. Take those home and -look at them in the light in your layout room.-  You'll be surprised how different a color looks at home from how it looks at the store.  I did some experiments with a bunch of sample colors (Those little $3 containers of custom mixed paint) to pick the best match in my layout lighting for my own 'standard dirt'.

dave

Thanks for the tip, Dave.  I don't pass up opportunities to visit Home Depot!
George

[Lynnb]

Looks great, looks like you toned down the briteness a bit. Those photos of the real building were something else to see.