Master Creations Watt-Moreland Waxworks

[Opa George]

I began building the Master Creations HO Watt Moreland Waxworks (Kit #80) about one week ago.  This will occupy real estate to the left of my Bandit's Roost module, covered elsewhere on the Forum.  I hadn't originally intended to do a build thread, but thought a few progress pictures would help anyone else tackling this kit.

Below is where I am at with the main structure, which is described as an elegant Victorian residence that has been converted into a factory, with an added rail siding.  I'll add building notes below each pic.

Side one (B Side)  (slightly out of focus, sorry)


Notice the tall brick structure on the other side of the rail siding from the house. This is called the "monolith," and it is a wonderfully unique feature.  I did have to scratchbuild the "witches hat" roof since the original laser cut cardboard roof was missing. But for a 25-year-old kit that has passed through an unknown number of previous owners, I'm not upset by that.  The monolith attaches to the main structure via a brick arch (which is hidden under the trestle).  Getting the arch to fit was about the only place I had a lot of "fiddly" business, but it eventually worked out.

There is a very substantial and ornate chimney on this side, still under construction, against this side of the house.  This is made from a wooden core, covered by embossed brick sheeting. The main structure foundation walls are also embossed stone walls over wooden forms.  Every bit of everything is laser-cut, and so far fits nearly perfectly with a little filing and sanding.

The trestle bents are all one piece laser cut, with applied laser cut diagonal bracing and plastic nbw castings.

The entire deck surrounding the main structure is a single piece laser cut item, with individual boards, board ends, wood grain and nail holes all laser inscribed in.

Here is the other side (Side C). 


As you can see, this side sports another very large ornate chimney.  The walls are all interlocking, which leaves tabs visible on the corners.  I'm not sure if a solution to cover those corners comes later, but if not, I can easily sand away and paint to mask that.

I used spackling paste to simulate mortar on the embossed stone walls. Previous to installation and spackling, I had primed them and spray painted with a combination of Rustoleum "Khaki" and Rustoleum textured "Desert Bisque."

Some overall notes so far:

I had read poor reviews of Master Creations instructions for other kits, some indicating you are pretty much on your own to figure out where everything goes.  Perhaps they "got it together" with this kit, because I found the instructions to be no worse than those from other kit makers popular on this forum.  True, there are a few spots where I scratched my head, took a break, and came back to it, and eventually figured it out. If I went back later and re-read the instructions, I usually found I had missed an important word, or missed seeing a key part identified on an exploded view of the step.

I do wish they had used more high quality photos within the instruction book, though. I found myself searching online for high quality pictures of a finished kit to help me understand what a completed window assembly looked like, for instance.

This is a huge kit. I was astounded, upon opening the box for the first time, by the sheer quantity of laser-cut sheets of all types of materials. It advertises "no stripwood" on the box, and that is true.  That also means that every individual part to be applied must be on a sheet somewhere, and will need to be carefully cut free of the carrier sheet.  This has advantages and disadvantages.  I like the exact cut and fine tolerances of the laser cut parts, but it was tedious to cut out, for example, the 58 separate rail siding ties.  Of course all laser cut parts have burn marks on the edges, which means a lot of cleaning up of exposed sides.

I have found it helps to read ahead and follow assembly sequencing directions exactly.  Some fits are so tight that a bit of brick siding applied too soon will cause headaches later when trying to attach a sub-assembly.

This kit is from 1995.  For a 25-year-old kit, the laser cut sheets are very nice, although I think modern manufacturers might be using a better quality wood now.  I have learned to be VERY CAREFUL in freeing all parts from their carrier sheets, as the wood seems softer than what I have been used to working with.  Once glued in place, however, it seems sturdy enough.

My only big gaffe so far was in staining the trestle bents. I stained them while still on the carrier sheet, brushing on first my own A & I mix, and followed that with some Hunterline Driftwood.  Probably too much stain all at once, because within minutes I saw them start to warp. And not just a slight warping, but big-time s-curve warping.  I was afraid I had ruined them.   But I sandwiched them between single pages of newspaper, but a very large and heavy book on top, then weighted the book further with 20 lbs of free weights, and let them alone for 24 hours.  Luck was with me (clean living?) because the next day they were perfectly straight again, as you can see from the picture.

I'll continue to post some progress pictures of this kit, although I probably won't do a step-by-step, as I did for previous build threads.
--Opa George

[Janbouli]

Thanks for sharing George , off to a good start you are.

[JimMooney]

Those kits were certainly ahead of their time, pretty cool how you figured it so far!
I sent you a message, let me know what you think

[vinceg]

Good stuff, George, thx. My only Master Creations kit is Muldoon's Distillery. As you said, the reviews of the company are not glowing. I have been thinking about whether I even want to build the kit or sell it off. I will chill and and pay attention to your effort to see how it goes before doing anything.

[Mark Dalrymple]

The walls are all interlocking, which leaves tabs visible on the corners.  I'm not sure if a solution to cover those corners comes later, but if not, I can easily sand away and paint to mask that

I'm pretty sure the Master Creations kits provide 8x2's or 10x2's to attach vertically at the corners.  This should hide the tabs, and is actually more prototypically correct than the 6x6's we usually use as corner trim.

I bought this kit in Scranton at the expo in 2015 - along with SRM's Thorndike mills. They were my two big purchases.  Actually, muldoons distillery is the only MC kit left that I'm hoping to own one day.  I was able to buy the coachworks and the casket makers off NZ's trade me.  It is VERY rare to see anything like this come up for sale in NZ and so I snapped them up - at a pretty decent price.  The guy actually delivered them to my door!  (he did also sell me another kit on the doorstep...)

Its good to know the instructions aren't too bad for this one.  Your off to a great start, George.  Please keep us posted.

Cheers, Mark.

[PRR Modeler]

I'll be following along with this interesting kit. I believe master creations is now called better than scratch (BTS). I just ordered the Mill Creek mine. I looked at the kit and instructions at Greg's house a couple of weeks ago  and the instructions are literally a book.

[hairball]

The early master creations kits in the advertisements full page in the magazines were things of sheer beauty and demanded that you buy them. I saved them all in a binder.

When I was in HO  I did buy one, received it and all those sheets, scared the hell out of me.  Next thing I know it was on ebay and gone to a new home.  Stayed with FSM kits and added SRMW stone roundhouse and then brick version and a few other of his designs.

mike               HAIRBALL

[tom.boyd.125]

George,
FYI, have contacted  B.T.S. Structures a few months ago. He acquired the Master Creations' line of laser-cut, craftsman kits in HO, S, and O scales In 1998.
Was missing one small wall in an older Master Creations kit. Sent him photos of the box and the wall # and provided some info he requested in the instructions.  B.T.S.  has the kit files on his drive and he cut out the needed item and sent me the part in a week ! Great customer service !!!
Good luck on your build.
Tommy

[hairball]

That's a master stroke of good business ownership,.   hats off to BTS  !!

mike     hairball

[GPdemayo]

I'll be looking in also George.....

[NKP768]

Great build George-after a 10 year absence from the hobby, I too went looking for this kit (remembering the really cool ads in MR from back in the day). After almost a year of searching one popped up on e-bay on a buy it now sale and I snapped it up. Unfortunately when I received the kit it was missing the instruction booklet. This too was after the sale to BTS and after contacting them they graciously provided a copy of the original instruction booklet -at no cost I might add. (Needless to say I have made a number of purchases of their products since). I haven't begun any work on this kit(other than temporarily wiring up the bat eyes controller board and lights-very cool)so I'll be following your build closely( I think one was started on a previous forum but I'm not sure if the builder ever finished it). Agian great looking progress.
Doug   

[Opa George]

Thanks for sharing George , off to a good start you are.

Thanks very much, Jan.  I'm enjoying it, for sure.
George

[Opa George]

Those kits were certainly ahead of their time, pretty cool how you figured it so far!
I sent you a message, let me know what you think

Jim, thank you very much for all the advice and help you sent.  It is invaluable!
--George

[Opa George]

Good stuff, George, thx. My only Master Creations kit is Muldoon's Distillery. As you said, the reviews of the company are not glowing. I have been thinking about whether I even want to build the kit or sell it off. I will chill and and pay attention to your effort to see how it goes before doing anything.

Thanks, Vince. I know you were working on Bandit's Roost. Although the instructions are a little more vague in spots, I would say the actual skill level needed for this kit is comparable, maybe even slightly easier than a FOS kit. I am sure you could handle it.

But if I hit any "deal breakers" in upcoming steps, I'll certainly document it.
--George

[Opa George]

The walls are all interlocking, which leaves tabs visible on the corners.  I'm not sure if a solution to cover those corners comes later, but if not, I can easily sand away and paint to mask that

I'm pretty sure the Master Creations kits provide 8x2's or 10x2's to attach vertically at the corners.  This should hide the tabs, and is actually more prototypically correct than the 6x6's we usually use as corner trim.

I bought this kit in Scranton at the expo in 2015 - along with SRM's Thorndike mills. They were my two big purchases.  Actually, muldoons distillery is the only MC kit left that I'm hoping to own one day.  I was able to buy the coachworks and the casket makers off NZ's trade me.  It is VERY rare to see anything like this come up for sale in NZ and so I snapped them up - at a pretty decent price.  The guy actually delivered them to my door!  (he did also sell me another kit on the doorstep...)

Its good to know the instructions aren't too bad for this one.  Your off to a great start, George.  Please keep us posted.

Cheers, Mark.

Thanks, Mark. Will do.  You may be right on included trim to hide the joints.  There are two full sheets of laser cut trim that I have not yet gotten to. The instructions have that close to the end.  But even if not, I do have packets of Northeastern stripwood in those dimensions that I can use.

--George