Fault Lines - the layout build

[Mark Dalrymple]

Hi guys.

Thanks Long horn caddy!

Well, things have been progressing on Fault lines.
*  All of the bridges are built and a couple just need to be installed (waiting on me to do the scenery first).
*  The bunks have now been transformed into a wheeled layout display table.  I cut the legs shorter and inserted threaded bungs up them into which the wheels were attached with threaded bolts.  I put two with breaks on diagonally opposite corners.  I cut about four inches out of the main bunk side supports and pot riveted pieces inside to re connect them together.  this meant the layout fitted snugly between the ends.  (I added L-girder's to the sides of the layout which fit snugly over the bunk side supports).  I cut the upper part off one end of the bunks so my trap access drawer would open, but left the other on for a pushing point.  I inserted two bungs in the holes.  I made cross braces to sturdy up the table.  I did all this with my father at his place so it was nice to catch up as well.
*  The end with the trap drawer was permanently attached and the access holes carefully cut out.  I made up a drawer front to fit over all three access holes and carefully wedged the cut-outs back in position.  These were glued to the removable sections of the tunnel (bottom two access holes) and then the drawer front was glued to these three cut-outs.  When dry I attached two handles.  The drawer front also gets screwed into position.
*  I carried on with the rock castings, tunnel inners and tunnel mouths, and am waiting on some more Bragdon moulds to arrive.
*  I have almost finished my RDA iron works kitbash.
*  I have completed 21 more trees.

I have five weeks until the show so it is a matter of prioritising and getting done the most important things first.

I'm hoping to get some rock washes on, backdrop painting done, wiring completed, trees and greenery done, and the whole layout fascia painted black for a crisp display.  There are many more things on this list.

More soon,
Cheers, Mark.

[S&S RR]

Mark


Great layout - you have some real Engineering behind the scenes too. I'm watching your progress with great interest.

[Mark Dalrymple]

Hi guys.

Thanks John - much appreciated.  Half the battle for me is just rolling up my sleeves and getting into it!  I have to keep reminding myself that part of the reason behind this small layout is to find out what works for me and that mistakes are OK and a learning experience.  I'm taking good notes when I'm happy with an outcome.

Well I have painted up the lid - matt black around the edges and grey on the top.  The layout looks nice and sharp now.

I also started staining rocks.  Another bit of a first for me (apart from a very small area on Tellynott).  I used the leopard spot technique.  I experimented on a spare casting and ended up using white, stone grey and raw umber as my three secondary colours and slate grey as the overall wash.  I also put in some small highlights in yellow ochre and burnt umber.  I guess I kind of tried to randomly split the rock area into fifths - white, stone grey, raw umber, bare plaster and the last fifth split between the burnt umber and yellow ochre.  I found by using the white that when putting the wash over that area stayed a lighter grey.  When experimenting I tried an ink wash first and found it had too much blue in the black ink, and then a black wash, but found that made things too dark.  The slate grey seemed best, although I think I need some more shadowing.  I'll experiment with spraying on very diluted photo-flow and adding more slate grey to see how it works its way into the cracks - maybe some black as well.  I cant really tilt the rock areas to get them closer to flat now!  I worked with prototype photos as a reference.  There will be A LOT of moss over much of this eventually.

More soon, cheers, Mark.

[GPdemayo]

Great job on the stonework Mark. 

[Zephyrus52246]

I'd not heard of the "leopard spot" technique before.  Nice looking rocks, Mark.


Jeff

[ACL1504]

Mark,

Great coloring on the rocks. By the way, the last rock formation picture sure looks a little erotic!

Just saying.

Tom

[coors2u]

Mark, the rocks look great.

[Mark Dalrymple]

Hi guys.

Thanks for the comments Gregory, Jeff, Tom and Dustin!

Gee Tom!  Actually there is a much worse one than that!  Still, I have now spent some time in Arches National Park and Bryce canyon so know these shapes are quite common.

As Mario finished his birthday I started mine, (please don't start a birthday thread! it happens every year! - if I could only find a porthole to the US I could have it again!) and would you believe that on my return home from the shops I found my new Bragdon castings on the doorstep!  A couple of those are BIG!  So I have been whisking away with a bowl and a spatula and trying some of them out.  Unfortunately the pictures on their website are much to be desired and before ordering I spent some time squinting at the computer screen trying to decide what would suit my needs.  Having the luxury of borrowing a friends first was very advantageous, as I could see what kind of rock work looked right.  There is also the added problem of some of the smaller castings being made up of parts of the bigger ones.  My friend had brought eight rock molds and one of the smaller ones was mostly made up from part of one of the bigger ones.  So again, I looked very carefully in order not to double up so to speak.

More soon, cheers, Mark.

[GPdemayo]

Mark,

Great coloring on the rocks. By the way, the last rock formation picture sure looks a little erotic!

Just saying.

Tom

Erotic rocks...... 

[Mark Dalrymple]

Hi Guys.

Yep Gregory - very satisfying.

Well, colour makes a world of difference.  The green is just the base colour over which everything else will go, but it still makes a big difference to not just be looking at white.  Pictures are without the bridges in place.  I have also been watching you-tube clips on painting landscapes, and will be practicing over the next few days.

The last photo shows three of my new Bragdon molds.  A couple of the items on the table give an indication of their size.  I'm pretty happy with my selection.

More soon, cheers, Mark.

[Mark Dalrymple]

Hi guys.

Well - I decided that in order to move forward I really needed to know where all my trees were going to go.  So today I 'planted' more than 30 trees.  The trees and the holes for the pins will all be numbered so that they can be removed and replanted as I progress.  I still have a couple more to make to specially fit certain obstacles - one arching over the river.  This should help with getting a direction when adding undergrowth and painting a backdrop.

More soon, cheers, Mark.

[Zephyrus52246]

The rockwork and trees look great, Mark.  Interesting work sequence as most people would add the trees last, but your use of them for planning the backdrop and undergrowth makes perfect sense.


Jeff

[S&S RR]

Looks great Mark!  I understand planting and replanting the trees - placement is very important to get the look you want. Size and shape make a huge difference in creating depth to the scene. 

[Mark Dalrymple]

Hi guys.

Thanks Jeff and John - much appreciated.  Yep - I can't just plant trees - I have to examine them from every angle!  You have no idea how many times I moved some of those!

Well - the model show is in the first weekend of October.  That gives me only two more weekends to work on things (as its nearly 5pm on Sunday afternoon here in little old Chch, NZ).  So bearing that in mind, and after studying some pictures of South Westland bush and realising just how much work was involved in trying to replicate that scenery (entire cliffs of ferns, moss etc) I decided I was better off spending some time getting the town side of the layout a bit further on.  So this weekend I have been playing with my new rock molds and an expanding foam gun.  Lots of messy, sticky fun!

One technique I devised that some of you might be interested in trying, was to make up large triangles of plaster in some of my flatter molds, and then folding the mold over on itself.  You have to work fast, but I achieved some pretty reasonable 3-D rocks.

I had trouble with the foam gun (they are very temperamental things!)  First I couldn't get it to go, and then I couldn't get it to stop!  I have little hoodoos all over the garage floor!  Its a pity because for modelling I find it a brilliant tool - I just wish it would work more reliably.

So here are some pictures.

Photo 1 - shows the tunnel entrances on the mountain side of the layout, stained and weathered with chalk.
Photo 2 - shows the rock castings propped with all sorts of things as the foam goes off.  I find expanding foam is the best thing to stick the rock molds to the polystyrene.
Photo 3 - view of the end of the layout.
Photo 4 - A close up of some of the folded 3-D rocks.  These rocks between the two tracks are visible from both sides, but also needed to be quite thin to give clearance for the trains.
Photo 5 - shows an overall view of the front of the layout.  I spent a lot of time trying to get the shape of the contour of the land just right.  That pointy rock near the centre of the view was a great triumph.  I placed that one there, stepped back, and said 'that's it!'.

Over that coming week in that little time I will get in the evenings I hope to get plaster between all the rock castings and sculptamold on all the rest.  Then I should be able to get stain on all the rocks and paint on all the sculptamold next weekend.  Fingers crossed!

More soon, cheers, Mark.

[S&S RR]

Mark


Your fold over technique looks like it work very well.  When I did my 3D rock work I used full molds or glue two rocks that I poured flat,  together.  That is going to be a great scene.