Winter Challenge 2024- Truck Service kit- Jeff Firestone

[nycjeff]

I thought that I would get in on the fun of the Winter Challenge 2024. I'm waiting for delivery of a Jason Jenson Trains kit- Sonny Pruitt Truck Repair. This kit will go on a pie shaped area of my layout that I have wanted to improve upon for a while. This will not be a stand alone diorama, but instead the kit will be built on a styrene base that will fit the area on my layout.

Here is a picture of the area that the "diorama" will fit into.



I will first have to clear the area and then scrape off any existing ground cover so that I will have a smooth base to work on. Can't wait to get started. That's it for now, more later.

[ACL1504]

Looking forward to your build Jeff.

Tom 

[Jim Donovan]

Welcome to the Challenge Jeff, thanks for joining.

Jim

[ReadingBob]

I'll be keeping an eye on this one as well!  Should be fun!

[nycjeff]

Hello Tom, Jim and Bob, thanks for looking in. I've been on sort of a break from the hobby- real life has a way of butting in. I'm looking forward to getting the juices flowing again with the Winter Challenge and am looking forword to all of your builds as well.

[GPdemayo]

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

[nycjeff]

Hello Greg, thanks for looking in. I'm off to a slow start here while I'm waiting for the kit to arrive in the mail.

[nycjeff]

I got a text that my kit has shipped- that's good news. I better get started on the base.

After clearing the area and scraping up the ground cover , I cut some newspaper to the size of the space.



The next step is to cut the sheet styrene to the size of the space. This will allow me to do the work on the workbench and then place the completed assembly onto the layout and then only have to blend the scenery around the edges.



Now that the base sheet is on my bench I can begin to play around with the placement of the kit in the space. I cut a piece of paper to the footprint size of the kit per the website. The kit is 10x3.5 inches.
The base, with the 3 inch short side at the bottom, is 20 inches on the left, 19 inches across the top and 18 inches on the right. As you can see, the main kit structure will only take up a small portion of the space. I plan on a loading ramp to the siding on the left as well as at least one outbuiulding that I will scratchbuild.





Most of the space will be a gravel parking area for trucks and construction equipment. I do plan on some concrete areas around the main structure. The indent on the bottom of the base in the above pictures is where the paved road ends at the entrance to the area. There will also be some fencing around the perimeter. I have lots of time to play around withg how everything will fit into the space.
That's it for now, more later.

[Zephyrus52246]

Using the newspaper to fit the space is a great idea.  I built my last diorama on 3/8 in gatorfoam and it's much better than trying to deal and detail at the workbench versus the layout.   Hope your kit arrives soon.

Jeff

[Mark Dalrymple]

Its a decent sized area when you see it on your cutting mat, Jeff.  Much bigger than it appears on your layout.  I would imagine a styrene base that size will be quite flexible.  Looking forward to the arrival of the kit.

Cheers, Mark.

[nycjeff]

Hello Jeff, I've been using styrene bases for my builds for quite some time now. It is much more convenient to work on the whole scene at the bench rather than on the layout. The rules of the Winter Challenge requiring us to build a diorama fit right into what I usually do.

Hello Mark, you're right, the base does look smaller when on the layout. I didn't realize it until you pointed it out.  You are also correct about the size of the base being flexible. I haven't used this method on this large a base before- I guess we'll see what happens together. Usually when I glue the structure onto the base if firms the whole thing up. Since this time I will have a good portion of the scene as open parking space I'm not sure what will happen.

Waiting for kits to arrive in the mail is always nerve racking. The excitement of ordering the kit and then having to wait for it to arrive. We want them to be there the next day!

[ACL1504]

Jeff,

Looks like you have plenty of real estate for the truck repair. I'm looking forward to your build.

Tom 

[nycjeff]

Hello Tom, thanks for looking in. Yes, I do have lots of space to work with. I was kind of surprised myself when I cleaned up the area and cut the styrene base. I have several ideas that I'm working on. I've started to scratch build an outbuilding while waiting for the main kit to arrive. Pictures soon, I hope.

[jerryrbeach]

Jeff,

I'm a fan of Jason's kits and am looking forward to watching you not only build the kit, but also pull the scene together. 

[nycjeff]

Hello Jerry, this will be my first kit from Jason. I'm looking forward to the build.