Bar Mills Sal Manila Egg Wholesaler

[craftsmankits]

Bar Mills Sal Manila Egg Wholesaler
I always liked the lines of this kit, and for whatever reasons, I've been on a Bar Mills building binge lately.  I built the kit as-is with few changes, but one item I did change was the two-door building front, and added a shared deck for the walkout.  They supplied two separate walkouts for each door, but I felt it better to add a little deck and added extensions to the handrails.

I suggest bracing all the roof pieces, and be aware to keep the bracing on the top portion free from interfering with the 'lookout' on the top.  The lookout sits inside the roof, not on top of it, so keep that in mind.  I simply used 91% isopropyl alcohol mixed with India ink to stain all the wood surfaces, then dry brushed the walls with white acrylic craft paint, allowing the stained wood to show through.  I used Folkart #923 Clover for the windows and trim.  I ended up using thinned oils in black, raw sienna and burnt umber over the wood walls in selected areas to add some color.
 
I really liked the 'brick' base material for this kit.  It was easy to cut and file to shape, and I used Bar Mills method of painting brick walkways to finish them.  All I had to do was spray on a flat black primer, then stain them with an orange craft paint.  I used Americana Bright Orange DA228, and after it dried, I gave it a wash of greatly thinned acrylic black.  A little dry brushing of white or linen was all it took to finish it off.  I advise adding the base after the building is completed.

Bar Mills suggested keeping the entire building in one color, but I waffled on this idea, and I had plenty of time to think it over, since my kit didn't come with the plastic windows.  I eventually got them, but it took nearly three weeks, since the first replacement set didn't arrive, while the second one did after a week.  The strange part of it was, and it must be age related, but I was already pretty far along with the walls when I looked around and realized, where are the dang windows?  Many thanks to Bar Mills for sending a second set of windows.

I will add that using the stencil requires some planning, since it's done twice, and the final fit is rather tight.  So, I suggest placing in the windows for placement of the stencil, and removing them when using the stencil.

I built a small diorama base for the kit to protect the staircases.  I have no idea where I'll eventually plant this build, so I left the dock door areas open until I figure all that out.  You can also access a nice video on Youtube from the Modeler's Workbench where Bob takes you through his build.  I didn't see his video until I was finished with my build, and like me, he was confused on the round window construction sequence at the arch near the top of the structure.  Still not sure of the proper way to build up those round windows.
 
There was plenty of bracing supplied.  I finished the roof using standard roof tarpaper.  Bar Mills used vertical strips of roofing material in their build, but I found this dubious in real world applications.  I did find the name of the kit rather silly, but I ended up using it just the same.  I like using stencils when available.  I fogged the windows using dullcoat, and the acetate provided would have to be cut to fit each individual window half, but I avoided that extra step since the time required didn't seem worth the extra effort. 

All in all, a really nice kit, very FSM like.  Mark

[craftsmankits]

Here are a few extra shots.

[PRR Modeler]

Mark your did an excellent job on this kit. The "copper" flashing is a nice touch and I agree with you about a single platform for both doors.

[Rick]

Beautiful!

[nycjeff]

Hello Mark, I'm with Curt and Rick, what a beautiful job. Nice coloring and also nice details.

[Jerry]

Mark very well done.  I love the coloring.

Jerry

[Philip]

Beautiful but that name......

[friscomike]

Howdy Mark, excellent work on this structure.  The coloring and attention to detail are exceptional.  All in all this is one beautiful model that attests to your skill.  Have fun, mike

[ReadingBob]

What everyone else has already said. Wonderful build!

[craftsmankits]

Thanks guys.  It was a lot of work but fun just the same.  I know the name isn't the greatest, but I do like to stencil when possible.  When I was in Milwaukee for Trainfest last year, Bar Mills had set up a table or two, and I saw their build close up, so I asked to buy the kit, and of course, they had sold the last one just minutes before.  I'll probably post pictures and a description of my build of Klinger's Pharmacy next week.  Really nice kit, but one with some twists that I will outline for anyone who's considering building it.

Thanks once again to one and all who commented on my build.  Mark

[Pennman]

Mark,

Very nice build. Thanks for sharing.

Rich

[KentuckySouthern]

Nice,

[Zephyrus52246]

Great build and finishes.  

Jeff

[Philip]

Despite the name I'll take a dozen! 

[Ensign]

Mark, you did a fabulous job building & weathering this kit!

Greg