FOS Scale - Canal Street and 3rd - Limited Edition - Build

[nextceo]

Here is a better photo of the finished building minus all the lights being on...

[nextceo]

Now that all the buildings have been completed, its now onto the Diorama. The time period of the Diorama is the Fall of 1940 in New England. The canal on the left hand side of the diorama will be lower than all the buildings on the right. Doug uses Pink Foam painted a concrete color for the canal and sea walls. I've elected to go with Stone Retaining Walls for the Canal from Woodland Scenic and Stone Walls from New England Brownstone (nebrownstone.com) for the sea wall. If you goto their site, you wont find the 1 inch stone walls for sale but if you email Russ, he will make them for you upon request.

I'm going to have to cut the plaster castings. Does anyone have advice on how best to do that to get the cleanest cut?

Next up, the stacking of the pink foam.

Alan

[nextceo]

I've finished painting and weathering the Stone Walls for the Canal. I'm adding a Shanty with a Campfire and some Hobos at the bottom of the Canal. I used some parts from the FOS Kit Wytek Repair along with a bunch of scrap wood from my scrap box to scratch build the Shanty. The blue tarp on top of the Shanty is made from a tea bag. I painted it blue and then used weathering powders and then Weldbond Glue to glue it into place.

That's all for now...
Alan

[Janbouli]

Excellent weathering, the shanty is great, hobo paradise.

[nextceo]

I decided the side vent on the shanty was too big so I put in a smaller vent. I also just finished installing the track and put the finishing touches on the inside of the tunnel. I have now put the roof on it making any changes inside the tunnel difficult to do at this point. The next step is the cut a hole in the retaining wall and install a pipe...aka a straw painted black. I will then create a drainage ditch by taking an exacto knife and picking out a portion of the pink foam base. I will then use Woodland Scenic Paste to coat the bottom of the ditch. This is important since I will be pouring Woodland Scenic Real Water in this ditch and wthout the paste, the foam would degas over time wrecking the water.

That's all for now...
Alan

[nextceo]

Just finished up with the "Terraforming" portion of the Diorama. I created a drainage ditch next to the retention wall by picking out the form with an exacto knife. From there I coated the bottom with two layers of Woodland Scenic Paste. Next, I used Sculptamold to shape and give the ditch character instead of it being just a straight line. I used Plaster for the rocks and Sculptamold for the ground. For those of you that have never used one or both these products here is the difference:

- Plaster
Cons: Heavier and gives you less time to work with...probably 10 minutes or less. Also more difficult to work with since its "sticky".
Pros: Great for carving and gives you sharp edges like those found in rocks. Also crumbles, again great for rock formations. It holds Indian Ink wash and gives you a solid color. Drys quickly to allow you to move onto the next step. In addition to free lancing my rock formations, I will also create some rock formations with molds from Woodland Scenic and then glue those formations in place. From there, I work the plaster around these formations. Once the plaster begins to dry, I use an AWL (I think that's how its spelled) and I chisel various angles into the plaster. I also use an exacto knife to carve lines into the rock and to "smooth out" the plaster by shaving it down in areas that look unnatural.

- Sculptamold
Cons: Bad for carving and when dry, its still kinda soft. Takes a long time to dry. Probably 24 hours. Doesn't hold color well. Tough to make a very thin layer. When I stain it with the Indian Ink wash, its still appears as light gray.
Pros: Light and easy to work with. Working time can be 20-30 minutes. Just keep dipping you paint brush or spackle tool in water and run it across the Sculptamold to reshape.

Next up is to weather the rock formation and start adding Fall Type grasses. Actually I've already done this and will post pictures tomorrow. Cant give you everything at once...

Thanks for looking!
Alan

[nextceo]

Here are a couple of completed pics of the bushes and grasses I added to the rocks I made yesterday. Remember, I'm going for a Fall Setting hence the muted colors. Once I start nearing the end of the diorama, I'll probably add a few trees near the rock formation.

That's all for now...
Alan

PS I need to figure out how to adjust this new camera as the pictures need brighting...

[cuse]

Really nice work. Thanks for sharing.


John

[ReadingBob]

Wow!  Very nice work indeed.  I really like the blue tarp on the roof being held down by the old tire and board.  Well, to be honest I really like everything.   

[ollevon]

Looks like your doing another great job on this one Alan,. Cant wait to see the finished diorama.
  Sam

[ACL1504]

Alan,

Really enjoying this thread, thanks for taking the time to do it!

Tom

[nextceo]

Thanks for the words of encouragement!! Hey Sam, any updates on your harbor scene?

Alan

[ollevon]

Thanks for the words of encouragement!! Hey Sam, any updates on your harbor scene?

Alan

No new updates yet Alan,  I'm working on a 3D backdrop for it now, and all will be scratch built, so it will be a while yet.
  Sam

[nextceo]

Just finished the waste area next to the sea wall and the stream bed next to the tracks. Next up is to pour Woodland Scenics Real Water into the stream and begin with my first layer of Modge Podge for the Ocean. I also hope to have the roads in by tomorrow. I will be using Durhams Water Putty for the Roads.

All for now...
Alan

[MAP]

Excellent work Alan!  Thanks for the detailed commentary during the build.