Railroad Kits Fulsome Inn

[MAP]

I started working on this kit about 2 months ago (I'm a slow builder) and have been taking photos as I went along.  Like my Gleason build thread, this will be more of a pictorial of what I did then an actual build thread with a lot of details.  Comments are always welcome.  I'm still learning how to do a lot of this stuff, but to paraphrase Doug "I stopped standing there and built something". 

[MAP]

Ok, so I probably should comment on what the heck the pictures are about, right?  The first one is cleaning out the "flash" in the openings of the Hydrocal front wall.  I used a new blade and scored around each opening until the material broke out.  I didn't show the step where I flattened out the back & bottom of the wall to square it up.  This was done because the side walls, which are clapboards, will butt up against the back of the wall and you want it to be flat/square.  I then taped off the "wood" area of the wall & spray painted it with the paint shown.  Then I re-taped so that I could paint the brick areas.  That's it for now.

[ACL1504]

Mark,

I'll be following along and I've always like JD's kits. I have several and have built several, wood and hydrocal.

Do you have an overall photo of the kit as I don't remember this on.


Tom

[ReadingBob]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for starting another thread.  I like JD's kits too.  There are a few on my X-Mas list, if my better half doesn't buy them for me for X-Mas the EXPO is coming up not long thereafter.     This looks like another interesting one. 

I should build a more hydrocal kits.  They're fun.    

[deemery]

... I should build a more hydrocal kits.  They're fun.   

Unless you drop it!


dave

[NEBrownstone]

But Dave, that will give it character.

[MAP]

Thanks for following along!  I'll see if there's a finished product photo on the box to post Tom.  Bob, I have a love/hate relationship with hydrocal.  It looks great, but I tend to break the occasional piece (in some cases 3 or 4 times), and wind up gluing it back together.  Character, yeah, that's it! 

[MAP]

Here's a few more progress photos.  These show how I usually do my mortar.  I pick a white acrylic paint, brush it on in about a 3x3" area, then wipe it off with a cloth or paper towel (which sometimes sheds...Ugh!).  I just keep moving along the whole brick face until I'm done. 

[MAP]

I'm going to jump to the wood components of the kit.  The next set of photos will be of the clapboard walls that will make up the side and rear walls.  First off is using an Exacto knife to cut the blanks out of the window and door openings.  Occasionally the laser won't cut fully through to the rear of the wall, so I'll run the blade over that as well from the back.  Then per Jimmy's bracing sheet I marked down 3/16" from the top, which is where the top of the bracing should go so that the roof cardstock will eventually sit on top of them.  Then, in my usual maniacal way I used a "few" clamps to hold the stripwood bracing in place.  Oh, for good luck I also used weights in the middle bracing since I couldn't get my clamps to reach there.

[gnatshop]

"won't cut fully through to the rear of the wall"
Oh, God forbid that Jimmy has that problem!
Crank up that power, Jimmy!!!!

[postalkarl]

Hi MAP:

Nice start. I like this building. May have to get one.

Karl

[S&S RR]

Nice looking build - I will be following along.

[MAP]

Thanks for the comments & following along guys.  More photos tonight.

[MAP]

Here are a few more progress pics.  I used the usual A&I wash on the claps first.  For this build I decided not to put in nail holes.  I usually Doug Foscale's sponge method to apply paint on the walls, typically using 3 different colors on a build.

[ACL1504]

Mark,

The walls look great!

Tom