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Dueling Shacks build by an N scaler

kebmokebmo
edited February 2016 in O Scale Builds
i started building this kit a few weeks ago and have been posting elsewhere,
that said, it was suggested to me that i post my build thread here on brett's forum.

here goes.....

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i have been modeling in n scale for many years, so you can imagine my glee when i saw the castings. wow. we n scalers have never seen anything like this. awesome castings.
anyway, to cut to the chase, the first step was to weather some 8" strip wood using brett's technique (and i'll never use another one. this rocks!)
i've suspected all along that this kit was brett's insidious way of converting n scalers to the bigger scales...i think i was right. my n scale equipment is all for sale now....
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grain applied to the stripwood

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brett's method to color the stripwood is to scrape some color off of the rembrandt soft pastels directly on to the stripwood, and then wash it into the wood with rubbing alcohol.

i did a final wash with a burnt umber pastel. the stripwood was looking pretty good to me by that point so i went ahead and applied it to the subwalls.

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once all the walls had the boards applied, i felt that they were a little too 'brownish' so i did another light wash of a light grey and then i was happy with the look.

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the coolest thing about brett's system is you really can't screw it up. if you following his instructions you'll build a beautiful model.
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on to the roof...

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i got a wild bug up my butt and decided to try an alternative roof. (i got scolded) i had some very thin sheets of red cedar from cigar boxes so i cut my own shake shingles and thought i'd give it a go..
they turned out really nice, but .....

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i decided to go with brett's original design instead.
so i had to do some corrections on the roof and glue it to the shack. once that was done...it was TIME TO MOVE ON TO THE CASTINGS!
first one, the cabinet.

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i took a night and did all of the castings representing wood items. i haven't touched the metal castings yet.
so i started on the base, and here's a couple of shots of the shack and wood castings on the dio base. nothing is glued down at this point, this was just to see the relationship between the shack and the castings. i have a long way to go.....
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this kit is very cool, and IT IS THE REASON MY N SCALE STUFF IS FOR SALE!
i can't wait to get to the metal castings and then on to the corrugated shack after that.

Kevin.
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Comments

  • Karl.AKarl.A
    Great looking start to this wonderful kit Kevin.
    Thanks for taking the time to post your progress here for us all to enjoy and follow along with.
    There are a lot of these gems out there, I'm looking forward to seeing them built.

    Thanks again, we'll be following your updates with pleasure.

    Karl.A
  • BillBill
    Glad to have you on the forum with us, Kevin!

    I see that you mentioned switching over from N scale. Is this your first build?
    The gray color of your vertical siding looks really nice and I also like the contrast you have on the 6 panel door (the darker frame and the lighter panels.

    Have fun finishing out the details and scenery! My guess is you're gonna add a "buy it now" to your N scale auctions on eBay!

    Thanks for posting.
    Bill

  • adminadmin
    Excellent work Kevin! Wood looks superb. Casting right on target. Pay careful attention to the edge of the red tarpaper, along the fold lines. Touch up any exposed paper and crease the paper smoothly so there are no visible undulations. The lighting can catch these "waves" and they stand out to my eye. Keep at it!
  • kebmokebmo
    did my best to correct the roof, started blackening the metal castings and planting the castings on the diorama.
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    next up, start applying some greenery and then painting and placing the remaining castings.
  • kebmokebmo
    i'm afraid i don't know why the pics didn't post. trying again:image
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  • KCSTrainsKCSTrains
    They posted the first time. I find that the first time you post pictures, you may get a little blue box instead of the picture, but it is there. To check, try logging onto the site with a different computer or smart phone and you will see the pictures. You have a good eye for color and I like what you are doing. Keep up the good work. Phil
  • brownbr
    Your details are looking good. A couple of tricks for you to try: coloring the edges of the signs on the wall gets rid of the white outline. An enamel or oil paint some nice rust streaks going down the white band on the oil drum.
  • kebmokebmo
    i've done a bit more scenery work and added a few more details.
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    still working on it, but i do hope to be able to finish it up this coming week and move on to the corrugated shack.
  • KKarnsKKarns
    Coming along very nicely Kevin. I see you re-worked the rust detail on the one drum, very nice. Bryan's suggest on the sign edges is a good one. May want to "dirty" up that tank cap in the above picture to blend it in. Your detail arrangement looks nice and well placed. Your window treatment is very good, shame to cover up the one window with that tall tank...a little to the left maybe?:) Anxious to see what you do with the corrugated shack...Ken
  • Karl.AKarl.A
    edited February 2016
    Coming along nicely Kevin, as Ken suggests, maybe some dirty chalking on that white gas tank cap to dull it down and blend it in a little more. Talking of dulling and blending, if you have some fine yellow turf / dead grass in your scenery collection try sprinkling a few pinches around on the green grass to break up the uniformity a little. or even a few pinches of the dirt.
    Details are looking very nicely done and positioning looks good.
    Take a look at the "dirt, details and dioramas" thread, maybe some ideas in there for you. Also take a look at Kens HO loco shop scenery, some great stuff there.

    Keep up the good work and thanks for posting !!

    Karl.A
  • kebmokebmo
    followed some advise, added another layer of scenery and details. i'm getting close on this one. i still have some more work to do on the details and scenery, but as i said, i'm getting close.
    this has been a real blast so far.....image
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  • kebmokebmo
    Karl,
    I followed Ken's thread at the other site. his work is nothing short of awesome. i love the way he worked the wood on the interior of his shop. it was almost an exact replica of a shop i worked in 40 years ago. the tone of the wood was identical. i've also followed most of your work over there too. thanks for introducing me to this forum. i've been a member here for a few years but honestly never thought of doing a build thread here. (i joined to harass brett into producing n scale kits, to no avail) i figured i'd be outclassed and too embarrassed. brett's techniques changed all that though. i think i have a buyer for all of my nscale stuff and if it works out, i'll be taking a drive to fort wayne indiana next saturday to deliver it all. if that happens like i'm hoping it will, i'll be moving up in scale. i still haven't decided if i'm going to do h.o. or o. both have big upsides compared to n. there's a good chance i'll do both scales. i really am enjoying working in o, but there's so much more available in h.o. what a quandry....:)
  • adminadmin
    Kevin, it truly brings me great joy to see your modeling and confidence improve with every post. Geez, if this is your first build... what can we expect from your fifth? The scenery and castings blend so nicely with the wood siding. I really like what you are doing here.
  • kebmokebmo
    i can't tell you how much i appreciate that brett. i also can't tell you how much i appreciate this kit. i've built almost 100 n scale structures and never had the enjoyment i'm having with this one. next weekend the wife is going to champaign to see our grandson, and if i play my cards right i'll have all the corrugated cut and ready to be baked while she's out of town.
  • kebmokebmo
    with the exception of what's probably the most difficult part of this build, putting labels on paint cans, i think i'm ready to call this shack finished. i'll populate it with a couple of little guys working when i can find figures that fit the bill.
    comments and critiques welcome and encouraged....
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    i ground up some leaves and used them to camouflage some glue spots on the roof that can really only be seen by the camera.
  • brownbr
    Overall a build you should be proud of.
  • Karl.AKarl.A
    edited February 2016
    A great looking build Kevin, wood, details, finish, construction, everything looks really good. Nothing else to add except as Bryan says, this is one you should be proud of, nicely done. Looking forward to the corrugated shed next..

    Karl.A
  • kebmokebmo
    bryan and karl, thanks very much. this kit really does have a way of building one's confidence. does anyone have any tips for the paint can labels?
  • Karl.AKarl.A
    edited February 2016
    The way I do it is.... Drill a hole in the bottom of the can and stick a blunt toothpick in the hole to hold it. cut out the label exactly and colour the edges with a felt tip. ie if its a red label use a red pen etc to get rid of the white edge.
    put a dab of wood glue on a finger tip and holding the toothpick smear the glue around the can thinly. put the label face up on the bench and press it with a clean fingertip, it should stick to your finger. Put it lightly against the lightly glued tacky can, make sure its the right way up and adjust, once happy press all the way around one side, then the other. if there is too much over hang on the final side trim as necessary (don't forget to colour the edge where you trim) leaving a small overlap, put a tiny amount of glue to hold end in place and press down. leave to dry. weather to taste and add handle, paint drips, etc.

    Easy as that.

    boy that was a lot to type.

    Karl.A
  • kebmokebmo
    thanks, that's exactly how i did it, and now, with the exception of still wanting to find lp's to be working on the pump out front and the workbench in the back, i'm officially calling this one finished.
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    and the next part of my adventure is on the bench (well, sort of)
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  • kebmokebmo
    i rebooted and still can't see the pics. is there a trick that i need to know?
  • dick52
    Looks great , the idea of covering up the glue bobo,s with leaf clutter was a nice touch, adds more to the scene .

    Richard
  • kebmokebmo
    edited February 2016
    thanks richard,
    something that's bugging me, and it's been brought up here but i couldn't figure a safe way of fixing, is the white edges on the two signs on the side walls. i'm just not real comfortable with trying to pry them off to redo them. do any of you experienced swsm builders know of a foolproof technique for removing the signs so i can fix them without screwing up the diorama?
  • Karl.AKarl.A
    edited February 2016
    what glue did you use and how much ? Do you have a replacement sign of the same size.. just incase..

    The "danger gasoline" sign would have a white border. Just try dirtying up that edge with some dry 408.5 on a tiny brush, just along the edges.

    Karl.A
  • kebmokebmo
    i stuck it with ailene's. i have the graphics card so if i were to ruin the sign i have more. i was mostly concerned with the wall. my hand isn't steady enough to fix it in place; my hands shake a bit. my concern is: if i were to use water to loosen the glue what effect would it have on the 3 or 4 boards the sign is glued to?
  • Karl.AKarl.A
    edited February 2016
    If it were me..... I would tilt and support the diorama on a 45 and using a damp clean brush dab just the sign, do not get it wet enough that water runs off, just damp it a little. Keep doing this every minute or two keeping the sign damp and allowing the moisture to work through to the glue. Bretts signs are printed on a colour laser so the ink shouldn't run, but, you shouldn't be getting it that wet any way.
    This could take 30-45mins, but, slower is better. With the tip of an exacto just test a corner of the sign gently periodically to see if the glue has softened and work it off slowly keeping it damp.

    This can be quite tricky and potentially have a negative effect if things go awry, so be very sure you want to do this.

    I would still use some of the wall coloured chalk first, small amout dry on a detail brush and just dull down the edges to blend them into the wall more. much easier/safer. Remember to use a tiny amount of chalk DRY on the brush, you don't want to create a 'smudge' around the sign, just barely touch and colour the edges, blow off any excess chalk each time.

    Karl.A
  • kebmokebmo
    thanks karl. both are excellent ideas that'll solve the problem and i just learned something else.
  • kebmokebmo
    i began work on the corrugated shack last night (can't really consider this work. it's more like therapy than work)
    the first step is to remove the wall framing from the carrier sheet and scrape three colors of pastel powder onto the framing:
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    then you take a soft brush loaded with alcohol and brush it into the wood. after i did that i took a short bristled brush and "buffed" the wood to remove excess powder and work the color into the wood. this produced a really nice dark reddish hue to the wood. it looks much nicer in person than in this picture:
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    then you set the framing aside and tape down a template for cutting the corrugated pieces:
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    weapons of choice: a new #11 blade and a steel straight edge:
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    that's it for now. this weekend i need to pick up a finer point brush. once i have it i'll fix the signs on the tar paper shack.
  • Karl.AKarl.A
    edited February 2016
    Really nice colour on the framing, warm aged wood. Love the lasercut frames by Brett. Looking forward to the corrugated process.
    Also noticed the bands on the barrel in the background, looking good..

    A relatively inexpensive 5-0 should do the trick, pick up a 10-0 too if they have one, relatively inexpensive because chalk kills brushes pretty quickly, esp the small ones.

    Karl.A
  • kebmokebmo
    thanks karl. i've noticed that the chalks tend to "gum up" the brushes a bit. i will pick the brushes you recommended on saturday and see about fixing those signs.
    i've been looking for suitable O scale figures to populate these dioramas and really haven't been able to find anything that fits the bill. any recommendations would be appreciated.
    i cut the corrugated pieces and they're ready to be primed. I probably won't get to it for a few days though.
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