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O scale Woodcutter's Shack build by an N scaler
okay, i think i can officially drop the N scaler from the title, since all of my n sale stuff has been sold. anyway, i received my kit yesterday (saturday) and tore into it today.
contents of the box:
72 resin castings cleaned of flash an ready for primer:
117 white metal castings ready for blackening:
i've read through the construction manual a few times and i've come to a decision regarding the castings. i suspect the woodcutter's shack manual was written some time ago and utilizes older techniques that the dueling shacks manual, so i think i'm going to use the techniques in the dueling shacks manual.
contents of the box:
72 resin castings cleaned of flash an ready for primer:
117 white metal castings ready for blackening:
i've read through the construction manual a few times and i've come to a decision regarding the castings. i suspect the woodcutter's shack manual was written some time ago and utilizes older techniques that the dueling shacks manual, so i think i'm going to use the techniques in the dueling shacks manual.
Comments
Cant wait to see what you do with this one, its a fantastic kit.
Karl.A
All kidding aside, you are going to want to drill a hole in the water tank casting, stick a toothpick in it and prime it that way. Otherwise you will miss a side of the tank that you are going to want to show off later. Drill the hole in the bottom of the tank (or even where you are going to put your spout). You will never see the hole once the tank is installed.
when i get around to that one i'll do exactly what you said.
i noodled around with the L shaped workbench. it seems to be everybody's favorite casting and i can see why. it's real cool to be able to add separate details where you want to.
this is the result after about 90 minutes at the workbench. critiques welcome:
Rolling tool handles between your (chalk covered) fingers will give the handles a nice used look. You had a couple of air bubbles on the gear castings in your blackening solution. This is a tough problem to address with castings with a lot of nooks and crannies like this gear. The only solution I have found is to brush them while they are submerged in the blackening solution. This seems to get the most coverage on the casting.
i brushed the heck out of them when they were swimming in the blackening solution. i'll unglue them and give them another bath and work on the tool handles as well.
These O scale details must be a relief to your eyes after all that n scale stuff.
bryan and brett: thanks, i appreciate it.
i try to do a casting every morning before work. this morning i started on the kerosene tank. got it all colored and dirtied up, drilled the hole for the valve and test fit it. buffed the valve and painted it blackened steel (reaper), painted the valve handle red, dirtied it up, picked it up in the tweezers and launched it into the ether. i searched all around the workbench for about a half an hour and couldn't find it so i called brett. he's sending me another valve casting. there aren't too many manufacturers that i know of with customer service like that....
thanks brett
here's the tank casting:
but i am happy with the way it turned out.
i also did this one yesterday...
i did a color test this morning. the top three boards are from the tar paper shack before i gave them the final gray wash.
the next three are a blend of two different ochres.
the three after that are an experiment. i was looking at karl's build of this kit and his walls were a beatiful silver/gray and he said he got that color by using black chalk. i tried it and i think my attempt at it is too blue, but i'm thinking it might be okay for the porch decking.
the last two are another experiment, this time using black and white. it's pretty clear that i didn't use enough white, so i'll go back at it again tomorrow and see what that does.
Such a great job, that bench is a stand alone model all by itself ....
I used to hate epoxy, but, after you've used it a few times, learned that its very forgiving and learned that you just have to leave it alone (and not fiddle) until tomorrow its a fantastic medium to use, and the best in certain situations, as advised.
Very nice work Kevin.
Karl.A
That's the beauty of Bretts incredible techniques, easy to master, and once you have mastered them after a few builds you can adapt them with slight variations, as you are doing with the colour changes to suit your own taste,
Bretts chalk technique is such a versatile and adaptive one, with so many uses and effects, once mastered by following the instructions in the manuals for a few kits it provides an incredible modeling foundation to build on.
Keep up the great progress.
Karl.A
here's a batch before they were steel wooled:
and here's how they look after a good steel wool scrubbing:
i'm a disappointed in the way they're turning out. i think maybe i should hit them again with a touch of white. Thoughts?
as you can see...quite a few boards have been treated with the black chalk. i'm a little happier with the way they look now, but i was really (over anxious) hoping to arrive at a silvery tone. this is getting closer but not what i was after.
the only reason i deviated from the manual was because it called for the same colors as the tarpaper shack and i wanted something a little different. when i saw karl's build of the woodcutter's shack i loved his silver/grey look and that what i was trying for. i think i came close.
The structure would be kept in good repair and wind proof/ water proof, this structure is not a run down storage shed for discarded items.
Now that the walls are built you could 'pop' off a couple of specific boards and give them a split, (not broken, just a split) to add definition, then glue them back in place, or add some extra weathering to certain boards condusive to their placement on the structure, ie next to the oil tank, or under the eaves, etc. Also some weathering along the bottom of the walls due to moisture or 'backsplash' from the rain. However, keep in mind the front wall has a deck and details covering a lot of the lower part of the wall. Many subtle possibilities...
Karl.A