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The U.S Mail Railway Post Office. A scratch build edifice..

Summer is here, people are on vacation, sunbathing in the Hamptons, the Keys or another fancy place.. And it shows in the forum. Very little is going on. So I decided to animate it a bit with the following.

Before anyone of you nice people gets confused, this is not the next SW kit, nor a lost one , nor a bootleg one. It is by a rather obscure manufacturer named Robert.G. And I won't blame you if you haven't heard of the guy...

So, as I mentioned earlier, I only have the O'Neills left to build, but not at hand here in France, thus I decided to do this one. The idea has been wandering in my grey cells for a while and this was the time to realize it. The U.S Mail Railway Office.

I also wanted to do a log-cabin-sort-of-construction with this one. The BLC is still alive.. So log cabin it is. It is a scratch build edifice, yes I know, could be a SW kit ( I guess I am indoctrinated by SW kits.. ) but is is NOT !!! The only SW parts are some little details that you will recognize . All the rest, including all the other details are home brewed !!

And to do things differently , I'll start with showing you the finished build. Later I'll come back with the making of pics. So no worries, you'l see the nativity of the edifice from zero with all the explanations...

Enough words, time for some photo's. Enjoy.

Robert


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Be back soon, I'll let you digest these first.. :)

Robert


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Comments

  • edited July 2023
    Dear Robert,
    Again, Great and Fantastic work. I fell in love at first sight. Love the rings on the log ends a lot.
    I even noticed some headphones on the wall of picture #5. Sorry, my eyes are molelike....
  • I’m ready to order two…HO and O…;-))

    Amazing Robert….every photo is a feast to the eyes…simply amazing stone chimney…the metal roof…. I need to get back to the photos….awaiting the next installment
    Well Done, buddy
    Terry
  • edited July 2023
    JenS said:

    Dear Robert,
    Again, Great and Fantastic work. I fell in love at first sight. Love the rings on the log ends a lot.
    I even noticed some headphones on the wall of picture #5. Sorry, my eyes are molelike....

    Jens, those are hooks from the logging blocks.. :) But yes, they look like headphones..
  • I know my friend, just kidding
  • Great work! Creating a log cabin that looks so real is not easy, and you have done a great job! Really like the moss on the roof and chimney.
  • Beautiful work as we have come to expect Robert.
  • Well Robert, you have done it again. Just Fantastic. I really like the color tone of the logs and the corrugated roof. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • As usual, your photography and composition really add a sense of realism to your work. As others have said, the log ends, the waterproofing on the roof, stonework and more are masterpiece details! What a great way to break up the summertime doldrums in this heat!!
  • Simply amazing.
  • Wow, how fantastic! Thank you for sharing this build with us. Love the stonework on the chimney so much.
  • Beautiful scratchbuild!

    Jerry
  • The aqua pastel blue really fits the masterful scene beautifully.
  • at first blush it looked like the business end of blue sky. love the colors, log ends, and everything else.
    there ya go brett, the pilot model is done for you..... :)
  • edited July 2023
    Great timber ends (done with a leather punch?)….I’ve tried that technique but haven’t been able to master it….going to try again tho….masterful technique ….do you hold the timber in a small vise when tapping the ends?
    Terry
  • edited July 2023
    Terry,
    the timber ends were done after the logs were assembled so I only needed to hold the punch and the hammer.

    Started with the smallest diameter and worked my way up to the biggest. ( 6 of them ) Make sure they are not all concentrical.

    Soon pics in the 'making of ' departement :wink: The art is not to punch to hard or you will split the end...
  • fantastic
  • Welcome to ' The Making of ' . This is the story of a good old fashioned modeling build. Meaning, no computers, no 3D printing machines, no laser cutting devices, just an x-acto knife, a straight ruler and elbow grease.

    As with all my builds, I start with a drawing in real scale of all sides on 1mm grid paper. And, very important, I always have a 1/48 scale figure at hand to make sure to keep the right proportions. Doors and windows not to big or to small etc..The basic shape of the building , without the log-part, came from a photo .

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    The first 'logs' are cut to the right length and provided with the notches at the ends.
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    To make it easy, I decided to first assemble the whole and then cut out the door and windows.

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    The spaces between the logs were filled with a plaster/white glue mix.

    So, now we let everything dry and be back soon for the next episode... :wink:

  • What a great looking structure
  • Robert.
    Is there anything that are not able to do.???????????
  • Up to your usual high standards, just fantastic. I particularly like the detail on the ends of each log. Amazing.
  • Another amazing build Robert and a joy to look at.
    I know I will spend alot of time and several views enjoying this.
    Well done.
  • Next episode..

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    I let the photos speak for themselves, but if you have any questions, please ask. No extra charge... :smiley:




  • Thanks Robert…. Enjoying your process almost as much as the finished product
    Terry
  • Always amazing work Robert. Just beautiful.
  • how about a couple shots of your work area, so we can see where the magic is created?
  • I second Kev’s request….I’m always interested to see my fellow modelers workspace…..maybe a separate topic:thread?
    Terry
  • What colors did you use on the logs Robert? And, was thereany special way you applied them?
  • Nice work.

    But from the one photo I think you need more paints!!
    Must be a very full workbench with supplies.

    Jerry
  • sdrees said:

    What colors did you use on the logs Robert? And, was thereany special way you applied them?

    I first put very diluted black alcohol stain on the logs, the usual stuff. White chalk paint and Bitume de Judea ( the brown aphaltum with turpentine ). And then scraping and then enhancing a bit with some pastel colors here and there. White, earth, umber.
    kebmo said:

    how about a couple shots of your work area, so we can see where the magic is created?

    coming up Kevin, Terry. let me first clean up the mess after this build. I don't want you guys get the wrong impression.. :blush:

    The little open barn is made out of boxwood . The same wood I use for my trees. Strong, tough, hard and holds up well over time


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    Tomorrow, the chimney :wink:



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