If you have a Hobby shop near by, see if there are any second hand "junk" buildings or just some plastic walls (''brick'' or "wood") in N or HO on the second hand shelf. The more busted up the cheaper. This is what you can practice on.
With that type and size of N-scale building here is my way. Paint (drybrush) all the brick work a red/brown. Try to stay off the "cement'' edge (the edge that contacts the brick) and no need to fill in the mortar joints with the red/brown paint (drybrush-just covering the face of the brick). Paint a random brick or more, a lighter/darker color if you want. Let the brick work dry.
Next make a dirty white wash (very thin [add thinner] wash mix of white paint with a speck of tan), take a tiny pointy brush and pick up a little white wash mix and just touch a mortar joint and see if the "mix" runs (capillary action) in the joints. If not then the mix is to thick, add thinner and try again, you want the mix to flow down the mortar joints as you touch them. You may want to do one brick section and let dry to see if you like the joint color.
When the mortar joints are dry and you have the color you want, good, now do then all. If not remix (darken or lighten) the wash and start again on one brick panel and let dry and see how that looks. That was the hard part.
This is the easy part, now brush paint the "cement" work.
I saw something once that I would probably like to try. Maybe some of you have done this too.
For the concrete parts, I will just paint it grey and put masking tape to hide the brick parts. Then, I could paint the bricks all in brown-red color and let it dry. Right after that, I could paint the same brick wall with white and remove all the white color after that. By doing this I would like the white paint to go and fill the mortar.
Finally, once everything is dry, I could try to paint some of the bricks with a darker and lighter color but I have to use a very tiny tool for that. Any suggestion? I have just ordered a magnifier lense with a lamp to help me with the tiny details.
Stéphan
I have built that exact kit also, in HO scale, (and have since torn it down and kitbashed it).
I painted it to look like the pic. I sprayed the entire outside walls with krylon red primer to get the bricks the proper color, then went back and hand painted the concrete pilasters and such a mix of gray and tan. Just cheap tube paints hand blended on a pallet. I suppose you could mask off each brick area and spray the concrete parts, but I found the hand painting went pretty quickly.
And, I sprayed the INSIDE of the building a flat black after assembling the walls.
Those big windows show a lot of the inside and I didn't care for the light color gray of the inside being seen.
Edit: Using Wayne's pics as an example, I prefer the darker look of the window area on the Wilkinson building more than the lighter clor of the Coffield building, both excellent examples of what could be done with the model however. Both the color of the windows supplemented by the inside color of the walls can dictate what the builing might look like.
- Douglas
Keep in mind the 'prototype' construction of this kind of building. Everywhere you see brick, it is not structural except as a curtain wall, a way to economize on glazing (or cut down the vandalism potential or thermal loss of older design of Hope iron glazing framing). If your design originally used a step wall it could be framed in concrete rather than brick -- and you could relatively easily model it that way rather than spend great time and effort superdetailing what is basically often an architectural cheap kludge...
Most plastic window frames that duplicate Hope glazing are impossibly heavy and thick when molded in plastic, particularly in HO or smaller. Even drawing muntins with a thick India ink on something like acetate or large microscope slips, or using something like lacquer-impregnated thread or painted thin fishing line, may be preferable to the heavy frame. I am about to try tinkering with one of those 'pens' that extrudes 3D printing filament like hot glue to see if it can be made to 'spin' appropriately thin muntins for this type of frame, perhaps over individual panes of microscope cover glass to give the individual reflection.
xploringrailroads I was having trouble fixing the left wall and then, I realized that I put the wrong side. I must be careful not to repeat this mistake too often.
I was having trouble fixing the left wall and then, I realized that I put the wrong side. I must be careful not to repeat this mistake too often.
And just in case you do not want to follow the instructions and would want to switch the left and right side wall to the wrong sides, because you like or need a door or window on a different side, if the front wall has (and these do) beveled (45*) side edges and the sides walls have the beveled (45*) side edges to mate together...well just get a big flat fine cut file and slowly file the side wall's squared (90*) back edge to the correct bevel (45*) to mate up to the front's beveled (45*) edge. There now, you just put that door on the other side that you wanted it to be.
I don't usually bother using primer, either. As long as the surface to be painted is clean, most paints will adhere to it.
PC101...So there you have it, two buildings out of one.
Here's one building out of two, also using the George Roberts structures...
The leftovers from this one were combined with two of these Walthers kits....
...to create this one...
...and no primer on any of them.
Wayne
xploringrailroads I have now finished to paint the grids in the windows. Two layers of black primer and two layers of black grey.
I have now finished to paint the grids in the windows. Two layers of black primer and two layers of black grey.
That has to be a lot of dapping paint, four coats. Does it not get quite a buildup of paint? I do not know how easy/where you live to get paint but maybe look for Model paint in rattle cans (paint in spray cans), like Milatary colors for the flat colors you like. Here's one full size ''Printing Co.'' building that the side walls were cut on angles to make two buildings.
First picture is the three story ''Front side'' like you have. I''ll call it the ''People service'' side.
Second picture is the four story "back side" of the full size building. I'll call it the "Rail service" side. Brushed painted with no primer.
So there you have it, two buildings out of one.
Next picture is a brushed painted (dry brushed) building with flat red rattle can painted window frames. Again, no primer.
I should add that the wall on the far right of the main building is the other half of the ''Hardwood Furniture Factory''. Again, one building cut up to make two buildings. EDIT, Opps, it's still the same building as in ''Company/Business'', just made it a longer building.
Personally I like to use a light grey primer most of the time, gives a uniform surface and helps expose flaws, especially when filling and sanding. Dark primer can require extra topcoats and/or effect the final hue. As mentioned, a primer coat isn't a necessity over clean, dry styrene with compatible paints.
If going for the look on the box with your model my preference would be to shoot an overall coat of a grey/concrete color. Then after the grey has fully cured, mask-off and shoot the brick color. 3M blue tape works well and to reduce the adhesiveness I stick the pieces to my shirt before applying to the painted surfaces.
Regards, Peter
I don't use a primer for anything, unless i'm doing a drastic color change.
As far as your backround building, just before you paint, wash it down good, to get rid of fingure prints and oils first, let dry.
Mike.
My You Tube
I see that is the front three stories half of the old ''George Roberts Printing Co.''. The back half four stories is the rail served side of the full size building. I have never ''primered'' for a under coat before top coat painted any of my buildings that I can remember. But I have not yet used Valleho brushed on paints on big flat area's of buildings either.
I see you are using a "Thin Back Ground Building". Here's a thought for you maybe, buy a full size as in (Not a thin back ground building) building. Just check the cost to see if the full size is a good purchase (less the two of the thin background buildings). Then you can cut the fullsize building in two and now you have two buildings. Just be sure you can use both sides on the RR somehow, sometimes the buildings have a ''rail serviced'' side and a ''truck serviced'' side. The thin back ground buildings are kind of like rectangle. With the full size buildings you can cut the two side walls and have a angled building. You will need to reinforce the floor section on the open back wall and maybe halfway up so the walls do not bow in.
CA cement is ''Cyanoacrylate'', Aka ''Crazy Glue''.
Hi everyone. Thanks for your comments.
To answer your question about the primer, I thought that primer was essential to make the colors stick to the plastic. A few weeks ago, I bought a black primer bottle because the grey one was not available in the store.
When do you suggest to use black, white, grey or any other primer? Are there situations when I don't need to use primer at all? Other situations when I absolutely need to apply at least one layer? For this building, should I paint directly with the color I want without using a primer?
Another question that have been asked to me is if the windows on this industry are made of grids with very small squares. The answer is yes they are.
Finally, what does CA cement means exactly?
Here is another photo of my industry after I sanded the wall on which I added some putty.
I didn't know black primer was a thing. I've always used Rustoleum rattle can gray. I think it would be more difficult to get the cement color painted over black.
One way, but not the only way, is to paint the building gray and dry brush the face of the bricks.
In case you don't know CA cement will fog your windows. For windows I use either canopy cement or Testors clear plastic
edit Dullcote will fog the windows too.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I also question the use of a dark primer, or even a primer at all over the top of a light colored plastic. If this is a model of a brick building, you may consider another step or two to create mortar lines on the brick surfaces. I model in HO, so I'd rather let someone else describe those details.
When I paint a brick building, I offer use red or brown primer as the first and only cost of paint.
Are the window panes modeled using a grid of very small squares? When I have such windows, I often paint them first and then "glaze" them with canopy cement to simulate glass. This results in a very glass-like window appearance, but it is distorted and you can't make out any details through it. However, you can illuminate the interior. I like this for structures that I plan to illuminate but not detail internally.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
HO-VeloConsidering you want the finish color of the model close to as pictured on the box I'm curious as to your choice of primer color?
Not understanding that myself, Peter.
Unless it's about the windows looking dark. What I do, just behind the windows, I install black construction paper.
Painting the whole thing black, it's going to be that much harder to add the other colors.
xploringrailroadsI realized that I put the wrong side.
Gosh, I hate when that happens, but you did good making the save.
Extra kit parts sure do come in handy sometimes.
Considering you want the finish color of the model close to as pictured on the box I'm curious as to your choice of primer color?
Good luck on your build, regards, Peter
xploringrailroadsBecause I removed my glued wall to the other side, there have been a little opening so I put a little bit of putty to block the opening.
I don't worry about little mistakes like this and just cover them up with shrubs when I put down the scenery.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Because I removed my glued wall to the other side, there have been a little opening so I put a little bit of putty to block the opening.
Hi everyone.
Because I am still waiting for some paint colors to arrive, I decided to start modeling another kit. Here I am modeling a printing industry in N scale.
I think I will paint this printing plant with one or two layers of black primer. Then, I will have to choose which color I want it to be; probably like in the picture on the box, brownish color with light grey mortar.
On the instruction sheet, it says:
IMPORTANT: There will be parts left over which are not needed to complete this kit.
I have watched my sprues and yes it looks like I have a complete sprue that wont be used in this model. I will keep those parts in case I want to learn kitbashing but I am just beginning so I will take it easy and focus on one thing at a time.