Painting and Assembling a Walthers Merchants Row kit - some things I've learned

[G Paine]

Ken

 Thanks for posting these guides to Merchants Row.

Another possibility for windows is a new product from Miniatronics. They have had some window signs for a long time, but are releasing some of them as electroluminescent (EL) signs. The windows are 1-1/8" W x 1-5/8" H and run on 3V DC. I have not used any, but saw them at the Springfield show a couple of months ago. They look good

http://www.miniatronics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=5_6

This are links to their older style (non-EL) signs for HO/O scale and N scale

http://www.miniatronics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=5_2
http://www.miniatronics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=5_1

For lighting, the have a lighting kit using Yeloglo LEDs. The surface mount LEDs come on a circuit board strip that can be cut and rewired to light up to 7 buildings or rooms. It runs on AC or DC power. I have the passenger car version of this, and it looks great.

http://www.miniatronics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=100-IBL-01&Category_Code=N&Product_Count=10

[wholeman]

Thank you for posting this valuable information  I am going to assemble the Walthers City Station in the summer after I am finished with school for the year and will use the same techniques that you mentioned.  I am going to add an interior and will find a way to make the roof removable.

Will

[CSX_road_slug]

Somebody on WPF asked me for advice on painting and detailing a Walthers Merchants Row kit.  I didn't want to hijack the WPF thread so I started my own here.  I'll share what others have told me, and what I did - FWIW.

3/4-angle view from the left

Head-on front view

3/4-angle view from the right

Birds-eye view of the rear

1) Rule #1: Give yourself all the time you need to do things properly, don't try to meet a self-imposed deadline

2) The Walthers instruction sheet is flawed - they say to glue the window 'glass' in first.  DON'T!!...painting the window frames will be much more difficult if you have to worry about getting paint on the glass.  Installing the glass panes should be one of the LAST steps of the project.

3) Get 10 swatches of junk styrene; paint 5 of them in the same colors you plan on painting the bricks, and paint the other 5 pieces in the colors you want for your wood trim.  Hold the 'brick' pieces beside their corresponding 'frame' pieces to see if the colors compliment each other, before you paint the actual model.

4) Paint all of your doorways, window frames and wood trim before you paint any bricks.  It's easier to touch-up/repaint a 'plain' surface than to redo bricks with their mortar lines.

5) After you're done with your window frames etc., paint the brick surfaces in their primary colors.

Never mind about 4 and 5 - it doesn't really make much difference after all which parts you do first!

6) Pre-mix a concrete-colored wash for your mortar lines, and gently dab it into the crevices between the bricks with a fine-point paintbrush. The wash will be sucked into the surrounding crevices by capillary action. When the wash dries it may not be as visible, so you'll likely need to repeat the application 2 or 3 times.

7) The kit does not include interior floors or walls, so I made some crude ones out of Evergreen sheet styene and put those inside.  (IMHO, nothing makes this type of structure look more toy-like than being able to see all the way across a wide open interior thru the windows on the opposite side.)

8) Forget about using the Walthers "glass" panels; cut some thin Evergreen clear styrene into the sizes/shapes you'll need to fit over the window openings between the walls.  I used Aileen's Tacky Glue (available at Michaels Arts & Crafts, similar to Elmers but more concentrated) since it won't damage the clear styrene if it strays onto a visible area - just wait until it dries then gently scrape it off.

9) After you've cemented the brick boundary walls and chimneys to the roof, DO NOT cement the roof to the structure - you may want to remove it later to add interior details.

10) For the window decals, I downloaded various beer/pizza company logos and advertising photos from the internet, and printed my own.  I had to print several 'dry runs' on regular paper to make sure they were sized correctly for the windows, before printing on the decal paper itself.

Good luck!  And if you're happy with your results, share some pics with us here.