Good luck with the kit. One thing I will say is that the quality of instructions varies tremendously from one small craftsman kit maker to the next. Some produce books, that are works of art in their own right, others provide very little direction.
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
Wow. that looks really great... I recently bought the Boyd Logging Camp from JV Models... I found Hobbylinc at a time when it happened to be on sale.... I haven't actually started it, for a long time I was busy trying to hash out my track plan and burning through the plastic model kits I had on hand... Then I designed a shotgun house, and roundhouse, and some sheds... So much to do so little time...LOL
Anyhow, I opened the box and saw a lot of raw materials (laser scribed wood, construction paper, index Cards.... various dimensions of scale lumber and dowels and for a moment my heart sank, thinking, "what am I supposed to do with this?"
Having never built a craftsman kit, but having built a lot of plastic models, some of which were not for the faint of heart, the concor roundhouse being one, and a victorian house being another... I tried to reassure myself... But the instructions are very sparse...I would assume you are supposed to use the pictures in the instructions as patterns to cut the scribed balsa and then use some of the scale lumber as corner and center bracing... A bit intimidating at face value, I'm certain that it will all work out once I start...
My little shotgun house is coming along fine, I drew the pattern on graph paper, photo copied it, and laid the copy on my balsa, cut around the pattern to scribe the balsa and then finished cutting out the pieces.. for windows and doors I'm using the leftovers from kits, for tar paper roofing I'm using cheap sandpaper from the dollar store, but construction paper would do fine. I haven't decided how I want it painted, but it is cut out and the corner braces are glued down on the front and rear walls... I used 1/8" wood dowel because it was what I had. when I get it done I'll post some pics...
~G4
19 Years old, modeling the Cowlitz, Chehalis, and Cascade Railroad of Western Washington in 1927 in 6X6 feet.
simon1966 think it is great that Brett offers the University range to allow folks to try the techniques without having to spend and arm and a leg.
think it is great that Brett offers the University range to allow folks to try the techniques without having to spend and arm and a leg.
Thanks for the feedback Casey, it is nice to get comments from someone with so much experience. I agree with your comments about these kits. I think it is great that Brett offers the University range to allow folks to try the techniques without having to spend and arm and a leg.
Thanks, the only thing I would have done different is to have got on with it quicker I followed the kit instructions quite closely because I wanted to absorb as much of Brett's techniques as possible. The roof material is the rolled roof that came in the kit, weathered per kit instructions. I probably overdid the brown chalks on the roof as it looks as though it is a bit rusty in the photos. This is less obvious to the eye in person in natural light.
Hello You did a very nice job Thanks for posting it. I could use one of those to and even have a spot for it. Is there any thing you would do different if you were to build it again? I can't tell from the photo but is that a tin roof or roll roofing? Keep up the good work Frank
kcole4001Here's a question: did you glue down the detail castings, leave them loose to be repositioned at will, or a combination of both? I'm always curious about other's approaches to these things.
I did glue the ones that are on the platform, I don't intend to move them. The surrounding ones, and ones leaning against the platform were just placed. It will be some time before this gets onto the layout, so have no idea how I will arrange them when it does get placed.
Great job! A really nice model, there. Makes me want to start building some of the Kanamodel (Canadian prototypes) structure kits I have.
Here's a question: did you glue down the detail castings, leave them loose to be repositioned at will, or a combination of both? I'm always curious about other's approaches to these things.
Hi!
The retail price is really not out of line, considering all the "extra" parts. I've built a number of plastic kits and then spent quite a bit more on those "extras".
My question on the time was to get a feel for it. Ten hours actually seems short for something of that detail and finish. I will surely keep Sierra in mind when I'm looking for something "new and different"!
Thanks,
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
simon1966 loatharTurned out great! Did it come with all those detail parts?? I wouldn't mind paying more for a craftsman kit if it did. Yep, everything you see in the photos came with the kit. Lots of very neat detail castings for such a small kit. There is a lovely engine block, which does not really show in the photos.
loatharTurned out great! Did it come with all those detail parts?? I wouldn't mind paying more for a craftsman kit if it did.
Yep, everything you see in the photos came with the kit. Lots of very neat detail castings for such a small kit. There is a lovely engine block, which does not really show in the photos.
If anything, Sierra West kits have too many castings. Using them all with the individual structures they come with, the resulting models can result in an excessively cluttered look. (It depends on the kind of "look" one wants.) But who is complaining? Any extra castings can be well used elsewhere on the layout.
Mark
Great work indeed! I love to do those kind of kits and that one would fit very nicely on my layout.
simon1966The fun is in the doing anyway
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
mobilman44About how many hours did you put into the structure? And, what was the cost?
Here is a link to the kit http://www.sierrawestscalemodels.com/ckits/3005/3005.shtml
If I had to guess on the time, I would say it took me about 10 hours. Truthfully, I am not a real fast modeller. I tend to ponder things and wander off to make cups of tea. So who knows, maybe more time, maybe less. The fun is in the doing anyway, so I'm not all that bothered by how long it took.
This makes me feel rather guilty about how long a mere Intermountain boxcar kit has been sitting on my workbench waiting for me to attend to the fact that I botched the roofwalk casting in step 2 or whatever .... Very nice work.
Dave Nelson
That really is a good looking piece - you certainly did a fine job on it!
About how many hours did you put into the structure? And, what was the cost?
Thanks for the comments everyone. Mark summarized very well what this kit actually is. It might seem like a challenge, but the instructions are so well done that it is not hard at all to follow along and get good results. It truly is the antithesis of the ready-to-run structures that are flooding the hobby shelves now. I did not keep track of time, but there are a number of hours work in this structure. For me, that represents great value for my hobby dollar.
loathar Turned out great! Did it come with all those detail parts?? I wouldn't mind paying more for a craftsman kit if it did.
Turned out great! Did it come with all those detail parts?? I wouldn't mind paying more for a craftsman kit if it did.
Didn't you know that Sierra West makes "box of sticks" kits? They feature board-by-board construction with lots of great cast details. Using a paper template, one constructs the framing, then attaches individual boards to make walls. Details for construction and painting/staining are very detailed. As I recall, I spent some $80 in paints for constructing the wood cutter's kit (which has been pictured on this forum a couple of times so won't bore you with that again.) If you have patience and can follow instructions, your Sierra West kit should come out great.
Great work, Simon! I like it.I've just nearly finished my truss-rod bridge.
Wolfgang
Pueblo & Salt Lake RR
Come to us http://www.westportterminal.de my videos my blog
The end crowns the work, Simon, I think you nailed it..er, glued it. Well done!
-Crandell
Aah the rewards of a good quality craftsman kit, I like the result! Good work on that one.
Swedish Custom painter and model maker. My Website:
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For the first time in a very long time I have had some bench time this weekend. Months back I had started the wall construction of the Sierra West Kit University series tool shed. This is not a construction thread as I only bothered to take shots at the end.
I found the kit to be an excellent primer to get me back into the groove. Brett provides and excellent service and value with this type of kit.
No place yet for it on my layout, but I am planning a new peninsula that will include Scotty Mason's Roundhouse and I think this little structure will fit right into that scene.
There is a ton of details for such a small structure. I really had some fun working on the castings this afternoon.
I plan to add a bit of powder to this and stain up the deck wood on the platform with some oil stains.
If you are a lurker out there that has not yet tried your hand at a craftsman style structure, this would be a good starter. There are some excellent detailed instructions with the exact steps to take to prepare, cut and weather the wood. The kit itself is not hard, but is certainly not a quick assembly from pre-cut parts. I would recommend it to anyone interested in trying something beyond the very basic.