OK folks. Lots of discussions about economics and spreading ones hobby $ to the max. Many people have suggested that building a kit is a way to save some money. Not only that, but a kit can expand your skills, provide you with hours more hobby time for the $, and also result in something for the layout that you are proud of. In that spirit I present a simple structure build for no other reason than to try and encourage those that have not, to have a go.
By way of introduction I am no expert at this. What I present here are some simple techniques and ideas, none of my invention, but accumulated from folks I consider to be real experts.
To get things started here is the kit that I have chosen to build.
http://www.minutemanscalemodels.com/CatalogDetails.aspx?id=18635
It is a small HO cottage that could be found in many locations and eras. I am going to use is as a mine workers company house for my mid-west early 20th century coal mine.
I was attracted to this model for a couple of reasons, namely it is exactly the type of structure I wanted and at just over $14 it is cheap!
Here is what is in the kit
Laser cut wooden clapboard siding, plastic windows and doors, laser cut wooden roof and floor/base and peel and stick shingles and tar-paper for the roof. Some strip-wood for bracing and detail. Plus some nice illustrated instructions.
This is fairly typical of what one can expect in a modern laser cut kit. More expensive kits will often have detail castings in metal or some other material with which to decorate the scene when complete.
This particular kit has some neat features that I will point out as I go through the build. The first being that the wooden parts are identified by laser cut labels right on the sheet.
So my challenge to you is that if you have never built a wooden laser kit follow along and give it a try. You may well surprise yourself and find a new source of pleasure in this great hobby of ours.
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
OK first step. Preparation.
When getting ready for a project like this it is useful to have the tools that you will need to hand. It also is a really good idea to document things with photos, especially if you are going to post it on the web.
I discovered yesterday that my digital camera will quite happily take photos without the memory card in place, so the first couple of steps have not been caught on camera!
Working off and on, this build would take a weekend, so it is not overly challenging.
Tools:
Hobby knife with sharp blades
needle files and sanding blocks (I like to use ladies emory boards with rough and smooth sides)
North West Short Line Chopper 2 (Use a hobby knife if you don't have one, but if you decide you like this type of structure building get one, they are great)
Paint brushes
Pin vice and needle
Metal rule
Other materials:
Alcohol and ink (1 bottle of isopropyl alcohol with 1-2 teaspoons of ink for a stain)
Cheap acrylic paints from Walmart or Hobby Lobby type store
Titebond wood glue (I prefer it to white glue)
CA Gel glue
Masking tape
My first step is to stain all the exterior wood with the A/I stain. This gives the wood a silvery grey look of aged wood. Since I did not get a shot of this, here are some parts from a different kit stained.
In this case I had stained the carrier sheet (not necessary unless you want to use the wood) and also dry brushed on some grey paint as well.
Not sure what dry brushing is?
Dip a brush into the paint. Then wipe the brush on a paper towel until most of the paint has come off. Now when you brush onto the model the lightest amount of paint is deposited on the model. This is a great technique to highlight things.
I want this model to have a slightly run down look of a structure that is in need of some paint. To accomplish this I use a technique to simulate peeling paint. This is a fun thing to try and not hard to do. Make sure that you stained wood has dried completely.
Step 1
Take a bottle of rubber cement, that's right typical rubber cement that you might have used in school. Using the brush that comes in the pot, at least the Elmers stuff I have, remove most of the glue from the brush. Then using a dry-brush technique brush rubber cement onto the clapboard siding. You are not trying to cover the thing, but you want to get rubber cement lightly over the entire panel. Let it dry.
Step 2
Paint over the entire panel with your exterior color. Here I used Ceramcoat ($1 a bottle stuff) white.
I also painted the windows grey and gave the strip-wood used for the corner trim the same ink-stain / rubber cement /top coat treatment. Let the paint dry completely.
NOTE: I also paint the interior of the walls at this time. Painting both sides of the panel reduces the effect of warping. If the panels are warped when dry I just put them under a pile of phone books to take care of it.
Step 3
Using masking tape stick the tape to the painted part.
I like to press it down to get it good and stuck
Step 4
Peel off the tape
The tape removes the rubber cement and the paint that was covering it, revealing the stained/aged wood beneath.
I'll keep using masking tape on each piece removing more paint until I am happy with the look.
Use this process on all the exterior walls of the model, the corner trim boards and if you want it will also work on the windows and doors. In this particular case I did not do it to the doors and windows.
Now for a controversial bit!
I happen to like the look of nails in my siding. Some don't, some say it is not real and never happens in real life. I like it so I do it. There are lots of ways to make them. I use a very fine beading needle, liberated from my wife, in a pin vise and a metal rule to guide me.
I aim for a couple of fine holes per clapboard. Not real obvious in this shot but they are there!
You can also see better here the peeling paint look.
Floor / Base
One feature I really like about this kit is that there is an included floor/foundation. These are 2 laser cut rectangles. The foundation has a laser cup placement line so that the floor can be glued into the correct location.
Here the 2 parts have been glued together using the wood glue and clamped beneath some phone directories.
I also scored some floor board lines into the floor using the back of the tip of my hobby knife blade. A quick wash with the A and I stain and we have a passable interior floor.
Most kits do not have this type of base. It really aids in the construction, especially when assembling the walls. The walls simply sit on the lip created by the 2 sheets. They are kept square and in position by this neat but simple innovation. I also painted the outside of the foundation a grey color to look a bit like cement.
So I am sort of following the kit assembly instructions. If you have never built a kit like this then I would advise following them closely. Some of the steps I have done are extra steps that are not included in the instructions.
Prior to wall assembly I need to add the exterior corner trim. This I have painted a contrasting grey using the peeling paint technique. My windows and doors have also been painted, dried and had the acetate glazing installed. I painted the windows and doors with a couple of coats of paint with a lighter colored undercoat. When dry they can be scuffed up a bit with some fine sand paper to give them a bit of a weathered look.
BIG TIP: The chopper 2 makes very short work of cutting this glazing. Once you have the dimensions worked out it is very quick to cut several panes of the exact same size.
Here the windows and doors are in place glued with CA gel. The corner posts are glued using wood glue. Note that I deliberately cut them long at the top. It is much easier to sand them to the correct length and angle once dry than to try and cut them exactly with a knife or Chopper. I won't even try and trim these correctly until I am installing the roof.
Side note on glue:
I always use a tooth pick to place my glue. This way it can be places sparingly and exactly where needed. If I get some glue squeeze out of a joint, I'll use the other end of the toothpick to wipe it away. The Titebond glue dries fairly quickly and is easy to remove excess in this way. It is one of the reasons I like using it.
OK, so once our windows and doors are in place and the end trim is dried I like to make the house looked lived in, even though it is not built! Using reduced images of curtains printed on plain paper, I cut out and stick window treatments to the inside walls.
In this particular case these window treatments are going to almost cover the windows, so there will not be much need if any for an interior. In retrospect I needn't have bothered scribing in the floor boards!
Time to assemble the little structure.
Using the floor base as the guide the 4 walls are glued together using corner bracing as described in the instructions. Its fairly obvious really, 4 pieces of strip wood stock are cut to length and glued into the corners of the 4 walls. The base makes the perfect guide for this and ensures that everything is square.
I chose not to glue the walls to the base. I can lift it off for access if I choose to do any interior work or lighting installation in the future.
Notice the tabs at the top of the walls. The roof sections have slots in them so that they can be perfectly aligned to the walls.
Problems, Problems!
Issue 1. Having painted the entire walls including the tabs at the top I found that the roof panel slots were too tight to fit! Solution, using needle files and sanding boards I removed the paint from the tabs and also opened up the slots for a nice easy fit.
Issue 2. In performing the sanding operation I managed to break one of the roof panels!. Solution, it is wood so Titebond glue to the rescue!
Once the roof panel slots and tabs had been taken care of I was able to position the roof panels. In this shot you can clearly see where the end post is sticking up too much. The roof panel can not sit nice and snug.
Careful sanding with the emory board will get this fit perfect.
This is where I am up to so far, more later as I continue on with this structure. I hope at least for the time being that this might prompt someone to try their hand at this type of model?
We are watching you. Keep up the good work.
Interesting note about the memory card not being in the camera. That would have never occured to me either.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
Good stuff, Simon! I love these sorts of tutorials! I'm hoping that this will inspire others to "stretch their wings" and try detailing, kitbashing, and scratch-building, if they haven't already. I've found that when I do one of these kinds of projects, both the model and the layout become more rewarding to me.
Keep up the good work, Simon. I look forward to seeing the finished project.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Simon,
On the issue of the memory card, I had this happen to me one time, too. Thankfully, my Nikon Coolpix came with a USB cord so that I could download from the camera's memory right onto my computer's desktop. Does you camera not give you that option?
tstage wrote: Simon,On the issue of the memory card, I had this happen to me one time, too. Thankfully, my Nikon Coolpix came with a USB cord so that I could download from the camera's memory right onto my computer's desktop. Does you camera not give you that option? Tom
Tom, thanks for the suggestion. Yes the camera does, but no I didn't! I had turned it off before I realized what was going on.
If your camera is like mine, the pictures should still be in the camera's memory. The only way to tell is by removing the memory card and starting up your camera without it.
Thank-you for this, Simon. I think I will soon start a water tower kit, and then tackle the now two-year-old Danby sawmill kit. Your coaching helps to still the waters.
-Crandell
Having gone to work with my sanding stick the roof is now ready for another test fit.
I can't stress enough the importance of careful sanding and test fitting, it can make the world of difference in the overall appearance of a model.
This first image illustrates how the sanding method results in a near perfect fit of the corner post. This would have been virtually impossible trying to pre-cut. Also note how the rear lower roof piece has been sanded at an angle so it sits better on the main roof.
This image also shows a small problem with the kit. Notice at the peak of the roof where the panels join that there is a small square gap. Many similar kits will provide a piece of strip-wood to fill this gap.
This general view of the test fit roof shows another of the neat features of this kit. Notice that there are laser scribed lines to indicate the placement of the peel-and-stick shingles. Many kits do not have this feature and it becomes the responsibility of the modeller to develop their own marks to allow for accurate alignment of shingles.
While test fitting make a note of what parts of the roof need to be painted. Remove the roof panels and paint them.
Here the roof sections are painted and installed. Using some scrap-wood from the roof panel carrier sheets I filled the ridge gap. This works well because the scrap-wood is already the correct thickness.
I failed to weather the roof panel sides, so they look a bit too new and well painted. So will initially scuff them up a bit with some fine sand paper.
I want to stress one small point that I recently picked up as a tip from another modeller.
The window treatments are not glued directly to the back of the windows, but are glued to the inside of the structure. This results in them being slightly recessed back from the window. The window frames cast a nice shadow, which really enhances the notion of depth. It is subtle, but I think makes a really nice difference.
Nice work Simon. Thanks for the play by play. Two things I would recommend that have bit me in the butt. CA doesn't work worth a darn on wood or painted surfaces. (hope your windows don't fall out) Walther Goo or Liquid Nails clear acrylic glue are better options. Your window treatments look great! But I found if you don't secure them to the inside of the window, they tend to curl up and disappear from heat/humidity if you printed them on normal copy paper.
Looks GREAT!
Thanks Loathar, I appreciate the comments and also the feedback.
I have actually had good luck with the CA Gel over dozens of models. I find that the gel applied sparingly works well. Personally I don't like the Walthers goo very much.
As for the window treatments, you are correct that it can be an issue. The way I applied these they are glued all the way around so I don't anticipate an issue.
As with all these things there are many ways to get a successful result and we each find our own methods that work for us. For those trying a kit for the first time, this is an important point as you do not have to be fixed in how you approach something.
Simon
Thanks for pointing out that i did not include a peice of wood to fill the gap in the roof. this has been corrected and on any kit made from today foward will have the extra piece of wood to fill the ridge gap. also all the kits that i still have in stock have been corrected.
thanks
Shawn Cavaretta
MinuteMan Scale Models
[Web link removed]
wow ! a reply from the kit manufacturer , ya gotta love the internet for making this kind of interaction possible . can you imagine if all manufacturers had this much commitment ?
great tutorial !
question... when dry brushing the clapboard do you brush along the boards to make a streaky effect , or up and down to highlight the edges ? i couldn't tell from the photo
ernie
An enjoyable thread to follow, Simon. I really do like the peeling paint and windows. Nice little kit, too.
Mike
Modelling the UK in 00, and New England - MEC, B&M, D&H and Guilford - in H0
selector wrote: Thank-you for this, Simon. I think I will soon start a water tower kit, and then tackle the now two-year-old Danby sawmill kit. Your coaching helps to still the waters.-Crandell
You are welcome Crandell. Weathering wood is most certainly in your future!
MinuteMan Scale wrote: Thanks for pointing out that i did not include a peice of wood to fill the gap in the roof. this has been corrected and on any kit made from today foward will have the extra piece of wood to fill the ridge gap. also all the kits that i still have in stock have been corrected. thanksShawn CavarettaMinuteMan Scale Models[Web link removed]
Shawn thanks for commenting. The missing part, for me was not a big deal at all. It is very nice to see you respond though and take care of it for folks that follow. It is a really nice little kit and I am enjoying building it. I plan to tackle the shingles this evening. I do like some of the innovations that you have included in the kit.
ereimer wrote: question... when dry brushing the clapboard do you brush along the boards to make a streaky effect , or up and down to highlight the edges ? i couldn't tell from the photo ernie
Ernie, thanks.
If you are referring to the dry brushing of the grey over the stain, I tend to go along the length of the boards. Most of this will be covered by the top coat of paint, I am just trying to get a bit of variation in the faded wood that is exposed by the rubber cement.
When I dry brush on the rubber cement this tends to be in vertical strokes down the wall. Most of the peeled paint ends up on the exposed lower lip of the board. This is not a hard and fast rule by any means.
mikelhh wrote: An enjoyable thread to follow, Simon. I really do like the peeling paint and windows. Nice little kit, too. Mike
Hey Mike, it always feels nice to get a compliment from a modeller that I admire so much. Thanks.
The scribe marks on the roof panels really come into their own when it is time to adhere the peel-and-stick roofing material. This eliminates any guess work about overlap amount and makes sure that the roofing is straight.
The shingles are a random cut style.
I like to get the front, or most visible side of my structure, with the shingles aligned. I am quite happy to overlap the opposite side as I will go back and trim later.
You don't have to do a complete row of shingles at once. If you cut the ends carefully you can fill the roof with very little wastage.
Now is also the time to think about anything on the roof. This particular kit does not come with a chimney. My miner has a coal fired stove in his house so I am using a stack from the parts box to meet his needs. I have simply cut and sanded a flat platform in the location that I want to place this metal casting.
The casting will need to be painted of course.
simon
the kit is coming out great. cant wait to see it finished. once it is finished you will have to send me some photos so i can post on the website to show of customer work.
thank
shawn cavaretta
The roof is now fully shingled and trimmed.
To get a nice clean cut I use a fresh razor blade and trim the excess overhang of the shingles from the roof material. The adhesive of the peel-and-stick make it hard to cut cleanly as it will adhere to your blade, so make sure it is a fresh one. This is the first time I have used this particular brand of shingles and I like the effect.
The most tedious part of this roofing activity is the placement of the ridge tiles. I like to use my needle in the pin-vise to aid in the placement of these. The sticky holds on to the end of the needle and helps get my fat fingers out the way.
The metal chimney casting has been painted and glued to the roof.
The steps for this are
1. Wash in warm soapy water, rinse and dry. This gets the greasy mold release compound off. I use an old tooth brush for this.
2. Undercoat the whole thing with a light grey. Cheap rattle can primer, or in this case a quick brush paint with cheap acrylic. Let dry.
3. Dry brush red-brick color onto surface, trying to avoid getting paint down into the mortar recess. Let dry.
4. One drop of a mortar like cheap acrylic and several drops of water to make a wash. Using a brush wash this onto the casting. It flows all over and into the mortar lines. Immediately soak up the excess on the surface with a tissue to re-expose the brick.
I am a regular listener to the monthly Scotty Mason MRR Pod cast http://www.modelrailroadpodcast.com/ found at this link and on iTunes. In a recent edition Dave Frary suggested a tip using white glue mixed with black paint to stick smoke-stacks to roofs. This is what I did here. Not only does this glue the stack to the roof, but the seepage looks like the inevitable tar that would surround such a placement. It is a simple tip and one that I think works well.
Another tip. Take photos of your models. Photos reveal mistakes that you would otherwise not notice. Look at the small section of the main roof under the rear tar paper section.
I have not painted or shigled it! I'll make sure it gets taken care of, now that I have noticed it!
Not much more to do on the model now. I'll complete it with some weathering, particularly for the roof. It should get wrapped up this evening.
Once again, terrific tutorial! A couple of things to add.
Simon, I don't know if you did with this kit but I like making my roofs detachable (either wholly or partially) so that I can have access to the inside for lighting/detailing purposes. I usually glue the floor (or make a floor to glue in) so a detachable roof is essential.
Even if you do glue your roof down, wait till the very end to do so. This is also true of the chimney, as well. The reason for doing so is that this comes in handy when you want to trim the edges of your roofing.
You can pull off the roof and lay one side onto a board or cutting mat. With the fresh #11 in your X-acto knife blade holder and a straightedge, you can make pretty quick and clean work of the edges. (Obviously, you also want to leave a little overhang, too.) After you've trimmed the edges of the roofing, you can then attach and/or glue the roof(s) in place, as well as the chimney fixture.
Simon, quick question for you. Did the tiled roofing come with the kit? Or, is that a separate product?
Keep up the good work, Simon. Please do post a shot of it in context on your layout. Will it go near the miner's house that you built recently?
tstage wrote: Simon, I don't know if you did with this kit but I like making my roofs detachable (either wholly or partially) so that I can have access to the inside for lighting/detailing purposes. I usually glue the floor (or make a floor to glue in) so a detachable roof is essential.
Tom, I agree, I usually do make the roof detachable. In this particular case because of the way the floor is designed I attached the roof and can lift the structure right off the floor/foundation sub assembly.
tstage wrote: Even if you do glue your roof down, wait till the very end to do so. This is also true of the chimney, as well. The reason for doing so is that this comes in handy when you want to trim the edges of your roofing.You can pull off the roof and lay one side onto a board or cutting mat. With the fresh #11 in your X-acto knife blade holder and a straightedge, you can make pretty quick and clean work of the edges. (Obviously, you also want to leave a little overhang, too.) After you've trimmed the edges of the roofing, you can then attach and/or glue the roof(s) in place, as well as the chimney fixture.
Good point and actually what I did. I did all the trimming with the structure upside down on the cutting mat before adding the chimney.
tstage wrote: Did the tiled roofing come with the kit? Or, is that a separate product?
Did the tiled roofing come with the kit? Or, is that a separate product?
Yes the peel-and-stick shingles and the tar paper came with the kit. There is plenty left over making it an even better value!
tstage wrote: Keep up the good work, Simon. Please do post a shot of it in context on your layout. Will it go near the miner's house that you built recently? Tom
Right now I have a nasty plastic structure sitting in my miners company village. This structure will replace that and will have the summer kitchen/smoke house I built behind it. When all is in place I will finish up with a shot.