Ok.. just going to follow up with one pic for tonight. Finished up on the balcony. Mostly, just wanted to see it bigger. OK.. enjoy..I'm happy with it.
Just a few pics. I thought I'd talk about the balcony. The actual railings/posts are from an HO ladder kit. The scalloped looking trim at the bottom edge of the balcony is also a ladder with notches but without the rungs. Also some 'T' looking trim was also added. The posts were from a HO parts bash kit of left over 'rain gutters'\ they had some nice trim.. so I used those for posts to hold up the balcony.
I'm also working on these houses. The blue house actually has blue mixed into the roofing. I like to do that. Didn't like the shadow of the Tab A to Tab B look.. so I repainted the yellow house.
Just some pics. Gave it some thought, going to show a step by step.
Lets see. Draw it out on the styrene. If I had to give some sort of advice, I'd say start from the middle, centered it .. and draw to the outside. Centering makes it easier, and allows for final placement of doors and windows, giving lattitude to move windows further out.. or to center it for asthetics.
Craft paints. 2 colors of brown. 1 spray can of Flat White. 1 can of Dullcote
Lighter brown first, then the darker. Spray the Flat white at an acute angle only touching the surface of the styrene. Do NOT allow the White paint into the cracks/ board lines.
Spray with Dullcote, if sprayed with the craft paint semi dry.. (not over 24 hrs.closer to 1 hr) The white will break down.. and settle out to more of the 'aged' look I am striving for.
Add more Craft paint..but only the darker brown. Consider more of a wash. Once semi dried.. spray with Dullcote. The white breaks down again. TA DA?
Watch Gunsmoke or Cheyenne. One building stands out in any western is the Cattle's Association Building. then the more common ones, Sherriff's, Saloons, General Stores, Stables, Freight Stations, Dress Makers, Stage Depot, etc
Joe C
Joe.. thanks.. lol, I would have never thought of Gunsmoke. Of all those Westerns, thats one I watched as a kid. I shall look them up.
As it is now, I'm modeling buildings after the movie Open Range. I put on the movie, everytime a scene showing the buildings comes up, I pause the movie and take a 'screen shot'. I have quite a collection of various towns, but this movie, wow. Everytime I stopped the movie, there was 'action' .. people.. a shootout. I tip my hat to the Cinema Photographer of Open Range. The Motiff was excellant. I wish I could share those screenshots. I don't think the magazine / printers would appreciate it, even if I gave proper credit to the movie and makers.
I am making these buildings as a filler for all the other buildings. I'm trying to make these buildings a tad smaller than N scale, but there's hardly any room for downsizing. I'm no expert, but I like to share what I've learned along the way. Nice to see someone respond to my posts. Thanks
Keith
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
JaBear, I thank you for your input. I really am impressed with the amount of material available.
I really wanted to reply to you earlier, but felt I should finish up with what I was working on before I did. One of those things you need to show a 'before and after' look. So let us begin.
Turn the Wayback Machine to 2 weeks ago. Seems about that, and where I posted my Old West buildings.
I wasn't happy with the bottom, although being N scale not too many would notice. Except for myself, and that alone everytime I'd look at it, well I'd relive it over and over. My approach to adding a sub structure to the over-all buildings.
This is a simple approach that yields a fairly good look. The Secret.. is starting with a 'cornerstone' so to speak. Just glue in one corner with some good wood glue.
I happen to use Gorrilla wood glue, sets up fast and really strong. Also, it would appear..those clumps of glue.. seem to dissapear.
Let that one corner dry really good.. and pivot from there. I added some more posts and after drying I added some 'side rails' for no other reason it gives support.
The hardest part of this project is nothing more than getting those posts glued in and straight up and down.
You might even have to draw some lines to guide you.
Once you have your posts in place, continue on with adding 'joists', pivoting from your cornerstone.
Joists are meant to be up against the main flooring. Not so in my case, because I have this big block of wood in the very center. So my approach is more of covering up and adding some detail.
Once all the joists are in place, I came back and clipped the excess with finger nail clippers.
After that just add the braces. If I were to give some advice on the braces, whether this or that one should be pointed up on the corner posts. Answer, you don't want a kick out post. The bracing starts at the botton goint up for every corner.
I must admit, I wasn't too happy with the looks of it so far. It reminded me of some Rodeo stadium. Maybe its the color?
I had my doubts. I'm such a doubter..I doubt my doubts. Take a look. I was already feeling low, wondering already what steps to take to repair what i've already done. Trying to be neat and not just slop the wash of a dark brown, but getting into cracks of the joints.
So now JaBear, you can see.. lol, why I had good reason to wait and finish this and show a 'Start to Finish'.
By just adding Grey Craft paint..in a 'wash' fashion... well take a look.
Blazzin I had my doubts. I'm such a doubter..I doubt my doubts.
Thank you kindly. I thought I'd try to respond in a timely manner. I've been keepin busy. I'm learning once again and usually by mistakes. Enjoy the pics. On a side note, I've been partial to working wood. Styrene has some nice results, but I like working with wood.
Small update here. Oh I've been working on these buildings. Half built here ..there, trying to tie it all in. I'm also wanting to break up the woodboard sidewalk in terms of height and steps, almost seems impossible and if so it has to be with building a substructure completed on one building entirely before you can even think about raising the 'stepped sidewalk'.
Quite honestly I feel I should have asked .. or looked up the 'pitfalls' of styrene scratching building. Well I'm getting there and I thought I should go ahead and post some pics of my progress. How I got there, well I'll add later. Ok.. pics of the near finished product. (hardly)
Blazzin I had my doubts. I'm such a doubter..I doubt my doubts. I resemble that remark!!!! It’s the eye to detail that can really make a scene stand out, though I sometimes wonder, especially if others don’t notice, whether the sweat and agonising to detail ratio is actually worth it. In your case I would definitely say Yes, and truth be known some of us have to learn that we “did good” and take satisfaction from that. Remember, Model Railroading is Fun. Cheers, the Bear.
Ja Bear, I keep going over that reply of yours. All the while I'm trying my best to accomplish what I have set out to do. Quite Frankly it is the best I can do...and I have .. like many others, have to accept that. But here's where I am again. As stated in an earlier thread, I'm trying to have a different level in the sidewalk with steps. So, Steps with a new level .. as well as trying to tie in the actual posts of a balcony with the rails of the balcony. Now I'm sure this won't make sense until you see the pics. And that won't happen until I add the pics. BRB.
Ok.. now for some pics.
Hardly done, but getting there. I've spent more time on this set of 3 than the first set of 3. I've made some mistakes here that has led me to finding some great tips. Only by pure chance and closer to dumb luck. More pics tomorrow.
No.. not done. Hardly. I'm learning as I go along here, I'm hoping for some questions in which I have extra pics. Working with styrene has been a challenge. Ok.. just some pics .. too early on the West Coast for me.
Some variaions on western towns. In mining towns, buildings are sometimes made out of waste rock. In the southwest there are adobe buildings. Even in some more establishe towns, some buildings with milled lumber fronts, have log sides and back. An interesting building, that I don't recall mentioned so far, is the firehouse with its distinctive hose drying tower. Some other buildings were opera houses, lodge halls, and boarding houses.
Yo~ Mike! Hey thanks for the thoughtful words. Once again it caused me to think of various movies and the sorts. The movies, Unforgiven, Tombstone/Wyatt Erp, Northern Exposure and St. Elmo CO. I do have an old Fire house, but not really an Opera house. I am planning on a 'transitional' layout and hopefully it will blend into gradual growing 'progressed' town. If that all makes sense.
Someone in earlier replies mentioned that I would have to choose which scenery I wish to follow. That is, as in the movies? Or real life and closer to what it really was. Right now I am closely following the buildings in the movie Open Range by Kevin Costner. Nice..but dusty as I would imagine things back then. At the very worst, keeping in mind a nice scenic town with trees horses and carriages, well maybe somewhere in between Andy of Mayberry and Knotts Berry Farm.
Right now the good news is I'll actually be making my diorama and positioning the various buildings on it. I'll follow up on the various buildings I've been working on. We've had some rain and lousy weather so Picture taking came to a stand still. Not my work though. Thanks again for the input, it was very helpful.
What I've been trying to aim for is bascially and old rustic look .. without being too old. I used various colors with a basic 'wash' of black. I've taken these pictures to study and also caught this Spring Arrival.
If anyone is interested in the colors I used, well basically 5 craft colors. Trail, Desert Sand, Spice Brown, Candy Bar, Dark Chocolate... mmm yummy.
After Mikes reply concerning a Fire house, and the Old Wild West. I decided to dust off my N scale Fire house, and its way too big for the proposed area. Not only that I had asked my wife, What kind of Fire house and fire engine they would have? Certainly not a motor vehicle. Horse drawn ? At best it might be, and more than likely just a large carriage with a hand pump to hose down the fire.. manned by the local townspeople.
What ever the case, I decided to build another Fire House..slightly less than N-scale. And with the added incentive of building a structure than has been aged to some degree. Trying to paint a building with color but add age would be the goal to acheive. I was happy with this color, although hardly done. Aged yes.. but ..Would it look like an old Fire house?
Small note. Between the 1st and 2nd floor, I shifted the vertical planks. Very top with horizontal planks.
I take your comments in the most positive way. Although I've often thought of those words.. "The best I can do"~ But at times my best work has been by accident. I believe it was Ulrich that had told me, the more 'detailed' items you can place on something.. the better the over-all look.
The Bucket Brigade is probably closer to truth than fiction. I had to laugh when I thought about that.
Ok.. just some pics now.. I'll try to point out anything worth mentioning.
Ah yes.. the over-all look of a painted 'aged' Fire house.
Many years ago when I first started modeling, I had read someone suggesting 'to save all those parts'. Wood parts, plastic parts and especially clear parts. Well its true, save all those pieces.. so many uses for them.
Ok.. here are two pics. I'm doing a scratch building and I'm at this point. Hardly done.. plenty of detail to add. But here is the question. Keeping in mind I wanted to do some type of old wild west and the buildings. I wanted to make this out of brick. I do have a photo of this building. My question is.. What kind of building is this? And perhaps its many uses.