Loading dock feedback

[bigfoot13]

Would appreciate some feedback on this loading dock made from a For Sale sign. I thinks it's too rusty and needs to be more grey/concrete colored.

 

[ctclibby]

Maybe picking nits here.
1. What is it that you could be loading?
2. How is the loading done?

#1 case, barrels of chemical, pallets of magic stuff, racks of whatever? Everybody sooner or later breaks a package on the dock which adds to the color of the thing along with surface divots, scratches and the like. I agree that it might be too splotchy although that could be easy to hide.

#2 case, if loading by forklift ( Gas, Diesel, Battery ) those things always leak sooner or later somewhere. Also the ramp is probably to steep for it to get up. Looks to tall for cross dock truck to train. If cross dock train to train remember to make room for the forklift to turn-around as backing out of one car and into the other will make the fork driver whine. If train to boat, some sort of crane could be needed to get stuff off the boat. Only boats I have ever seen ( my limited view of things ) that allowed drive on by forklift were auto haulers ... those boats are huge and can take a 10 - 15KLb forklift without tipping!

Later

 

[Smudge617]

I agrèe with ctclibbey in that the ramp is way too steep, has to be far more gradual.
The colour is also too dark, needs to be lighter, by adding thin layers you could use the darker shades to good effect reflecting wear and tear like spillages, tyre marks etc.
On the side, (if it will be seen), lighten a center section horizontally, as water, oil and general crud would collect along the top and bottom of the dock.

 

[bigfoot13]

Thanks for the feedback. I agree with it being too steepness and narrow. It's loosely based on a free set of paper model plans.
As far as used nothing has been planned yet, mostly just a model to practice techniques and how many different things I can successfully make from a For Sale sign.

 

[TLOC]

Thanks for the feedback. I agree with it being too steepness and narrow. It's loosely based on a free set of paper model plans.
As far as used nothing has been planned yet, mostly just a model to practice techniques and how many different things I can successfully make from a For Sale sign.

I think the narrowness can be forgiven due to compressing the scene.

The colors are fine for all the spills reasons given before my posting by Smudge617 and ctlibby. Blend it together using the gray color you use for concrete. I think you are on the right path.

 

[santafewillie]

At the risk of repeating what has already been posted, the steepness is way too great. In practice, forklift ramps are limited to 4% maximum, or else they (most) would bottom out on the transition. While the top is a bit overkill, it is not uncommon. However the sides are usually not as stained except in the case of a catastrophic spill, which would be more localized instead of over the whole surface. The height can vary depending on what type of service it is used for. I don't know the dock height for rail loading, but at our facility, truck docks were anywhere from 44" to 50". They required an OSHA approved 20K ramp in most cases. Definitely blend the spill colors a bit more. If used for a forklift through a door, there would be black streaks from constant tire movement in the same place. I.E - Look at turn lanes on local roads.

 

[AirbrushNo5]

I would lightly spray it with a concrete coloured paint in the center of each panel…leave the seams filthy..
Then weather the concrete…

 

[2Tracks]

Not knowing your modeling era/style, just throwing this out there....maybe a kit bash, fix the ramp angle, overlay it with strip wood, turn it into a wooden loading dock?

 

[bigfoot13]

Updated the painting a little. More grey and less rust.

 

[AirbrushNo5]

Looks a lot better…

 

[Smudge617]

Updated the painting a little. More grey and less rust.

Yeah, that's more like it, see if you can lighten along the side where you've got that black line, and on the left hand side darken that a touch.

 

[dave1905]

Much better coloring. I assume the black line along the edges is a wood bumper. They can be weathered with more greys and lighter browns.

 

[bigfoot13]

Much better coloring. I assume the black line along the edges is a wood bumper. They can be weathered with more greys and lighter browns.

I was thinking rubber bumpers, but that may not be as prototypical.

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

 

[dave1905]

Rubber bumpers are fairly modern and are more common on loading docks at industries. Most railroad owned loading docks are older and tend to be as cheaply made as possible. There probably are rubber bumpers, but they are less common than wood.