Wombats N Scale Structure Builds


goscrewyourselves

I'm the one
Hey Guys,

As said, this thread will be for all of the structures I am building for the N Scale layout. I will be posting progress pictures pretty much step by step (if I remember) including all of the "whoops" moments.

The first is my DPM Bruce's Bakery:

I wasn't sure how I was going to go about getting clean edges around the windows while also not finding myself in a position where the coats of white paint built up to ridiculous levels. Te only solution I could come up with was to mask everything around the windows and spray, and that is what I did, although not all that successfully as I seemed to have missed covering a couple of areas.

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Not the best photo (new camera) but this is after the top two windows were sprayed. Looks like a total mess.

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This is the end result. You can see where I missed with the masking tape (Tamiya 1/4" masking tape). The upside is I can touch that up as well as touching up around the sides of the windows where I couldn't/didn't get the tape.

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The wall was removed and washed in warm soapy water, dried for 24 hours then sprayed with a light coat of Krylon Plastic Grey Primer. That was let to sit for another 24 hours before I hand painted 1 coat of Apple Barrel Barn Red using a fairly dry brush.

The end color will most likely be different and I will go with either Model Master, Tru Color or Badger paints.
 
Yep you got white on the nice red brick.
Hey Tony thought I'd pass on an old tip before you start assembling the walls, have you ever used MEK? Great stuff mends the walls together instantly. Also is great for cleaning brushes.
 
Lynn,

Yep, left some of the wall exposed when I masked. This is (more or less) a "training wall" to see what works and what doesn't. The masking worked well only being let down by the "masker" :) Just got to pay more attention to what I am doing and try to get the tape a little closer to the left and right edges of the windows. Doing the left, right and rear walls this way will be easy - how I will do the front wall is still up in the air.

But, as I said, I'm going to show all the "screw ups" and not JUST the "good side" of what is being done. Hopefully showing the screw ups will highlight (to a degree) the repairs.

I have heard of it but never used it. Unfortunately (maybe) I have just bought 3 bottles of Micro Scales Micro Bond (Thin). One of the things I am going to be dong with these kits, that I didn't do with the HO versions, is use a square for the wall alignment. I intend cutting two 4" or 5" lengths of 1 X 3 and reducing them down to 1 X 2 join them at right angles, cut the outside join at 45 degrees and place them on a bit of 1/2 ply. That will enable me to brae the wall sections so they are square and run a line of glue down the seem. Well, that is the theory anyway.
 
Kevin,

Thanks, will definitely be getting a set of them! Okay, one set ordered. Probably should have asked this before I did; however, can you tell me what the physical dimensions of the blocks are, particularly the height of them please. I didn't see those details anywhere.
 
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I tried to paint the window ledges and yellow trim by hand without that magnifier. Cleaned off what little I had done, went and bought the magnifier, and tried again. Big difference!
 

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Tony - Very interesting. Your method of masking off and spray painting windows on DPM structures is new to me. I always just brush paint the windows and trim (facades) after air-brushing or rattle-can spraying the walls. Then I'll go back and do the sills and lintels with a concrete color. To me, it's a whole lot easier than masking off all of those windows. Disclaimer: I am HO scale so my structures are larger. I still use an Optivisor though.

Willie
 
I think I have four of the magnifiers. A couple in the train room, one at the work bench and another that I forget where I put it. Really need them now. Years ago I had no need for them. Getting old can be a pain.
 
Tony - Very interesting. Your method of masking off and spray painting windows on DPM structures is new to me. I always just brush paint the windows and trim (facades) after air-brushing or rattle-can spraying the walls. Then I'll go back and do the sills and lintels with a concrete color. To me, it's a whole lot easier than masking off all of those windows. Disclaimer: I am HO scale so my structures are larger. I still use an Optivisor though.

Willie

Willie,

Masking everything off and then having to touch up a few small areas is time consuming and tedious, no doubt about it; However, if doing so is going to get cleaner, crisper results then for me I think it is worth the time and effort.

I never masked anything with my HO stuff as the detail was large enough for me to see the edges and raised areas. N being so much finer I figured the ONLY way (even with a magnifier) I could come close to a reasonable finish was to mask.

I think I have four of the magnifiers. A couple in the train room, one at the work bench and another that I forget where I put it. Really need them now. Years ago I had no need for them. Getting old can be a pain.

Last year I never needed a magnifier, now I need my reading glasses AND magnifier. Your right, getting older (as opposed to old) IS a pain in the butt.
 
You painted that by hand? Very crisp and very clean most impressive indeed. I need to ask though, is that HO or N Scale?

Thank you, that's very kind of you. I appreciate it.
It's an HO scale structure. It's Walthers Champion Packing plant kit. The walls were given a wash of light gray for the mortar lines, then when dry the wash was cleaned off the face of the bricks using dry cotton balls.
The window frames were sprayed painted before they were glued onto the back of the walls. I used some large sheets of clear plastic and glued them to the rear of the window frames giving all the windows in a wall their glass panes at once. I used Testors clear parts cement ( http://www.michaels.com/testors-cle...cuSUJSfDCe_cS_ly-KlaQJO4NdTrstyMaAtJrEALw_wcB) to glue the window panes on.
The ledges and trim details are hand painted with the aid of that magnifier. I did use some low tack painters tape to help mask off some of the straight lines, but still got a bit of stray paint on the bricks anyway. I used acrylic paint and wiped the boo-boos off as best I could as soon as I made them. It took a while, and I have no desire to do it again anytime soon!
 
I'm no craftsman by any means, it seems I have best results when I paint all I can while it's still apart.
 
Thank you, that's very kind of you. I appreciate it.
It's an HO scale structure. It's Walthers Champion Packing plant kit. The walls were given a wash of light gray for the mortar lines, then when dry the wash was cleaned off the face of the bricks using dry cotton balls.
The window frames were sprayed painted before they were glued onto the back of the walls. I used some large sheets of clear plastic and glued them to the rear of the window frames giving all the windows in a wall their glass panes at once. I used Testors clear parts cement ( http://www.michaels.com/testors-cle...cuSUJSfDCe_cS_ly-KlaQJO4NdTrstyMaAtJrEALw_wcB) to glue the window panes on.
The ledges and trim details are hand painted with the aid of that magnifier. I did use some low tack painters tape to help mask off some of the straight lines, but still got a bit of stray paint on the bricks anyway. I used acrylic paint and wiped the boo-boos off as best I could as soon as I made them. It took a while, and I have no desire to do it again anytime soon!

Well HO or not, it is a very clean and crisp job. You were lucky the window frames were separate to the walls, DPM doesn't do that and includes the windows (as a whole) as part of the wall.

I can appreciate your not wanting to rush back into doing another, but surely your work gives you the confidence and the knowledge of what to do when and how to do more.

Now think of me, I use DPM kits pretty much wholly and solely, am in N Scale and have (as it stands right now) 14 kits to build and paint with most likely another 14 or so after that. I could put a HO DPM kit together and have it painted at the base stage in an evening, it has taken me 3 days on one building to just get to the first top coat. Lets say that it now takes another 4 days to get it completed, that means it is going to take me almost a year to put my buildings together :confused:

I'm no craftsman by any means, it seems I have best results when I paint all I can while it's still apart.

I am putting two kits together at the same time at the moment. One I am painting before assembly, the other I have assembled the walls and then started to paint. The detail parts will be done prior to assembly.

Which is the better way depends on the modeler I think. At the moment, I think assembling the main parts (walls) first and then paint them is the better way. I think that because if the joins are a little off the paint will/should fill the flaw to a point. It also ensures an even coat of paint around the entire building. Of course, the idea is to make sure the joins are perfect to begin with :)

Neither method is right and neither is wrong. As said, I am using both but find the latter easier for me.
 
As I am waiting for my paint to turn up, tonight I am looking at the building lighting and how that will be put in.

I am considering putting in a 1/4" (wide) X 1/8" (thick) "Rafter" centrally across the width of the structure and beneath the supplied roofing material. I then intend to insert a 3mm LED (from the top down) through the Rafter. The "legs of the LED and wiring will run across the top of the rafter and beneath the roof with the wiring (CAT 3 solid)running across the underside of the roof then down either the front left or right corner. The resistor, which will probably be a combination of a 1000 ohm and 240 ohm, will be attached to the main bus wiring beneath the layout. That rafter will be placed before the supplied roofing material is attached.

The only issue I can see is with the thickness of styrene I have, I would much rather use 1/16" X 1/4" or even 1/2" for the width.

That is my plan anyway. Other than the styrene thickness, can anyone see a problem with that plan or have a better way of doing it?
 
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Did a little more to the building. Re did the windows and completed the one wall. Needs one or two touch ups but didnt come out too badly I don't think:

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