woensdag 28 maart 2012
Cutting's Scissor Co. Kit
The Cutting�s Scissor Co. kit is my second structure kit from Design Preservation Models. My layout does not have much more room for commercial or residential structures, but I do require a couple more industrial structures to fill some empty real estate, which this kit fits into perfectly. As always, I started by removing any edge spurs (left from manufacturing), and sanded the edges of specific wall pieces down to 90 degrees, ensuring a good fit when gluing the model together. This is required on most all DPM kits, as the structure edges are not at a perfect 90 degrees, and constructing the model without sanding will result in either a crooked structure, or large gaps in the exterior joints.After sanding the required pieces, I washed them in warm, soapy water to remove any oils that my hands may have left on them from the previous step. Once dry, I glued the walls carefully together on a level surface, ensuring the wall pieces fit together perfectly and evenly. I made sure each corner was square by using a square wood dowel on the inside of each corner joint while I was gluing them together.
Once the structure had dried for an hour, I cut 2 roof structured from a sheet of supplied styrene, and glued on the roof supports, which were also supplied in the kit via a bulk length of strip styrene. I did not glue the roof structures on at this point, as I needed the roof open to add window glazing and interior details later on. The kit also calls for awnings over the loading bays using a leftover piece of styrene from the roof structures. I opted for a textured styrene awning that I had leftover in my scrap bin, which looked a little more authentic. I also added horizontal supports for the awnings using narrow strip styrene.
After 2 coats of brick red paint had dried, I started masking the structure so I could paint the details, including trim, windows, and doors. Masking takes time, but as hard as I try to paint free hand, I can never achieve the same crisp lines and accuracy as I do when I mask. I use a small flat head jeweler�s screwdriver to press the masking tape into tight corners and on narrow edges to make sure paint doesn�t bleed underneath. Bleeding paint isn�t 100% avoidable, but is easy enough to touch up in the final steps of painting.
Once all parts of the model were painted, I weathered it lightly with pastel powder, and applied a dry transfer decal (Velikovski�s Distributors) to the exterior wall. The last paint layer was a final spray of dull-coat to seal everything in. Once everything was dry, I applied clear styrene for window glazing, then cut and applied printed paper blinds to the inside of the windows using small strips of masking tape (clickhere for printable blind templates). It was also at this point that I started to assemble the interior structure, which would serve as lighting and interior rooms.
As most previous structures I have built, the interior is completely removable from the building structure itself. By simply sliding the exterior shell off, I can easily access the lights and add interior details as needed in the future. The interior structure is built in such a way that once fully inserted into the building�s shell, the building looks as if it is full of separate rooms when looking through any of the small windows. Cardstock was used for texture and colour on the floors and walls.
Two small automotive bulbs light the structure. Since the interior walls only rise as high as the tops of the windows and don�t go right to the roof, I installed the bulbs above the interior rooms so one bulb could light multiple rooms. Aluminum foil installed on the underside of the roof structure helps reflect the light downward into the rooms and keep heat from melting the roof structure. I used narrow bare steel wire to supply power to the bulbs, but also used this type of wire to support the bulbs so they wouldn�t have to be attached directly to the styrene structure. Just be careful the bare wires don�t get crossed or you will have a nasty short on your hands.
The last step was to attach the roof structures to the model once I made sure the internal insert structure fit perfectly into the building shell. Once the styrene roof was glued to its supports and had dried, I applied a thin layer of medium cinders on top of the roof and leveled it with a folded piece of cardstock. Using a small pipette, I gently soaked the cinders with isopropyl alcohol. Once entirely moist, I used the same pipette to apply white glue thinned with water. After drying overnight, the cinders were securely fastened to the model.
maandag 12 maart 2012
Painting the Terrain
Painting the terrain on my model train layout was probably the most nerve-racking experience I�ve encountered so far on this project, but at the same time, was also the most rewarding and fun. I�ve been ready to paint since I finished all the plaster and hard shell scenery back around Christmas time, but in all honesty I was absolutely horrified to paint anything in fear that I wouldn�t get the look I wanted. After 2 � months however, I couldn�t put this task off any longer.
Like common practice, I did a lot of research to find the best way to paint terrain and rocks. I found the easiest and most common method to colour plaster rock castings was to use a series of earth-coloured acrylic paint washes using the �leopard spotting� technique, as explained on Woodland Scenic�s website. Before I could start painting the rock castings, I needed to paint the hard shell scenery. For this I used inexpensive tan coloured acrylic paint, thinned about 50% with tap water for better coverage. Make sure to use cheap foam brushes for this step and not expensive ones, as the plaster will tear the foam up pretty fast, regardless of how much you paid for the brush.
I decided early on that I wanted the colour of my rock outcroppings to be rich with lots of texture, so I opted for dark browns, yellows, and grays. I used the leopard spotting technique to paint the rock castings, using thinned washes of acrylic paint. The first colour I applied was burnt umber, literally applying it randomly just like leopard spots onto the rock castings. A narrow foam brush works best for this application.
The second colour I wanted was yellow. To give the yellow more of an earth-tone, I mixed the yellow acrylic directly with my leftover burnt umber wash, and mixed it until I got the colour I wanted. I then applied this second wash in the same random manor as before, making sure to not over-apply any one colour.
To blend everything together, I did a third and final wash of black, this time applying liberal amounts of wash over the entire surface, making sure no uncovered plaster was showing through. The black wash blends all the colours, and settles into all the nooks and cracks, highlighting the rock�s texture and profile. I made sure that I didn�t make the black wash too dark, as it would be difficult to lighten the terrain if it turned out too dark. Instead, I used light washes, applying more washes to achieve a darker look.
As most of the tan colour that I first applied will eventually be covered with foam ground cover, I used the same black wash in these areas as well in hopes of making the ground a little more realistic. The black wash gives the tan wash a bit more of a dark clay look, which is similar to the area of Alberta I live in. Applying the black wash also helped to blend the rock outcroppings into the rest of the terrain.
The final step was to very lightly dry-brush the rock outcroppings with white paint. The white paint collects on the high ridges of the rocks, highlighting them and creates further contrast. At this point I�m still a little nervous how the final look will turn out, but I keep reminding myself that there is still ground cover and trees that need to be added, so the final look might be something completely different.
zaterdag 25 februari 2012
Paving Roads
With a bit of consideration, I decided that the next step of my layout would be the roads. As always, I researched the subject online and found that the most effective method would be to build forms and pour the roads with a plaster product. First however, I needed to plan where my roads were going. I determined my road width at 2 ��, and cut a square piece of cardstock the same width. After drawing the contour of one edge of my planned road directly on my layout, I used the template card to draw the opposite edge. This allowed me to ensure the road was always 2 �� wide.
Once the outline of the road was drawn onto the layout, I installed 4 laser cut wood grade crossings where needed. For the road forms, I used inexpensive foam tape that I purchased from a local dollar store. Woodland Scenics sells a similar product (called Paving Tape), but it was unavailable at the one and only hobby shop in my city.
I laid the foam tape on the outside edge of the road lines I had drawn. The tape I used was �� wide, which allowed it to be easily pliable for any curves. Because my layout and grade crossings were not all level, I needed to use two, three, and even 4 layers of foam tape in several areas to allow the surface level of my road to be as level as possible. For a smooth transition between the different levels of foam tape, I always made sure the very top layer of foam tape was continuous, instead of being stepped. This is very important when it comes to smoothing the top of the road.
For the road material, I used Woodland Scenics Smooth-It, a special dry-mix plaster product specifically designed for building roads and other smooth surfaces. I mixed the Smooth-It powder with water until it was the consistency of cake mix. Working in small sections, I slowly poured the mix between the forms, spreading and leveling it with the top of the foam tape forms using a wide piece of styrene. I made sure I masked the top of the wood grade crossings with masking tape, that way I could easily level the roadway with the top of the crossings.
After the first layer of Smooth-It had dried overnight, I applied a second thin layer, smoothing over any imperfections in the first layer and making sure the road was as smooth and level as possible. Once the second layer was completely dry, I carefully removed the foam tape forms. The roads were pretty smooth, but needed further sanding to improve the surface and remove rough edges.
To sand, I used 200 grit sandpaper and sanded the road surface until I was happy with the smoothness. After I vacuumed all the dust off of the roads, I noticed some areas of my road looked more like the bubbly inside of an Aero chocolate bar then the surface of a road. This was caused from mixing my mixture of Smooth-It too thin when I poured it. If you do mix it too thin, add more Smooth-It and stir until the bubbles disappear, or let it sit for a few minutes, stirring often. To fill the air holes in the road, I simply added a thin layer of Smooth-It overtop, making sure to press it into all the holes so they didn�t reappear once I sanded the affected area again.
I used a gray acrylic paint for the road colour, of which I applied 3 coats. I also coloured the wood grade crossings at this point with India ink diluted with water. Once the gray paint had dried, I marked the center line of the roads with a pencil, using the center line on the same cardstock template I used before to measure the road widths. These lines would be a guide for the center line markings. I also marked out stop lines using the same method.
I masked the stop lines first, and then painted them with white acrylic paint. Once they were completely dry, I started to mask the center lines. To do this, I took blue painters tape and applied the required length to a piece of glass. I then cut the straight edge of the tape about 1/8� wide to make long, narrow strips. I peeled the narrow strips off the glass, and very carefully applied it to the road, following the contour of the center line I previously marked and making sure the straight edge of the tape was facing to the inside.
I found that starting at one end of the road and only sticking down � - �� of the masking tape strip at a time worked best for getting smooth, straight lines. For curves, especially tight ones, I found that by holding the tape down with my one thumb, and positioning the next �� of masking tape with my other hand and then applying it by slowly sliding my thumb forward resulted in the best curves. I then did the same with the second strip of masking tape, ensuring the space between the two strips was as equally spaced as possible.
The lines were then painted with yellow acrylic paint, of which I applied about 3 coats. I then carefully removed the blue masking tape strips. Some small patches of the gray base coat did lift with the tape, but this was easy enough to touch up (just make sure you save some of your original road colour!). I found working in sections and not leaving the tape any longer than 20 minutes on the road greatly reduced the amount of paint that came up. Also removing the tape on a sharp angle helped, opposed to lifting in straight up.
My roads were now complete, but looked a little too perfect and new. To add some weathering and usage effects, I sprinkled a very small amount of black pastel dust down the center of each lane and smeared it with my finger. I used the same effect on the grade crossings as well. Signage and other small details will come later, but at least the main roadways are now complete and ready to serve the various areas of my layout.
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