The Carolina Sandhills Lines in HO Scale

[dem34]

I think it looks fairly sun worn as is. If anything maybe an oil based fade wash, I can just easily see dry brushing coming out too exaggerated on what looks like a fairly lightly colored trestle.

[Philip H]

Carolina Sandhills country means hot summer sun.  Fade some wood sir.

[packers#1]

Carolina Sandhills country means hot summer sun.  Fade some wood sir.

Having grown up there, what he said!

[davefoxx]

Yup, that's what I thought, too.  Thanks for the input, fellas!

DFF

[Dave V]

Yup, that's what I thought, too.  Thanks for the input, fellas!

DFF

If you want it to look sunbleached but not too white, I recommend my old standby:



Any time I want wood to look a little dry and sunbleached, I drybrush with this.

[davefoxx]

If you want it to look sunbleached but not too white, I recommend my old standby:



Any time I want wood to look a little dry and sunbleached, I drybrush with this.

Ooh!  Thanks for the heads-up on that.

DFF

[davefoxx]

I was impatient, so instead of shopping for the “barnwood” craft paint recommended by Dave Vollmer, I went at the trestle by drybrushing white Tru-Color paint I already had.

Before:


After:



Hopefully, you can see the difference.  It’s obvious in person.  I also really like how the steel girders turned out.

DFF

[davefoxx]

Temporarily reinstalled.  We’re getting there!



DFF

[Chris333]

Looks good to me. I always use a craft store paint called "mudstone". Everything I've weathered gets some of it.

[davefoxx]

Looks good to me. I always use a craft store paint called "mudstone". Everything I've weathered gets some of it.

Thanks, Chris.  I’ve seen your trestles, so your compliment means a lot to me.

DFF

[packers#1]

That looks perfect to me. A gray wood would definitely get whiter and whiter over time with the sunbleaching. There are a few spots that look almost too white on the workbench but placed on the layout surrounded by the scenery it looks right.

[davefoxx]

That looks perfect to me. A gray wood would definitely get whiter and whiter over time with the sunbleaching. There are a few spots that look almost too white on the workbench but placed on the layout surrounded by the scenery it looks right.

Thanks, Sawyer!  I always value your opinion as a native of the area.

DFF

[Steveruger45]

I was impatient, so instead of shopping for the “barnwood” craft paint recommended by Dave Vollmer, I went at the trestle by drybrushing white Tru-Color paint I already had.

Hopefully, you can see the difference.  It’s obvious in person.  I also really like how the steel girders turned out.

DFF

Dave,
That looks pretty darn good Sir.   

[wazzou]

Looks good to me. I always use a craft store paint called "mudstone". Everything I've weathered gets some of it.

That's part of my go to concrete foundation color.

[davefoxx]

A few weeks ago, I ordered a handful of HO scale vehicles to start populating the streets on my layout.  Most of the vehicles that I bought are highly detailed and not too ridiculously priced, considering the quality.  One exception was a Trident Miniatures Chevrolet truck, which I got because I’m having trouble finding vehicles for my mid-1980s era that are not hot rods or luxury imports.  I model North Carolina, so I need mostly ordinary domestic models.

Anyhow, this Chevy truck was advertised as blue and showed chrome parts in the online photo.  I figured it would make a good background vehicle, until I received this unpainted, raw plastic truck with no chrome.  I was able to disassemble it without causing damage, and you can see what a turd this model is:



So, I grabbed a can of Dupli-Color plastic adhesion primer and some spray bombs of paint.  I tried to use model paint that reasonably matched the color chips from 1980s Chevy/GMC trucks.  I quickly discovered that my old cans of red and yellow were bad.  Then, my first attempt with orange led to a trip into a 91% isopropyl alcohol bath, because it wouldn’t cover and had to go on way too thick.  Regrouping my efforts, I found a can of Model Master Bright White that had never been used and sprayed okay.  I also used Testors Silver Metallic for the chrome parts.  The result:



Much better, but still a background model when other cars from Brekina, Oxford Diecast, and others look like this:



At least it turned out that I didn’t waste $12.00 on that crap, after investing a few hours of labor and some paint.

DFF