Weekend Update 11/12/17

[Chris333]

In N scale yeah you could just cut out photos of a shop and glue up inside the walls. Add a few shelves and some painted up scrap styrene.

[nscaleSPF2]

Got out some brushes and cheap acrylics and had at it.  I'm learning quickly and all considered, satisfied. Here it is... and no laughing!!!

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Dam, narrow, I wish my buildings looked that good.  It might help, though, if you were to use a black or brown wash over the red bricks, to tone them down a notch.

[narrowminded]

It might help, though, if you were to use a black or brown wash over the red bricks, to tone them down a notch.

Thanks.    Are you thinking just a very watered down black or brown acrylic or something specific?

I did use a light concrete wash, figuring I needed some mortar look but it really was too bright, I think.  This is my inexperience  glaring through.   It doesn't show much now, even less in the photo than in person because I ended up washing so much away to tone it down that there is very little left. 

Another thing I noticed with the window trim and the yellow accents is that the lighter colors, to my eye, showed much lighter when applied than in the tray or on the brush.  I intended a light gray to a  concrete color on the window trim, selected a concrete color that appeared right but once on it looked nearly white to me.  And with the yellow, I was wanting something very muted and when I picked the color I was afraid I went too dark, almost brown mustard looking, and then once applied it was way more yellow than I thought it would be.  In the case of the yellow I'm happy with it even though it was different than my intention but the window trim could definitely be darker for my taste.  But I also learned things there that will be useful and won't need to be relearned every time. ...will they? 

[nscaleSPF2]

Yes, just a very, very watered down acrylic.  Start with maybe 10:1 or even 20:1.  You can build up more color with more coats.  Just make sure that each layer is completely dry before you apply more color.  Sometimes you just have to experiment.

As far as the mortar goes, I have good luck with this.  A tiny amount goes a long way.

http://robertsbrickmortar.com/RBM_Article1.pdf

[narrowminded]

Thanks!  

What's interesting to me is that the Robert's Brick Mortar doesn't look very different, if any different, than the effect I got with the diluted concrete paint.  But I didn't really like it feeling it looked too crisp, too good.   Now I'm thinking that maybe I should have left that as it was and then tried muting it all with the black or dark brown wash as you mentioned.  That might have done it, toning down the mortar and the brick together.    As I think about it I'm pretty sure that's the direction I needed to go even if that's not the whole answer.  Possible?

Last night I watched some the Woodland Scenics videos on painting these kits and picked up a few pointers that will be useful.  I will do some more of searches and check out what I can that way.  I'm encouraged with what I've done this far, not for its perfection as is, but it leaves me feeling that with a little effort, yes, I'll be able to do this satisfactorily.   As always, any and all comments will be welcome.

[wazzou]

@narrowminded - on DPM or Woodland Scenics kits, I usuallly use a thin, flexible metal pallet knife and lightweight spackle and spread the spackle into the mortar joints and wipe off the excess with an old barely damp T-shirt or washcloth.

[narrowminded]

Thanks.  

Do you use white spackle or something colored?  And when that's done, do you use a wash over the whole thing or just leave it as is?

[wazzou]

I just use white. 

[narrowminded]

I played with this some more.   I'm not impressed but in person, it's very passable and I'm learning. 

I redid the concrete wash then some brown wash and dry brush.  Then dull coated.  I'm starting to get a feel for how this goes but it's not here on this one.  I think I need to get some powders to use instead of the brown wash.  That's another technique that I've no experience with so if I'm going to do this I have to get on with it.  I'm sure I'll get it and this is tolerable as it's coming together.  Also tried the drape thing with just some copy paper.  I've soaked a tissue with scenic cement and when it's dry I'll play with that a little.  Will have to try shades, too.  Any words of wisdom there?

The only windows are those with the drapes and the red gallery glass above the transoms.  That's another first and it came out ok but will be better next time.  All part of this practice building.

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[trainforfun]

Here's something that may actually resemble modeling, rather just wiring, trackwork, or decoder programming.  I took a scrap piece of 1" foam and hacked it up to fit into an open hopper car to make a coal load.  A shot of black enamel paint, a layer of white glue, a sprinkling of black sand from the arts and crafts store, and voila!  I was going for a car that's travelled some distance from the loader, so the "heaps" have settled somewhat.



Here's how it looks out of the car.  Not pretty, but it looks pretty good in the car. 



This car came without any load, so I had to fabricate the "load" out of something.  I've got tons of scrap foam, so why not?  I'm not sure that I would want to do this for an entire fleet of hoppers, but for the lone hopper car in my fleet, it was easy and cheap.

DFF

Beautifull and convincing !!! No big pieces like Atlas or others !

[trainforfun]

I've been working on something completely different for the last couple of weeks - a pair of CP Rail Alco C424's. I started with the Life-Like C424's, removed the large number board housings on the rear of the locomotive, added a 0.080" styrene channel "frame" under the walkways, cast resin CP Rail-style fuel tanks, CP plows, horns, side-mount bell, Sinclair antenna, relocated the headlight from the cab to the nose, added a horizontal rear headlight, ditch lights, paper air filter boxes behind the cab, wire grabs, cut levers, and MU hoses. I used 0.030" fiber optics for the headlight lenses, and made "light tubes" for the ditch lights front and rear. Paint, decals, and weathering later, here's where they stand. I still have to install the cab glass, couplers, and decoders, but here's where they stand currently.

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Great work !!!!!!!

[wazzou]

@narrowminded - while not a DPM or Woodland Scenics building, I have attached this photo showing the method of using plain white lightweight spackling to fill mortar joints.

[narrowminded]

@narrowminded - while not a DPM or Woodland Scenics building, I have attached this photo showing the method of using plain white lightweight spackling to fill mortar joints.

... and that looks GOOD!

I think I've been letting myself get too troubled with the bold effect while doing the mortar.   Do you dull coat your buildings to seal them?   And if so, when in the process do you do it?  I was thinking that I might be better off dull coating once when just the major colors are down, maybe including the trim colors, and then going at the mortar and weathering after that.  At the end, another dull coat over everything.  Except the windows, right?

[wazzou]

... and that looks GOOD!

I think I've been letting myself get too troubled with the bold effect while doing the mortar.   Do you dull coat your buildings to seal them?   And if so, when in the process do you do it?  I was thinking that I might be better off dull coating once when just the major colors are down, maybe including the trim colors, and then going at the mortar and weathering after that.  At the end, another dull coat over everything.  Except the windows, right?

Thanks. 
I usually Dullcote after painting, after applying the spackle and often times I'll put a wash of Alcohol/India Ink to finish.  One of the benefits of that wash after the final Dullcote is the clouding affect that you may get from the alcohol gives the brick a lot of randomness.
Just keep experimenting.  You're on the right track.
I even use plain white flour for mortar on some buildings that have wider and deeper grooves, sealed with Dullcote.

example;

[narrowminded]

Thanks again!  

Is that dull coat over the windows too or is it just how the picture came out?