Author Topic: Downtown Deco buildings -- assembly?  (Read 944 times)

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OldEastRR

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Downtown Deco buildings -- assembly?
« on: December 19, 2021, 09:43:17 PM »
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Anybody here who's built one of these hydrocal castings buildings, what's it like? Obviously there's no kitbashing possible, but what's the detail like? I assume it's assembled with ACC.

peteski

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Re: Downtown Deco buildings -- assembly?
« Reply #1 on: December 20, 2021, 12:18:31 AM »
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While I have never work with plaster-cast kits, I doubt that CA glue will be a suitable adhesive.  It will probably just soak into plaster.  I wonder if Elmers or wood glue will work better (of course you will have to clamp it overnight until the glue dries.  Epoxy might be another possibility. Walthers Goo might also work.

I have looked at one of those kits (it was a warehouse type building). It had no windows (just openings in the wall) and the walls were very thick (probably over 10 scale feet thick).   If you want to kitbash, and are careful you can probably cut the walls wit a fine razor saw,
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thomasjmdavis

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Re: Downtown Deco buildings -- assembly?
« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2021, 09:52:43 AM »
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The link that Downtown Deco provides on their homepage, linking to the tutorial on assembling hydrocal buildings:
https://www.downtowndeco.com/site/assemble-paintweather-hydrocal-structure-kit/

Per the link, white and yellow glues (as Peteski suggests) or gap-filling (thick) ACC will work, but the writer of the article prefers 5 minute epoxy.  See the article for more details on adhesives and why he prefers epoxy.
« Last Edit: December 20, 2021, 09:57:35 AM by thomasjmdavis »
Tom D.

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RBrodzinsky

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Re: Downtown Deco buildings -- assembly?
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2021, 11:09:08 AM »
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I've done many of these buildings, using white glue for construction.  Here are a couple photos

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And here they are on my Silicon Valley Station FreeMo-N module

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The real trick on these buildings is getting the coloring "correct".  I've seen too many others who have painted the buildings, and they just look fake.  With these, I used stains for the colors, particularly on the brick and stone.  They hydrocal looks much more natural that way.  The only paint is for the signage (such as the Palace Hotel sign).  Other signs are printed, and the paper then thinned by sanding the back.  This lets the sign look painted on, and the paper molds itself to the stone.

Use paint sparingly, such as when the owner might actually have painted over the brick.

I also got a bunch of broken "seconds" from Randy, when I was building my desert ghost town.  You can see the remaining wall, and empty building in back left
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I still have a bunch of broken parts available, if one wants to experiment with stains, etc.





Rick Brodzinsky
Chief Engineer - JACALAR Railroad
Silicon Valley FreeMo-N

thomasjmdavis

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Re: Downtown Deco buildings -- assembly?
« Reply #4 on: December 20, 2021, 12:57:41 PM »
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Excellent work, @RBrodzinsky
Tom D.

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Gozer the Gozerian

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Re: Downtown Deco buildings -- assembly?
« Reply #5 on: December 21, 2021, 04:40:41 PM »
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I use Aleene's Tacky Glue as well...

Joe

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OldEastRR

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Re: Downtown Deco buildings -- assembly?
« Reply #6 on: December 21, 2021, 06:13:43 PM »
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They look neat. Are the windows openings, and they provide plastic frames and doors? These provide a nice contrast to the DPM buildings.

Chris333

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RBrodzinsky

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Re: Downtown Deco buildings -- assembly?
« Reply #8 on: December 21, 2021, 08:12:33 PM »
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They look neat. Are the windows openings, and they provide plastic frames and doors? These provide a nice contrast to the DPM buildings.

The window and door insets are provided. Some of the sets have openings for all of them, others have some as simply “in-sets”, particularly small ones.
Rick Brodzinsky
Chief Engineer - JACALAR Railroad
Silicon Valley FreeMo-N