I have been working on the back walls. The photo shows the original on the bottom and the narrowed wall on top. Next is the interior of one of the eight back walls that will look like this; Progress so far....
Still working on the back walls. To continue the design on the sides I added columns where each section of wall joins together. The walls look sort of plain when put together. Some strip styrene run down to and including the base for added strength. The Holgate-Reynolds brick sheet over the strip stryene. The styrene is still visible on the sides. Squadren white putty is filled in on the sides. After drying the putty is scored and the column is painted to match the rest of the wall. One down, seven more to go.
The back walls are just about complete. When joined together, the inside looked like this. A column was put over the area where they are joined. I wanted the center section to be removable so that I could take pictures from the "inside" of the roundhouse. Before I put this section in place I did a little extra preparation. I put two strips of metal on the sides of the adjoining walls, drilled some holes and secured them with micro-spikes and super glue. The strips are the same width as the columns put on the other sections. I did the same on the inside. When the metal is covered up the wall can be slid out to take photos. Inside view. The removable wall in place. This gives you an idea of what the photos will look like taken from this area.
excellent work !! i'm wondering how the roofwork will look like. please continue posting pictures of your progress
Very very nice John,have been following with great interest. What do you use for the black wash over the brick work?Also what brand/colour you use for bricks?
Wow John, you have a really cool project going, I like the removeable wall to take "inside" photos. Of course, you'll need to super-detail the inside now (at least what's in the field of view of the camera), but what a neat photo that will be!
The roof sections will have to be extended because the length of the side wall were extended to hold the mallets. A piece of sheet plastic added to the back should to the job. I just buy a cheap spray can of light brown or tan flat paint and spray the brick parts and let dry good. Then I use a wash of leather dye. this takes a while to dry but can be brushed on and wiped down to get the shade you want. Some of the browns come out to red for me so it's best to get a few different colors and experiment. After this dries, which can take a while, I use a dilluted white paint to wash over the brick which brings out highlights and give the brick a old look. One of the reasons I decided to replace the old roundhouse was that the tracks were laid down on the sub-roadbed and the building would lift off of this. There was no floor to the building itself. I cut out the area for the new RH and now the floor is part of the building and can be detailed inside. There are a number of details that can be added to the inside and that is what I am looking forward to once the basic building is done. I am working on the roof supports now. the basic green that you see in the last photo above will be changed to more look like old timbers.
Next step, timbers for the roof supports. The supports that come with the kit are a nice size but I wanted something that looked a little more realistic. The support in the back is the original and the one on top has been roughed up with the two tools shown. This gives the timbers a grainy look. I made the lines run the way the grain would on a piece of wood. The original in back. Next is to spray the pieces with a light colored flat paint. I decided to use a cream color. Off-white or a tan could be used. The paint is just a base for the stain to folllow. The stain gives you this look. I used a medium brown leather dye. A wash of India ink over the dried stain goes into the scratches to highlight the grain. A additional piece will have to be aded to the back of the support for the lengthened roof. At this point I am trying to make up my mind if I want to add the metal braces and gussets that would tie the timbers together. If I add these extra pieces there would have to be a total of 384 made and the the simuleted rivets put on. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, pleas feel free to add them.
Wonderful, John! I've had a similar problem with bridge gussets--but perhaps for 100 gussets, rather than 384. Here's what I did: I drew them full size (that's still tiny) on a CAD program. Then I arranged them butt-to-butt as much as possible, so that I could cut a strip of them, then separate them. I printed the result directly on a thin sheet of styrene, and started cutting. It really didn't take that long to make 100 pieces of a geometry a little more complex than yours. I did not emboss them for rivets--the styrene was too thick, and bridge rivets too small. You are inspiring me to rip out the current roundhouse and start over!
Thanks Pete, I don't have a CAD program and would'nt know how to use it if I did so my approach is much more low tech. I painted a 3X5 card black and cut strips 1 scale foot wide and strips 2 scale feet wide. I then marked the posts 2 feet in with a divider. The 1 foot wide strip is held in place with a tiny bit of super glue. The 2 foot wide strip is glued on with the end running across the junction of the two timbers. Then the two foot strip is cut in line with the timber that is at an angle. The 3X5 card is thin and it is possible to cut this without disturbing the timbers. If the glue is put on sparingly toward the other side of the gusset there will not be any problem in removing the rest of the strip. Your 2 foot wide strip is left with an angle and this can be used on the next timber when placed properly. All the 1 foot wide bracing is a simple trim. A extra length has to be added to the end to make up for the longer walls. The gussets really do help in holding this extra piece and two angle bracing timbers on. I did not show the gusset that goes across the area where the two angled support timbers connect with the vertical timber but all I do with those is lay the 2 foot strip at the junction of the three timbers with a dab of glue and then trim the strip after that.
Guess I'm gonna have to schedule another visit with John, to see in person, the progress made thus far!! The work John does is just incredible, as can be seen in the photos. But still, it's better in person!! Very nice work so far John!!!
Flash, This structure is more in line with the model railroading than the air museum so it should have more appeal to our group. Keith, When it is a little further along, your welcome to come over. Jeremiah, Adding the details to the interior is what I'm really looking forward to but the front part of the roof has to come first to give a little more structural strength to to building.
