News 2-STALL ENGINE HOUSE KIT -- KIT REVIEW WITH PICS

Thanks, Robert. That is good to know about specific paint to use. You are correct about how quick Tamiya dries on the brush. I suppose the lid should not be left off the jars very long. I found the same issue with Vallejo's silver paint when I painted Carlo' vehicles. You get only one swipe before it dries. I guess some pigments react differently? Dipping the brush in alcohol made it easier. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Jim

 

Always fascinating when airbrush tech comes up. I have quite a collection. Badger, Iwata, Grex, a cheap one with no name (but the most often used!) internal mix, external mix, single and dual action, whew! I used to do architectural rendering BTW. Inks are the best! spray some water and they are clean. As stated Enamels, Lacquers (like Floquil) and 2 pack paints are the worst. I always choose the one easiest to use and clean for any job. But one thing never changes, you have got to clean them properly after the job or they will get ruined.

 

Well, I thought I had better get these latest pics of the Basher 2-Stall Engine House posted before Speedy "Jim" Gonzolez (aka BostonJim) builds this same kit in "one" day and posts his pics -- LOL.

The attached pics lack two things I have yet to complete -- a minor weathering of the roof and the addition of the the two smokestack, which I cover below.

Since this started as a kit review, I will continue in that direction with some near completion input:

• While this kit is not high in parts count, it is still a rather complex build with the need to pay close attention to panel line-up, etc. But overall, it is a fabulous kit and will be a huge addition to any yard, big or small.
  
• Panel line up was challenging, but that could be based on the glue I was using. Overall, this is a very precise kit in regards to the cuts and fitament, but plan on patience and time required.
• As was mentioned, it may have been best to use Tamiya's ultra thin primer for the walls prior to painting, in order to avoid warp. I specifically had challenges with warping of the main two door wall panel, and had to put some pressure along the back-side using modeling clay and rigid wire, in order to get it straight.
  
• As an addition to this kit - I added the secondary small wooden platform on the one door. This platform came from another kit. The brick will just below it was fashioned from laser over-run on the left-over parts of the kit. There was just enough to trim away three small walls, and mount them under that platform. All of the 3-step staircases and main platform come with the kit by the way.

Smokestacks:
The smokestacks kicked my butt! I decided to go another route with them, fashioning my own via brass square stock and some pyramid shaped covers (6MM X 6MM) that I ordered from a bead and fabric stud supplier. I am awaiting for the covers to arrive. If these work like I think they will, I will continue this review by showing them and what I used.

There may be someone out there who can pull the smokestacks off with success, and kudos to that person. But they kicked my butt, so I am trying something else that I think will work for my kit

I put a bug in Mike Basher's ear about doing the smokestacks via 3D, as I think that would just add the icing on the cake for this kit. He is taking it under advisement. Rest assured, he is one focused on quality and value.


I just ordered the Sawtooth Warehouse and the Church from Basher. I am anxious to start on that warehouse and I suspect the results will be on par with this 2-stall Engine House.

 

Thank you sir! Indeed if we keep working towards greater levels of realism, I think more embrace will Z-scale.

This forum is an inspiration for many and I appreciate the many tips, tricks and techniques that others share as well. Anything I can do to further the cause, I will happily do so.

 

Hey, Lance.
That came out fantastic. I like your mortar technique and will be using it going forward with laser kits. The mortar and weathering is brilliant. I already have a couple of engine houses so that was not on my list. Ditto on the sawtooth building. I have a couple of Kibri and a couple of MTL ones. I did super detail one of the MTL ones with open clerestory windows. My curiosity is piqued about the chimneys. Archistories makes some stand-alone paper chimneys. I wonder if they would work. Mike Basher's kits have a lot of appeal. His response to the market is commendable. Jim

 

Sweet, that building belongs on a world class layout.

 

Jim,
Once I get the pyramid shaped covers, which I hope will work as I think they will, I will post some pics of what I came up with and where to get these covers from. I am using brass square-stock for the body and the chimney, and I have on order something called a "Rhinestud" as this one is called. You've seen those metal studs that decorate Harley saddle bags, or say a woman's leather purse. Wellllll low and behold, they have small 6MM X 6MM pyramid shaped ones that are the same dimension as this chimney top in the kit. Which was part of what I struggled with in this kit.

Stay tuned and I will provide an update and build pics in a few days once the Rhinestuds arrive. If they look appropriate that is.

Thanks Eric! Stay tuned as well, as I just finished the platform for my layout and will post initial pics soon.

Lance

 

Hey, Lance
Jewelers and beaders have entire catalogs of findings and shapes that can be used for all kinds of things. For years I used tiny rubber earring backs for 55 gallon drums. A bag of 100 of them cost $2.00. Jim

 

This should be the last posting for this review by the way. And after a brief hiatus of building, I returned to this engine house to complete the smokestacks. As I promised Jim, I would highlight the build of them just in case anyone wants to mimic or even improve upon them.

The kit provided chimneys were just too complex, and due to the extremely small size, did not have the right appearance that I wanted for this building.

I used 5MM X 5MM brass square stock, square sequins from an online bead store, and a staples from a pack of staples that load into typical a office copier. The staples by the way come in small sheets about 1” X 3/4” and our great for mimicking corrugated tin. In this case I simply used individual staples.

The square cut out in the picture was from the original kit chimneys. That is the only thing I wanted to salvage.



The chimneys were painted primer gray and then the square trim piece was outlined in brown to match the buildings trim. I think one would agree that the sequins used as caps for the chimneys came out fantastic.



Pretty much I believe we can call this building complete! I wanted to demonstrate these chimneys because I believe they certainly add a much more realistic touch to this fantastic kit and can be used on other buildings as well.

I can tell you this, getting the angle on those chimneys to match that of the roof was huge challenge. The roof is not a true 45° pitch but rather more like a 53° pitch. Achieving that angle on the square stock brass took a bit of finesse.

I will certainly be sharing this with Mike Basher. He’s all ears in regards to improvements or changes. But indeed the feasibility of him crafting chimneys of this nature would be out of the realm of what we expect from a manufacturer of kits, plus would add tremendously to the cost. Rather I’m thinking a 3-D printed version added into each kit would be ideal.

 

Nicely done, Lance. They look great. This method can be used for any chimney and they look closer to scale which is a bonus. Snow and lousy weather has been keeping me busy but I have started work on a couple of Mike Bashers kits. The saw mill and the boat house. Thanks for sharing your technique. Jim

 

Thanks Jim and Ray for the compliments. Yes you are exactly right about the scale looking better. This engine shed kit is such a fantastic build, it certainly deserved this upgrade.

I can relate all too well to hunkering down due to the cold and working on small projects like this. Was -24° today here in South Dakota LOL.

 

Hi, Lance
I've just re-read this thread. Thanks for the step-by-step instructions and tips. I think I will replace one of my Marklin styrene kits with one of Mike's. I will use your weathering and grout technique as well as chimneys. What I will do though is cut a hole to receive the chimney and not have to deal with the angle. I will use construction paper for flashing around the base. Mike's buildings have a lot of interesting angles and ells that make each building unique. This engine house could actually service 3 locos since it has a run through track, a feature that I haven't seen on other engine house kits. I will be referring to you when I build one. Thanks, Jim.

 

Dang it Jim -- you never cease to amaze me with your wisdom. That's a "wise" idea of cutting holes through the roof and inserting the chimneys, in order to ensure the alignment and correct positioning are achieved. And even a partial drop down of the chimneys into the interior of the building would add a degree of realism inside. Granted, locomotive clearances would need to be taken into consideration.

All of this cutting would obviously take pre-planning and need to be done before the roofing material is laid. But that would also help to ensure the chimneys are aligned visually from one side of the roof to the other. That alone was a huge challenge during the gluing process. And the flashing you recommend would simply be icing on the cake for a final touch of realism.

 

Thanks, Lance. I'm always looking for the easy way out. Thanks for mentioning clearance for the locos. I hadn't thought of it. What a bummer that would be. I have ordered a kit from Mike. He is printing it as we speak. He has sold out of many of his kits but has said he has some new ones coming soon. Including new designs. Be well. Jim

 

I just purchased this kit and 4 others from Mike on EBay. He directed me to your review and specifically the details on paint and painting. I look forward to building this kit. I really enjoy the scale but there just is not a lot out there for building kits so I buy what I can when I see it. Have you posted or do you have any finished pics that you can share?

 

Gardenrails,
Assuming you checked this entire post, there are a number of pics that should be of assistance, specifically in regards to painting and detailing the brick walls. However it’s near impossible to highlight every aspect of building this kit in this post.

On that note, send me a private message with your contact information and we can get together via phone. I can verbally highlight more of the aspects of building this kit and others. Also, I can give you some tips on where to possibly find other buildings, although a lot are out of production. Easier to discuss over the phone, rather than type.

In regards to BASHER & SONS kits, Mike seems to be one that’s intent on sticking around and producing kits for the long-haul. He’s informed me that more kits are on the horizon so this is a good thing. But you are correct, if you see it buy it while you can.

 

I just bought one looks like a very interesting build. I also had another fire house 3D printed from a photo Of my town fire house.