This thread was started in October, 2018
TomMich
October 2018 edited October 2018 in O Scale Builds
I have been a diehard HO Scale modeler for over 40 years. I have amassed a large collection of HO Scale kits and detail parts. But I have finally gone to the dark side! After seeing O’Neills in O Scale at the recent Narrow Gauge Convention, and seeing the amount of detail that can be incorporated into it, I decided to purchase the O Scale Dueling Shacks.
Brett touts on the website about honing skills and learning new techniques possible in O Scale so I jumped in and purchased the kit. Brett promptly sent it. Anyway I decided to build this kit and share my results with the group. This is not a follow along build, but a progress report after completing various components.
I have deviated a little from the instructions however. Instead for staining the wood with chalks as described in the manual, I use A/I. I like the look I can achieve with it and it is for me a simple method to get the silvery-grey look of aged wood I see living in the Midwest.
Also I didn’t like the look of the laser board window and door trim as described in the instructions. I did follow the staining technique described in the manual for these components, and the color did work out nicely. I just didn’t like the texture. It was too smooth for the aged look I was going for. So I removed it and added my own weathered strip wood trim. Also on the single door, the rails and stiles are also too smooth compared to the panels, or the panels should also be a smooth texture as well and it might have looked better in my mind, but I left them.
The right double door is slightly open. It is an added interest in other SW builds I have completed and I find it adds to the model.
In following other builds, I was particularly intrigued by adding knots to the wood. I don’t believe this would be practical in HO Scale as the knots would be too large, but I like the added texture and look of the wood in O Scale, and it was a fun component to add to this build.
Thus far I have completed the walls for the wood shack. I have not added details such as signs etc. but they are ready for those parts.
Comments
admin
October 2018
Off and running, great start. Thanks for posting Tom!
geoawelch
October 2018 24.62.14.108
Nice start, Tom. I’ve recently received the kit as well and hope to start in the coming weeks.
George
vietnamseabee
October 2018 edited October 2018
Welcome aboard, Tom…I think you’ll find this group to be friendly and welcoming…Like you, I’ve always been an HO scaler. I have several of brett’s HO kits on order and when they arrive I’ll begin ordering from his O selection. I model for the joy of modeling rather than to populate a layout so I see no ‘allerigic reaction’ to jumping between scales…you can call your posting what you want, Update or Build, but regardless I’ll be following along…I like what I see so far
Terry
brownbr
October 2018
Welcome aboard. Off to a good start.
TomMich
October 2018
Terry
I don’t have a layout, I also build for the joy of it. That is one reason I purchased the Dueling Shacks, to branch out and try something new. I have so much HO Scale stuff that I am reluctant to start in a new scale, but I really see an advantage to the larger scale. I just need to hone my skills to accommodate the larger size. I am pleased with the results so far.
Tom
KKarns
October 2018
Very well done Tom and versatlity of Brett’s kits is the name of the game!..
KCSTrains
October 2018
Tom, it’s looking very good. Just remember, with O scale, everything stands out, so be careful!!! Phil
Karl.A
October 2018
Great looking start Tom, those walls have a lot of character indeed, nice subtle variations.
Keep it coming.
Karl.A
Joel
October 2018
Great start. Looking forward to following along.
Robert.G
October 2018
Looking good. Nice start. I started with this kit aswel.
TomMich
October 2018
Robert,
we should compare notes along the way.
Tom
TomMich
November 2018
Hi guys, I’m back after visiting my son in Denver. Have spent a few enjoyable work sessions finishing details after finishing the wood shack. Here are some pics of the finished shack and details. Next will be on to the corrugated shack. I took the pics at my work bench with my phone so they aren’t as good as I would have liked them to be.
TomMich
November 2018 edited November 2018
Following the instruction manual finishing the details has been for me a very enjoyable experience. I like working on the details and the instructions and tutorials on the website are excellent.
TomMich
November 2018
TomMich
November 2018
I think that adding a door to the open cabinet adds a little extra interest and detail. I do that regularly to this type of casting. I also like adding extra signs to the walls of the building. I try not to over do it but give a little extra interest to the wall. I hope you all agree that it isn’t over done on this shack. I put them in the upper portion of the walls as the lower portion would have clutter around it.
Joel
November 2018
Great work. The weathering is spot on and the casting are finished beautifully. Looking forward to seeing it all come together.
Joel
brownbr
November 2018
The coloring of the siding is great as are the castings.
KKarns
November 2018
Wonderful build here Tom. Your interest in the details certainly shows as you did a terrific job on them. I agree with your thoughts on adding a bit of realism to some castings such as adding an open door as you did here. Brett’s kits have evolved to less large group catings to more individual details that can be grouped and built up so realistically. I’m with Joel, can’t wait to see it al come together!
Robert.G
November 2018
Tom, great work man, if you want, look at the photo’s of my build here on the forum to have an idea.
Dueling Shacks: Tarpaper: Robert.G - O Scale Builds - SierraWest Scale Models Forum
TomMich
November 2018
Thanks for the comments guys. I have really enjoyed weathering these castings. For me it’s been a lot of fun detailing and weathering the castings. I can see an advantage to modeling in larger scales. Since weathering these I have weathered some HO castings with satisfactory results using some of the methods learned here. It’s just a little easier in the larger scales.
Robert,
Thanks for the link to your build it really turned out great! I like the boarded up window and use of individual boards on the roof with tissue for tarpaper.
TomMich
November 2018
Finished the corrugated shack. I have never liked working with corrugated aluminum. The paint always chips away leaving shiny spots. It was a joy working with it this time after following Brett’s instructions to bake the primer. It worked GREAT!
I deviated from weathering the metal from the instructions. I have used this method for many years and like the results. It is basically lightly brushing on acrylic burnt sienna, then a lighter coat of raw sienna, then very dry brushing burnt umber.
Now on to the fun part, assembling the structure and building the diorama! 
Karl.A
November 2018
That is some fantastic looking surface rust !!
The panels are aging and the rust is breaking through, but still a very sound structure, very nicely done (and not overdone)
I also like that attention was paid to underneath the overhang on the sides and this ‘protected’ area is not as rusted as the rest. Subtle, yet, very effective.
Great stuff.
Karl.A
KKarns
December 2018
Well done Tom, love that first pic with the door open, perfect contrast to the wonderfully rusted exterior and the interior.
admin
December 2018
Wonderful Tom, can’t wait to see it all together!
TomMich
December 2018
Thanks for the comments guys.
Karl, I like to try to add subtle details like you mention less rusted in the protected overhang and more rusted toward the bottom of the structure. The same goes for weathered painted walls.
Next on to my favorite part adding details to the diorama.
By the way I had a Happy Thanksgiving, my Brass Foundry arrived just before the Holiday. Thanks Brett!
Karl.A
December 2018
Great news Tom.
Looking forward to the next update.
Karl.A
Robert.G
December 2018
Great work on everything…
TomMich
December 2018
Here’s my final pics of the shacks. This was a lot of fun to build. I can see the attraction of O Scale. Can do a lot of detailing which is what I like to do. I did add some extra details to these kits that I had, but I’m happy with the results. Hope you all enjoy.
Karl.A
December 2018
They both look fantastic Tom. Such a great job on both of them.
The weathering on the structures and the finish on the details is superb.
Everything just blends and looks so natural.
I love these two scenes, such a great addition to any layout or display shelf.
Great work.
Karl.A
vietnamseabee
December 2018
Very nice, Tom…well done
Terry
Dave_S
December 2018
Tom.
Great projects. Two fine looking structures as well as great photos of the projects. You accomplished quite a bit of modeling and photography not to mention posting between October 13 and today. Thanks for taking the time to share your construction and all the photos. The final photos are awesome! Hopefully the O-Scale bug has bitten and taken hold. The Woodcutters Shack and The Blue Sky Company are still available and with your building acumen would look great as exhibits in a Plexiglas cases as Bryan Brown has done with his O’Neills build.
Later, Dave S Tucson, AZ
prsdgt65
December 2018
Excellent job on the shacks.
Frank
Robert.G
December 2018
Very Well done Tom. I like also the two planks on the ground in front of the workbench.
brownbr
December 2018
Those turned out great.
KCSTrains
December 2018
Very well done. Congratulations. Phil
TomMich
December 2018
Thanks for all the nice comments guys! It was fun to build and I’d love to do more O Scale kits, but I have so many HO kits to do. I was tempted by the O Scale Sawmill project however, but I have so much invested in HO scale I just couldn’t justify it. I’ll just apply the experiences gained with these structures to my HO projects.
Tom
Bill
December 2018 edited December 2018
I’ll jump in as well and congratulate you on a nice job!
Terrific finish on these little kits, Tom. I especially like the gray tone of your siding. I’m always fiddling around trying to find a “perfect” formula for grayish silver boards. In looking at the coloration I get from Silverwood stain, there’s a hint of blue in it. That may be why I over complicate things rather than going simple: good old A/I.
Thank you for the reminder. Your results speak for themselves. Well done!
One suggestion—and this is purely a personal choice: it might look nice to paint the edges of your base with a neutral color. The fresh cut wood can draw in the viewer’s eye and detract from your work. Perhaps a slate gray or a tan that’s close to the color of your dirt. (Some use black but my feeling is that’s just as jolting as raw wood)
On a diorama, it’s impossible to make an invisible transition between model and support material. The goal would be to “soften” that edge a bit.
Again, just an idea.
KKarns
December 2018
Me too…I always leave my base painted the base dirt color so it “disappears” and is not a focal point as Bill mentioned. With this color, the surface just visually wraps around and you tend not to even notice it.
TomMich
December 2018
Thanks guys. Great suggestion to paint the base. I like Ken’s suggestion to try to match the dirt color. I will try to mix up some paint to try to match the dirt.
KKarns
December 2018
Wasn’t going to post a pic on your thread but here’s a picture of my BlueSky build with the base for illustrating the concept…
TomMich
December 2018
Bill,
Having grown up in the Midwest my recollections are wood aging to a silvery gray color. In my mind that is my reference point for weathered wood. I play around with varying intensities of A/I till I find a mix that looks good to me. While I like the color of wood that is gotten when using the methods outlined in the kit instructions, it just seems too brown to me. It reminds me of colors that might be seen in the west. It’s just a point of reference for me.
I also recollect heavily weathered wood having dark gray and blackish streaks in it. I have tried to duplicate this by dry brushing black on my weathered boards, but it doesn’t turn out the same. Dry brushing doesn’t penetrate into the lower parts of the weathered wood, but sits on the top. These streaks I recall are solid and highly irregular. Sort of like the picture.
Bill
December 2018 edited December 2018
Great reference picture.
I’m in the Midwest as well so we’re on the same plane when it comes to our color mindset.
Those black streaks can be achieved with a very fine brush and a dark mix of A/I. Use a steel ruler as a straight edge and make repeated applications building the color up to where you want to be. If you use too heavy of an A/I mitxture it can be a bit unforgiving. Once you go too far it’s tough to bring the color back down.
Another idea is to use a mix of 90% alcohol colored with really dark chalk (not black, but a couple steps up from pure black). Same idea: apply with a thin brush and straight edge so the streaks run perfectly perpendicular to the ground. Evaluate once dry. I’ll sometimes follow up with an up-n-down application of clean alcohol to fade, blend and “hypnotize” the streaks a bit.
Finally, some of those MiG enamel colors would be an option. Find a real dark one. Since they’re solvent based, you can thin them down as needed. You also have the option of using an application of straight thinner to “erase” any mistakes—much more so than the other two methods.
TomMich
December 2018
Thanks Bill I will give the A/I streaks a try.