This thread was started in April, 2017
kebmo
April 2017 edited April 2017 in O Scale Builds
Since there isn’t a build thread for the O scale O’Neill’s on the forum, I would like to do one.
Since we’re not on RR-Lines, I’m not going to bother with the picture of the box, but I will show the contents of the box in the followup post.
Comments
kebmo
April 2017
Box contents
I’m gonna need a bigger workbench.
I won’t bore you with pics of wire brushes and stripwood with toothpicks sticking in them. i will only post results (unless I get in a real bind and need to be rescued)
kebmo
April 2017
I meant to add that I will be following Ken Karns brilliant tutorial about texturing and detailing stripwood boards, but will adhere to Brett’s coloring techniques.
admin
April 2017
Well Kevin, Ed has officially welcomed you in his own unique manner…
Looking forward to watching your build!
kebmo
April 2017
ed…yer killin’ me.
i’m the ‘other’ kebmo, although i have been know to play some killer blues in my day. more along the line of little milton rather than kebmo’s…
gonna go check out wilco (again) in june. greatest band nobody’s ever heard of.
KKarns
April 2017
Hey Kevin, great to see you working up O’Neills Fabrication in O Scale. Now that’s a serious box of classic SWSM materials! Look forward to seeing you massage this thing into a great build. Will be following along closely…
kebmo
April 2017
thanks ken.
i’ve got some serious shoes to fill…
nextceo
April 2017
First build thread for the O Scale Version of O’Neills. I will be following along…thanks for sharing the process with us.
Alan
Jerry
April 2017
I have the kit so I’ll be following along to.
Jerry
brownbr
April 2017
Thanks for gettin’ it started. Looking forward to the build.
Karl.A
April 2017
Looking forward to your build Kevin, I’ll be following along and enjoying it with you.
Karl.A
kebmo
April 2017
i’ve got some scenery to finish up on the rusty stumps backwoods water tower, and a gig friday night but hopefully over the weekend i’ll be able to get a start on the build.
Bill
April 2017
The O-scale O’Neill’s has been highly anticipated and I’m sure you’ll do a terrific job, Kevin.
Thanks for taking us along!
Wes
April 2017 edited April 2017
Hey Kevin
Great to see a build thread of this wonderful kit started, I cant wait to start mine.
Joel
April 2017 edited April 2017
I am really looking forward to seeing this build thread. An amazing kit. Really looking forward to seeing how it comes together so when I start mine I can tackle it. Thanks for posting.
kebmo
April 2017
ed: here’s a picture of the O scale water tower before the land forms have been created.
tower1
the tank siding split badly so the only way i could mask it was to build a cover for it.
kebmo
April 2017
i managed about 3.5 hours at the workbench today working on the 8" stripwood for the main building. that’s a ton of wood! 101 pieces for that building alone. i pretty much followed ken karnes’ tutorial all the way.
did that for all these (except the ones brett says not to):
staining’s up next. gonna be a few days before i have a chance to start that part.
(sorry about the crappy picture of the graining. the only thing that showed up was a knot and the “enhanced” graining with the back of an old #11)
brownbr
April 2017
Off to a good start.
kebmo
April 2017
i got the boards for the main building stained. after texturing and detailing all those boards, i wasn’t crazy about the way the stain was turning out, so after 4 or 5 batches i substituted a grey chalk for the ochre, and i liked that a little better.
my photo taking skills are below subpar, so forgive the pics. here’s a pic of a close up of some of the boards:
and here’s an overall pic of all the boards, and man there’s a lot of them.
tomorrow i’m off to hoblob to pick up a bottle of ivory craft paint and some throwaway brushes and i’ll give the wetbrushing technique a try.
brownbr
April 2017
Looking forward to watching the walls come together. Color is always a personal choice of what looks best for the modeler.
I see some of the boards have a bit of uneven spreading of the chalk. This can create some interesting effects on the finished wall, especially after you do your wet brushing. If you ever want to blend those uneven spots, a brass brush works great.
admin
April 2017
An awesome start - coloration and weathering will be the perfect base for the next step! A couple points - I love the uneven spots and if it were mine I would leave them alone. Brass bristles will add a patina on top of the wood if used after chalk weathering so go very, very lightly or use a steel bristled brush that does not alter the color. But let me say again - looks great and I would not touch it at this point!
Karl.A
April 2017
Great start, I like all the variations in the boards.
This will be a really good base for the paint effect.
Looking forward to more progress.
Karl.A
kebmo
April 2017
good to know, thanks fellas. looking at ken’s, i had my doubts re: the coloration of the boards.
KKarns
April 2017
The brushing technique will pull it all together and look great. Nicely done.
Karl.A
April 2017 edited April 2017
Voices are for the eardrums, great modeling is for the appreciation of the eyes.
Let’s try to keep this thread focused on the modelling and on topic so that it remains a concise and informative record of the build.
I’m looking forward to following kevins progress on this great kit.
Karl. A
Jerry
April 2017
Nice start on those boards. Keep up the good work.
Jerry
kebmo
April 2017
i painted the boards this morning, and am submitting this picture to get the swsm seal of approval before i start gluing things down.
that green is very electric! i haven’t dirtied it up yet.
comments, suggestions, critiques before i start to glue things in place?
kebmo
April 2017
ed, i sent you a pm
admin
April 2017
pic is too far away - can you shoot a couple closer and straight on?
kebmo
April 2017
i have two things working against me. a) i’m a terrible photographer. b) shadows…
admin
April 2017
I like what I see a lot Kevin, excellent work. The boards that are colored range from medium to light coverage. Great natural appearing variation. My only concern is that maybe you should take the barely colored boards and apply a little more paint. There is too much plain wood visible. Keep in mind, as per my instructions, you will be dirtying each board a bit as you glue them down so I would rather see too many boards with a light paint coverage than too few… Call me if you have any questions.
kebmo
April 2017
i’ve still got the boards laid out, so swiping a bit more paint on them won’t be an issue. i’ll pull out the boards that don’t need an additional paint and give it a go.
i’ll post a pic or two after the additional paint has been applied.
thanks ed. i don’t like too many knot holes either. if it was shed or a shack (or a tree fort…
), okay then, lots of knots, but usually the boards were pretty “clear” when being used as siding.
the board texture is more evident in person than in the photos. i’m so bad with the camera.
KKarns
April 2017
Great start on the paint “peel” technique, so easy and fast and the look is wonderful. As Brett mentioned, some of the boards are a bit lean on paint. I really like the following boards as an example of what my taste would be:
Last picture, from the right going left, board #3, 7, 8, etc…I see just the rioght amount of paint, no bold stop and start lines, plenty of that wonderful detailed wood showing through but enough even paint application that it looks like the paint is wearing off.
kebmo
April 2017
‘swiped’ some additional paint on the boards that i felt needed it. a few of the boards went all “hockey stick” on me and won’t behave laying flat on the glass, but when it comes time to glue them i’ll employ weights to keep 'em flat.
laying the bastids out for the photo is a bigger pain in the butt than adding paint to them.
sorry, can’t do a close up shot. all i did was increase the overall coverage of the paint on about half the boards.
Bill
April 2017
Looking good, Kevin.
Hold on to those boards that seem to have too much paint or didn’t get enough peel. I like to use those in areas that had some protection from the elements: under roof over hangs, widow sills, peaks, etc.
The range of colors looks on target to me. Don’t fret too much over the handful of warped sticks–save those for short runs and fill-in spots.
kebmo
April 2017
in the meantime i framed out the door and window…
i’ll start on the siding tomorrow. the words, “c’mon upstairs, dinner’s ready” curtailed the day’s modeling.
by the way…i started on the greenery for my backwoods water tower. i know it’s not swsm related, but i built it to sit on the same siding and woodcutter’s shack, so i guess it’s a related…
that pathetic little “tree” is a placeholder for when i get around to building some pine trees.
mikemettelka
May 2017
Looks really nice to me!
kebmo
May 2017
enough about water towers…
i managed to side the right wall of the main building, and in doing so, i learned of the brilliant logic of brett’s instructions. start siding the wall that won’t be seen so the modeler can figure out how it’s gonna work. i have a couple of alignment mistakes, but now i know what they are and they (hopefully) won’t happen again.
i’m pretty happy with the coloring though. i do plan to hit it with chalks right before glue-up.
i used the wrong lumber on the side trim on the upper window and this pushed the boards just a hair off line.
Jerry
May 2017
Looks like you have the hang of it. Looks good keep going.
Jerry
kebmo
May 2017
i’ve got 3 of the main building walls boarded. i still need to sand the edges and detail the board bottoms.
comments, critiques, advise welcome…
Wes
May 2017
really looking good Kevin. No critique from my side.
admin
May 2017 edited May 2017
The walls look wonderful. You have done a great job of exploiting the nature of board on board modeling and that’s what it’s all about. If you want to even out the coloration a bit try using a little chalk on your finger and lightly rub it in. A little chalk, lightly… A little chalk, lightly… especially on the areas with the brightest boards…
kebmo
May 2017
i plan to finish the fourth wall today and then i will attempt to blend it all a bit.
KKarns
May 2017
Nicely done Kevin. The weathering and detail on the boards look great…subtile nail holes, board ends with character and not overdone.
Karl.A
May 2017
Looking great Kevin, really nice work on the effects, walls look great at this stage, nicely done indeed.
Karl.A
kebmo
May 2017
thank you ken and karl, coming from the likes of you guys, i means alot.
all 4 main building walls are now boarded up. i hit them with a generous amount of 408.5 to kill the bright white spots. the last inch or so had me worrying about running out of boards, but as usual…no reason to worry.
i still haven’t sanded the edges or added the corner trim, but i’m getting there.
a close shot of the rear wall board details. i’m going to spend a good deal of time detailing the bottom of the boards in the areas where they contact the ground, but today was my last day of modeling for a few days. work…
and i thought i’d add a picture of my nail hole tool. it gives me more control than a pin, i can actually hold it so i can see what i’m doing, and the holes aren’t overly large.
kebmo
May 2017
i really like the fact that the overall tone of the coloring is a gray, and no gray pigment was added at all. two chalks, both in the brown family, and an ivory paint.
KKarns
May 2017
That tool reminds me of a guy in a white lab coat coming at me with that thing and saying “open wide this won’t hurt a bit”!..I get your “point” about the angle allowing you to get close and see the business end. Nice set of walls there ready to go. I like the nail holes and you achieved a nice variety of looks particularly nice are the ones that aren’t just holes but actually split the end of the board, not all just some, perfect…see, didn’t think anyone would notice! When you applied the 408.5 did you lightly rub it in with your finger as the next to last picture seems untreated? I forget that I come from a family of grunge!..looking good.
kebmo
May 2017
no, i didn’t use my finger. i’m too heavy-fingered. i did it on some of the green trim and i just don’t have a light enough touch. i used a semi-stiff round brush. i also really hope i didn’t jump the shark…gave it a brushing of a/i and it’s all sitting under weights right now.
brownbr
May 2017
I like the sawbanding and split nail holes on random boards
Jerry
May 2017
A very nice job.
Jerry
ironmountainlumber
May 2017
Kevin,
The walls and coloring of the walls is really exceptional. This is really an awesome kit and looking forward to seeing more.
Jim
kebmo
May 2017
been a while since i had a chance to get back to the bench. i got the window and door in the left wall done last night and i’m hoping to get the other three walls done today and maybe even get them glued together:
and then there’s this:
from ‘85 to ‘95 i was a letter carrier in an affluent suburb on the chicago north shore. back then a starter home meant plunking down $350-400k, and tearing it down to put up a mcmansion. howinthehell did this guy ever get a building permit to put up this travesty? the east wall is less than 6’ wide and the west wall less than 16’. if i were one of the neighboring homes i would be furious.
kebmo
May 2017
got the rest of the main building walls detailed, and now its time for yard work…
kebmo
May 2017
it looks like a damn wedge of cheese…
admin
May 2017
well done!
kebmo
May 20@e@ede@e@ed7
@ed… he did. a nice on30 logging pl@br@brettt@bret@bret@brettn
@brett… thanks.
Jerry
May 2017
Kevin looks great.
Jerry
kebmo
May 2017
ed
i sent you an email
KKarns
May 2017
Nice progress and the doors and windows look great. Transom window is nicley done. Love the fire extinguisher. Can’t wait to see the walls together…
kebmo
May 2017
thanks ken.
i finished detailing the rear wall. i gotta say…i’ve built kits from an awful lot of manufacturers and i’ve never seen anything as precise as brett’s kits are. when i installed the dock doors (for example), the doors just fell into place, fitting perfectly.
speaking of the dock doors…i need some opinions. is this too much?
i detailed all the boards for the small addition, and i’m getting ready to stain them. thing is, i kinda want to do a different color. not the base color…i’ll use the standard chalks for that, but the final color… i’m thinking about using the chunk of grout sponge, dry-stipple technique to apply a craft paint. i’m thinking about a yellow or a red, but i’d like some feedback from the pros on this forum before i do anything with color. thoughts would be appreciated.
kebmo
May 2017
sheesh…
brownbr
May 2017
Wall looks great.
I think doors as worn as those would have a worn pattern under and around the handles and on the kick board at the bottom. If you were able to scrape away a few paint chips in that area, that would look cool.
admin
May 2017 edited May 2017
Kevin… yellow, no good, competes with the main buildings cream coloration. The addition needs to be subtle, not a focal point. Red and the green doors - Merry Christmas bro! The plain boards on the addition and the same plain boards on the tower balance the various shapes and ties it all together with the plain base coloration on the welding shop. If you want to be adventurous and try them out cut some mock-up walls out and color them - then place and photograph them before spending time on the actual wood and walls. btw - I like the plywood door insert a lot.
admin
May 2017
Gotta experiment and find a shade (if any) that looks good…
Karl.A
May 2017
That wall looks great, green doors add just the right amount of contrast colour and the signs are really nicely done.
Brian makes some excellent points on the doors, I think with those ideas they will look perfect to the wall.
Karl.A
kebmo
May 2017
i think i’ll try a little pencil lead on the bottoms of those doors, and i’m still up in the air on the color thing.
i wasn’t thinking of a christmas red…
more like a deep maroonish red. badly peeled.
KKarns
May 2017
Great detailing on that wall Kevin. The plywood repair is great and I really like the weathering. Great subtile darker weathering of the walls at siding dirt interface. Tire bumber casting is spot on…
I tell you guys from experience that when it comes to colors of the structures and the layout of same, Brett’s kit design has gone through hours of research and trials. When he arrives at a color choice, it’s not by accident but what works and conveys the purpose of the scene. My advise would be to use your imagination to make the kit your own but stay within a reasonable color palate of the intended, you won’t go wrong. A good example is the green used for the trim on the main building of O’Neills. When I first saw the color I thought wow that’s out there and not one I would have ever chosen, but once weathered properly and installed along side the cream peeling paint it looked fantastic! Brett nailed it as always, so trust the creator…my thoughts of course
kebmo
May 2017
i reworked the freight doors. i took a #2 pencil and scratched up the bottoms of the doors (the lead was blunt) to simulate hand trucks banging into them to force them open, then took some chalk powder over that.
and i stained the stripwood for the small addition. i added just a touch of gray to 9 or ten boards, but it’s not evident.
and a bad close up:
i’m not gonna color the addition. sorry ed… my pants keep falling down.
thoughts? suggestions?
Karl.A
May 2017
Thoughts, sugestions ? …
Doors look just right, great interpretation of the ideas given to you with sweet execution,
they look aged, worn and well used, match the walls and blend perfectly.
Ken nailed it with his comment… everything is planned, picked and agonized over in a SWSM kit for a long time before production.
colours materials, weathering, of each piece is done and maybe even redone several times to make the whole picture.
Yes, one individual ‘thing’ you may look at it on its own and think ‘i’ll change the colour’, or weathering, and it may work for that ‘individual thing’.
But, when you put it with the ‘whole’ is doesn’t really ‘fit’.
Thoughts, sugestions ? …
follow the manual, do what it says, everything was planned and thought out to the smallest detail, the options were tried and the best was chosen.
Karl.A
kebmo
May 2017
yep. that’s the conclusion i came to. i’m just going to stick to the manual and watch what happens.
heading down to the big city sunday for our grandson’s 2nd birthday…
brownbr
May 2017
Doors look awesome.
Joel
May 2017
I have to echo what Karl said. The model is extremely well planned. Unless you have a very specific change you “have” to make I would follow the manual. You won’t go wrong and you will be extremely pleased with the results. Great work so far.
Bill
May 2017 edited May 2017
Looking good, Kevin!
I’ll echo what the others have said…if you defer to the manual, it’s one less thing that can go wrong. Brett has taken the risk and stress out of getting the color “correct”. Especially when it’s a bold color. I’ve had the exact same thought as Ken: “Boy, are you SURE about this color, Brett?” Each time, he’s never been wrong.
Here are a handful of comments/suggestions from my vantage point:
-keep an eye on nail holes. (Both in size and the use of them–I’m a ‘less is more’ guy)
-chalk + castings almost always go together. Your fire extinguisher looks perfect; the red hose reel is too RED. A splash of raw umber chalk will work wonders on it.
-I’m a little concerned about the plywood on the door. It’s probably prototypical and a common practice, but my eye was drawn to it right away. At first glance, would an ordinary viewer (a non-modeler) concluded without thinking ‘they patched the door with plywood’ or would they question,’ what’s going on here?’
Just something to think about. I’m the only one who said anything contrary about it, so take my input for what it’s worth–an observation.
If it were me, I’d probably use a piece of corrugated metal as the patch. The reasons being, a) it’s a unique object that viewers immediately understand b) the color of a piece of corrugated metal attracts far less attention and blends into the scene. It’s there without screaming “look at me!”
I hope it’s okay that I mentioned it. That’s a little glimpse of my mindset as I go through as I build. The model tells the story so the builder won’t have to.
kebmo
May 2017
bill,
good points all. i have already decided not to alter the color, so that’s moot.
the plywood on the door is going to stay. this door will be “hidden” under the canopy and won’t jump out at anybody so i’m not that concerned about anyone wondering what was up. i did hit the hose reel with additional chalk and it looks much better. that’s for looking!
Bill
May 2017
Great! You’re doing a terrific job.
Thanks for the follow up and explanation. Glad to hear the plywood is staying and you’ve considered the final appearance. My intent is never to get someone to change something. Instead, I share my thought process in the hopes that it helps “visualize” all possibilities.
Bill
May 2017
Thanks much, Ed…
Lots of members here have helped me in the past and continue to do so today. Anyone who wants to become a better modeler, this is the right forum. Down the road, just make sure to repay the favor.
Joel
May 2017
A tiny thought, but it looks like there are hinges modelled into the door. Often they are another colour or if painted over they tend to chip and rust more than the rest of the door. Also they are often covered with oil/grime. A bit late but with a steady hand you could add the detail.
kebmo
May 2017
i lack a steady hand to that degree. i just don’t think i could pull it off. i actually did think about painting them, but then i thought, if the manual doesn’t call for it there must be a reason, and went forward with the installation.
Karl.A
May 2017
As Clint once said, several times, “a mans gotta know his limitations”…
Maybe a slight smudge with some dark chalk on the hinges, just to define them…, or, maybe not, I’ll leave that one up to you.
Karl.A
kebmo
May 2017
sorry dude, i’ve got the walkin’ blues…
kebmo
May 2017 edited May 2017
question for the pros…
the manual says to glue the overhang to the rear wall and install the supports THEN detail the overhang. i’d like to detail the overhang first. is that going to create a problem down the road that i can’t foresee?
never mind. i emailed brett and it took all of 15 minutes to get back to me. as i said to brett… i gotta stop for the night because i can’t bake the corrugated until the wife leaves for work in the morning.
i’m gonna cut some lilac branches and bring em in to kill the smell…
KCSTrains
May 2017
I’m just catching up. Great progress on the walls. My advice is to consider the comments and use what works best for you. After all, it’s your build. That being said, these guys have helped me many times and have great ideas I haven’t thought of. Phil
kebmo
May 2017
for a diversion (i like diversions every now and again) i decided to tackle the corrugated for the overhang. i think it turned out good.
i eyeballed a couple solid rust buildings a couple of miles from here and that’s pretty much what they look like.
kebmo
May 2017
i meant to add… i used the chalks per the manual. i was generous with the chalks too… then i hit them with a shot of dullcoat and did them all again. another shot of dullcoat. then i added just a dusting of ocher and more dullcoat. then i used a product that’s been on my bench for about ten years, AIM Products real rust, and when that dried, a/i.
KKarns
May 2017
I like the mottled rust effect you created, and these will look great installed on the drive through roof.
kebmo
May 2017
spent a little time at the bench today and pullin’ friggin’ weeds in my gardens.
got the walls all ready for the big glue up. a daunting thought…
i decided i didn’t want the repair on the overhang to be quite as drastic as depicted in the manual. i will add additional powders to it once its glued and vertical.
i’m pretty happy with the way they turned out, and i’m a little nervous about glueup, cuz i only have two hands and one of 'em sorta sucks… but i’ve got a four day weekend and i hope to get it glued up sometime in the next three days…
thoughts? critiques? ideas?
brownbr
May 2017
Each wall looks great. For glueing together, use a square and glue 2 sets of 2 walls together. When dry, glue the 2 sets together. I’ve been know to rush it and not wait for the first glue to dry, and all 4 walls come apart while trying to do the second glue. Very frustrating.
nextceo
May 2017
You build is coming along nicely. I like the various shades of color on your boards.
Thanks for sharing.
admin
May 2017
Walls look great. No worries about assembly. The included laser cut braces make gluing and squaring effortless. Just follow the instructions!
kebmo
May 2017
first two walls are glued together
Jerry
May 2017
Looks great! Keep on going your doing just fine.
Jerry
kebmo
May 2017
got the main building glued up this morning between yard work chores. my landscapers all told this was going to be a brutal year for weeds due the week of 70 degree temps in february. boy were they right… 2 days of weeding and i still have one whole side of the house left to do…
we’ve got friends coming over for dinner and drinks tonight, so that’s it for today. i hope everybody has a fun and safe memorial day weekend.
kebmo
May 2017
by the way…
i didn’t do the view block per the instructions (sorry brett). i glued black paper behind all the windows/doors instead.
KKarns
May 2017
What a great milestone of any build…getting the first structure together! Nicely done Kevin. The office addition turned out terrific and following the manual color choice was a good move.
brownbr
May 2017
Looks great.
KKarns
May 2017
Despite not going with green and yellow boards…sorry Ed.
kebmo
May 2017
i managed to get the first tower wall sided today.
and a close up
KKarns
May 2017
Very nice! Just the right amount of weathering on the boards and the color looks great.
admin
May 2017
looks great!
brownbr
May 2017
Each individual board stands out in a good way which makes the overall wall look so realistic.
kebmo
May 2017
thanks all. i appreciate you looking.
the picture of the wall revealed that i lost a board during trimming, so that’s been replaced and i’m starting the rear wall this morning. i think the tower will be finished by the end of the week.
Bill
May 2017
Well done, Kevin! Just the right amount of variation in the color, shape and condition of the wood to make the wall visually interesting.
Jerry
May 2017
Kevin looks really good nice coloring and weathering.
Jerry
MuddyCreekRR
May 2017
How did I miss your build start…oh well…looks great so far as many have already stated. I just posted my first few pictures…I left out a lot of the staining and chalk work as you have covered that well. Our builds are pretty similar…but just enough different. Best of luck with yours…now i need to get back to mine…
kebmo
May 2017
thanks all, i appreciate the encouraging words. it’s nice to know you’re on the right track. i might not be able to get back to the bench for a couple days though. so muddy…feel free to blow right by me.
kebmo
May 2017
i forgot to mention that i got the rear wall sided today, but its spending the night under weights before i trim it up.
sdrees
May 2017
Hey Kevin, lookin good
MuddyCreekRR
May 2017 edited May 2017
My progress has been slow too…I’m a career firefighter…and my hours get screwy…I just finished up the main building and have the addition started…I may catch up…but then again…may not…might get some more photos up later tonight…
KKarns
May 2017
Last thing you want to do is rush anything…take your time and savor the work! Look forward to seeing how things come together.
kebmo
May 2017
i managed to get tower wall 3 sided yesterday and hope to finish siding wall 4 today. so far i’ve burned through a whole box of toothpicks (250) on the tower.
i am really enjoying this kit. alot…
MuddyCreekRR
May 2017
I definitely plan to take my time on the build…rest assured…Ken…that’s a lot of knot holes…I like to get the walls done first, then go back and add the knot holes…this way I can space them so as not to get too many knots in one area…I’ll post a few photos of one of the walls once I do this. It’s also easier to do a knot right at the edge of the board once they are glued up…
sdrees
May 2017
Hey Kevin, lookin good
Karl.A
May 2017
Looking great Kevin, the walls are looking well,
as Ken rightly says, take your time, it will pay dividends.
kebmo
June 2017
all four tower walls are now sided, three are trimmed, and the 4th wall is sitting under weights waiting to be trimmed. i have band rehearsal tonight so it’s gonna sit under the weights til tomorrow. i’ll trim it and sand all walls and apply the corner trims and trim out the rough openings. i also painted and weathered the vents and mailbox and built the sign bases.
have i mentioned how much fun this kit is?
Jerry
June 2017
Yes you did. I see your smiling! Keep up the great work.
Jerry
KCSTrains
June 2017
It’s looking very nice. Good job. Phil
kebmo
June 2017
the tower walls are sided and trimmed. i have only sanded two of them at this time, but i’ll have time over the weekend to hopefully finish all 4 walls and glue them up.
Karl.A
June 2017
Colour and variation looks great kebmo.
As I study more I see the knots, as I look harder I see more and more of them… perfect.
Karl.A
kebmo
June 2017
thanks karl!
kebmo
June 2017
4 tower walls trimmed, detailed and ready for windows. i realize the vents don’t look strait
window/door components primed and dirtied
and here are the windows after the first stippled layer of paint.
kebmo
June 2017
meant to say i know the vents look crooked, but they were checked with a square while installing them, and they’re sraight.
KKarns
June 2017
Nice looking walls Kevin. I love working with Brett’s window and doors, so easy and the ability to customize and detail each one is what fine scale modeling is all about. Can’t wait to see that tower go up. Nice looking work area.
Jerry
June 2017
Nice job Kevin.
Jerry
Karl.A
June 2017
Looking great kebmo., walls look great and windows by Brett are a pleasure to work with as Ken says.
From the picture of the windows I would offer the opinion that you need to ease down on the paint.
You say that this is the ‘first’ stippled layer, implying that you intend to add more? From the picture it looks like if you add any more then they would be completely painted.
Of course this is hard to judge from the distance of the pictures and the angle.
Looking forward to the next progress shots.,.. keep up the good work.
Karl.A
kebmo
June 2017
karl, that pic was taken while the paint was still wet. seeing it now that’s it dry, i’m going to stop with the paint right where i am.
kebmo
June 2017
just so nobody thinks i’ve been sittin’ on my ass doin’ nothin’…
i got three tower walls glued.
call me crazy, but i just went through the manual 4 times looking for info on the tower roof and i didn’t see it. if anyone can point to a page i’d appreciate it. i must getting punch drunk…
admin
June 2017
looking good! I love this part as the components start coming together.
page 74…
kebmo
June 2017
4 tower walls glued and sitting on the foundation. sure enough…page 74. i don’t know how i missed it 4 times, but i did.
and i wasn’t drinkin’…
foundations have not been epoxied yet. just sitting there.
KKarns
June 2017
All right Kevin!..she’s going up nicely.
kebmo
June 2@e@ed17
@ed…there’s the meds…
@ ken. thanks!
Karl.A
June 2017
Looking good Kebmo, walls look great..Its coming together now, and very nicely.
Cant beat the smell of resin from a SW kit to get you hooked.
Karl.A
brownbr
June 2017
Looking great. The white window under the sign sticks out just a bit. Might want to tone it down when doing final weathering on walls.
Jerry
June 2017
kebmo said:
4 tower walls glued and sitting on the foundation. sure enough…page 74. i don’t know how i missed it 4 times, but i did.
and i wasn’t drinkin’… RIGHT!!!
Jerry
kebmo
June 2017
brownbr-thanks for pointing it out. i’ll kill the ‘glare’ when i dust up the walls
jerry-seriously…
ed-thank you sir.
working on the dock awning this afternoon. temps are going to be in the 90’s tomorrow, so i’m probably gonna cut the lawn tonight. tomorrow a graduation party (law school grad) and sunday we’re gonna go to the cubs game so i probably won’t be able to get back to the bench for a couple days.
kebmo
June 2017
i think n-b-w’s are a great detail to add. my question for the pros:
how do you cut the little buggers flush?
brownbr
June 2017
I usually leave a bit of the stem on (enough to grab with tweezers). Drill a hole where they go and push the stem in.
To cut flush, I’ve used a razor or #11 blade to cut, then sand the back smooth.
admin
June 2017
I use tweezer style sprue cutters. Makes a nice flush cut. Simple one-step.
Karl.A
June 2017 edited June 2017
To cut flush I use a razor blade like Bryan if I’m doing a lot or…
straight edge toe nail clippers if theres only a few, but generally I just grab the blade cos its always close by.
Karl.A
kebmo
June 2017
when i tried it with the blade, i did it with everything down inside a 4" deep tub, and it still launched into the ether.
when i tried it with a straight edge toe nail clipper, it left a nub on the nbw, which leads me to ask…do you remove the nbw from the sprue at the sprue end and then clip the nbw off?
brownbr
June 2017
I cut them inside something like you described. I usually grab some kind of cardboard box…like a SW parts box. Remember I like to keep a bit of the shank on… I put a finger across the row of NBW, then put the razor across the shanks on the sprue and push down. Cuts through almost the whole sprue at once. I can then pick them out of the box one at a time for installation.
kebmo
June 2017
do you drill out holes to accept the shank?
brownbr
June 2017
kebmo said:
do you drill out holes to accept the shank?
Yes. I just always done it this way. If you drill the hole the right size you really don’t need glue. But if you want to glue, just put a tiny amount on the shaft and push it in the hole. If it pokes out the back of the board, I trim it with a razor. I’ve done a few of the “bigger” NBW without the shank just because the hole I need to drill is too big. I usually got some glue oozing out doing it this way.
brownbr
June 2017
Here’s an example of how I do it. The hole looks big, but it is almost exactly the diameter of the shank, and you will never see it once you insert the NBW.
Be sure to paint them before removing from sprue.
kebmo
June 2017
i learned a grim lesson yesterday. i don’t have the steady hand needed to attach the guy wires to the tower overhang. i spent 90 minutes getting one of them glued, and after another hour of trying to get the second one attached, i still haven’t been able to. i just shake too much. if i’m not able to get it attached tonight i might have to enlist my son to do it for me. this doesn’t bode well…
kebmo
June 2017
my father’s day present was wilco tickets at the riverside theater in milwaukee. but i got 'em from my wife…
great show too. best version of impossible germany that i’ve ever heard 'em do.
texts from the kids. go figure.
waiting to hear back from the 20 yr old rock star to see if he can come by one night this week and attach a guy wire for me.
kebmo
June 2017
i figured out a way to get the guy wire attached. i bought some locktite fast setting super glue, and put just a trace of it on the ends of the wire, grabbed the wire in a small clamp that i could set down on the wall (that was laying on its side on a couple of blocks to keep from knocking off the large elbow vent), put it in place and let it sit (after many test fits to get the angle right).
here’s my next dilemma…after the roof is installed (i just finished cutting the ribbed aluminum) comes the rafter tail installation. i’m debating not epoxying the tower to the foundation until after i add the rafter tails for no other reason that i think it will be easier to hold the model upside to install them without the tower and it’s many details getting damaged. keep in mind i basically model with one hand. my right hand absolutely sucks for holding things steady.
kebmo
June 2017
though it probably seems like it, i haven’t been slacking. I screwed up and attached the ribbed roofing to the roof card and skipped the baking of the paint, so brett is sending me another roof card and a couple panels of the ribbed aluminum. i’ve also been waiting for a dick blick order, which came yesterday. I needed the orange chalk for the roof coloration. of course, blick won’t let you order just one, so i had to order 5 other colors as well. i ordered backups for the browns because they were getting pretty ‘nubby’. i did start on the framework for the main roof sign while waiting and hopefully i’ll be able to finish off the roofs for the main building this weekend.
kebmo
June 2017
i finished the sign this morning and my new roof card will probably be here tomorrow so i can redo the roof. til then…i gotta brag a little.
i scratch built a model of a friend’s victorian that she turned into a bed and breakfast. shortly after deliver the model to her i got the o scale resource ezine. on the cover was a “what’s on you bench” feature so i clicked on it and upload a few pics. he emailed me back and asked if i wanted to write up a little something on the build so i did.
it was published last week. the article is called “scratch building with styrene”.
kebmo
June 2017
oh ed, don’t.
kebmo
June 2017
stop
KKarns
June 2017
Hey Kevin, perfect example of why you deal with SierraWest Scale Models! Brett is totally committed to the customer and sending you replacement parts for your ommitted “foul play” is just how he does business. Anxious for more updates…I should talk!
MuddyCreekRR
June 2017
I was getting worried about both of us…I’ve not been able to get into the shop to do any work at all for too many days between an on the job injury (smoke inhalation) and just plain work…nothing has gotten done…that ends today as it’s 90+ degrees in Jersey…and the shop is air conditioned…it’s a no brainer…getting some chalk on my fingers today…
kebmo
July 2017 edited July 2017
it’s been a while…
work has kept me really busy. imagine me on a sweltering 90 degree thursday afternoon filling and lugging hundreds of sandbags because one of the properties i manage was in a little danger of having flood issues in a half dozen of the condo buildings. this summer has pretty much sucked.
anyway, between work and my band i haven’t been at the work bench in quite a while.
the reason i’m posting is, where can you find an o scale work truck along the same lines as the jordans? i’ve looked all over. i don’t want die cast, i want a kit!
Karl.A
July 2017
Brett has special offers every now and then of his O Scale Mack trucks, they are exquisite kits… obviously.
Keep your eyes open for those…
There are two very distinct versions but I only found a pic of one style and not the other…
Karl.A
kebmo
July 2017
good to know, thanks karl. are they white metal, plastic, resin…?
Karl.A
July 2017 edited July 2017
Metal.
MuddyCreekRR
July 2017
Kevin…I have one of the AC Mack kits…and the detail and versatility of what it can be made into are unreal…looks like we’ve both got off track on our builds…every time I walk into the shop…sit down and start to work…I get pulled away…
kebmo
July 2017
i’m gonna force some bench time this week
kebmo
August 2017
time at the work bench has been scarce lately, and it didn’t help that i shot myself in the foot: i got the ribbed roofing cut for the main building and addition, and right after i stuck them to the roof card i realized that i skipped a step and forgot to bake them. so…brett sent me another roof card and a few panels of ribbed roofing and i redid the roof. i ended up having a slight issue withe roof card: when i went to apply last panel, i took up the white layer and the self stick layer came up with it. i ended up using epoxy on the last panel. then i grained and stained the wood for the fascia, and right before i put template B on the bench to cut the rafter tails, i decided to flip the structure over to get an idea what i’ll dealing with when attaching the rafter tails, and in my handedness, i managed to knock the freight dock over hang off the building. this weekend is going to be a repair weekend…
and sunday afternoon we’re gonna go listen to my son’s band at a festival…
Karl.A
August 2017 edited August 2017
Sometimes Kevin we all redo a few things. That’s the nature of the beast, and how progress is made.
Great to read that after your error Brett helped you out with a replacement, customer support at it’s best.
Looking forward to yours, and others, progress on this great SWSM kit.
Karl.A
MuddyCreekRR
August 2017
Glad you got back into your build…even with the minor setbacks…I have not been able to get back into the shop until tonight…at least I have the stripwood grained and stained for the addition and the tower…I have a short work trip for about a week…so once again I’m delayed…pictures once I get back…
kebmo
September 2017
due to life and other reasons, i haven’t done much on o’neills lately. i hope to get back into it hot and heavy this weekend.
earlier in this thread i promised to show the contents of part 2 when i received it. as my sainted grandmother bridget used to say, “holy mary mother of god!”
part 2 contains a construction manual, another packet of miscellaneous items (jigs, wire, chains, etc.) a template for placing the track and structures on the diorama base and another tempate for cutting the welding shop fascia boards, and details. lots of details. 158 white metal details with a smaller bag of another 21 detail parts, and 182 resin details. i’m figuring this will keep me going until well into 2018.
admin
September 2017
I never counted them… That’s a ton… Enjoy the journey bro and get back to the build!
brownbr
September 2017
That should keep you busy.
I have a bad itch to get into mine. Keeping my fingers crossed to be able to start some time between Jan-Mar. Hard to believe its been over 2 years since I’ve built anything.
Wes
September 2017
Really cant wait to get my grubby paws on this kit. How cool does that collection of castings look scatterd all over the bench like that.
Joel
September 2017
OMG, can’t believe the incredible supply of castings and not only that but the best casting available anywhere. Pretty sweet. Looking forward to tackling this project too.
MuddyCreekRR
September 2017
I feel you pain my friend…we both got started at about the same time…and like you…I’ve had too many distractions…I was in the shop last night…did some clean-up…and like you…I hope to get back into it before the weekend…
kebmo
September 2017
i had plans to hit it hard tonight, but you know what they say about the best laid plans. i got roped into going to the movies tonight to see the premiere of “it” (i’m not a fan of horror movies…but hey) and tomorrow night i’m going to wrigley for the cubs/brewers game. i won’t get to the bench until sometime saturday. like 6 am…
a few weeks ago i hamhandedly knocked the overhang ove the loading dock off while flipping the building over to install rafter tails, but i’m gonna make that work for me. the way the overhang was installed, the rafter tails wouldn’t have fit. i called brett and he suggested i don’t bother installing them on that side, but now i can because now the rafter tails will be there before the overhang gets remounted so that should work out pretty good. i did finally manage to finish the roof on the main building (visible in the photo above) and while i’m pretty happy with the coloring, its not quite the same as brett’s.
kebmo
September 2017 edited September 2017
i epoxied the tower to the foundation and installed the rafters/fascia on the main building and addition.
Karl.A
September 2017
The dock casting and tower look great together, and the ribbed seam roof plays nicely with that subtle feeling, those three elements look great together.
Karl.A
brownbr
September 2017
This is coming together nicely. You nailed the color on the ribbed roof. My eye is immediatly drawn to the 3 sheets of corrugated. They stand out as just a bit bright.
nextceo
September 2017
Thanks for sharing your last update. I assume part of the reason you’re posting the build is to receive feedback. I have just one comment and its in regards to your overhang. From the picture you posted, it appears as if it looks like a Racing Stripe from the way you have the materials arranged. If you have some time, you may want to revisit that portion of your build and make those items appear more random.
Otherwise, to me the build looks great!
Thanks for sharing,
Alan
Mario
September 2017
The finish on this pic caught my eye…nice contrast
KKarns
September 2017
Coming together nicely Kevin. Wonderful feeling when the O’Neills complex gets put together, really get a feel for how things will turn out. I agree with Alan on the loading dock overhang, maybe just adjust the boards a bit so they aren’t perfectly straight to break up the uniformity just a bit. When I was building my O’Neills, I quickly stained the boards that were going to be covered up by the tower as I knew I would get a ribbing from this motley crew of ours…!
Karl.A
September 2017
I think if you look at the two pictures Alan posted (one of yours, and one of Brett’s)
The difference is very apparent…
When modeling this kind of thing the essence is in the finish, as always…
Subtle, random, blended… That is the key we are taught.
Karl. A
kebmo
September 2017
i will work on it. right now i’m playing with some of the welding shop details.welding shop details
Joel
September 2017
Details are starting to look great. A few shiny spots (glare in the photos) which are a bit distracting but the muted colours work really well. Personally I can’t wait to get to this stage.
brownbr
September 2017
One of my favorite parts of any build right here.
Great look of dirty, weathered wood on top shelf. Adding metal bands around the barrel on bottom left, and changing color of one of the boxes on the bottom right might enhance the look.
Nice case full of rusty junk on bottom. The green part really adds to the interest in here.
KKarns
September 2017
Love the big scrap metal box…and I also think the green can seals the deal! Nice call Bryan.
kebmo
September 2017
i reworked the loading dock overhang and the three shelf cabinet this morning before work.
its difficult to tell from the photo but all the crates on the shelf have been colored with various chalks to give some definition, and the barrel bottom left (thanks bryan) bands have been rusted. it’s easier to see in person.
sdrees
September 2017
Kevin, I like your shelving. it looks like somebody has saved a bunch of old junk.
brownbr
September 2017
Looking good.
Karl.A
September 2017 edited September 2017
Castings are looking great as has been mentioned previously, as is the rest of the structure, really nice work throughout,
However I still think that you are at a good point where the loading dock overhang should be removed and redone, to make it blend in more with the quality and feel of everything else, more randomly patched, less obvious definition, as you’ve done elsewhere, a simple fix.
Karl.A
kebmo
September 2017
karl,
i agree, i’m not satisfied with it, but i don’t really want to remove it again (i accidentally knocked it off once already), so I’ll try to work on it in situ, and right now, due to a meltdown that i had over the roof (brett called me and talked me in off the ledge) i’m boarding the welding shop walls (and having a great time doing it!) and working on some of the welding shop castings. i get a lot of enjoyment ith these castings. there’s so many of them!
here’s the front wall of the welding shop so far. lots more details to come…
Joel
September 2017
Really nice work. Love the board ends and the colouring is great.
admin
September 2017
Looks great Kevin! Will be the perfect compliment to the main bldg…
KKarns
September 2017
Weathering and the paint effect looks wonderful. Subtile knot holes and such just right.
kebmo
September 2017
i managed to get the rear and left walls boarded today. i made a copy of the section of template D with the side wall siding trap section on 8.5" x 11" paper because it’s a bit more manageable on my way overcrowded workbench, 3 down, 1 to go.
brownbr
September 2017
That’s a really nice tone of gray on the base color.
kebmo
October 2017
i’ve been messing around with the welding shop details details lately
kebmo
October 2017
better shot
other than using powder, should i “grunge” this up and if so, how?
CarlLaskey
October 2017
Kevin Please leave it alone looks just the way it should…Carl
KCSTrains
October 2017
Kevin, very good paint job on the castings. Phil
kebmo
October 2017
based on comments i’ll consider this wall finished except for some ‘stuff’ on the window sills. thanks.
brownbr
October 2017
I would work on the boards near the bottom to give a more weather/worn look. The gradual lightening/loss of paint of the boards will end well with the chewed up bottom of the boards..which looks very nice in this photo. The boards directly under the shelf appear to be newer than the rest of the wall.
KKarns
October 2017
Great looking wall Kevin. Shelf details are wonderful and board weathering is top notch. Ed’s point on the board with the large piece missing got me thinking. That’s a big gap…what would it look like with some tar paper on the inside as a patch and the effect of the missing board thus retained? Also like Bryan’s suggestion of just a hint of darker weathering along the bottom. Maybe just let some AI wick up the ends a bit and I would move the window support stick to on side or the other…middle position looks odd to me. Great progress.
Karl.A
October 2017
Looks great to me Kevin, at this point I don’t see anything that needs to be done. I it looks good as is and you have had some great comments confirming this. I’ll add to those if I may…
The slightly less weathered boards under the shelves looks great, this leads into the ‘scenario’ that those boards were more protected by the shelves and didn’t weather so much. Maybe you already planned this, maybe you didn’t, but I like it.
The dirtying/darkening of the bottom of the walls is a good point, but, if I remember correctly this structure sits on a boarded deck? If that is the case I would glue the structure to the deck and then do the weathering effect.
This way you will darken where the wall meets the deck, the weathering will spread up the wall and out across the deck, therefor blending the two together and homogenizing the whole effect making it look like it has all aged together.
This would be subtle as its not sitting on dirt, quite minor.
The larger split in the board I actually like as is, however if you do decide to cover it from the inside I would suggest an old metal sign on the inside of the wall, or, simply just a plank nailed up on the inside, either way I would still leave some daylight showing through.
As I said, at this point it looks great as it is, nice work.
Karl.A
kebmo
October 2017
thanks karl, and everyone.
my reasoning for not showing anything wicking up the bottom of the wall at this point is because the structure doesn’t extend to the ground, and i wanted to wait until it’s glued to the deck (and i think it’s pretty flush with the edge of the deck) and the oil sump is in place. then i was going to treat the wall with some oil splashes or something along those lines.
ken, i agree and will be moving the stick holding the window up. i plan on adding detail to the window sills and will move it then.
regarding the large split on the left, i like the idea of a metal sign nailed up on the inside and i may go that route when i start detailing the inside of the walls, i haven’t made that decision yet.
KKarns
October 2017
Kevin, great idea on the bottom of the walls. Gunk and grime like oil rather than weathering would be perfect, good call. Right, the stick centered just looks too uniform, glad you agree and like I mentioned great looking wall.
kebmo
October 2017
i have both welding shop side walls detailed. any suggestions for improvement welcome.
first the right wall:
and the left:
that was fun…
kebmo
October 2017
and here’s the front:
the doors are built and laying in front but the light washes them out so they appear really bright (unlike me).
i think i’ll run some light rust streaks under the ‘danger acetylene’ sign(s).
Karl.A
October 2017 edited October 2017
Looks great Kevin, I just popped in while passing the screen, so, not gonna type much…
The only thing I can initially see that could use a slight ‘adjustment’ is the shelves themselves…
Shelves containing dirty oily cans, accessed by dirty oily hands should be grimy and ‘grungy’…
A quick dabbing of some (dry) dark chalk on a tiny detail brush between these items will not only dirty up the shelves but also blend those details into the mini scene.
That was the only thing I noticed, everything is looking great.
Karl.A
kebmo
October 2017
thanks karl. i’ll take care of that on my next trip downstairs.
Karl.A
October 2017
Back again to admire your fine work, and get another look at this great kit in progress.
Grab some tweasers and bend that wire so its hanging straight down.
Yeah, I know I’m being nitpicky, but, theyre supposed to be flexible hoses and should give the illusion of ‘hanging’ loosely,… minutia.
OK, I’ll quit now.
Karl.A
brownbr
October 2017
It’s looking great Kevin. Karl mentioned what I noticed: the hoses…minor tweeking only to fix that.
Jerry
October 2017
Kevin looks really great. A few loose ends to fix but other that your right on the money.
Jerry
SteveCuster
October 2017
Everything looks great and blends well together. Great job.
-Steve
kebmo
December 2017
i’ve been able to find some time at the bench the past week, and i’ve been messing around with the welding shop interior. the rear wall is finished and i’m working on the left wall interior now.
CarlLaskey
December 2017
Great job Keven I am going send you my stuff so it can look like your’s. …Carl
kebmo
December 2017
now that’s funny!
I’ve done a little more since the pic was taken, but nothing to write home about. i added a couple more signs and another clip board.
brownbr
December 2017
Looking good.
kebmo
December 2017
thank you ed. you’re a scholar and a gentleman (with good taste in music)
CarlLaskey
December 2017
Ok KEVIN there spell check.
kebmo
December 2017
i’ve been called keith, kyle, kurt kenneth…i could go on and on. do ya really think one letter bugs me? nah…
got some more welding shop details done, so i staged them on the workbench. to explain the crazy looking desktop..it’s and old office desk. steel made to look like wood. 3 or 4 large rubber washer stacked and put at all corners and in the middle, and finally a 5/16" thick slab of glass. there’s a couple sheets of black paper under the glass for visibility. so that’s what looks so wierd. anyway…a couple pics:
CarlLaskey
December 2017
KEVIN everything looks great just keep it up and do you know that someone called me Ed once.
kebmo
December 2017
ed: no comment
carl: at least it’s only a two letter word.
KKarns
December 2017
Very well done Kevin!
kebmo
December 2017
starting this thursday i’m off work for 16 days and i hope to get a bunch of this done during that time.
a few thoughts:
the toughest 2 things i’ve done so far on this model are the guy wires for the tower overhang and the hose/elbow/nozzle on the gas pump. i really don’t like working with epoxy. the overhang is done (poorly) but i’m still struggling with the gas pump. does anyone have a trick they’d b willing to share?
kebmo
December 2017
to add to my dilemma… the elbow and nozzle are epoxied to the pump already. while attaching it the hose broke loose. arrggh!
kebmo
December 2017 edited December 2017
indeed i do.
got a little more done on the welding shop.
and the right wall under construction
and the rear and left wall glued to the platform
kebmo
December 2017
brownbr
December 2017
The gushing oil is a nice touch
admin
December 2017
Looks great Kevin. I agree with Bryan, the oil pouring out of the drum is excellent.
kebmo
December 2017
thanks. i’m still hoping someone will give me a tip re: the gas pump hose. is there a “better” way to connect the solder to the elbow/nozzle? i’m on my 6th or 7th attempt and not having any luck at all.
CarlLaskey
December 2017
Gas pump is out of order so it may be the best way to make a sign.
admin
December 2017
Kevin - First off start with the basics. 1. Plenty of good quality clean white lighting. 2. Appropriate magnification. Don’t use more than you need to see up close clearly. 3. High quality serrated end tweezers. 4. Make sure the pump is easy to hold and solid as indicated in the manual.
Now specifically be sure the hose is bent to shape before gluing so the ends match perfectly in the outlet elbow and pump handle. I place the stick holding my pump now in some non-drying clay so I have two free hands. Mix your epoxy and just before it gets stringy glue the hose in place. Hold it for a couple minutes allowing the epoxy to set.
Dave_S
December 2017
Kevin, (kebmo)
I see you are working on the Welding Shop. It looks awesome. I just purchased a set of Buffalo Landing Welding Figures to use once I get started on this kit. You might consider adding one or more of the figures in your shop and outside.
Later, Dave S. Tucson, AZ
kebmo
December 2017
i’ll see if i can find some non-drying clay tomorrow. thanks brett! i’ve already lit it up with daylight led’s per your suggestion, and i use an optivisor. it helps quite a bit.
dave, i do want to add some ‘people’ to this thing. i was just looking at those buffalo landing figures yesterday. they look pretty good. i think they’re from new zealand.
Dave_S
December 2017
Kevin,
Yes, they are made in NZ. I ordered them on line and they arrived faster than I anticipated. Glad to have them at hand. Now I have to learn how to paint them.
Later, Dave S. Tucson, AZ
kebmo
December 2017
i worked on the welding shop for a couple of hours today. 3 welding shop walls finished. i still have to add some acetylene tanks, and they;'re in various stages of weathering/detailing and will get added tomorrow. other than than, just some minor details that will be added before the front wall is glued up.
and an overhead shot. i wish the decking was as gray as it is in this picture but alas…
Wes
December 2017
Im just blown away how good this looks Kevin.
Apologies if youve mentioned this before, but will the roof be removable?
brownbr
December 2017
Looks fantastic. Roof must be removeable…I believe that’s the law in most states.
Joel
December 2017
Kevin,
It looks fantastic. Nice work.
kebmo
December 2017
thanks everyone. it does seem as if the roof needs to be removable, and when i get to that point i’ll solicit advise. i’ve never done it before and i know only one side can be removable but that’s also the side with the guy wires, so i’ll need to talk about it.
kebmo
December 2017
ignore my previous comment. there are no guy wires on the welding shop roof..
sdrees
December 2017
How about some lights to show off your fabulous work!
kebmo
December 2017
so far that is still out of my league.
KKarns
December 2017
Things are coming together nicely Kevin. Details are great with plenty of nice color and contrast. Looks like that crate got scooted across the floor.
kebmo
December 2017 edited December 2017
well…for now i’m calling the welding shop complete until it gets time to plant it on the base. (except for the roof, which will be removable on one side)
Robert.G
December 2017
Beautiful work kebmo !!
brownbr
December 2017
Something to be proud of for sure. Nice job.
kebmo
December 2017
finally got around to redoing the dock overhang
got rid of the racing stripe.
CarlLaskey
December 2017
Looking good there my friend. …Carl
nextceo
December 2017
Yup…definitely looks more random…and much better.
KKarns
December 2017
I agree with Alan. Concrete color and the stains and discoloration look terrific.
kebmo
December 2017
i managed to get some more work done on o’neill’s
main roof glued on and i thought i’d show how i weighted it down. two quart baggies with rice and a bindercli[ holding them together. the roof on the addition is currently glued and drying.
i worked on the loading dock too. the glue is drying on the oil drum cart…
kebmo
December 2017
roof glue dried over night, and here’s the main roof
brownbr
December 2017
Color on the main roof turned out great.
KKarns
December 2017
Heard that!..perfect roof color..nice idea for the roof weights.
kebmo
January 2018
it’s new year’s day and i’ve been adding the rafters/fascia to the main roof and the addition. (just took a break for a late lunch) while doing so it occurred me the level of thought and planning that brett has to do in order to produce one of these kits. it’s really astounding. what made me think of this? the number of required steps that need to be completed before the finishing touches of the roof can be done. i for one have never seen flashing on a kit, much less had to install it (that’s my next task). i’ve been anxious to attach the L shaped vent, but it has to wait until the flashing’s been installed. it’s just the things like that that you will probably never see on anyone else’s kits that truly set brett and his kits apart from all of the other manufacturers (including george sellios). to my mind there can be no dispute about who produces the best kits/bang for one’s buck.
my only beef is: retired kits. i wish they were all still available. i am looking forward to the O scale foundry…
kebmo
January 2018
the reason i brought up the retired kits is because i won’t be able to use the Rusty Stumps water tower that i built because the dio is 14" deep and won’t fit on the layout. i’d much rather have the swsm water tower…
that is all.
kebmo
January 2018
i think there’s 5 left
Geezerbill
January 2018
Kevin, I agree with Bryan, I really like the roof color. You are doing a splendid job on this build.
Geezerbill
kebmo
January 2018
thanks bill. i’ve been quietly plugging along. i have the tower landing to do and the corrugated for the drive under to go…and then it’s on to part two. the. diorama.
i also purchased a few vehicles, but they’re in 1/43 scale and appear a bit small. i got a 37 ford pickup that i’m rusting up quite a bit, a 57 ford ranchero to set the era, and a 34 chevy pickup. gonna find some acceptable little people some day too.
anyway…this is how i installed the tower roof base to square the roof up:
the tower roof is installed. the structure isn’t on the workbench, so the lighting is kinda funky. the welding shop roof is also shingled but set aside for part two:
the landings in the rear and front are installed for second time. the first go around they just weren’t plumb, so i unstuck 'em and reglued them
i bought a lazy-susan type thing so i can bring the structure and base back to the workbench and have 360 access to it. i’ve got a lot of crap going at work right now, but i expect to get back at it hard next week sometime.
here’s the 37 ford. i just started rusting it up and have a long way to to on it.
the 34 chevy
and the ranchero. i’m going leave one pristine, maybe a little dirt
kebmo
January 2018
sounds great ed, thanks.
Geezerbill
January 2018
Very, very nice indeed!
Geezerbill
kebmo
January 2018
the drive through overhang roof is currently drying under a couple of bricks and today i start on the tower landing. then it’s on to part two…
ironmountainlumber
January 2018
Kevin,
Great job on the build. The cars are fantastic as well as your track work. Always amazing what the O scale guys do with Brett’s kits. Can’t wait to see the scenery and the rest of the kit in place!
Jim
KKarns
January 2018
Automobiles are a great way to date your diorama. Nicely done.
kebmo
January 2018
my dumb dog woke me up at 4:45 am, so after a cup or two of coffee I went downstairs and built the tower landing.
what’s up next? well, there is a plethora of details that haven’t been worked on yet, i still have details from part one that need to be placed, and now that the tower landing is finished,
i’m going to begin collecting all of the scenery materials i’m going to need to get started on the base landscaping. all of part one with the exception of some of the details is completed. i altready have 3 grades of tan dirt and 3 grades of “black” dirt. i will probably mix some durham’s water putty in with the tan base dirt, and i have a trusty yard sale blender for grinding up ‘forest bottom’. so after a few days of collecting ground material i’ll get started on planting buildings and stair supports/details.
admin
January 2018
Wonderful Kevin! Looks great, executed perfectly, solid plan moving forward.
KKarns
January 2018
love the coloring and texture of the porch and stairs, looks great!
kebmo
January 2018
placed the tower landing to check it against the building and i think it turned out looking pretty good:
and here’s a shot of the drive through roof:
in the pic it appears there’s some silver shining through. upon closer inspection if that is indeed the case i will hide it with more of the ruddy brown/roof brown wash.
and the drive under roof:
the drive under roof is upside down in the picture,
Joel
January 2018
Love the loading dock and stairs. Just the right amount of age.
Jerry
January 2018
Some nice detail work there.
Jerry
brownbr
January 2018
It looks good all together like that.
kebmo
January 2018
on the “oh by the way” front…
it’s not a 34 chevy. it’s a 51 ford.
sheesh…
Geezerbill
January 2018
Looking very good Kevin
Geezerbill
kebmo
January 2018
thank you bill. i appreciate that.
Robert.G
January 2018
I like the corrugated panels. Well done!
CarlLaskey
February 2018
Kevin that roof is spot on keep it up there young man…Carl
kebmo
February 2018
Carl, I like the way you think. I haven’t been called young man in decades…
thanks for checking out my build.
kebmo
February 2018
i decided to stage the oil tank and piping, and the tower dock to have a look at how it’s all going to fit together.
one thing is for sure;…the lighting over my benchwork needs a little work.
Joel
February 2018
It looks great the way it is coming together.
KKarns
February 2018
I agree, nice seeing it at this stage. Track work looks great from here also.
kebmo
February 2018
thanks gents.
ken, it’s peco on30 flex track. i really didn’t do much.
tower dock details are in place and will get final weatheringwith the brown wash and maybe some chalk if needed, once they’re permanently placed. the details have been glued to the platform, but the platform and piping haven’t been glued down yet.
tower dock detailed1
admin
February 2018
Wonderful progress, looks awesome!
KKarns
February 2018
For sure Kevin…I meant your treatment of the trackage, very well done and looks hand laid.
kebmo
February 2018
thanks brett, thanks ken. I spent 5 hours yesterday just on details. can’t wait to start putting them in the dio. first things first, work and band rehearsal tonight, meeting tomorrow night. I probably won’t be able to get back to it until this weekend.
Robert.G
February 2018
It all looks very natural and real. Nice work man.
brownbr
February 2018
Looks realistic
kebmo
February 2018
we’re expecting as much as 16" of snow between tonight (it’s supposed to start in 20 minutes…) and when this thing stops sometime sunday, so odds are i’m going to be able to find some time at the work bench.
i would just like to let karl a. know how jealous of him i am, for two reasons:
- he’s one of the best modelers i’ve ever seen and aspire to learn from him. and
- did you guys see that rack of little sierra west drawers on his workbench? i can’t even imagine it. (well yes i can because the first time i saw it i imagined it on my workbench, but who didn’t?) to have that assortment of details at hand would be the coolest thing. we could scratchbuild in between swsm releases.
that’s all. just wanted to say that.
CarlLaskey
February 2018
Kevin It has taken me most of the day to remove 12 in of the wonderful white stuff to make room for the new stuff. …Carl
kebmo
February 2018
we only got 8-9" friday, but they say there’s more coming tonight and tomorrow. i love my snowblower…
kebmo
February 2018
i was at the workbench 3x since wednesday working on nothing but details. probably 8-9 hours total, and i’m not finished with them yet. i figure i have another 8-9 hours to be able to declare the details finished. i haven’t even touched them with the powders yet (except the crates). man there is a sh*t ton of details in this kit! i was juggling barrels and acetylene tanks on separate pieces of 12"x6" foam, so i consolidated and cut a piece of foam about 30"x6" and all the deets are on a single sheet of foam. lots of toothpicks in use…
this is fun
kebmo
February 2018
i didn’t feel like working on details today, so i worked on details…
i thought i’d finish up detailing the tower landing.
and another view showing the barrels etc. and the handrail installed.
using google images i found some old schlitz labels but jeez,…they’re way to small to try to put on the beer bottles.
brownbr
February 2018
Kevin, you have a gap showing between your tower and its foundation. If you take one of those drywall sanders with fine sandpaper, you can knock off whatever is holding it up…probably a piece of trim. If the gap remains, I would consider closing the gap up front and moving it to a different side where you can camoflauge it with some details.
KKarns
February 2018
Details coming along nicely Kevin. What is the casting sitting in front of the white barrel on the next to last pic? The finish on that piece is amazing…a subtile greenish color with well worn rust finish…love it…barrel rust and weathering looks mighty fine as well.
Joel
February 2018
Love the way it all comes together. It looks great Kevin. Love the bottles on the railing and the dirty rag. Not sure what’s happening with the gloves but they don’t quite seem to be posed naturally.
Bill
February 2018
I second what Joel said: love the rag drying on the railing along with the beer bottles.
I think you’re gonna want to tone down the white on the oil bottle that’s on the barrel. A little gray or tan chalk will help it not jump out as much.
kebmo
February 2018
brian: i’m kinda screwed. one of the corner posts is about 1/64 too long and i’m just gonna leave it be. i’m too scared of the potential damage to do anything that drastic.
ken: i have no idea what the casting is. it’s a metal casting that was blackened, buffed, painted pale saffron, and then hit with a pretty dark, heavy wash as described in the manual. i agree, the texture and color on it look great.
joel: you’re right, they’re not posed naturally. fortunately they aren’t glued down. i bent one 90 and hit the edges and the cracked part with adamantium black, but it still looks funky.
admin
February 2018 edited February 2018
The yellow piece is the base of a screw jack. The top portion is a separate casting that can be identified by the threads - looks like a small screw.
kebmo
February 2018
i solved the gap problem this morning before work…
i know it’s not the perfect solution but it works for me.
kebmo
February 2018
by the way…those pallets are beautiful! the jig is great.
brownbr
February 2018
Clever. I love that jig also.
admin
February 2018
Excellent work. Question, can you rotate the pallet on the right in the pic 90 degrees and still cover the gap? Would like to see what that looks like.
kebmo
February 2018
good call…
i’ll probably stick something under one end of it so it’s not laying flat and has a bit of an angle to it when i get to it. the model hasn’t made its way back to the workbench. its over on the benchwork while i’m working on details. once i have it on the workbench i’ll be able to get started on the scenery.
kebmo
February 2018
did a little more on the diorama…
you can see in the background that the oil tank has been installed and so have the supports for the landings.
the boilers:
i finished all of the resin castings and decided to detail the area under the addition.
next up, i need to mix up another batch of the brown wash and hit those details with it, then on to the supports.
KKarns
February 2018
Nice!..love the grungy boilers.
admin
February 2018
Looks Great!
brownbr
March 2018
Coming together very nice.
Joel
March 2018
Boilers are great. Coming together nicely.
kebmo
March 2018
gas pump
my version of the gas pump and
resin details
resin details 1
brownbr
March 2018
Nice family portrait of the details. Looks like enough for 2 dios.
admin
March 2018
Cool shot Kevin. That’s not even close to all the castings! Those are just the boilers, drums, and crates…
ironmountainlumber
March 2018
The track work and the details are very cool. Great job. What you O scale guys can do is amazing! It makes us HO guys want to build O scale too!
Jim
KKarns
March 2018
Love all the individual castings allowing the modeler to customize the scenes. The empty crates are a wonderful detail tool as are the concrete blocks among others. Very nice variety of treatments Kevin. Well done!
kebmo
March 2018
detailed the area in front of the oil tank. i still have to mix up another batch of the dark brown wash and when i do i plan on hitting most of the details with it
kebmo
March 2018
and here’s what ed’s talking about. i posted these on another forum and i think ed must’ve seen it there and confused everybody over here. anyway, after looking at the the addition supports with the nbw’s that i added to them, i think the nbw’s are a bit too big.
nothing is glued so it will be fairly simple to remove the nbws cuz i don’t think i ca’d ALL of them but they are all drilled and shafts inserted in the holes, so i may run into a few problem bolts.
kebmo
March 2018
i’m probably going to have to use h.o. nbw’s,cuz when i ordered these it was the only size available in o scale. i figure large(ish) h.o. nbw’s will still be smaller than these.
Joel
March 2018
Nice work. I agree the HO NBW’s would look more in scale.
KKarns
March 2018
Great looking detail work Kevin. Love the timber ends on your tank platform.
kebmo
March 2018
does anyone know how brett achieved the dried, cracking dirt effect?
admin
March 2018
I do…
Thin layer of finely sifted dirt from the diorama, almost dust, just enough glue/water mixture on top to wet it, then cross fingers. Might get lucky and get the cracking effect.
kebmo
March 2018
i put the welding shop on a piece of foam and put that on a turntable. I did this to test the locations of the welding shop details. the ladder will be constructed tonight and i will start placing acetylene tanks around the shop as well.
CarlLaskey
March 2018
Kevin you are doing a great job there young man. …Carl
KKarns
March 2018
Staging looks great. Love the tank rack among others…
kebmo
March 2018
i darkened those damn nbw’s
this is the final layout of the details. i stayed real close to brett’s manual, but there may have been a couple of castings that were already used elsewhere.
left side:
front:
right side:
rear:
and a bird’s eye view:
soon the weather will be warm and windless enough to get some natural light pics.
on to the diorama…
til next time
brownbr
March 2018
Wow that is turning out nice! You did a fine job on each individual casting and that is what makes the composition look so interesting.
2 small items I see to adjust. Black hose on sump pump wall is hanging at unnatural angle. And the tipped barrel could use some color on the bottom…probably rust due to contact with ground.
MikeM
March 2018
If you’re talking about the barrel being tipped into the sump, on my monitor the bottom (which is now the “top”) appears rusty in color. Are you recommending more color or perhaps some chalk for texture?
kebmo
March 2018
the bottom of the barrel on the tipping cradle is pretty heavily rusted already
brownbr
March 2018
My bad…I see it now. Looked like resin not rust on my screen.
kebmo
March 2018
nothing to report, other than i’m going to an eagles concert tonight! section one, row 11. great seats.
they were a gift.
Geezerbill
March 2018
Kevin, you are doing a superb job on this build. Really enjoying it!
Geezerbill
kebmo
March 2018
i ran across an issue yesterday. i went to an O scale meet (boy those guys have some expensive tastes), and i picked up an On30 flatcar and gon. the clearance at tower/loading dock is so close that i’m gonna have to remove the disguising pallets. so…i have to figure out a different way to camouflage the gap between the fundation an the tower wall.
Joel
March 2018
Might want to try a couple of tall weeds or a vine.
admin
March 2018 edited March 2018
or you could move the track to gain the clearance. wet just the track area thoroughly with rubbing alcohol and let it sit for 5 minutes - then gently pry the track up. Scrape the area under the track clean then start again… The epoxy used to secure the buildings and dock castings will not be affected. Unless you epoxied the track down then this won’t work…
kebmo
March 2018
i think i’ll be able to figure something out without moving the track. it’s just down with white glue so it wouldn’t be too hard, but…
brownbr
March 2018
Interesting that you are thinking about adding a car. I was thinking about the same thing. Maybe a flat with some oil drums…maybe the SW pipe car…maybe a couple of SW disconnects with a boiler chained down.
Geezerbill
March 2018
Bryan, excellent ideas!
Geezerbill
kebmo
April 2018
brian,
i’d love to have those cars. i have a couple of bachmanns. red plastic. its never easy trying to make that look realistic, but it is a challenge.
i haven’t been back to the work bench in quite a while (almost a month) because i have a new baby, she’s been taking up most of my free time.
it’s not what you think…
kebmo
June 2018
i’ve been away from the bench for quite a while, but i haven’t been completely negligent. i recently traded a water tower structure for a couple of on30 backmann freight cars, a flatbed and a gondola. the guy i traded with ordered a gondola kit from bill banta, and had it shipped to me. a few days ago i decided to build it. the first order of business was getting rid of the plastic box car red look, and here are the results (i haven’t installed the couplers yet):
vietnamseabee
June 2018
Great looking-great job on the weathering
I have a wood kit from LaBelle I’m about to start that looks very silimar…are Bill Banta and LaBelle one and the same?
Terry
kebmo
June 2018
i have no idea. still need some additional weathering which i’ll get to when i get around to installing the couplers.
Karl.A
June 2018 edited June 2018
I saw that you posted and I was all excited for an O’Niells update…
The car looks great and all but stop teasing me with guitars and cars, I wanna see your skills on the kit build…
Details, walls, windows or doors, I’m easy to please regardless. I sure am looking forward to the next build update
Karl.A
kebmo
July 2018
i’m considering building a small shed to store acetylene tanks in. i want to put it in the “scrap yard” scene. it won’t be big. maybe 8’x8’ scale feet. i want it to have this finish:
i’m going to make it look pretty beat up over the years. i would really appreciate any suggestions for achieving the color. black and white chalks? gray chalks? all suggestions will be considered and appreciated.
kebmo
July 2018
i wish i’d cut the base an extra inch wide. here’s the proposed location of the acetylene shed. obviously, its going to make the boiler clutter area much more cluttered…
here’s a few of the siding boards (pre-detailing) showing my attempt at coming up with a nice sun bleached gray finish. it could have been lighter, but its only a beat up shed..
hmm…i see some fuzzies in the picture. i know what i gotta do…
i used some of the excess ribbed roofing from the main building for the shed roof. it’s been painted and baked but i still need to color it.
i made the shed subwalls out of chipboard, and i’m going to install the siding boards vertically (after seeing ken’s recent update on the foundry build, i have alot of detailing to do.) i’m debating cutting small windows in the side walls but i don’t know if it’s necessary. after all…its just a shed. i suppose it should have some ventilation, as sheds can get pretty hot inside and this one’s gonna have acetylene stored in it.
well, i’m heading back downstairs. i think i’ll try dusting the boards with varying shades of gray.
Robert.G
July 2018
I think you are well on your way to achieve those sun bleached sidings. Looks good already.
kebmo
July 2018
shed walls are almost finished. nothing is glued together at this point. i see that i’m going to have to change out the trim across the tops of the walls, but i think that will have to wait until the walls are glued together. i still need to build the door.
KKarns
July 2018
Great looking shed Kevin, you nailed the color you were looking for.
vietnamseabee
July 2018
Kevin…your prototype barn looks like a great building to scratchbuild also…“your assignment, if you should choose to accept”…is more photos and dimensions ;-))
Terry
kebmo
July 2018
terry,
the barn is in really bad shape. as in, falling down shape…
i finished the front wall and left wall and glued them together. boy oh boy does the camera show a ton of fuzzies. they are not visible with my naked eye (anyway)…
the lighting is deceiving, because the edges of the signs have been thoroughly rusted and there is no white visible (to my naked eye)…
Robert.G
July 2018
Even so, it looks very good to me !
brownbr
July 2018
I like it. This will add an interesting element to the diorama
kebmo
July 2018
i thought i would roof it with scraps from the raised ribbed roofing on the main building, so i tried it and it looks out of scale on the shed, so i am going to redo the roof with tar paper instead.
vietnamseabee
July 2018
Just my opinion but I think the roof ribs look fine…they’re a wider spacing than the vertical wood siding…which they would be in real life…but you’re the builder and the only one who needs to be pleased with the result
Terry
BILLR
July 2018
I’m in awe of the amount of detail in your “O Scale” project and all the efforts you’ve made to correct those very few items that may not have shown up immediately. Reading your description, and all of the comments have been a real education for this “HO guy”. Very impressive, Kevin.
kebmo
July 2018
the only thing i want to do to it now is find sand the fuzzies away.
KKarns
July 2018
I like the tar paper, good decision. Doesn’t over power the structure. The weathering is great.
Dave_S
July 2018 edited July 2018
Kevin,
I’m in agreement with Ken’s comments and your decision to change to the tar paper roof for the auxiliary acetylene shed. We all hate it when the dreaded “fuzzies” show up in our model structure photos. But like you, we should rely on this “critical eye” of the camera to keep our modeling on a high level. I believe the few extra minutes of time spent on “fuzzy” clean-up will be greatly rewarded. Might be interesting to see how it effects the overall weathering as well.
In your final photo above from July 15 there is a great looking pick-truck in the upper left hand corner. What details can you share about the vehicle (scale, manufacturer, model year etc.?) By the paint colors I’d guess it was a late 50’s pick-up.
Later, Dave S Tucson, AZ
Karl.A
July 2018 edited July 2018
The shed on its own is a nice little build, it was definitely a good decision to go with the tar paper roof, not so over powering. You really made a good choice on that.
However, I’m not so keen on its placement, or it’s angle. I’ll elaborate on ‘why’, if you ask, but, it just doesn’t seem to ‘fit’.
Karl.A
kebmo
July 2018
ken: thanks. i wish i had better lighting, because in natural light you can really see the grain/details in the wood. in the pics not so much. i have 6 daylight bulbs, but they’re directly over my head and the shadows are hard to photograph in.
dave: it’s a die cast 1/48 truck. if you google “1/48 forrest gump truck” it’ll pop up.
karl: i think it’s because the angle of the shed in relation with the welding shop, where the acetylene tanks are refurbished, just isn’t plausible. if that’s your reason, it’s mine too. once i get all the ground cover down i’ll experiment with the placement of the shed, but i would love to hear your thoughts.
kebmo
July 2018
i fashioned a sanding stick by glueing fine grit sandpaper to a 3/32"x3/32" piece of stock i had and got rid of almost all of the fuzzies.
karl, i would love to hear your thoughts on the placement of the shed. I’ve already decided to eliminate the front “road” from the diorama and that gives me almost 2 more inches. the road can be on the layout once o’neill’s has been placed.
Robert.G
July 2018
I like the colour of this little shed. Very natural. And I have the same feel about the placement of it as Karl. I think it’s because of the angle of it’s position. All the other parts of the build are put together on a 90° angle. The shed seems to be but there as if ‘not permanent’ It doesn’t make part of it. Of course, in the end it will stand on its own, but placed at another angle and added scenery, I am sure it will be more integrated .
kebmo
July 2018
robert,
the shed was just placed there for the purpose of getting a picture of it. i’ve decided to eliminate the road across the front of the diorama. the road will be on the layout portion once the diorama is placed. this gives me almost 2" more room to place it. i have to get the rest of the ground cover dirt glued down (hopefully today). once the tan colored dirt is all glued down and set i’m going to add a layer of “black dirt” and then some greenery/details will be put down. I’ll figure out shed placement at that stage.
KKarns
July 2018
Wood looks great both in color and finish, love the weathering on the CocaCola sign.
Wes
July 2018
Hi Kevin.
Really love the little shed. Just a quick question. What is the chimney there for?
kebmo
July 2018
no earthly idea. i just felt it needed one. the smokejack is ho, and i don’t really know what that would be for either.
Karl.A
July 2018
Obviously Wes the shed used to be used as a ‘break room’ for the guys working outside in the winter months where they could grab a hot coffee from the potbelly stove and warm their hands.
When the shed was repurposed to be used as gas tank storage they couldn’t have a stove in there for safety reasons so they removed the stove but left the stack as a vent incase any of the old tanks started leaking…
Karl.A
vietnamseabee
July 2018
Well said, Karl…the story is an integral part of the model
Terry
kebmo
July 2018
thanks for the bail out karl. sounds plausible enough for me…
kebmo
August 2018 edited August 2018
in case you’ve been wondering what i’ve been up to, i did manage to get all my ground cover done (not the green layer yet), but while i was doing that i realized that the legs for the oil talk were WAY out of plumb so i removed it and am redoing the legs.
i also experimented with citadel agrellan earth paint in the tire tracks to get that dried,cracked look, but i’m going to redo all of that too. once that’s done i will install the welding shop on the diorama and figure out how to make the roof removeable.
kebmo
September 2018
finished the welding shop over the last couple of days, and we’re exhausted!
i made the roof removable, and right now the only thing holding the left roof in place is the ridge cap. i don’t know what i’m gonna do for sure to make it a little more secure, but for now, it works. i didn’t put any lighting in the structure and some day i’ll probably regret that, but the truth is, i don’t think the left roof will be on the structure very often.
so next up is to plant it on the diorama and start on the final placement of details, and i have ground cover work to do. kinda feels like i’m in the homestretch at this point.
and for the first time, i have a sierra west scale model kit on the shelf waiting it’s turn.
Karl.A
September 2018
I’m on my phone Kevin so it’s hard to enjoy in depth. But what I can see on this screen looks great.
So good to see your progress on this amazing kit again.
Keep us updated !!
Karl. A
Wes
September 2018
Kevin your work is really inspiring and making me want to get going on my kit again.
Looking forward to more great updates like this 1.
KKarns
September 2018
Front porch details look great. Anxious to see the rest as it evolves.
Dave_S
September 2018 edited September 2018
Kevin,
Great to see your continued progress on this kit. Execution to date is inspirational (as Wes already pointed out) for us forum members yet to start this kit build. Along with Ken, I am anxious to see how everything evolves from here.
Later, Dave S. Tucson, AZ
brownbr
September 2018
I like the sag in the roof you have going on there. Not sure if it was intentional or accident but it works.
kebmo
September 2018
the welding shop is placed for fit. it’s not glued in yet. i’ll do that tonight after work. i wanted to get this step done to see how the driveway lined up with the drive through. looks pretty good to me.
vietnamseabee
September 2018
Careful there Brian…commenting on a modelers sagging roof is right up there with congratulating a heavy women on her pregnancy;-))
Terry
Dave_S
September 2018
Kevin,
The welding shop looks terrific against the other O’Neill’s structures. Making the roof removable makes perfect sense. It will allow for a great view inside to see all the awesome details in there you worked so hard on to make look like they are used regularly/daily. I’m thinking that gentleman sitting on the dock mimics you after a hard days work.
Later, Dave S. Tucson, AZ
KKarns
September 2018
You are at a feally fun stage Kevin, planting the structures and seeing things come together…
SteveCuster
September 2018
That little shed looks great Kevin. You nailed the gray color of the prototype siding. It really looks great.
geoawelch
September 2018
Kevin, your modeling makes everything look like part of a whole, rather than individual buildings. Great craftsmanship.
George
kebmo
September 2018
thanks all. bryan, the roof doesn’t have a sag in it. it must be the bad photography.
kebmo
October 2018
disaster struck today. my basement “flooded”. it’s actually seepage from stress cracks in the foundation. the last time it happened was in 2013 and it was much worse than this time, but i still had to remove the benchwork for the layout i don’t yet have, and then paneling and drywall. it’s going to be a while before i can get back to the workbench. i can barely find it right now.
tomorrow i remove rest of the paneling/drywall and fix the stress crack. last time i used hydraulic cement and probably will this time too. then redrywall (after reframing out the wall) and painting. i think the “layout” idea is a thing of the past.
vietnamseabee
October 2018
Sorry to hear that , buddy
Terry
**
Karl.A**
October 2018
That’s terrible news to read… I’m so sorry for your situation.
Karl.A
Robert.G
October 2018
I am so sorry for you and wish you lots of courage in the aftermath of this terrible event. I also hope there isn’t to much damage. Not on your home , and your SW work.
brownbr
October 2018
That is aweful. Sorry to hear it.
geoawelch
October 2018
Good luck with the repairs, Kevin
George
Joel
October 2018
Sorry to hear. Good luck with the repairs.
kebmo
October 2018
thank you everyone. i’m rolling up my sleeves and heading down there now to continue the demo work. i have a contractor/friend coming over saturday morning to survey the situation and give me a quote for the re-framing/drywall/paint. i need to get the demo done today.
admin
October 2018
Good Luck! Don’t give up on the layout, that’s way too important a goal!
KCSTrains
October 2018
Man, that’s really bad. I’m sorry you have to go through this. Phil
sdrees
October 2018
Sorry for your disaster
EricMG
October 2018
Put the layout in the living and dining room.
KKarns
October 2018
Oh boy! sorry to hear that Kevin.
kebmo
October 2018
the wife and i discussed it, and we both agree that a layout is never going to happen, so the room will be restored from a man-cave (sorta) to a family room that will have some shelving for dioramas.
i realized that building structures has always taken priority over building a layout. if i have the choice i always opt for the workbench. so there it is. no layout but plenty of diorama building (she thinks i should sell em…) i actually have done some spec work, so maybe i’ll be able to do some more of that too.
EricMG
October 2018
The wife said? Another model railroad milk toast?
Karl.A
October 2018 edited October 2018
Sounds like a great plan Kevin, If building the structures is what makes you happiest you should spend your time enjoying what you love.
Karl.A
geoawelch
October 2018
Kevin, there’s freedom in coming to a tough decision together.
kebmo
October 2018
eric-it’s milque toast. if yer gonna bash me, at least do it right.
karl-i am in 100% agreement
george-you’re absolutely right. feels like a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
EricMG
October 2018
I wasn’t trying to bash you. I was attempting at humor. Thus my spelling.
KCSTrains
October 2018
Dioramas on a shelf is not a bad compromise. Keep on building!! Phil
kebmo
October 2018
i have a contractor here that’s busy hanging drywall. i expect I’ll be able to get back to the workbench in a couple of weeks, once the room has been repainted.
Karl.A
October 2018
That’s great news Kevin.
Karl.A
Joel
October 2018
Glad to hear. Looking forward to more posts.
Dave_S
October 2018 edited October 2018
Kevin,
Kevin,
A shelf/ wall layout is a great idea. Some of the finest most convincing modeling I have seen is by a modeler (retired art teacher) who hails from Indiana, Tom Johnson. He works and re-woks a scene until he he gets it just right. The way he blends his scenery on a one foot deep shelf into a wall mural is awesome. Tons to be learned by finding and following his concepts.
One of Toms interesting ideas is to use vehicles but no figures in his scenes. His idea is how many times driving through a small town do you see people out and about. I guess that works for him but I am not sure it works for our type of modeling where we are focused on the functioning structure in addition to the setting or even as part of the setting.
Later, Dave S. Tucson, AZ
kebmo
October 2018
i followed the construction of jim six’s layout a few years ago, and his layout (I believe) is a “sister” layout of tom johnson’s. some great modeling
Dave_S
October 2018 edited October 2018
Kevin,
Yes, I couldn’t agree more. Definitely two great modelers. They understand both the big picture as well as the small details that make model railroading so interesting.
Did you ever have a chance to visit the Batavia Club layout in the upstairs gym in downtown Batavia before the club lost it’s lease? That was a layout that changed the focus of model railroading from just running trains in circles on plywood central to operating like a real railroad in a sceniced environment often times on a single track mainline. I hardly ever missed on of their open houses.
Later, Dave
kebmo
October 2018
they were both granger layouts as i recall. they might have even modeled the same prototype, but i’m not sure about that.
kebmo
October 2018
opened another wall and found moldy drywall. u.s. waterproofing is coming on 11/5, so all basement restoration is on hold until after that. can’t wait to see what this is going to cost…
somebody shoot me.
geoawelch
October 2018
Sorry to hear, Kevin. Water can definitely be insidious. Best of luck. Your health is priceless.
George
Karl.A
October 2018
On the positive side Kevin, its good that you found it now before any other work was done that could of hidden it and caused more problems later.
Spending more time/money to do it right the first time is always quicker/cheaper than doing it twice…
Good luck on the progress.
Karl.A
Jerry
October 2018
Kevin sorry to hear about your misfortune!! I hope nothing important got ruined?
Jerry
kebmo
October 2018
just the usual suspects. carpet, drywall…
kebmo
November 2018
an update:
the foundation repair is happening on 12/7, 12/8 the dry waller covers the opening where u.s. waterproofing will be working, 12/9 the painter comes and finishes painting (it’s all done except where the wall needs to be patched up), 12/10 the new carpet gets installed, and then i can start putting the room back together. we decided to get new furniture upstairs and move this furniture downstairs, and there’s a new 55" flat screen on the way. lo and behold, i have a 2’ x 8’ space for a display layout. the trains will work, but it will be shadowboxed display layout with On30 locos and rolling stock, O scale structures toward the front, and i will hopefully figure out forced perspective, and have a few h.o. structures toward the rear on a rise to create depth.
i’m back in the game!! (in a few more weeks)
vietnamseabee
November 2018
Sounds like a good plan…just hope all the vendors/contractors conform to the schedule;-))
Terry
kebmo
November 2018
yeah, me too…
brownbr
November 2018
Good news there.
kebmo
November 2018
thanks. i was a big fan of jim six and his layout, which i believe is a “sister layout” to tom johnsons. those indiana guys are masters!
his method of matching his road to the backdrop road is astonishing.
Dave_S
November 2018
Yes they are. What innovators they were along with the others who formed the Batavia, IL modelers group. I couldn’t get enough of that layout and the concepts they introduced for building narrow shelves to operate on in a gigantic walk around layout. Wish there were many more photos of that layout in existence.
Later, Dave S. Tucson, AZ
kebmo
November 2018
a week from today the foundation crack gets fixed, the next day the drywaller/painter comes to button up the wall were the crack was fixed, the following monday the new carpet comes…and in anxious anticipation of finally being able to unpack and clean up the work bench cuz it’s covered in drywall dust (nice additional weathering…) i realized that the scenery is the next step on o’neill’s and i was out of alcohol (not this kind…i’m never out of that):
i stopped at CVS to pick up isopropyl and they had something i’ve never seen before, and it seemed to be perfect for scenery work, so i picked up two pints of 91% and one of these:
hopefully in a couple of weeks i’ll find out how well it works.
kebmo
December 2018
[hic] duly noted…
kebmo
December 2018
the room is back together. everything is done except clearing off the work bench, which had become a storage facility during the rehab of the room. hoping to get back to the bench in a few days.
vietnamseabee
December 2018
Great news…let the modeling begin
Terry
admin
December 2018
Excellent Kevin!
Jerry
December 2018
I’ll drink to that Kevin!!
Jerry
KKarns
December 2018
Glad to hear Kevin, have missed you posting…
kebmo
December 2018 edited December 2018
thanks everyone. after about $5k it’s done. i should be able to get the workbench cleared off tonight or tomorrow night, and then i can get back to o’neill’s.
believe it or not, the way i had everything scheduled (mold remediation, foundation crack repair, drywall replacement, painting, carpet) worked out exactly as planned. monday night, after the carpet was done, i had the biggest sh*teating grin on my face all night. the carpenter did have to come back tuesday to install the baseboards.
brownbr
December 2018
Good news for sure.
Dave_S
December 2018
Kevin,
We are all looking forward to your posting again, but I’m certain no more than you who has been counting down the days and hours.
Later, Dave S. Tucson, AZ
kebmo
December 2018
GUYS, I FOUND MY WORKBENCH TONIGHT!!!
by the way, that chair is worth about $1200. it’s the most comfortable chair i’ve ever sat in, and it’s been repurposed for the workbench, it sooo adjustable and incredibly comfortable, the best part is, i got for $0 from an ex-father in law. no more achin’ back after a long session at the bench. woohoo!!!
who’s a happy guy?
kebmo
December 2018
i want one of those racks of sierra west details like karl has. i promise i’ll make room for it.
Robert.G
December 2018
That’s one motivating workspace you’ve got there !!! Glad for you.
brownbr
December 2018
Nice set up.
KCSTrains
December 2018
As folks were noting about my workspace, it’s way too clean. You need to hurry up and get a kit in progress on it. Congratulations on your recovery from the disaster. Phil
kebmo
December 2018
o’niell’s found it’s way to the bench late last night. if the bears weren’t playing the hated packers today, i’d be at the bench all day.
KKarns
December 2018
Nice work space Kevin…really happy your back in action!
kebmo
December 2018
one of my brother in laws is a part owner too. i am not impressed.
kebmo
December 2018
spent the last two afternoons placing details in their final resting places. i’m working my way around the welding shop. i’m so unhappy with the driveway that i’ll probably take it up and redo it. my “static grass” applicator is a $35.00 piece of crap and doesn’t produce enough static to get the grass to stand up.
i’ll get new batteries for it an experiment a bit…
as you can see, i left one side of the roof off and if i didn’t like the drive under so much i would have made it removable.
after the drive gets ripped up and redone, it’s back to the manual to check the remaining boxes..
Joel
December 2018
Looks great.
sdrees
December 2018
Kebmo,
I also have one of those cheap static grass applicators. I had the same problem. I was told that you shouldn’t move the applicator around fast or shake it and that was the reason the grass didn’t stand up.
brownbr
December 2018
The clutter is looking good. How are you going to make the drivethrough posts look set in place if they are removable?
Karl.A
December 2018 edited December 2018
brownbr said:
The clutter is looking good. How are you going to make the drivethrough posts look set in place if they are removable?
You could glue some tufts of grass to the bottom of the posts, this would hide any connection to the ground and be removeable with the posts,
Looking good Kevin, clutter is looking nice, my one suggestion would be to tone that yellow barrel down slightly with a light dusting of dry rusty chalk over the ‘clean’ bright areas.
Keep up the good work and keep the progress pics coming.
Thanks
Karl.A
KKarns
December 2018
Nice to see you back at the build Kevin. Lots of great details…love the gas pump.
kebmo
January 2019
i wasn’t referring to the drive under being removable. what i meant was, i like the driveunder so much that i decided not to make the welding shop roof removable.
brownbr
January 2019
I understand now. Thanks.
EricMG
January 2019
I bought the GrassMaster 2.0 and it works AMAZING. Trouble is you start speaking German and putting grass EVERYWHERE!
Robert.G
January 2019 edited January 2019
I use it too and it works really great.
kebmo
January 2019 edited January 2019
i’m spending my day pulling up the track and moving it 1/4" away from the building, and last night i ripped up the driveway for a redo. pics once the glue dries and the track is re-ballasted (with dirt). the driveway will be a longer slog. i’m doing an experimental driveway on an extra piece of foam, trying to follow Karl’s method. yesterday i ground up some dried floral moss and leaves (unfortunately i have a garage full of leaves) i bought an $18 blender.
Karl.A
January 2019 edited January 2019
Put water in your cheap blender if you use it prolonged or the blade cog will melt, same for one of those cheap food ‘choppers’. They overheat and melt the plastic cogs real quick if you’re not careful and use them for more than 30sec ‘bursts’. Quick blends/pulses are OK, but let it cool down between or add water.
Sorry to get off topic but just wanted to throw that ‘experience’ in there for you and anyone else.
Cant wait to see it come back together, I think moving that track was def the right way to go, sometimes it’s hard to backtrack, but you’ll be glad you did… 'Never Compromise"
Karl.A
brownbr
January 2019
Sounds like advice from experience Karl.
KCSTrains
January 2019
Karl is right. I inherited a more expensive mini blender and after grinding up some leaves, I started smelling burnt plastic. I’ll keep in my your recommendation for 30 second bursts. Phil
kebmo
January 2019
30 second bursts is the plan of the day.
kebmo
January 2019
ow…
nothing is permanent in this scene, i’m just trolling for opinions…
i’ve been working my way around the diorama installing details and thought this might work. it’s under a direct light, so that’s the reason the fence looks so white. actually, it’s stained with chalks and alcohol, and i damp brushed some ivory acrylic paint on it and added a few signs.
the ground cover where the shed is hasn’t been glued down yet, and that’s why theres a difference in color.
anyway, …should i lose the shed and fence, or keep it in and detail the hell out of it.
i still have plenty to go.
KCSTrains
January 2019
Kevin, I like the fence, but it is hiding the shed. I would move it so we can see it. Just a suggestion. Phil
brownbr
January 2019
I like the idea of a fence in the corner. I agree with Phil on the use of a privacy fence. It just blocks too much of the good stuff we want to see.
kebmo
January 2019
i think i’ll work up a two or three rail fence for the corner
TomMich
January 2019
Kevin,
I like the shed (great possibilities for detailing) but agree the fence is blocking the scene. A rail fence or wire fence would allow more viewing.
KKarns
January 2019
I’m in with scraping the fence as well. Serves little purpose other than hiding the view as the shed is easily accessible despite the fence. My eye is immediately drawn to the sharp angles of the fence and the sign and away from your great main structure. Shed can be highly detailed and would compliment the main facility.
kebmo
January 2019
i’ve already tossed the fence and started on a much smaller two rail fence.
kebmo
January 2019
just the fence. the shed stays.
Mario
January 2019
excellent detailing
kebmo
February 2019
i was in the process of finishing the scenery up and my grass tech II went on the fritz, so i called them and returned it. Once i get the replacement i’ll be able to get back to work on things.
admin
February 2019
Looking forward to some updates and pics with the scenery!
Karl.A
February 2019
Looking forward to it, keep us updated as soon as something happens.
Karl.A
kebmo
February 2019
i just spoke with grass tech and he received it today and will be sending the replacement out today or tomorrow, so i’m probably looking at mid-week before i get it. i have no meetings next week so i should be able to get back to it soon.
kebmo
February 2019 edited February 2019
$350 a month? do you own a golf course or something?
the grass tech is a static grass applicator. the one i had was making a noise like a geiger counter and not working. when i called the owner of the company he told me that they are supposed to be silent and i should send it directly to him rather than where i bought it (scenic express). he got it today and he’ll send the new one out this afternoon (sweet).
i also asked him a couple of questions about applying static grass and i was pretty surprised at his answer. he uses undiluted wood glue. when i asked how he dealt with it drying yellow he said he scrapes earth tone pigment into the glue. i thought that was a pretty good tip.
when i asked him how he goes about stacking static grass (for example: putting 6mm grass right directly on top of 2mm grass) he said he dry brushes elmer’s white glue full strength on the tips of the 2mm grass. i still haven’t quite figured out how that’s even a possibility.
brownbr
February 2019
Good tips on the grass. I really like the look of static grass. Looking forward to seeing yours grow.
kebmo
February 2019
it was 12 degrees here today so it’s hard for me to have pity.
alligator and snake removal. that’s kinda creepy. i’ll stick with the raccoons and squirrels and the crappy winters.
brownbr
February 2019
Ed, I remember being in FL for a meeting once. There were these oversized black squirrels running all over the resort where we stayed. They became affectionately known as the “monkey-rat bastards” because no one was completely sure what they were.
kebmo
February 2019
i got my replacement grass tech yesterday, and this morning i experimented on a piece of scrap 1/4" foam. after painting it brown, i put down a layer of 2mm grass mixing rembrandt pastel powder into straight wood glue. once that dried i hit it with hair spray (just to see if it would work) and stacked some 6mm static grass on top of the 2mm grass.
thoughts?
kebmo
February 2019
i’ve been experimenting with stacking the 6mm static grass on top of the 2mm grass. here’s the first layer:
here’s a second layer:
and here’s a 3d layer:
i think its a winner. thoughts?
Joel
February 2019
Looks quite convincing and very lush.
kebmo
February 2019
i did one more application. it really couldn’t be easier once you put the 2mm down. a quick spray of cheap hairspray and apply the grass. immediately after that you can just keep doing the same thing until you get the height of grass you want. this pic is the 4th layer of 6mm applied directly on top of the previous layer. that grass tech II is a helluva tool. i’m real glad i bought it.
Robert.G
February 2019
Looks real good !
Jerry
February 2019
For 350.00 a month I’d want the grass that doesn’t grow on the ground!!
Jerry
CarlLaskey
February 2019
Kevin. Cut the lawn today. …Carl…
I like the stripes a lot better.
brownbr
February 2019
Good experiment. I love the look of grass applied this way.
TomMich
February 2019
Kevin,
Looks good. I have not been a big fan of static grass because I always thought it looked too even, but your multi applications have really worked well. Thanks for sharing.
Tom
kebmo
February 2019 edited February 2019
robert-thanks.
jerry-me too.
carl-stripes?
bryan-i like it too. i think i’ll be using it alot.
tom-thanks.
KCSTrains
February 2019
Kevin, looks real good. Try blending a little burnt grass or autumn grass for a little more contrast. I usually have the burnt grass as the longer grass. Phil
Karl.A
February 2019
Good experimentation Kevin with great results. Looking forward to seeing this on the diorama.
Karl.A
KKarns
February 2019
Right on Kevin…your new machine is getting the job done.
Dave_S
February 2019
Kevin,
As long as you are experimenting and before you settle on this color for your tall grass give some consideration to blended colors, or even better yet try a few experiments with blending colors for a more natural look. I think you will like it.
Later, Dave S. Tucson, AZ
kebmo
February 2019
what i’ve used is pretty well blended. there’s at least 4 colors in there. iphone camera coupled with a lousy eye and a shaky hand means crappy pictures. sorry about that.
Dave_S
February 2019
Kevin,
Good to hear that you had already blended the grass. I’m sure it will look great. When observing the grass in a setting with structures it will take on a different appearance. Looking forward to your next steps.
Later, Dave S. Tucson, AZ
I just saw your water tower placement over the tall grass over on Joel’s O’Neills build. Looks like you may have also added some wildflowers to add interest. It looks terrific!
Keep on keeping on!
Later, Dave
KCSTrains
February 2019
Kevin, I’m really interested in the overall look and your technique when applying the static grass. When I apply 2mm and 6 mm together, they pretty much settle to their respective heights. With your technique of first applying 2 mm, spraying with hairspray, and then applying 6mm, it looks much taller. How do you apply the 6 mm? I wouldn’t think that the static grass applicator would work. Can you give more details on the second step? Thanks. Phil
Dave_S
February 2019 edited February 2019
Thanks for asking that question Phil. I’m in agreement, Kevin, inquiring minds would like to know a bit more about your tall grass technique.
Later, Dave S. Tucson, AZ
kebmo
February 2019 edited February 2019
sure. here’s what the owner of grass tech said he does and what i did:
squeeze out a good sized blob of yellow wood glue.
scrape earth toned powders into it and mix it up well.
i used a crappy paint brush and stippled the glue where i want grass.
load up 2mm in the applicator and stick the ground pin in the glue field (important). apply the 2mm grass.
you don’t even have to wait until the glue dries (but when it dries its the color of the powder you scraped into it. (so don’t use reds and yellows :))
load up your applicator with the 6mm. here’s where i deviated from what he does:
mask off any areas you don’t want grass (with paper or whatever), and spray the 2mm with a light spritz of cheap hair spray. stick the ground pin in the hair spray field and apply. he says that he dry brushes straight white glue on the tips of the 2mm. that seemed a bit difficult to me so i tried the hair spray and it worked great.
you can keep stacking or stop when your grass is at the height you want. it’s really pretty easy. in the example i posted there are four applications of 6mm on top of the 2mm and i did them one right after the other. no waiting.
i gotta warn you though…the stuff gets everywhere. i bought a woodland scenics model vacuum and it helps but it’s not a very strong vacuum.
KCSTrains
February 2019
Thanks Kevin. I’ll give it a try. Phil
Dave_S
February 2019
Thanks Kevin.
Later, Dave S. Tucson, AZ
kebmo
February 2019
let me know how it works for you.
kebmo
March 2019
i finished o’neill’s. i won’t have pics until my friend’s wife brings her photography equipment over and takes them. hopefully this weekend, but i don’t know for sure when that will happen.
admin
March 2019
tease!
kebmo
March 2019
i’m also still working on a few “details” that didn’t come wit the kit but will be in the diorama.
admin
March 2019
engine909 said:
Consider taking action.I will back you.
Hah! Will do…
Jim M
March 2019
This is a great thread. I just started “staining” the first round of sticks for my build. Learning a lot reading through here. Great job.
MuddyCreekRR
March 2019
Question for Brett…trying to allow the proper space on the layout…do you have a rough measurement for the “O” scale Mortons Foundry?..need to leave enough real estate net to O’Neills? Thanks!
Karl.A
March 2019
Looking forward to those photo’s, its going to be great to see it complete.
Karl.A
kebmo
March 2019
i have gigs friday and saturday nights and it’s been tough to get my friend’s wife together for pictures, but i’m working on it. i’m waiting for a couple of figures to get here from britain, and then i can finish the last scene.
while waiting on the figures and her availability, i started detailing the wood for the railroad camp.
kebmo
March 2019
here are some iphone shot of my o’neill’s. since these were taken i added a rusted out pickup truck and i’m waiting for two figures to come from britain so i can complete the scene.
MuddyCreekRR said:
Question for Brett…trying to allow the proper space on the layout…do you have a rough measurement for the “O” scale Mortons Foundry?..need to leave enough real estate net to O’Neills? Thanks!
kebmo
March 2019
i have no idea how MuddyCreek’s comment got in there.
KKarns
March 2019
Wow Kevin, your mini-scenes are well done and nicely populated with details. So much to look at. I like the dark dirt you worked in, gives a nice unique look. Well done my friend.
kebmo
March 2019
thanks ken. it’s astonishing how much detail is on that small piece of wood.
CarlLaskey
March 2019
When are you going to clean up the yard, I guess i will have to call the property manager to get something done.
Nice work Kevin.
brownbr
March 2019
A fine job all the way around.
Robert.G
March 2019
Can’t agree more. Well done.
kebmo
March 2019
i think you guys are just being nice…
i look at your work and think, “oh my gosh”. i look at mine and say, “oh brother”.
CarlLaskey
March 2019
Kevin. You the MAN.
kebmo
March 2019
no you are…
TomMich
March 2019
Great job Kevin! Love the details and clutter.
kebmo
March 2019
thanks tom. here’s a shot of the final scene i was working on.
the figures are from omen. i recommend them highly because they’re some of the best figures i’ve seen. good detail and they paint up nice.
kebmo
March 2019
by the way, the figures, truck and cinder block are just placed there and haven’t been glued in yet.
MuddyCreekRR
March 2019
is that on a 12" by 12" piece of foam…or bigger?..and I have no idea how my posting got mixed in either…
brownbr
March 2019
I like the worker dudes.
admin
March 2019
Great scene Kevin, fits the mood of the dio for sure. I sure wouldn’t want to crawl underneath that car!
kebmo
March 2019
muddy, the base is 15" x 16". bryan, the lps look good. brett, i wouldn’t either. i’ll make it a bit more secure for him.
Joel
March 2019
Love the little scene. Very cool.
kebmo
March 2019
thanks joel.
kebmo
November 2019
my photographer pal came over sunday and brought quite a few lights, and an expensive camera with a deluxe tripod (in short..my buddy was her roadie and it took several trips from the truck) with her. she took alot of shots, albiet, not the shots i would have taken. be that as it may…here they are:
well there ya have it.
CarlLaskey
November 2019
Good Job there young man a lot to look at. …Carl…
Dave_S
November 2019
Kevin,
Great photos. Thanks for posting them for us to enjoy. Give your photographer friend a big hug from the SierraWest Forum members. Probably did that already, eh?
I especially like the mechanic working under the old truck. After I first saw that figure in one of your earlier posts I ordered one for a future diorama.
Later, Dave S. Tucson, AZ
brownbr
November 2019
A great model deserves a great photo session.
sdrees
November 2019
Another great job Kevin! The photo’s are great. The weathering is great and the use of the little people is nicely done.
Robert.G
November 2019
Fantastic modeling. Again ! Very inspiring. Thanks for sharing this.
TomMich
November 2019
Great job Kevin! Love the details and weathering on them. I also thought the mechanic working on the truck was a nice addition. Hopefully he doesn’t bump that concrete block holding the truck up!
kebmo
November 2019
thanks everyone. osha would have a field day…
Jim M
November 2019
Beautiful job Kevin. Love seeing the diorama come together.
trains4ms
November 2019
Great looking model in all aspects. Still wondering what the guy ,laying under that truck, was thinking when he crawled under there.
Mike S.
kebmo
November 2019
thanks all.
Joel
November 2019
Really nice Kevin. A model to be proud of for sure.
Jerry
November 2019
Great job Kevin.
Jerry
Geezerbill
December 2019
Wonderful and enjoyable pictures Kevin of great modeling. Really, really nice.
Geezerbill