Hi Everyone-
I’m working on a kitbash project in HO scale that will be using Laube’s Linen Mill as a base, using several kits to make a larger structure. Only problem with the “LLM” kit is that there is no “blank” wall space anywhere on that kit! I need an area of blank wall space in this kitbash… Can I substitute a blank wall from the DPM modulars? The “blank” area is between two pilasters, so I’m not trying to match up bricks mortar seam by mortar seam. Thoughts?
-otto-
The first thing that I’d think would stand in the way is that the modulars are significantly thinner than the wall sections from the regular kits.
The bricks on that kit appear to be the same size as on the DPM modular wall sections. If the thickness is an issue, it’s easy to laminate sheet or strip styrene to the back of the DPM walls to facilitate strong joints and a uniform outer appearance.
Wayne
At the risk of hijacking the thread, has anyone done a comparison of brick size between DPM models and modulars, Walthers models and modulars (now retired from production), Walthers brick sheets, and Heljan brick sheets medium versus small brick?
I am aware that the Walthers brick sheets are in a particular pattern (forget what it is called) – and don’t know about the others.
For a brief time there was a modular system available from Model Die Casting as well as another firm the name of which escapes me; they had a fairly complete and ambitious line of modular structure parts but it seemed short lived. I never bought much of it so I guess I was part of the problem.
Dave Nelson
I don’t want to divert it too much either, but I recently made a small building from some of the old MDC parts you mentioned. I had them sitting around for years and finally decided to do something with them.
When you actually start working with them, it becomes clear that they had issues. The toolwork was very nice, but they had all kinds of oddities in the brick (intentionally) that made the sections look repetitious. And the doors and windows had a weird wild west look to them. I can’t recall if they sold parts separately, but I could only find them in sets to make a particular building, which made it difficult to get an extra piece or two.
It was an interesting idea, but probably not as useful as it could have been because of the design. That could be why they didn’t sell better.
Jim
Walthers and DPM bricks have different textures, so aren’t especially compatible. They’re fine to mix for something like an addition or modification to an existing structure - situations where the brick wouldn’t have to match. I haven’t worked much with Heljan brick.
This in-progress complex uses both Walthers and Heljan brick. They aren’t identical, but again could be used for adjoining brick of different ages.
The MDC walls were of limited use. They had distinctive details that meant you couldn’t just use the same wall over and over without it becoming obvious (repairs, blanked out windows, odd combinations of materials, etc.). They weren’t useful for anything but small buildings without repetition of the patterns becoming obvious.
Heeeeeeyyyyyyy Otto!
I recognize that mug in avatar! I may have some Walthers wall sections hanging around here including one or two that are solid… You are welcome to see if they would work on the kitbash. I’ll look downstairs and see what i have left.
You can contact me via email if you like. If I can find them I may be able to drop them off at the R&GV RR Museum for you.
Old Santa Ray… “Ho, ho, ho…”
Maybe you could intentionally go for a mismatched look, like the blank wall was added later. You could make it look like poured concrete with form patterns visible, concrete block, or brick from another kit. You could use any of these materials to blank out some windows on the original DPM wall, which would probably require the cast-in window frames to be carved out. Depending on how the structure fits with its surroundings, you could consider an addition with dissimilar materials, and have blank walls on the addition.
One other small note. Unless someone already mentioned it, it’s difficult to always say which brand brick patterns are similar because over the years some brands have used different sources for their kits. For a while most Walthers kits were made by Heljan and all had similar brick patterns. But now with many made in China the size, as far as I know, is slightly different. Also, mold making methods have changed over the years and that can affect the look of a manufacturer’s product in the same line.
In other words, you can’t always make a blanket statement about one brand being compatible with another unless you actually compare parts side by side. I just wanted to make things more confusing. : )
Jim
Don’t know if this will help in your situation, but you could brick up the windows in the sections that are to be blank. Brick patterns don’t have to match as this was a very common building modification over the years. In some cases they would punch out the “bricked up window” to get machinery in or out and then rebrick it again, resulting is differnet patches over time.
I used the MDC walls to build the oil house at Lowbanks:
…and the boiler house and shipping department of Bertram’s Machine Works:
…and the foundation for this coal-dealer’s-elevator-turned-into-a-grain-storage-elevator:
Wayne
A lot may depend on where the building is placed on your layout. If it’s close to the front, you might be careful to match up brick sizes and patterns. A bit further back, and it will be less important.
DPM modular sections all have a row of raised bricks about a quarter of the way up from the bottom. These work together nicely if you use all DPM sections, but will stand out if you try to use them with other components. I would suggest getting the more plain Walthers brick sheets. Once you paint and mortar them the same as the rest of the building, it will be hard to tell the difference.
Only the ground floor sections used for structures with loading docks or raised interior floors have that brick feature, Mister B. There are also ground floor walls where the doors are at ground level , and these sections don’t have the row of bricks in-relief, nor do any of the upper storey wall sections. It probably wouldn’t be too difficult to remove that feature from walls having it, either, then re-scribe the area to restore the mortar lines.
Wayne
Those are some great uses of the MDC walls! I really like how the stone foundation turned out on the coal dealer structure.
Thanks, Rob. [:D] The storage elevator was very loosely based on one seen in a photo in Ian Wilson’s “Steam at Allandale”, and was fairly typical of such structures in small towns in southern Ontario.
The building can be lifted off its foundation, allowing the latter part to be weathered before installation on the layout. The area under the loading/unloading shed will be on a built-up dirt ramp once on the layout.
Wayne
Yes, there is some variety in the styles of the walls in DPM sections. I’d forgotten about the “single-story” sections. Most of my DPM structures are more industrial, and I mostly use the larger pieces.
I pulled out my shoebox of leftover brick parts and put a piece of Walthers brick sheet next to a DPM section. The bricks line up pretty well, almost exactly line-for-line. There’s some “pattern” to the Walthers bricks, with a slightly different line every seven rows. Once I’ve painted and mortared this brick, though, I really can’t say that it’s noticeable.
Wow, I don’t remember these at all! When did they come out? I imagine they must be pretty hard to find.
-otto-
Really nice work, Wayne! Thanks for sharing!
I may just take you up on that, thanks, Ray!
So I think my plan now is to use the Laube’s Linen Mill and use a razor saw to cut out the wall sections with windows that I don’t want and replace them with DPM modular wall sections. The pilasters should help hide the seams, and should also mask any difference in brick pattern from section to section. I’ll keep you posted!
-otto-
I’m not sure when they were introduced. They were available at least into the mid 80s, as I still have an old Walthers catalog that lists them (I saved the 50th anniversary catalog). My hobby shop kept a stock of all the parts back then.