I have the perfect spot for the Scale Structure (SS) Ltd boiler house and thus it arrived today. It looks like it might be the most delicate structure kit I’ve attempted so I thought I’d ask for any experiences on this one that might be needed?
peahrens:
Is this your first wood kit? If so, there are a number of things that are different from styrene kits. (I saw your post on “Weekend Picture Fun” by the way and your styrene kits look really good).
Rather than launch into a whole spiel about wood kits, why don’t you give us an idea of how much knowledge you have acquired so far on building wood structures and we can fill in the blanks. If you are a total novice don’t be afraid to say so, but I didn’t want to assume that from the start.
Dave
Edit: There are some good videos available from Bar Mills. They make great kits too.
http://www.barmillsmodels.com/
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This is my third time into the hobby (3rd year now) and I’ve built a grand total of (count them) one wood kit, a simple laser cut school for my grandson’s layout. I have a few other wood kits (Suydam station/depot, a small house, etc) that I have not gotten to yet. I painted the school with Testors solvent based paints, but would prefer to use artist acrylics.
I might need to do the Suydam station first (I need to shorten it a bit) because the boiler house looks trickier with things like two-layer walls, drilling stack holes in a sloped roof, etc).
peahrens:
The boiler house will be more complicated then the school house obviously, but I doubt that it will be more delicate. If you have to do things like drill vertical holes in the sloped roofs then I would suggest starting with a smaller bit first to get the hole located, and then gradually work up to the size you need. Getting the hole elongated to match the slope of the roof so the pipes will stand up straight and fit properly simply involves gently angling the bit after it has gone through the roof so that the drill bit is on the same angle as the pipe will be relative to the sloped roof.
One of the challenges of working with wood walls it the possibility that they will warp as moisture soaks in. This is not as much of a problem with solvent based paints but if you want to use artist acrylics warping needs to be prevented. There are a couple of things that can be done. The first is using the internal bracing which is usually supplied with the kit. It is commonly installed across the grain and in corners. Something to keep in mind is to place the bracing where it will not interfere with any interior details you may wish to install.
The other common practise is to seal both sides of the wood walls with inexpensive automotive primer. It often takes two coats to seal but it doesn’t need to be applied so heavily that it obscures the grain. It is important to do both sides equally. If you want to stain the wood as opposed to painting it then the automotive primer should not be used because it will prevent the stain from being absorbed.
One advantage that wood kits have is that details like window and door frames, roof trim etc are supplied separately. That makes them easy to paint a different colour from the main siding so the trim stands out. Painting the trim pieces before removing them from their wood sheets makes them easy to handle. Just make sure that you paint them thoroughly because if you have to paint them again once they are on the model you will lose the
My comments are coming from an avid scratch builder who has spent many years doing these kinds of projects…I have not built this kit but have built other SS Ltd. kits and have cleaned up and painted lots of their castings.
To me the question when considering a kit is: whether the kit will produce a well detailed building with less effort and skill than a scratch built building or another kit of a similar structure. Lots of old kits require near scratch building skills to wrangle old technology into good, but not great models (when compared to current craftsman or scratch built standards)
From what little research I have done - This kit appears to use cardstock and strip wood along with cast metal windows - similar to some of their other offerings… Definitely craftsman kit territory. Personally, I would opt to not build the kit and scratch build a structure like it.
The metal window castings are inferior to Grandt and Tichy (not to scale) and will need extra fiddly work – specifically clean up (filing little parts). The wall coverings and roofing material are embossed paper, not super user friendly either. Other superior materials exist (plastic, laser cut wood. and Campbell’s corrugated) that are easier to use and will net a better final product. To get the structure to have internal integrity will likely require extra steps.
If you ha
Guy, the kit is here and I’m quite aways from the scratch build point in my journey. I’ll keep in mind that perhaps better materials could be substituted as I build but my lack of familiarity with materials would likely keep me blind as to what to prioritize as a few substiutes to create a better product or minimize issues due to “intermediate” level skills. I’ll reread you thoughts and check out the Walthers catalog re: scratch supplies.
Thanks for the comments, all. That’s what I was looking for.
Paul:
If you find that the cast metal windows are too finicky (there could be a lot of flash to remove) then there is nothing to prevent you from substituting Tichy or Grandt Line windows of the same or slightly larger size.
I didn’t catch the reference to “die cut” walls like Guy did. He offers good advise when he suggests adding additional interior reinforcing to prevent the card stock from warping or sagging over time.
Dave
Paul, as you know I have been working my way through wood kits the past few months and now have four on the layout and only two remaining in the boxes. So far the actual builds have been quite easy and I’ve been concentrating on painting and finishing techniques, but I have many years of model airplane kit and scratch building under my belt which I am sure helps a bunch with the woodworking. Also I have been careful to order laser cut kits since they go together easy compared to die cut.
I like the look of the structure you bought but having to use my imagination on what is in the box. Even the difficulty of laser kits varies a bit from one supplier to the next, so thinking worst case. Laser cut parts are usually an exact fit, but die cut wood parts may have to be very carefully removed from the sheet and sanded with a bar to get a good fit, and small sub-assemblies must be carefully pieced together. Not familiar with die-cast windows but if there is a lot of flashing then I could see preparing these could be tedious too. Looking at your pics you do good work and I am sure that you are up to the challenge. But it might not be the best place to start.
If you have not yet built one of the laser kits from one of the bigger suppliers my suggestion would be to pick up one of these (something relatively small and inexpensive) to get your feet wet before taking on the more difficult structure. That way you can become familiar with how these things go together, and test painting and finishing methods on something a bit more forgiving and less critical to your layout.
Also I agree that there are no rules that say you have to build it exactly like the instructions. I’ve yet to use the roofing materials that actually came with a wood kit.
HObbyguy:
I think you and I both made the same mistake of assuming that we are taking about a lazer cut kit with wood walls. Guy pointed out that the description refers to “die cut” walls which I think implies “card stock” - cardboard if you will. Changes in humidity will have more effect than with wood so extra bracing is strongly suggested. Personally I toss any card stock components and replace them with styrene, suitably reinforced. So far, no sagging roofs.
Dave
Not seeing the kit its hard to say. I assumed that “die cut” meant die cut wood. I built a lot of airplane kits with die-cut wood parts and there is no comparison to the fit that laser cutting produces. If the kit has card stock walls then it sounds like it could be a real challenge. I haven’t come across card stock parts yet but I would definitely consider tossing them in favor of better materials.
Either way, I still recommend starting with something easy to build, and develop finishing methods and techniques before jumping into a tough kit.
Paul:
Let’s solve this question. What are the walls made of?
Thanks
Dave
By the way, since none of us know-it-alls have actually built the kit, if you want us to butt out just say so!
Sorry to reply 4 months later, but I didn’t notice the last reply. I got diverted to other train things (and, lately, the spring yard attention) but today (NBA playoff in the background) decided to start this kit. The walls are cardstock, semi-cut out on pieces like a laser kit I built. Corrugated galvanized material (I’d guess it’s vinyl, not paper) has to be cut to match each wall (including openings) and glued to the “inner” wall piece. So the cardstock wall pieces had to be removed and the edges sanded to remove the nibs. And the windows and doors are cast metal and needed to be filed to remove nibs and flash. A bit of a pain, but now done.
Nonetheless, I took the next step and sprayed the walls (both sides) with Testors lacquer primer. I cut out the galvanized material for two end walls and glued it with Elmers to the inner walls, setting up under some books overnight. The walls were all slightly warped in the first place so I’ll see what happens. I plan to add internal stiffeners using strip wood at corners and along wall lengths as needed.
This kit will take awhile. I think the external surface will look ok especially with some rust and dirt weathering. I’m looking at this as a learning experience on kit types. I’ve built a fair number of Cornerstone and other styrene model and like them. Only one laser kit so far and liked it less (the detail was less refined). From what I’ve seen so far, I doubt I’d do cardstock only, though this kit may come out ok due to the vinyl(?) corrugated external wall covering. Next I may build a Suydam depot I bought at a show (it’s sold by another buyout company now) to try another wood model.
My overall take is I’m a Cornerstone (or other styrene) kit guy, considering other kit types when necessary for structure type I can’t find in styrene.&nbs