I made a huge mistake yesterday with a new model I was building, a grain elevator. I glued the grain elevator in the wrong direction. What I mean by that is that the door that is supposed to face the train is now facing the truck entrance.
After a little bit of thinking, I decided that it was impossible to unglue the elevator from its base. So I decided to cut the truck entrance part from the elevator. I will have a lot of sanding to do so the truck entrance can fit properly onto the elevator.
I was also thinking about using the smallest white part on the picture and glue it on the base of the elevator. I think I will have to use some putty and sanding to make this little part fit.
What are your thoughts about this? Do you agree with I want to do? Do you have other suggestions?
I think kit bashing originated with mistakes like this.
As you’ve discovered, kit bashing isn’t that hard to do.
Correcting these kinds of mistakes is actually real model making. Assembling a kit “correctly” is just that, assembly.
Specfics of your proposed repair are hard to assess without actually being there.
Two " rules" I learned building hundreds of models, plastic and wood, some from scratch including design, are at scale sizes if it looks right it is right almost by definition. Accuracy is nowhere near as important as impression. The whole modelmaking environment involves our very human sense of drama and imagination. We look at miniature worlds and we want to believe in them so we do.
The other “rule” is related: make it look right, who cares how you got there. The “back side” or the inside can look awful, it’s the outside presentation aspect that you want to look right. A little sanding, a little filler a little paint or a lot of paint and you’ll get there.
Maybe read all the instructions next time…I never do but I like to skim the whole build procedure and look at all the bits before I start cutting stuff off sprues. Ironically, my worst mistakes come from reading ahead in the instructions and then misremembering the order the steps need to be performed in.
Take a deep breath and be happy you will have something a little different on the layout. I love grain elevators and have visited quite a few as I have journeyed around the prairies and they are bashed and crashed and no two look the same or are in pristine condition.
Is your elevator wood or plastic and what kind of glue did you use?
I made a similar mistake when I was distracted by my little children (at the time) coming into the room after I applied the glue but before I put the pieces together. So far I seem to be the only one that knows.
I see your kinda new here Stef. [#welcome] to the forum!
That dyslexia stuff attacks me when I least expect it and happens all too frequently. So don’t feel bad.
Your plan to correct the situation sounds good to me. At least after you fix your mistake you have a place to put your new model on the layout. And it’s looking really good I may add!
I built a prairie grain elevator from scratch because I always wanted to build one. I found out after approximately 80 hours of patience, I had no room to put it on the layout.
Something had to go. The model will just be a showpiece on the shelf now. Maybe I’ll build a diorama for it someday.
Even quite small local elevators in period, say pre 1940’s are HUGE structures even in 1/87 size. Fortunately, they are tall rather than big footprint.
Even bigger is the track work and roads (usually gravel at the time) to realistically portray the prototype in working order.
The transition period between horse and wagon and truck delivery of grain is the period of smallest elevators. Later eras can benefit from a feed mill or seed cleaning type elevator facility to keep the footprint manageable.
Even in N scale a modern concrete and a steel elevator complex isn’t going to fit.
The model I have is a plastic Walthers model (Valley Growers Association).
I have used Testors liquid cement for plastic models.
To repair my mistake, I did what I said I would do on my last post. I sanded the smaller red part (truck entrance) and now it fits perfectly on the elevator.
I also glued the smaller white part on the bottom of my elevator, added Testors Contour Putty, let it dried and finally sand the bottom of the elevator. Everything fits perfectly now.
Next part is to glue the truck entrance on the grain elevator, like it was before, and continue to assemble all the remaining parts.
Question: I was thinking of maybe adding a light, in a few months, in the upper part of the elevator but I don’t know if normally we can see lights inside a real elevator like this. What do you think?
Here is the photo of the corrections I have made on my kit. You can zoom in to see the details.
Track Fiddler your scratch built prairie grain elevator is an outstanding work of art. Just wow.
Why don’t you mount a small extension shelf off the layout to hold this beautiful beast? Shame she won’t ever see trains rolling past her.
Anyway this is why I use Elmer’s school glue exclusively on all my model kits and train parts. If I screw up I just pop the part off and re-do. School glue is tacky like Alene’s, dries clear and strong, and you can adjust the part’s position if need be for an hour or so after applying. Sure you gotta handle things with care but the benefits outweigh this, I truly believe. -Rob
I was so busy screwing around I didn’t notice your post right away.
Thanks Rob I appreciate that.
I’ve been considering giving the model to my younger brother. His layout is so big it’ll probably take him almost 10 years to acquire or build all the buildings he needs.
The only reason I haven’t decided yet is I know my grip will be delayed when I hand it to him because of all the hours I have into the thing.
Here’s a closer view of the Interior I forgot to do when I was building it so it was an afterthought.
I couldn’t recess the grain grate, which is a piece of paper from the Walthers catalog under really thin styrene strips. So I just had to slip it in there and glue it on top of the slab[:-^]
Everything is going fine right now with this model. I am building and painting at the same time.
I need to know if the upper part of the grain elevator can be illuminated during the night or if it doesn’t happen? I need to know because I will be closing the roof on the top of the building if there is never any lights during the night on this type of building.
You know Stef, I don’t know the answer to that one. I know Ed posted a video once, “The Beacon” I think it’s just called Grain Elevator and he usually posts it once a year.
The guy that ran the grain elevator (Jonn) after his father did went up there because the different shoots when changing the grain shaft to a different bin would stick and I’m sure the windows up there helped during the day to see.
I would imagine there would be a light up there if someone was working late. It certainly won’t hurt to put one in and then you have that option better then if you don’t[:)]
Just remember the most important rule to having fun. It’s your layout and you make the rules. There ain’t nothing wrong with light.
There would be no lighting inside a grain elevator (I mean up in the elevated part which is the grain bins where the grain is elevated to). Fire risk was the most significant risk. Grain dust forms an explosive atmosphere very easily. Explosions and fire destroyed many an elevator. Nobody went up in the elevator except to repair it. Down low where the scales are and the “office” you could put lighting. Bear in mind the elevator operated during daylight hours.
It makes sense that there would be at least minimal lighting inside the elevator. When the harvest is happening the farmers often work late into the night so it stands to reason that the elevator would be working too.
Don’t forget to add exterior lighting as well. There would be lights over the truck doors and any man doors, and probably some yard lighting too.
By the way, you did a fine job of correcting your mistake. Only you will ever know. The rest of us promise to be silent![:#][swg][(-D][(-D]
