I’m finally been able to squeeze in a little modeling recently. My brick hardware store building turned out so well that I decided to do another brick building alongside it. I won’t go into as much detail on this build, since it is similar to the previous one. You can see the step-by-step on my first brick building here: http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_3.html
This one will have a worn coat of paint over the bricks. It is loosely based on this general store (and former hotel) in Eureka, NV:
I got a little bit done on it back in August. At that time I managed to cut out the shape of the front wall, and scribe the brick pattern. This was a piece of 3mm Sintra PVC foam board. I laminated it to a base of 6mm Sintra, which had a brick pattern scribed onto part of it, for the recessed area. (BTW, I was able to scribe a lot of the brick pattern in the waiting room, while Cris was undergoing a medical procedure. It’s the perfect kind of project for that.):
To create the multi-level trim along the top of the wall, I started by cutting out a 1mm thick piece, two bricks high, to match the shape of the wall, and glued it in place. Then I scribed bricks onto the lower course:
Another piece only one brick high was glued on top of the first one, and then scribed:
Next I cut a strip of 3mm thick Sintra, and glued it to the top of the wall, bending it to fit. This was done in sec
I’ve had some questions about how I use the double-bladed scribing tool that I made, so I drew up a simple diagram to illustrate it. The tool is held at an angle to the surface, and pressed down. Then drag it across the surface in the direction of the arrow. For clarity, I did not draw the metal ruler I use as a straightedge:
I built up the window and doors from various sizes of styrene strips. I work on a sheet of tempered glass, and use metal blocks to hold the pieces in place and keep the corners square. The large blocks are called “1-2-3 blocks”. I don’t remember what the 1" square angle block is called. I got these blocks from Amazon and they’re really handy:
The bottom of the window frame is a solid panel. I was originally going to make it match the doors, then I decided to model it as if it had been crudely repaired with a pair of planks and small plywood sheet. It’s a bit hard to see in the photo, but I scribed wood grain into the planks and sheet, including some small cracks, to represent weathered wood:
The two doors were built up in a similar manner. My history for this building is that it originally had one door, in the center, and two windows. Then at some point the interior was divided, and the window on the right was turned into a door. The original center door was replaced as well, and is now offset in the larger frame:
I covered the roof with corrugated aluminum panels. These were made for me by Dave Taylor. I used Dynaflex 230 to glue them to the roof:
The rear wall of the building is removable for access to the interior:
The interior will be built into this box structure. Like the rest of the building, this was made from Sintra. The ceiling will be added later:
I printed wallpaper and flooring onto self-adhesive vinyl and applied it to the interior structure:
The building’s interior is divided into two sections. The larger section, on the left, will be a radio repair shop. The smaller section will be a barber shop:
I sprayed the building’s exterior with a coat of white primer. After that had dried, I applied concrete colored latex house paint, working it into the mortar lines and cracks:
I painted the aluminum roofing with self-etching primer, followed by Rustoleum’s “Cold Galvanizing Compound” for a realistic galvanized metal look:
I started adding the white paint that covers most of the building. I’m using white latex paint, which I tinted just slightly with a bit of black, dark brown and golden yellow, to give it a kind of dirty off-white look.
I began at the top of the walls, where most of the paint is worn off. To achieve this look, I used a small stencil brush to stipple on some small random blotches and spots. Then a minute or two later, when the paint was semi-dry, I used a damp paper towel to wipe off some of the paint. Here are some shots of the progress:
Next I went to work on the side of the building. I was kind of experimenting here, so some of the paint was stippled with the stencil brush; some was dabbed on or dry-brushed using a regular artist’s paint brush; and some was wiped off or smeared – whatever seemed to give me the look I was after:
I still have to do extensive touch up work before that side is finished – adding details, chips and stains to individual bricks.
Then I started on the front wall. As on the prototype, the paint on the front will be mostly intact but with some areas of heavy wear. I did some stippling on this side, but mostly I used
Here’s a shot that shows how the top of the wall turned out after I’d finished putting on the white paint:
I wanted an old, faded sign on the front of the building dating back to its prior use as a billiard hall. So I printed the lettering onto vinyl, then cut it out to make a stencil. I’ve found that it’s easiest to remove the letters prior to peeling the stencil off of the backing:
I stuck the stencil in place on the building. Then I used a stencil brush to stipple various shades of light gray, simulating the appearance of chipped and faded paint:
The finished sign, along with further progress on the front of the building… I touched up some mortar lines, added more white paint here and there, touched up individual bricks as needed, etc. I filled the two square holes at each end of the wall with “mortar” made from a mix of acrylic modeling paste, artist’s stucco, and latex paint:
The base of one pillar will have a concrete-reinforced repair. I made this by building up layers of the same “mortar” mix described above. This photo shows the final layer. Before it hardens completely, I’ll peel off the masking tape, while carefully trimming along the edge of it with an X-acto knife to ensure a sharp, clean edge. Later when the acrylic has fully dried, I’ll sand it smooth:
After painting the doors and window to look like old gray wood, it was time to add the white paint. The prototype photos showed that most of the paint was intact, but where it was peeled, it had come off in large sections. I figured the easiest way to replicate this look was to just paint it by hand. I think it turned out ok. Then I used very thin washes of acrylics to add stains and weathering:
At this point I still had to make the doorknobs and add the glass:
I used a different technique for the paint on the plywood and planks below the window. I’m not happy with the way it looks, so I’ll put on some signs that will hide most of it:
I made a bunch of signs, and installed some of them on the exterior. These were printed on vinyl and stuck to thin sheet brass. I weathered them with acrylics, then coated them with Krylon UV-resistant clear. The radio repair shop is named for fellow modeler Bob Santos:
Right now the doors and window are only temporarily in place. I’ll glue them in later after I’ve done some more work on the exterior:
Well, I managed to squeeze in a tiny bit of modeling recently. Here’s an update… I started making some old-fashioned radios to decorate the interior of the radio repair shop. Across the top in this photo are the basic shapes for some large, tabletop radios. These were made from 6mm Sintra and some styrene. Later they will be painted and detailed. In the lower half of the photo you can see the beginnings of some smaller radios. To make these, I found photos of old radios online, reduced them to scale, and printed them on self-adhesive vinyl. Then I stuck them onto 6mm Sintra, and cut them out. Later, they’ll be painted on the sides and top: Here are the completed tabletop radios. I printed the faces on vinyl and stuck them onto the fronts. Next I added knobs made of tiny slices of styrene rod. Then I painted the exposed surfaces, blending it into the edges of the vinyl images. I finished them off with a coat of Krylon UV-resistant gloss clear: I cut out an opening for a door in the rear wall of the radio shop. I cut down the plug from the opening and added some styrene strips to it, to make a door. The doorframe is from Grandt Line: Here’s a close up of the doorknob. I made the knob by holding the end of a styrene rod near a flame: Then I made a workbench out of 1mm Sintra and some styrene bits. The drawer handles are slices of 1/4" styrene channel: I “weathered” the interior with thin washes of craft acrylics to give the walls and floor a little grime and
Here’s another brief update…I’ve been working on some more interior details… I found a photo online of a stack of vacuum tube boxes, so I scaled it down and printed it onto self-adhesive vinyl. Then I stuck it to a scrap of 6mm Sintra and cut it out. To give it a bit of dimensionality, I used a tiny jeweler’s screwdriver to create indentations between the boxes. Since this cut into the vinyl a bit, and I was concerned about such tiny piece potentially peeling up later, I brushed a coat of acrylic matte medium over the whole thing, working it down into the crevices: Later I glued styrene strips around the edges to simulate wooden shelving. This will go on top of the workbench. I made some more of these, sized to fit into the shelves below the workbench. I also made some oscilloscopes and other instruments, using the same basic technique. To these I added bits of small styrene rod for dials and knobs. I also made some parts drawers too. Here’s a shot of some of these things under construction: And here are a couple shots of the finished workbench, with some of the details added on top: It’s hard to tell with this lighting, but I used a simple trick that made these items look less “flat” and much more realistic. I coated the “glass” scopes and dials with acrylic gloss medium. I did the same with the face of each little plastic bin in the parts drawers. When complete, this should show up better under the scale lighting. I still have more details to add to the work bench area, and many more details to make for the rest of the shop.
I’ve been busy making lots of little interior details. Here’s a quick look at a few of them… I made a simple workbench stool out of styrene rod and a piece of 1mm Sintra. I don’t have a shot of it painted yet: I found some photos of various old radio repair manuals online. Then I fussed with them in Photoshop to create cover art. I printed out a bunch of them on self-adhesive vinyl, cut them out, and applied them to cores made of either Sintra or styrene, depending on the thickness required: I also made a row of books, to be tucked away in the back. I used a shot of books on a shelf, applied it to 6mm Sintra, and cut it to shape. Then I painted the exposed Sintra to match the books: And I just finished a radio chassis! The vacuum tubes were turned from acrylic rod, using a drill as a crude lathe: Still have lots more to do.
Here are a pair of aerosol cans. To make them, I rounded the end of a 1/8" styrene tube, then glued in a piece of styrene rod. The can on the right has a cap, the one on the left does not. I sanded down the end of the rod to represent the spray nozzle. I didn’t bother labeling them for specific products, but just used some leftover labels from when I was detailing my drugstore:
Still more details – needle nose pliers and a pair of screwdrivers, all made from brass tubes and rod:
I wanted to have some of the radios plugged into outlets, so I came up with these simplified plugs made of brass tubes. They’ll be inserted into holes drilled into the outlets:
Here are some shots of how the interior looks so far. There are more details needed but it’s getting there. Note the stand for the soldering iron – I made it from a tiny spring that I pulled out of an old camera:
The stool was painted to look like it had been repainted several times, with layers of old paint showing through where the paint was worn and chipped:
I wanted the radio shop to have fluorescent lights, but of course there are no working fluorescent lights in 1/24th scale. However I had an idea for a way to possibly simulate the appearance of working fluorescents…
I started by using 1/16" acrylic rods to represent the tubes. Small rounded bits of styrene strip were glued to the ends:
The base of the fixture was made from a strip of .100" x .250" styrene. Three 1/8" holes were drilled through it:
I used thin sheet brass to make the reflectors:
After painting the fixture white, I glued on the tubes. To help disperse the light and to give the tubes a somewhat frosted look, I brushed on a very thin coat of fluorescent white paint that I had leftover from a Halloween project years ago:
Here are some shots of the building in place on the layout. Note the worn, old sign on the foundation next to the stairs. I painted that mostly by hand, which was a pain. It wasn’t very sharp either but didn’t need to be. Then I roughed it up with sandpaper:
Here it is shortly after sunset…
Imagine how great this scene will look when all the buildings have interiors and lights:
At the risk of boring everyone, here’s another shot of the town… The green stuff is moss or algae, brought on by the shady and relatively damp conditions on the layout at this time of year…
Ray, you need not worry, I do not think anybody could ever be bored by your work! Every picture I see is just more inspiration and I appreciate you taking the time to document your steps.
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Here are the completed tabletop radios. I printed the faces on vinyl and stuck them onto the fronts. Next I added knobs made of tiny slices of styrene rod. Then I painted the exposed surfaces, blending it into the edges of the vinyl images. I finished them off with a coat of Krylon UV-resistant gloss clear: 
I cut out an opening for a door in the rear wall of the radio shop. I cut down the plug from the opening and added some styrene strips to it, to make a door. The doorframe is from Grandt Line: 
Here’s a close up of the doorknob. I made the knob by holding the end of a styrene rod near a flame: 
Then I made a workbench out of 1mm Sintra and some styrene bits. The drawer handles are slices of 1/4" styrene channel: 
I “weathered” the interior with thin washes of craft acrylics to give the walls and floor a little grime and
Later I glued styrene strips around the edges to simulate wooden shelving. This will go on top of the workbench. I made some more of these, sized to fit into the shelves below the workbench. I also made some oscilloscopes and other instruments, using the same basic technique. To these I added bits of small styrene rod for dials and knobs. I also made some parts drawers too. Here’s a shot of some of these things under construction: 
And here are a couple shots of the finished workbench, with some of the details added on top: 
It’s hard to tell with this lighting, but I used a simple trick that made these items look less “flat” and much more realistic. I coated the “glass” scopes and dials with acrylic gloss medium. I did the same with the face of each little plastic bin in the parts drawers. When complete, this should show up better under the scale lighting. I still have more details to add to the work bench area, and many more details to make for the rest of the shop.
I found some photos of various old radio repair manuals online. Then I fussed with them in Photoshop to create cover art. I printed out a bunch of them on self-adhesive vinyl, cut them out, and applied them to cores made of either Sintra or styrene, depending on the thickness required: 
I also made a row of books, to be tucked away in the back. I used a shot of books on a shelf, applied it to 6mm Sintra, and cut it to shape. Then I painted the exposed Sintra to match the books: 
And I just finished a radio chassis! The vacuum tubes were turned from acrylic rod, using a drill as a crude lathe: 
Still have lots more to do.
