Blair Line instructions: “Walls and floors should not be painted until you have completed assembly as shown on Step Two of the instructions.”
Blair Line website: “I like to paint all of the parts before I begin assembly.”
So which is it???
The issue with painting the large flat parts of a laser kit is warping. If you paint one side, particularly if the wood is grooved to resemble decking or board-and-batten walls, the pieces will warp. Generally, you can correct the warping by painting the other side.
Once the kit is assembled, there is usually enough support to prevent warping. I don’t know what “Step 2” is, but does it involve bracing or corner supports?
I paint all the small parts, windows, doors and trim, prior to assembly. I like to get the walls assembled, but not necessarily all glued together as a building, before I paint those, and then apply the pre-painted details.
It is, though, a matter of how you like to build kits.
Mister B, I prefer to paint before assembling and that is what I did with this company house kit. Two walls warped and I put some weight on them and everything is fine. Step 2, BTW, is assembling and gluing the walls to the floor. My peeve here is that the instructions that come with the kit directly contradict the website hints on how to paint and assemble laser cut wood kits.
These kits are pricey, in my opinion, so I assume one can expect to get decent and non contradictory instructions about how to assemble them
I love the way they look, but I will never buy one again.
Seems simple enough to me. The general instructions apply in general. A specific instruction in a kit that followed that should be regarded as an exception to the general rule would be my assumption. An inquiry to the kit mfg is a good idea in case there is confusion. I’m pretty sure they’d answer your question.
Haste makes waste might be one thing learned here. Mr. B’s point are well-taken and I suspect the reason why this instruction was included.
In general, with laser kits, you do paint first. That makes getting nice neat trim and millwork easy. That said, it’s a judgment call, depending on what exactly it is you’re building. Some assemblies are best painted after put together.
As mentioned above not everyone paints their structures before assembly. That’s the preference of the builder.
I hand paint my structures with artist brushes and Crafters Acrylic’s after assembly to avoid the warping problems. The exception to that is the interiors. It depends on what I’m doing inside the structure but I still normally construct the exterior walls first. If it’s a multi floor structure I do it in layers. I’ve only had one building with a warping problem and that was easily cured with bracing.
I rarely glue everything together on my buildings so that I can redo them easily down the road. When I found out what I can do using Arduino Uno’s for lighting effects I have redone many buildings, not totally gluing them together really paid off.
Mel
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Mike, that is not the point. I value and have always valued Mister B’sadvice and opinions. It just seems to me that there are instructions and then there are instructions. Yeah, I can get in touch with the manufacturer. But, if that is the cae, why enclose instructions to begin with?
That sounds more like a personal preference rather than instructions.
It’ll probably help to consider the reason behind instructions. If it seems not clear, then it’s definitely worth the trouble to inquire.
This is an area where the best teacher is experience. You can read all sorts of stuff – kit instructions, mfg’s online tips, the internet more generally, and forums like this one – but what you’re really after is understanding why the instructions apply. Most of the time, I go with what I know from decades of building kits and scratchbuilding. You need to understand your materials, how they are fastened, and how they are finished. For instance, if using water-based finishes, extra caution is always needed when building with wood. It may even dictate differences in the order of assembly that can be at wide variance with instructions. Who is right? Actually both the instructions and the thoughtful modelers.
In fact, many instructions are just “personal preferences” that should be thoughtfully considered. Depending on your skills and the way you prefer to go about things, your preferences may be the equal or better of the instructions. There isn’t always a “right” way to build something, there’s simply the best way for you. In fact, something you see often is right at the start: “Read the instructions through carefully before beginning construction.” Why? Because you may just decide there’s a better or different way of doing things,
Hi Mel,
I know I am not keep with the thread, but…I’m curious how do you assemble your wood/ plastic models?
I’m sorry, but on this issue I am on the warpath. Why bother with instructions? Maybe the manufacturer (proudly made in the USA) should just send out the kit with no instructions and it is caveat emptor. at least then I know what I am getting myself into. BTW, I trashed the kit when the slots did not fit up and I broke a wall.
Hey Bear,
I feel your pain, I have a model power coaling station that had bent risers for the coal shuttle - had to use my P.V.C heat gun to bend them into shape, also none of trees had the assigned numbers very annoying…[soapbox]
“This is an area where the best teacher is experience.”
Ok, Mike, how much money should be spent on “experience”?
As for you, Nickel Plate Road, misery loves company.
Depends on you. Everyone picks this sort of stuff up differently. Maybe you’re being too hard on yourself by setting unreasonable expectations? Maybe you tried something beyond your skill level? Maybe just a bad day? Keep in mind we learn more from our mistakes than we do from our successes.
You may want to consider some simple scratch building projects to develop your skills in working with wood on the cheap before commiting to a major build of a some pricey kit as raw materisl.
Seems like a lot of threads picking on laser kits lately. I hope it is not discouraging people from giving them a try. I like them and want suppliers to keep on supplying.
Years back I worked with a small R/C airplane kit supplier on design of new model airplane. We worked on design together, he sent me the parts as they were cut, and I built the protototype, test flew it and tweaked to get it “right”. Once finalized I sent him a draft of assembly instructions with pictures. It went to market with a photo of my airplane on the box and my instructions with some of his personal recommendations added in. Hopefully he made some money out of it since selling kits was his livelihood. I got nothing out of it except for the adventure (and the airplane itself) but that was plenty enough for me. I had a blast working on the project and it was fun seeing boxes on store shelves with a picture of my prototype on them.
I can’t help but think that most of the model RR laser kit suppliers work in much the same way. There are many ways to success and the designer and whoever test builds a kit (could be the same person, but maybe not) provide recommendations in the instructions based on their personal experience. It is up to us as individual modelers to develop skills and decide what works best for us.
I think the fit and finish on these kits is pretty amazing but I’ve yet to build one that is perfect. There is always a part or two where the tabs don’t quite line up perfectly. No problem, that is what an Xacto knife is for.
The correct answer is either or both. I’ve built literally dozens of structure kits including a bunch of Blair Line kits and the answer is it depends. Sometimes the correct thing is to do add bunch of interior bracing (more than recommended) and then paint, other times I’ve built the whole thing except details and window trim and then spray painted it. A lot depends on what material the kit uses, some wood sidings warp more than others. I just finished a nice large ore mill kit. I spray painted it but then went back and added lots of bracing anyway. The instructions in this kit were literally not much more that vague suggestions anyway. Blair line is usually pretty good in that regard. I would never let the instructions in a kit overrule my judgement and experience when building the kit.
Mike, I am sorry, but that response is a cop out. Although having said that, I have decided that I am not going to invest in any more laser cut kits.
And as for kits not being perfect, it seems to me for the prices they command, they should be perfect. Why give a pass on an issue like this when so many people will not give a pass when spending money or any other good or service?
This is not a hobby if you’re seeking instant gratification or hoping to buy perfection in a box. It actually does take some time and effort, plus some investment in that education, to get good at building models. I’ve built several Blair Line items and noted nothing particularly amiss, in fact as was mentioned, their instructions probably rate higher than many. YMMV
Mike, you’ve been a valuable resource in the past and, I hope, in the future. I guess on this issue we can just agree to disagree and move on.
Geez… I am building an Walthers Heritage Furnture kit. You would think Walthers would have it down pat, but they don’t.
There are corner pieces with a lot of trim work. The instructions clearly say glue the walls of the building together, then add the corner trim. Doesn’t work. The walls need to be glued to the corner pieces first and the major walls do not contact each other. A couple of the window glasses are too long and there are several window frames that are just too big and must belong in another kit.
I am really puzzeled by the recent laser kit rants. I have built many Campbell kits, and a few laser kits. I have also built many structures from scratch. I appreciate the op’s frustration, but a true craftsman kit should challenge the builder. If a modeller doesn’t have the time or patience that these kits require, they shouldn’t buy them. There are many easier kits kits on the market to populate ones layout. Most aren’t shake the box kits, and they do require the ability to do a little cutting, sanding and painting to complete a good looking building. If that is to much comitment of time, Woodland Scenics and several others offer some nice RTR structures. Just open the package, stick on the layout and move on to something more enjoyable.