I’ve just recently bought my first Walthers structure (the concrete coaling tower), but have yet to begin construction. Anyway, since the plastic parts are already molded in (what I assume to be) the correct colours, do you need to (or alternately prefer to) paint the structure as well?
In an attempt to answer my own question, I assume that most people will also fill any gaps, and sand the the joints smooth, which I guess in turn means you would need to paint said structure. This then leads to my next question… is there any way to determine the correct colours to choose, or do you simply choose something close to colors of the molded plastic and / or the box?
Hi - I generally use the box as a guide, however I also take a lot of photos of the real world to use as a guide for the colors I want to use on structures. A good starting point for a concrete coaling tower would be Polyscale “Aged Concrete” color. Then, weather heavily with “Grimy Black”, rust and soot for a realistic look. Powdered pastel chalks and a soft bristle brush work well for that type of thing. Lastly, a coat of Testors Dullcote keeps the weathering from wearing off.
I guess the answer to your question is what you want. The molded colors are generic/typical colors for the structure you are building. If you have seen a building or photo of a similar structure and you liked the color better, paint it. If your prototype had a standard color, you can use that color. Also the new look can be a bit stark, mortar lines (where appropriate) and a light wash can “improve” the look of a plastic structure. Some folks like to weather extensively and do a nice job of it.
The previous posters were “right on”, and I’ll add my opinions to theirs…
Kits built as is out of the box are ok, but often give a “toylike” impression. In the real world, few things are shiny and bright or consistent in shade in large areas of the same color. And to add to that, structures around railroads - especially the steam era - were typically downright dirty.
My preference is to paint every piece of a kit in flat paint (i.e. Testors, Model Master, etc.) in colors that are either prototypically correct or makes sense for your particular railroad. Then I would add some weathering, which for coal towers and the like would be a brushed on wash of black (VERY thin) or dark browns and a mixture thereof. Go easy on this, for you can always add color, but its hard to reduce it.
When you are satisfied, spray with Dull Cote, and when dry mount the structure on the layout and add appropriate ground cover which in this case would be coal, dirt, and perhaps some weeds in out of the way spots.
Over the years I have found that even some of the simple, basic kits can take on a whole new life with some painting and weathering and groundcover.
Hey, trust me on this! Once you get going you will be looking for another kit, and another, and another!
To me, a kit is a starting point. I’ve got a few that I’ve left in their original color, but most have been repainted. Since I like to paint before assembly (particularly on brick walls that will get mortared) one of the first decisions I have to make is the color.
As I assemble the structure, I frequently bring it upstairs and place it on the layout. This gives me ideas of how I want the detailing to look. I figure out which windows will be visible from the front of the layout, and how much detail I need to put inside them. Sometimes, I’ll go through my box of figures that are still “homeless,” and consider which ones will be hanging out at this place.
The Walthers Gold Ribon series of structures are VERY NICE. They are molded in several colors, some where a single part will have multiple colors. For example a wall section will have a seperate window casing color. I really like these kits and I will eventually have most of them. To me, one of the most tedious and time consuming parts of building structures is painting the windows. In the Gold Ribbon series this is taken car of. I do a little weathering and vollaaa you have a nice structure.
I generally prefer to paint at least the main body of the building. Molded plastic often has “waves” in it that I don’t like. It’s not so noticeable on smaller parts like windows or doors but on large walls it’s often pretty obvious. Also unpainted plastic is often light-transparent (if you light it at night, the whole building glows) so since I like to be able to run trains in nighttime conditions I prefer to paint the walls.
Also you could argue that painting the building a different color than it comes in makes your structure more unique and makes it not as apparent that it’s the same building many people have on their layout. This would be especially true of railroad-owned buildings like depots, signal towers, etc. Painting them the correct color for the RR you model (or your freelance RR’s colors) does a lot to make the layout more unified and realistic. Of course with a concrete coaling tower you’re pretty much stuck with concrete gray to light tan coloring I guess. [:)]
I like to use Tamiya spray paint from the can for buildings whenever possible, it covers well in a nice thin even coat and is easier than using the airbrush, especially if it’s a large structure. I spray both sides of the walls with primer gray or sometimes their gray-green paint, then paint the outsides of the walls a different color. That leaves the interior of the finished building a lighter color that I think looks better if you add an interior to the building. (Some people paint their interior walls black if they intend to light the building.)
I always paint my structures, for all the reasons previously described, they just look better and more real. I also paint everything that I can before assembly, being a little careful to not paint glue surfaces. I will also do the wash and some dry brush weathering before assembly. I find painting before to be much easier than painting adjoining and different colored surfaces after assembly. I glue the clear window material before assembly (although remember not to spray dull cote on them later). I will some times computer size and print out wall material from the internet on paper or card stock and affix to inside walls before assembly… such as concret block for inside warehouses, or wall paper for houses.
For concrete, I like Krylon Camouflage Khaki paint in a rattle can. It’s plastic compatible and dries ultra flat. It’s a very good color to start with for concrete. I’ve found it at WalMart.
The real reason for painting plastic models is to kill the plastic gloss. Even when the model is molded in the correct color, the plastic shine needs a coat of flat paint. Or perhaps Dullcote.
If you build the kit with out painting & weathering it looks like a “model kit”. I first use a flat color that “fits” the type of structure I’m building. Use photos of real buildings of the same type or you can use the box photo as a guide. Weathering brings out that “being used” look & can help date the age of the building. I use chalk, powders, washes ect to weather. Signs, tools, boxes, barrels, clutter, & people help bring out the realism.
You’re probably thinking that you can save alot of time by not painting the structure. But the truth is that palstic is shinny and the only way to get rid of it is to paint it with colors that are logical for the area and railroad you are modeling. You would then need to weather it too since a shinny smokestack will look toy like without all that preparation.
