Easy Boiler House


RexHea

RAIL BENDER
I used the Model Power Gold Refining kit and with some modification used it for the boiler house of my Engine House. Easy and cheap.

The Kit
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Built and weathered.
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Attached to Engine House
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AWSOME, I'm lovong all the modeling posts by the MR forums members who got transposed, :D More ideas for me!
 
Nice work Rex, that thing matches so well that it looks like it could've been part of the original roundhouse kit!
 
grande man said:
Awesome, Rex. It looks like the same mason laid all those bricks.

It does match the roundhouse quite well.

As for the mason, wasn't there a Revell bakery or something that's been made into a wide variety of kits, including this one?
 
I'am going to barrow your Idea,OK?I never thought of that,just happned to have an old one laying around,When finished I'll post it here.

JIM
 
oleirish said:
I'am going to barrow your Idea,OK?I never thought of that,just happned to have an old one laying around,When finished I'll post it here.

JIM

Of course, Jim. Look forward to seeing the results.

Bob: I sometimes think that if the manufacturers would leave off the names for kits, we would be able to spot other uses for them easier. Kind of a "Can't see the forest from the trees" thing. ;)

I appreciate all the compliments. I must admit my surprise when it fit in so well with the roundhouse. Amazing what paint and weathering will cover up.:D
 
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Nice!!! Looks like it belongs...
(in my best Forrest Gump voice)- They go together like peas and carrots!
Dave
 
That Revell kit started as the Superior Bakery kit and morphed over the years into a newspaper office, a two stall enginehouse and a machine shop. There might have been a couple of others it was used for but the dies for it finally gave out after its last incarnation about ten-fifteen years ago.(May have been longer). At various times it was offered by Revell, AHM, Tyco and/or Pola who I think originally owned the dies and just made it under contract to the others.
 
Rex, I know there are many ways to weather but I think I remember you mentioning india inks. What's your favorite method to weather a structure like the one here?
Jarrell
 
Oh boy! Jarrell, my weathering is guided by my sight more than any specific and accepted methods. It is really a hodge podge of it all. I just try something until I like it.

Please excuse the simplification:
I will take the boiler house as an example. I always paint my kits first to look like they would for a brand new building. Then I decide just how old of a building do I want, what kind of enviromental influence has "dirtied up" the building, and how was the maintenance upkeep. Once I have this, I can get started.

The boiler house/chimney brick was to match that of the round house. So I first painted the brick to match and painted the roofing a flat aluminum color.

For the mortar lines, I gave it a light wash of white-ish gray acrylic paint (more white than gray). Lightly wiped the excess off with a damp cloth which left the lines a light color, but cleans the brick face. (Some like to use a dark brown or even black.) Repeat until just right. When I was happy with the mortar lines and the kit looked like a real one, I was ready for the weathering.

This is the simple part. The first thing I do is give the building, including the roof an India Ink wash from a weak solution. I have a quart bottle of 70% alcohol with about a half to a full teaspoon of india ink mixed. (When I need a more concentrated mix, I pour from this quart into a cup and add a drop or so more ink,) Don't rub hard or you will take the paint off. Just kind of sop it.

Continue to apply coats of india ink until happy with the "old" look you want. If there is a section that you want a real white-ish looking, worn brick such as a repaired corner, just rub some alcohol on it.

Now it's chalk time. I always take a knife and grade off the chalk into a dust pile. With the areas showing soot, oil, and other stains that are blackish, I will apply the black dust by dipping a dry,stiff, paint brush in the dust and then with a rubbing motion, grind it into the area of the building I want covered such as the top of the smoke stack.

For the roof, I graded brown, yellow, and orange chalk and mixed them together to get the rust look, brown being the dominant color. This mix ratio will vary from one part of the roof to the other. Apply the same way, but randomly streak it with the brush. You can even scrap the chalk directly and then rub it in.

After, all the chalk has been applied, here's the secret: USE YOUR FINGER tip to rub and smear around. Yup! it makes a heck of a difference and it won't come off easy (not even off your fingers :D ) Now you can stand back and look at it and ...oops...I don't like it. So what! Just take a wet cloth and wipe it off and do it again.;)
NOTE: There is no need to seal the chalk using dullcote. You won't be handling them so the chalk will stay put.

Jarrell, what ever method you use, the india ink and chalks will do a wonderful job at weathering. You can use an airbrush, but this works for me and it is hassle free. Don't be afraid to get in there and do it. It is easy to backup, if you have to.:)
 
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oleirish said:
I'am going to barrow your Idea,OK?I never thought of that,just happned to have an old one laying around,When finished I'll post it here.

JIM

That's the one part of the Roundhouse I'm missing. I need a Boiler room and that would be the perfect size bar none. Apart from Walther's is there another supplier?

Excellent job Rex, many thanks

Fergie
 
Hi Rex, what did you use for the smoke stack? It's round and the one on the box appears to be rectangular in shape. Great idea. I'm thinking of using an old Tyco " Standard Electric" building kit as a pump house for water feed to the coal fired power plant.

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Willis
 
Hi Willis,
The smoke stack is round in the kit. The box picture just shows the bad workmanship of the builder. They didn't take the time to get a good fit.:rolleyes: :D Good idea on the pump house. I will add some more stuff as I go along. (I just can't stay in one place long enough...zip here...zip there...! :eek: :D )
 
Thank's Rex, if I see one of those kits around I'll latch onto it because someday I'll be expanding into another room for an engine terminal with round house and turntable.

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Willis
 



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