My first structure

ModelRailroadForums.com is a free Model Railroad Discussion Forum and photo gallery. We cover all scales and sizes of model railroads. Online since 2002, it's one of the oldest and largest model railroad forums on the web. Whether you're a master model railroader or just getting started, you'll find something of interest here.


railBuilderDhd

railBuilderDhd

Active Member
I’ve started to paint my first structure and would like to know what you think of what I’ve done thus far. I’ve purchased a kit and have planes to convert this from a Townhouse to a warehouse for Fairbanks – Morse. They had produced engines back in the early 1900’s and I thought this kit look good as a warehouse and Fairbanks – Morse would be a company you my find located on a railroad shipping their parts all over the country.
Thanks for looking and letting me know what you think of my work.
http://rbdhd.t35.com/societyHillThouse/
RailbuilderDHD
 
Well, first of all, REMOVE the white splotches at all costs. Second, the brickwork doesn't look at all convincing. (I don't mean to be unpleasant, but really study how brick walls look in real life and not just in your "Mind's Eye" as it were. That's one of the MOST IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT WEATHERING if you're going to take this seriously. You must make it look real, or else it'll look terrible. You must copy the prototype to achieve success.
Look at these links below and study them closely, and I think you'll really do a good job.
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/a...nd/urban/9/web/11201675252703531219_1_web.jpg

http://www.scrapbookpages.com/photoessays/Photos/Coloma/BrickBuilding.jpg

http://pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=258&size=550x550_mb&ptp_photo_id=1248836

And don't just stop with these photos, search online, or actually go out into your town and take a look at some old brick buildings, most cities have at least one brick building.
 
Thanks for the comments, I can see what you are saying and that is what I thought I was seeing wrong with the way it looks now. I see the white areas I was "thinking" are not white "stains" but areas that have been repaired or lighter mortar between the bricks. I wasn't done with the walls at all and will re-evaluate what I've done thus far.
Dave
 


There are only two of the white spots where I could see them being OK. The first one is the last wall section on the bottom, under the left window. That blotch looks like a salt stain.

The other one is the wall section third from the bottom, there is a white blotch dripping down the side. That could be a similar type stain, where the roof has some mineral deposits and the water is running off, leaving a mineral stain.

As far as the brickwork is concerned, I haven't decided on whether I like the way it looks or not. The links to the pics are fine, but those brick walls look washed out to me, like they're in a sunny climate. Do they really look like that in a Brooklyn Tenement where you have a lot of coal smoke and the like?

I would say, initially, that you probably have a bit more variation in the coloring than it would normally be. But, I can't really put my finger on it right now.....

Kennedy
 
I'm far from being done with this but I wanted to get feedback on what I've done before I get to far along. I had wanted to add more color to some bricks with powders to give a less uniform look to the bricks. I also wanted to add some color to to the mortar as I see in brick buildings. I posted now to get feedback on what I've done.
I'll post updates as I get them.
Dave
 
Sounds good! I think you'll pull it off nicely. Remember to highlight single bricks with 5-10 different colors for maximum effect on the side of the building you'll see the most often. for mortar, if you have hydrocal, take some of the dry stuff and rub it on with your finger into the cracks, makes nice, non-messy mortar. ;)
 
If yuo have some white liquid shoe polish, that also works well for mortar lines. Once you have the mortar lines the way you like them, then it's time to dirty them up. Mortar lines always transformed into sort of a gray color over the years so some india ink washes will both darken the mortar and the brick. Next, use a fine brush and about six colors, including antique white, buff, light orange, light red, and whatever else strikes your fancy. If you look at brick buildings in your town, you'll see that they are almost never a monolithic brick color. They used bricks from different areas and some buildings even were made of used brick, which may have come from previously painted buildings. The more variety in color, as long as it's muted, the better your building will look. While I don't claim to be expert on brick painting or weathering, this is how I did one of my Merchant's Row models to make each store front look different :

MerchantsRow2Medium.jpg
 
Thanks for the postings. I'm reworking the bricks from the mortar out. I cleaned off a lot of what I had done and will rework it and keep photos close to keep me from working from my mind.
Dave
 
And that furniture building is what I see in the original pics that were posted. That, in general, and at a fast glance, is what I perhaps expect to see, and it looks sorta right to me....

Kennedy
 


Dave, I think you've got it. I see you have all the corners cleaned off nicely and the brick mortar lines look just right, visible but not overwhelming. The brick color variation looks good too. I'd be tempted to add one or two more muted colors to some of the bricks but that's just me. I think it looks great as it sits.
 
Most brick buildings had top cap headers made of concrete. Just get some Floquil or Polly S aged concrete paint and paint the smooth part of the top of the walls down to the beginning of the brick. Should look very authentic when you're done.
 
Dave, that tar paper roof and downspout detail both look excellent. The brick work looks good too from what I can see in the pictures. Now it's time to add some roof detail to that lonely chimney. :) Some ventilators, waste vent pipes and a TV antenna or two would really set it off nicely.
 
I think your right about needing roof details but I'm going to make this a business so I'm not sure an antenna would be good, would it for a business building in the 50's? Any photos of items I could scratch would be great.
Thanks,
Dave
 


Dave,
Take a look back up the thread to my Merchant's Row buildings. You'll see a TV antenna above the grocery store. TV antennas were actually a very common part of a 50's scene because most people had gotten TV's by the mid to late 50's but there wasn't any cable, so every home and apartment building had TV antennas. I made that one with some thin brass tubing, cut to size, and then super glued together. About the only thing you have to remember is that there are two basic types of antennas. One is the one I built, which has the elements straight and go from shorter to longer. The other has elements all the same size but they are all at about a 45 degree angle to the boom. Even if all three floors were occupied by businesses, it's likely that at least one or two would have had a TV. If there were apartments on the upper floors, the roof would be covered with antennas. Just type TV antenna into Google or Yahoo and you'll find plenty of pictures that you can use as guides.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.




Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a commision from some of the links and ads shown on this website (Learn More Here)

Back
Top