Total admiration and respect!


goscrewyourselves

goscrewyourselves

I'm the one
I have a very small N Scale (under the tree) layout and have just started my very first N Scale Building Kit.

Building this kit has done nothing for me OTHER THAN make me realise just how difficult it is working with something so small, compared to my usual HO Scale stuff.

You N Scale guys have my complete respect and admiration for what you do and accomplish. It truly is amazing!
 
Wally World 4.00 power reading glasses, various tweezers and lots of patience are the main ingredients to a successful out come! You can do it too, Tony, just takes a little practice.
 
Bob,

I have a good variety of tweezers and I am a model railroader (or I like to call myself one anyway) so I have plenty of patience too. Guess all I am missing is the glasses and the practice.

I do think you left may have left out a couple of "Sub requirements" though, ie: a good stock pile of Rum, coke, aspirin ... ad inifinitum :)
 
Log Cabin Build:

Hey Guys,

Here is the Log Cabin I am building, or trying to. Needless to say, I am VERY open to your thoughts and opinions and don't be afraid to be critical OR honest - I have thick skin, believe me.

This is what it is suppose to look like:

log-cabin-kits-010_zps55ef84ed.jpg


This is what I have done so far:

NLogCabin_zpscfeb8298.jpg


NLogCabin4_zps88aba832.jpg


NLogCabin3_zps127b0316.jpg


IMG_1147_zps34016fe4.jpg



As said, don't be afraid to be completely honest - that is what I want and the only way to improve.
 
The stain isn't right on the log cabin. It's not the color, but the glossiness. (That might just be from the camera flash). The color of the sample you posted first doesn't look right at all. It's way too light.

A real log cabin will have a very flat sheen to it. Maybe a really fine grit sandpaper to take the glare away. Or paint it with an acrylic brown. (I'd water the paint down though so you let the wood texture show through)

I think the windows and doors look really good. They look like they were hand made from wood and like they are starting to rot out, just like they would be in a real old time log cabin.
 
Skipjacks,

Thank you for your honesty appreciate it. The gloss look is the camera flash as I used a flat weathering stain to color it so it is anything but glossy in real life. I'll take a picture outside without the flash so you can see the difference and hopefully what it really does look like.

The first picture is how it would look straight from the packet without any painting at all and I agree - it is way too light and not even close to looking real or believable as a Log Cabin.

Okay, so now I have to put the Door and Window surrounds on, or try to anyway - this ought to be a heap of fun :)
 
Looking great so far! You should paint, stain or seal both sides of your wood kits to even out the moisture that it may be subject to in order to help prevent any warping over time.
 
Bob,

Thank you, it is getting there all so slowly.

The kit has been stained with Micro Mark Brown Age it Easy. Should I put something like Dulcote over that or a matte/satin clear to seal it all properly though?
 
Great thread Tony!

I feel the same respect and admiration for all modelers, like yourself of any scale who can do more then snap track together and run trains!

When it comes to N scale I would much rather look at pictures then to see the layouts in person because the pictures show all the great details my eyes can't see.

I may not even be good with a crayon, but I do admire and enjoy looking at everyone's work!

Thanks everybody for sharing your artistic talents with us.

I am having more fun with my trains and this forum then should be legal! I am waiting for the law to show up and tell me to break it up!
 
Tony, so far the wood laser cut kits I've built were painted with acrylic paints. I did paint the inside after the walls were glued together and before the windows were put on. I haven't used anything other than paint but I don't see what it would hurt. The idea behind it is to make the absorption of any moisture and the day to day variations equal on both sides to prevent warping, so whatever you put on one side you would do the same to the opposite, if possible.
 
By Bruette;

I am having more fun with my trains and this forum then should be legal! I am waiting for the law to show up and tell me to break it up!
Click to expand...

Better keep the law offices of Dewey, Cheatum and Howe on speed dial, just in case! Hey, I've worked with Justin Case before!
 
Bruette said:
Great thread Tony!

I feel the same respect and admiration for all modelers, like yourself of any scale who can do more then snap track together and run trains!

When it comes to N scale I would much rather look at pictures then to see the layouts in person because the pictures show all the great details my eyes can't see.

I may not even be good with a crayon, but I do admire and enjoy looking at everyone's work!

Thanks everybody for sharing your artistic talents with us.

I am having more fun with my trains and this forum then should be legal! I am waiting for the law to show up and tell me to break it up!
Click to expand...

Louis,

Thank you for your humbling and very kind words, but I also feel that you under estimate yourself and YOUR talents way too much.

What I know and am able to do has been learnt by doing what you do - looking at those who really can model on here (and there are lots), listening to the advice given and then trying to do it through (mainly) trial and error. Sometimes it works for me and other times it doesn't due to my abilities.

I continually say that I really don't know too much about this hobby, and that is the truth - I don't. But, what I do know and have learnt has been as a result of the people here, not books or videos or any other thing - JUST the very talented people here. Possibly, the most important thing I have learnt from them is that anyone can do anything so long as you are willing to learn and take advice :)

Burlington Bob said:
Tony, so far the wood laser cut kits I've built were painted with acrylic paints. I did paint the inside after the walls were glued together and before the windows were put on. I haven't used anything other than paint but I don't see what it would hurt. The idea behind it is to make the absorption of any moisture and the day to day variations equal on both sides to prevent warping, so whatever you put on one side you would do the same to the opposite, if possible.
Click to expand...

Thank you Bob, you are one of the people I am referring to above.

Another OOOPS moment for me! I have covered all of the wood with the Stain (inside and out) so hopefully that will seal it as you have explained. What I didn't do (causing the ooops moment) was not coating everything with an actual sealant such as a clear coat. I am also a little hesitant to apply anything now but think I will go the Dulcote route for the exterior and hope that doesn't warp or effect the wood.

Burlington Bob said:
By Bruette;



Better keep the law offices of Dewey, Cheatum and Howe on speed dial, just in case! Hey, I've worked with Justin Case before!
Click to expand...

Do they have an office in NY by any chance? :)
 
Okay, so here is the almost completed Cabin:

Cabin_zpsebd8e24e.jpg


All that remains to be done is install the shingles then do as Bob has said, seal/coat it with something.

One thing I will say is just how much a photo reveals about the building, a heck of a lot more than I can see with the actual Cabin. The photo really does 'high light' things such as the furry appearance of the wood (not seen by my naked eye). As Louis rightly said, the pictures are a good learning tool.

Anyway - that is it pretty much. For my first N Scale Kit attempt, I am pretty happy with it and my try a larger N Scale Kit next if for no other reason than practice and experience.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Evening,

Have completed the Cabin and have it on the layout:

LogCabin1_zpsaeae632a.jpg


LogCabin2_zpsede23d94.jpg


Not sure if it will stay in this position but, if not, it can only be moved about 3" to the right.
 
Burlington Bob said:
I predict bigger and better small things in your future, now that you're fully "N-gaged"! Great job, Grasshopper!
Click to expand...

Ah, thank you master but ........ still cannot catch fly with chop stick!

This began as nothing more than an 'Under the Tree' layout to be set up at xmas for a couple of weeks then packed away. My wife (and to be honest now I) are now wanting it to remain up as a permanent layout. My wife is already asking about other, larger N Scale, kits for it. So it looks as though your prediction has come true, perhaps sooner than even I suspected :)

But for now Kamo Sabe, I am being paged to go to wap 1.75 by Spook. I must make it so, but I will return!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.



Back
Top