Randolph & Briggs Build (AKA Shady Awnings)
Hi All:
I hope you are all having a relaxing summer and enjoying the weather no matter where this email finds you. I always call this time of the year the summer duldrums of modeling … not much is happening on-line, not too many big model announcements, people are outside. For me there can never be too much downtime because I cam always making up kits or designing new kits.
I have been working on 2 new kits for the late summer and fall. The first kit will be the North American Bent Chair Company. I hope to have the chair factory ready for late summer and the start into my second kit. The second kit will be very unique but something I think everyone will want and real estate will be cleared for its’ place on your layout … I’ll keep you posted.
One thing I don’t do very often is go back and build a kit after I have already done so 2 or 3 times. Shady Awnings and Tents was my first limited edition kit and I still have a couple to sell. Recently the phone rang with the following proposition how could I resist? Would I consider making the main building out of brick? I had been working for the last couple of months on the North American Bent Chair Factory and laser etching bricks with success so I said yes. The great part of the material I am using is that it is exactly 1/16 of an inch thick exactly the same as the clapboard siding. Because there are a few differences in the building process rather than re-write the directions I asked if I could post them and the rest of the steps on my build on my website for others to follow along. Over the next couple of weeks I will post my progress and explain my steps and complete the redux of Shady Awnings and transform it into the Randolph & Briggs gun manufacturering company with a civil war renactment sign up in the adjoining tent. You will be able to see how quickly I can work if nothing gets in the way … I hope to be done by June 25th because of an impending vacation.
Sit back and enjoy the build and changes to the original kit.
For some reason my software loaded the pictures in reverse order, therefore you will have to look at page 2 first for reference.
STEP 1: ROOFLINES:
The first 4 pictures at the bottom of the page are the backs of the 4 wall sections. You will need to draw a pencil line measuring a 1/4 of an inch from the top of the wall. These pencil lines will define where your bracing will go.
STEP 2: BRACING:
The next couple of pictures on the second page show the bracing I used. You will notice that the skinny wall sections have the bracing flush with the wall sections and the top piece of trim is glued in place with the top edge of the bracing along the pencil line. Bracing on the wide wall sections is place away from the edges so that it does not interfere with the skinny wall sections.
STEP 3: Wall Assembly:
The last few photos on page 2 and the first couple of photos at the bottom of page 1 show the wall sections being glued into place. You’ll notice the thick brown pieces of wood on the floor and the roof. I don’t glue these into place yet … they make a great jig at this point to keep things square … DON’T get any glue on them! I like to wrap a couple of elastic bands on them to keep them tight together. Try and get the corners nice and flush.
STEP 4: Admire the box. Check out the wooden box … I customized it to say Randolph & Briggs!
STEP 5: Priming Castings, Plastic & Plywood:
You can use a file to clean up the metal castings of any flash that might be there. I use a piece of old wood or styrofoam and reverse tape to hold down my parts for priming with a water soluable grey primer. Prime all castings (resin & metal), windows & doors (keep them in their sprues), wooden billboard bracing and frame. You can see this photo close to the top of the gallery on page 1.
STEP 6: Random Bricks Painting:
I chose this colour board to laser etch because of the shade of red but it needs a bit of random colour. I like to randomly paint the following colours: terra cotta, burnt sienna, ochre and only a few grimy black. Actually me dad painted these for me today while I cut the lawn. You can see these photos just above the wooden box photos.
STEP 7: Covering the corners (Quoins)
The brown paper photo has laser cut and etched Quoins that will cover up the 4 corners of your brick walls … I will change the colour of these in a later step but right now the colour looks really good against the red walls … it will look even better at a later date! This step is super easy. Use a sharp knife to remove a corner piece from the 2 tabs holding it to your sheet. You’ll see a laser etched line right up the middle of your Quoins. Gently press your finger together to that it creates a 45 degree angle. When I first designed this I had no idea it would work so well.
Place it on the corner you want to cover up and see where you have to trim it. Make sure you cut it flush with the notched parts of the top of the walls … you’ll place decorative corbels there later.
Next get a helper (this is my soon to be 6 year old Georgia demonstrating how I use a paint brush to place a thin layer of glue on the inside of the Quoins … she actually did most of it. When she was done she told me that when she grows up she wants to be a modeler just like her dad … that made my day! Place the Quoins onto your corners and make sure they stay flat and dry on the wall sections … pressing down with your fingers over the course of a few minutes as you complete all 4 corners will suffice.
I also like this material because it takes glue and paint so well and dries quickly but can be pulled apart if necessary with minimal effort or damage.
FINALLY:
These are the first few steps that will get you off to the races. Next steps will include:
Painting the windows and doors.
Installing windows and doors.
Bracing and assemblying other wall sections.