Project Update: Ideal Hosiery by FOS Scale Models

Doug Foscale has announced few days ago that he is releasing new kit which can be used as companion to Ideal Hosiery. Had he released a little bit earlier I could have incorporated them both into one diorama. On another note I better keep things simpler. This way I get projects finished. Canal and Third is good example. It is complex and big and is sitting on the shelf and waiting for its turn which may never come.
Anyway, I was about to declare the IH kit finished but then while taking pictures I noticed that I forgot to weather the chimney. Beside dusting chimney with soot I need to add more roof details. I will do that later after I determine what castings and figures I will use on diorama. Then I will paint them all at once.
Couple of days ago I started making diorama base. Like in most cases I glued 1/16" thick strips of  basswood to allow some room for sculptamold and lightweight spackle. Actually I applied both yesterday since they both are separated by sidewalks. Most of the time they come into contact so I apply sculptamold first and then spackle once sculptamold has dried. In case if anyone is curious sculptamold is for land and spackle for road. The latter sands very well allowing to get very smooth surface. Also The potholes can be created by picking pieces with  a tip of X-Acto blade. Sculptamold is bumpy and isn't easily sandable.

Project Update: Texaco Gas Station by Micro-scale Models

Do you remember this guy? It is been awhile since I have posted anything on it and I don't remember what was it all about. Therefore I apologize if I will repeat myself.
The main reason I put this project on back burner was that I needed to use posts for canopy from detail kit instead of tubing that came with original kit. The posts turned out to be too short. At first I toyed with an idea of raising the pump base up. That would have made it unrealistically high. I could have extended posts with stripwood but that would have required some tapering, sanding, repainting. I just didn't want to do that much work. Therefore I have decided to use round styrene for the extension. I was able to paint and weather extension pieces separately and then I glued them on top of the posts.
The plaster base needed some modification as well. Since I needed to use the pump base from detail kit the one that was molded in had to go. I had to put a little more work into it than I expected though. The plaster used for the base appeared to be a little more tougher than Downtown Deco or RailroadKits.com hydrocal kits are made of.
With these tasks completed it seems all I have left is straight run to the finish line.

Project Update: Ideal Hosiery by FOS Scale Models

The beginning of 2014 has been slow for me as far as modeling goes. That is driving me nuts but circumstances aren't favorable at the moment. Anyway, I have managed to make some progress. I am  adding a little shed to the project. It still needs some work but is really close to be finished as well as the main building that is missing roof access hatch.
I played a little with diorama layout past Sunday. It seems I need a tree. I have those great books on tree making but wire twisting and subsequent work are very time consuming. Maybe next time. For the time being I will use same armature I used to make tree for Houligan's Alley diorama. It turned out better than I expected. The armatures are identical and for that reason making entire forest wouldn't be great idea but as for single tree it works very well.

Project Update: Gritty McDuff's by Bar Mills

Although it is 2014 already I am stepping back into 2013. I finished McDuff's on Christmas Eve but because of Christmas, trip to the mountains, and the New Year I didn't have a chance to take final pictures and do writeup.
I finished first three buildings without any issues. The red one apparently had problem with second floor doors originally. They were the size of first floor i.e. too small My kit came with correct replacement in separate bag so I didn't have to contact Bar Mills and get problem resolved. The last building had the same laser calibration issue just like Raglan Road. I didn't notice the fact until I started gluing wall parts together. Good thing I figured that before glue had chance to set. I took everything apart and adjusted the walls to make all angles square. The process involved cutting and sanding so no surprise I ended up having a gap between two of the walls. I filled the gap with a piece of 1/16 stripwood. It is noticeable but that side will go against the wall of the main building so it won't be visible. Had I been building for myself I wouldn't have used any filler at all. Since it isn't my kit I needed to make it presentable.
On another note I didn't finish the Gas Station. That makes number of finished kits in 2013 equal to the total of 2012. 2014 I am sure will be different since I am going through some period of uncertainty. Therefore, I am not sure if I'll get done more or less.

Project Update: Ideal Hosiery by FOS Scale Models

With an exception of Jeffrey Spike Models which took my money and never delivered product all kit manufacturers tend to keep their word. Yet some of them take an extra step and give me free stuff just because they feel like doing so. So far I have received 4 kits. To be exact 3 kits and laser cutting service plus materials for my own design what pretty much counts as a kit. I thought I would return the favor by building them. Well, at least three since fourth is of the larger ones and I don't have appetite for such big meal at the moment.
The first one up is Ideal Hosiery from FOS Scale Models. It is a little structure with very interesting lines. I have few ideas for it. I will modify roof top and FSMize diorama a little. I am not ready to reveal what and how yet. Hopefully, it won't take long as you can see in the pictures the structure is very near completion.

Project Update: K.W.Murphy Engineering Works aka Flour Mill by Laser Art

I was about to write how unproductive this year was and how I was glad to finish yet another project. Yes, I am glad to finish yet another project. However, after counting projects I have completed this year it doesn't seem very unproductive. I am just one project short of last year's total. If I finish McDuff's and Texaco Gas Station I will surpass it. I've mentioned before that I like process of building a model more than final product but once in awhile I need to finish something. That is good motivationally and provides some monetary reward since I put up for sale everything I build.
Just few days ago I also finished another project which was called cleaning my modeling room. I bought garage style shelving unit so I could use it to store my kits and materials instead of having them laying around on the floor all over the place. It has taken me about 4 days but now I can walk in without being afraid of stepping on  something. Since I have more room now I may try doing video series on kit building. However, I don't want it to take too much time away from modeling so I am still thinking about it. This and have I ever mentioned my accent?

Project Update: Gritty McDuff's by Bar Mills

Following pictures are pre-Thanksgiving. Since last update I have taken time to prepare and paint all castings and because of it progress isn't that evident. I don't have much to say about the project though. I haven't encountered big issues nor I have tried new techniques.
On another note I feel like me and Bar Mills are growing apart. I am still big fan of their older kits but new ones that are coming out just don't capture my attention. I hope their decisions are dictated by the market and they are doing well. It is all possible that I have become more selective. The number of kits available from all manufacturers combined is so large and time to build  them is so limited that I have to think 10 times before I reach for my wallet. The kit of the size of the latest Bar Mill offering has to be exceptional. Packing with material and providing value for money is great but can I go through all the parts provided and build a model without abandoning it in the middle of process because it is taking too long and I become bored? I am hoping I am lone in such thoughts and Bar Mills has great sales.