Been working on this little 1:48 cooler project today as an added detail for the Clyde's Place pilot model diorama. This cooler was already on the diorama, but I was never entirely happy with it, so I stripped it and and began reworking it. Picture below is photo I'm using for color and wear reference (slightly different cooler but close enough).
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Froughboy.net%2Fimgs%2FCokeCooler%2FCooler.jpg&hash=00ea3909bf60c37efadcde0712450bcc89115ab6)
First thing I did was add the drain pipe, made from a short length of .020" dia. brass tubing. Then I added the ribs along the bottom using a piece of Campbells old HO scale corrugated aluminum. I burnished the edges down to recreate the shape of the ribs.
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Froughboy.net%2Fimgs%2FCokeCooler%2FCoolerRaw.jpg&hash=68609ee3fd093b265df6cea90347edf7f62f6be5)
Next step was to dish the hatch covers, make it looks perhaps like somebody sat on them. Started this by using a small ball dental cutter in the die grinder to create a hollow, followed by some work with a selection of rifflers to smooth the contours. I added a couple of small dents along the edges. This was followed by a blast of abrasive to remove remaining file marks, then soda blasting with the air eraser.
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Froughboy.net%2Fimgs%2FCokeCooler%2FCarvingTop.jpg&hash=8fbd59b44dde92d37c0e49d7f1868ee25f0a5ebc)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Froughboy.net%2Fimgs%2FCokeCooler%2FRifflers.jpg&hash=c8be084b238d8affbe3816813da5b93ad99483b3)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Froughboy.net%2Fimgs%2FCokeCooler%2FCarvedCooler.jpg&hash=89695d603802c8e772cea983c035cb54c42f2000)
Then to finish up today I sprayed on the base rust coat... random dirty mix of Roof Brown, Black, UP Yellow and dirty Dio Sol. Next step is to finish the rust layer with a salt treatment and lighter shade of rust.
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Froughboy.net%2Fimgs%2FCokeCooler%2FRustBase.jpg&hash=f5fd8cb5fc947c144cf84d43bce75d00607cd7dc)
Paul
Nice work. How did you take the photo of both your hands working on the model? (Let me guess: Tripod and ten second delay? Wife?) -- Russ
QuoteHow did you take the photo of both your hands working on the model? (Let me guess: Tripod and ten second delay? Wife?)
...perhaps we are finding out how Paul does such great work... yes... he has three arms!
J ;)
Paul just put the COOL in Cooler.
What a great detail. The dimpled top is a great touch!
Quote from: finescalerr on September 12, 2010, 01:14:34 AM
How did you take the photo of both your hands working on the model? (Let me guess: Tripod and ten second delay? Wife?) -- Russ
Well, the resident thong-clad cutie of course.... ;D
But in reality, you got it in one, tripod and ten second delay.
Paul
Beautiful photos, too. I thought the first model photo was one of your computer graphics.
Well, this became an exercise in turning a lemon into lemonade. I was unhappy with the outcome of the salt treatment. I felt the salt crystals were too large (this is 1:48), too uniform in size and I had applied too many. So I blasted off the paint to redo these steps and in doing so, the corrugated aluminum ribs began lifting off the cooler. I hadn't been entirely satisfied with the original ribs. I felt the burnished flange at the top of the ribs was too wide and they also looked a little skewed, so I took the opportunity to remove the original and replace the piece of corrugated aluminum. I'm much happier with this version (although a little hard to see in this photo because of the salt), but not only does it look straight, but the burnished edge at the top of the corrugation is much smaller. I was also able to wrap the aluminum further round the bottom edge of the cooler.
Photo below shows the 2nd salt attempt. This time I ground up some of the salt crystals to get a wider range of sizes and shapes and applied them more sparingly than before. The second rust color was then sprayed.
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Froughboy.net%2Fimgs%2FCokeCooler%2FCoolerSalt.jpg&hash=7a60cfc8835bbe626dfdd406f745b3b2b8825ed3)
This completes the base coats (following removal of the salt) in preparation for the hairspray treatment and red color coats.
Paul
Paul --
Looking ... well, crusty! ;D McCormack sea salt grinder (from the grocery) is a cheap, handy tool for generating salt in varying sizes ...
Glad I'm not the only one who has these experiences with the "quickie" projects ... look forward to the outcome.
Cheers,
Dallas
Why not just eat it? It currently looks like something out of a See's Candy box! -- ssuR
Paul, Heres a couple cooler's 1/24 scale.... I did years ago. Never did paint the other one :(
Very "cool" Craig. I particularly like the one that looks like an old washing machine... never seen that style before and I went through a lot of photos looking for reference shots for this one. While we're on the subject of coolers, do you happen to have a spare white coca-cola logo suitable for 1:48 in either dry transfer or decal? I could have sworn I had a couple spares, but I can't find them anywhere... >:(
Yep, crusty rusty Dallas. Thanks for the tip. I just used a small mortar & pestle to smash up the salt crystals.
No thanks Russ, I'm trying to quit! ;)
Paul
Paul, Yes i have some decals you can have in 1/48...... PM me your address and ill get them out to you in the mail next week. Craig
Thanks very much Craig... greatly appreciated. PM on its way to you.
Paul
Love all your coolers, Paul. Very nicely done!
Ken, I cant let paul take all the credit.......the 2 in 1/2 inch scale are one's i did ;) Craig
Gee thanks Ken, but Craig did the two really cool coolers below. He deserves the credit for those.
Paul
Oops.....I didn't read the post thoroughly.
Nice work, Craig. Sorry for the misdirected accolades.
No "slight" intended!
Ken, No problem ;D glad you liked my coolers. Craig
Nice claen results & SBS Paul! You shoulda cast it!
Philip
Very neat and fun project. Nice attention to the small oft overlooked details.
M
Quickie update on this little project. Salt removed and rust base coats finished... much better this time, texturing much more appropriate to the tiny scale of the cooler. Now you can get a better view of the new ribbed panel.
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Froughboy.net%2Fimgs%2FCokeCooler%2FRustyCooler.jpg&hash=d8d6e52d17e2eb6dab2ea5b41478622a6e4fe5b5)
Now it's on to hairspray and the color coat...
Paul
In the macrocosm it is nothing more than a tiny lump of plastic. In our microcosm it is quite something else. -- Russ
Finished the basic color coats today. I was originally intending to use the hairspray method, but after some thought, opted not to. I find it too difficult to control on small parts like this where I only want a minimum of paint chipping in very specific areas. So I opted for gum arabic instead which I find much easier to control in application, particularly on such small parts. I use a small foam makeup applicator for splotching on the gum. In photo below you can just see the small gum areas, they have a sheen different from the rust base coats.
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Froughboy.net%2Fimgs%2FCokeCooler%2FGummyCooler.jpg&hash=1a69d9c82c3400c03887d5941e96d8a581dd0098)
Once the gum arabic dried, only a few minutes, I painted the main color coat using Tamiya Red. I spray my paint very thin, like a glaze, in many layers, to build up the primary color coat. This allows some of the color variation in the undercoats to read through producing a modulated appearance to the top coats, very effective in representing old, weathered paint. I then sprayed a lighter version of the red glaze on the top and upper surfaces to represent sun fading, followed by a darker version on the lower surfaces, all to give some depth to the final color. Photo shows cooler immediately after painting these color coats.
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Froughboy.net%2Fimgs%2FCokeCooler%2FRawRedCooler.jpg&hash=a22107dc7167579e17b8ce53d2581dbb20f0100e)
Then using water (gum arabic is water soluble) and a small stiff paint brush, I scrubbed off paint and gum arabic in the areas where I wanted the rust to show through. Once that was complete, I gave the entire cooler a quick gentle soda blast to even the paint surface & remove any stray bits of gum. I've also found this to be very effective for representing sun-damaged paint surfaces. To give some reference of size in the photo, I borrowed Chuck's giant penny. ;)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Froughboy.net%2Fimgs%2FCokeCooler%2FRedCooler.jpg&hash=317c8132aa6914c7ff6a37f86e1e8bf43af6fbfc)
Next steps are detail painting on the handles and drain spout, adding the Coca Cola logo decals (courtesy of Craig) then some glaze washes followed by powders for final weathering.
Paul
Nice subtle effects so far ... now, where the heck's the dang waitress? Oops, maybe I'm in the wrong place again. ;D
Cheers,
Dallas
Quote from: Malachi Constant on September 25, 2010, 05:17:52 PM
Nice subtle effects so far ... now, where the heck's the dang waitress? Oops, maybe I'm in the wrong place again. ;D
Cheers,
Dallas
Thanks Dallas. Keeping it subtle is what it's all about.
:D :D No waitress here though... she's still cleaning up the cracker crumbs and drawing sausages...
Paul
Satisfactory. Restraint is an admirable quality. -- Russ
Wow...the adage that every detail part is a model in itself sure holds true here.
What a fantastic piece of work!
Thanks for the in-progress shots, Paul. Great stuff.
Thanks guys... Made some more progress this weekend. First photo shows the cooler with the logo decal in place (thanks again for the logo Craig).
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Froughboy.net%2Fimgs%2FCokeCooler%2FCoolerLogo.jpg&hash=89ce47c2c8c197692247ca2c2f088d625bb55dd8)
The logo looked a little intense for the final weathered appearance I'm after. So I gently soda blasted the decal to wear through some of the lettering, make it look like a lot of people had been leaning against the cooler rubbing the paint off on the logo. I should have done this step prior to applying the decal because it took a great deal of care to wear away just the decal and not the surrounding paint. Oh well, that's what comes from not being fully awake.
Then I painted the details such as the drain pipe, handles and hinge with Model Master Metalizer and buffed them up. Following that I sprayed some overall weathering glazes using Dr. Ph Martin's Synchromatic Transparent Water Colours. These are my favourite colours for weathering wood but I haven't used them too often over painted surfaces. Instead of diluting them with water, I use denatured alcohol which helps the color bond to the paint layer. The water colours are very concentrated as they come so I dilute them approx. 50 to 1 to get just barely discernible colour from the airbrush. Using the Paasche AB Turbo brush I sprayed layers of Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Sepia and Stone Grey to give a weathered, discoloured look to the red and the logo. This step was followed by powders in the rust areas and on the top. Followed that with some pin washes on the ribbed section at the bottom. The overall effect is a little darker than I had originally intended but still acceptable. Going to let it sit for a few days then go back with some more pin washes on the ribbed section and rust spots to help bring out those details a little.
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Froughboy.net%2Fimgs%2FCokeCooler%2FWeatheredCooler.jpg&hash=3f430d115cf6373fdf42cae7cda9ee5f4b5e3e5f)
Paul
Paul, Glad you put the coke decal to good use ;) I really like the way the paint and weathering turned out. Craig
Hmm...I am sorry to say, that I feel it came out a bit too dark...I have seen some Coke items oxidized close to this shade, but not often.
I think part of the issue came from the darkness of the original red...which is protypical, but did not account for "scale effect", and the darkness of the subsequent filters/washes.........If the red color was acrylic, I also feel part of the problem might have come from the alcohol thinned watercolors....not so much the colors, as the alcohol, which can affect the paint it is aprayed over, as well as cause the filter to weep and blend into the acrylic color.
Marc
Thanks for confirming my suspicions Marc. As I mentioned, it came out a touch darker than I had originally intended. Though I had lightened up the primary red, it probably could have been a touch lighter yet... just didn't want to start out with a pink cooler ;D. I'm going to let it sit for a few days and may do a little more work on it or maybe not. If it still bothers me after a few days away from it, I may just blast it off and redo the paint with some colour adjustments.
Paul
It does look a little faded and dusty. If the idea is to find it amid some junk out in the desert then it's about right. If it is supposed to be in service, you probably overdid it. Either way it's a nice piece of modeling. -- Russ
Quote from: Roughboy on October 03, 2010, 10:23:34 PM
Thanks for confirming my suspicions Marc. As I mentioned, it came out a touch darker than I had originally intended. Though I had lightened up the primary red, it probably could have been a touch lighter yet... just didn't want to start out with a pink cooler ;D. I'm going to let it sit for a few days and may do a little more work on it or maybe not. If it still bothers me after a few days away from it, I may just blast it off and redo the paint with some colour adjustments.
Paul
Paul --
If it comes down to re-doing the color, try mixing a light pastel green into your red ... that will lighten your red: (a) with more of a neutral effect and (b) without turning it pink.
Cheers,
Dallas
http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryw64/4893833179/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattbatt/152939744/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/smokey2006/2129436891/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mapzitro/2296077229/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reluctant_paladin/3196957385/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thuddy/4363226598/
Before you do anything drastic, search "coke machine" tag (full text) on Flickr. You might find something that comes close to yours.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/
Type in the upper right box and hit search. When it shifts to the photos, pick full text to expand the search.
Couldn't you do some "panel fading" with oils (yellow & white).
I have read about it in my Mig book, but have not had the need to try it, yet!
Marc may be able to expand on this?
Also FichtenFoo did this on his "Vinny".
-Marty
Thanks for all the input guys... much appreciated. I've pretty much decided to blast off the colour coat down to the rust layers and redo. I think the problem is the weathering is too heavy, I rushed the transparent filters and they are overdone, giving a generally unfocused appearance. Nothing drastic about redoing it Chuck, it's just the OCD perfectionist side of my psyche coming to the front again... sometimes a benefit, more often a curse. I know it can be better than it is and my haste to get it done is to blame, so essentially this has become the "Not-So-Quickie Cooler Project." ;D
Russ, the cooler is destined to sit on the stoop outside a depression era roadhouse café along a dirt road, that has deteriorated over a couple of decades to the point where the business is just hanging on. The cooler is meant to be in use, show heavy use, thus the dented top flaps and the modest amount of corrosion, wear on the logo and sun fading of the primary red colour. Kind of hard to describe but I know the look I'm after and this is just not it. I'm also not entirely satisfied with the decal work, that can be much better.
Some good photo leads Chuck... thanks. I had done a fairly extensive search for cooler photos and didn't find exactly what I was looking for so it became a compilation of several different shots. I was pleased to see the heavily oxidized samples... very close to the colour I ended up with.
Marty, I did do some panel fading after painting the original colour, but it was a little too subtle and became lost with the application of the filters.
Dallas, if I remember my subtractive colour theory, if you mix red and green you get a tertiary colour, grey or more often then that, brown mud. Perhaps if the green is pale enough as you suggest... will have to experiment a little.
Paul
I seem to recall reading that you can mix a little yellow into red as a way to lighten the red slightly without making it pink. Haven't actually tried it, though.
You read that in my rag: Bob Stears wrote that in his article about Rio Grande stock cars in the current NG Annual. See what brilliance abounds? -- Russ
Here's a shot of the revised cooler. As threatened, I removed all the paint and started over. The changes started when I came to the colour coat after the gum arabic step. This time I lightened up the red by adding both yellow and white, then sprayed approx. 12 very thin coats modifying the colour slightly for each coat until it built up into the shade I was after while still revealing subtle hints of the underlying colours. After scrubbing away the paint in the gum arabic areas, I gave the entire cooler a gentle soda blast to uniformly oxidize the surface.
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Froughboy.net%2Fimgs%2FCokeCooler%2FCoolerRev.jpg&hash=9a3be5c615c23bab553a895545ab0f1b2ac549f4)
I soda blasted the decal this time before applying which is a little tricky as it's very easy to just blast the thing into oblivion. Using very gentle pressure and several light passes, I wore down the lettering enough to look as if it had been rubbed or worn off in several areas. The blasting also removed the decal film outside the printed areas which is a real benefit, however it makes the decal extremely delicate and difficult to apply.
This was followed with some very light glaze coats of Dr. Ph Martin's Sepia Synchromatic water colour diluted with denatured alcohol sprayed with the AB Turbo around the base and in the decal area to subtly stain and discolor the white decal. A little streaking with an 18x0 brush and alcohol followed by a modest application of powders finished the job. I'm much happier with the end result this time, the colour is better and the decal looks the way it should with no visible decal film. Now it's ready for the Clyde's Place display.
Paul
Paul, Second time around turned out a lot more realistic on the paint finish and weathering ;) Craig
Much better!
What they said. -- Russ
It worked! Looks like a faded cooler that's been mildly beaten and abused for a good while and lettering looks like it's been rubbed off over time. Neatly done ... maybe a touch of dust/grime along the very bottom edge and a bit of gunk in the cooling fines.
Cheers,
Dallas
I would never have dreamed of criticising the original model, Paul, but I must say the second version is noticeably different, I suppose better IS the word. I think the actual fineness of finish is much improved. Even though I am partially colour blind, I can see that the second time around is definately an improvement on what was already a remarkable piece of work.
I do admire a man who sees every little part as a model in its own right. That way lays consistency of the highest level.
Well done.
Martin
Looks nice! I'm glad it worked out; complete redo's are sometimes required if things keep gnawing at you.
Paul,
I liked the first one looked better even if the masses deemed it over oxidized. The new one may be redder and aged but the decal appears to have slipped, folded over or tore? These were I believe tin stamped so the fragments of logo wouldn't look as such.
Philip
Philip:
Thanks for the input. One of the good things about this forum is that there are always differing viewpoints. Actually, the cooler that I based this one on had a raised embossed logo, painted white, so it seemed perfectly plausible to me that the white paint of the logo could be worn away in places due to repeated rubbing and mistreatment. Luckily when applying the decal, it didn't fold or tear on me in spite of it being extremely delicate after all the decal film had been blasted away with the soda blaster. It's the kind of operation where you want to be sure you have another decal on hand in the event the blasted one just falls to bits. As it happens, this was my last coke logo decal, so I breathed a hearty sigh of relief once it was in its final position.
Paul
Saw this one today.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28504761@N05/5217514951/in/pool-24833238@N00
wow thats a real journey to get to the final outstanding result. Do , then redo and modify . Holy smokes thats some hang in there passion to get it exactly as it is finally !!!
mike
Well, the pump in the foreground is nice too, Chuck!