1/35 scale auto repair shop

[Malachi Constant]

Greetings --

New guy on the forum here.  Recently started work on a 1/35 auto repair shop that will eventually be part of a small narrow gauge layout.  First photo is a preliminary sketch of the shop -- it's an adaptation of Mike Chambers' Faulks Oil Co. and being built as part of the "Chambers Challenge" on the Railroad Line forum in memory of Mike's contributions there.

This is my first "serious" project in a larger scale ... and it will take a ton of "bits, pieces & clutter" to fill up the place.  So, after discussing that briefly with Marc on the Gn15 forum, decided to sign up here.  Plenty of inspiration already taken from the work of modelers on this forum, and I'll welcome any comments and criticism as I get into the various detail projects and post pictures.

Meanwhile, the second photo shows preliminary work on the building foundation.  I've flipped the garage doors to the other side of the building to make it fit the future layout better.  Currently doing fill-in work on the stone foundation ... and did some tests last night to plan out the coloring techniques for the stones ... when done, walls will be similar in tone to the floor.

No "big deal" or replies really needed here ... just making a place to put the photos as the projects get underway ... and seeing if I can pass the test on posting photos!   

Cheers,
Dallas

[marc_reusser]

Aha...so now it begins! Great to see you posting your project here.

So is this where it stands now...or are you farther along already?...reason I ask is to make sure any comments recommendations are still possible, and thus worth mentioning

Marc

[Malachi Constant]

These photos are up-to-date.  I did a little fill-in work around the wood framing on the doors, the sill plates for the walls and some general fill-in of shallow areas (on the front edge shown -- haven't gotten that far on the other walls).



Completely open here to ALL comments/suggestions ... criticism or critical review welcome and appreciated ... no "thin skin" issues here.  (On the flip side of that, if I get a perfectly good suggestion and seem to ignore it on this project, it just means I'm saving the idea for next time!)



Nearing completion of my first 1/35 figure ... "Curt Mudgeon" the chief mechanic.  When I originally painted the face, I got a bit of iris color from his left eye onto the eyelid.  Went back and fixed that tonight.  Not perfect ... but right at the very edge of my ability to control a paint brush here.  Archer makes some eyeball decals, but they seem to indicate that their smallest is .050" diameter (and then go on to say "anything smaller than that shows no detail) ... irises on this figure are about .015" diameter ... pupils too small to easily measure.



Better idea of actual size ... yes, it's a gigantic head on a gigantic penny ... no magic! 

[danpickard]

Hi Dallas,
Interesting name...
The figure is well executed.  Please make sure you include the other shots of the body as well, the finish is very "satisfactory" as commonly refered to around here.

What is it with the size of the currency in the USA...no wonder credit cards are so popular these days. 

Dan

[Ray Dunakin]

Welcome aboard!

That sculpted head is fantastic! I dabble in figure sculpting myself, at 1/24th scale which is tough enough. Smaller scale such as 1/35 requires better eyes and a steadier hand than mine!

[Malachi Constant]

Hi Ray --

I agree ... the figure is very nicely sculpted, but I can't take any credit there.  Have several figures from the "civilian" range made by MK35 in France (www.mk35.com) and they're all well sculpted and well cast in resin.  They also produce a series of 1/48 figures, but I haven't seen any of those in person yet.  Made a little more progress on a welding cart for the shop today ... pix of that with the assembled figure when I get a chance.

[Chuck Doan]

Alright! Nice to see you over here Dallas! I like your figure painting.

[Malachi Constant]

Alright, Mr. Mudgeon is "finished for now" ... the close-up photos show me some areas that will need attention and some things that I might change later ... but I'll wait until the structure / diorama is further along so I can see what he looks like in the scene before making changes.



"Progress" shot on re-working the welding cart ... lowered the wheels, replaced the molded axles, added a support doo-hickey underneath and a strap across the front, replaced the molded handle.  Still need to paint, weather and touch-up the new bits and add chain and hoses. 



Those close-up shots are a mixed blessing ... shows me all sorts of things that'll drive me nuts, and a few things that I can actually fix.  (And really makes me appreciate the stuff that Chuck, Marc and others are doing that actually looks "real" when shown larger than life).

This shot is roughly actual size on my 19" monitor ... I can live with that view! 

[chester]

The figure is quite nice Dallas, good flat finish on the clothing. I also like the finish on the tank cart. Look forward to seeing more.

[Malachi Constant]

Well, I'm still no Marcel Ackle ... but a little better at miniature masonry than I was a month ago.  Finished the stone foundation for the structure and started experimenting with staining/coloring as shown here.  The little building is an O scale shed plunked on top temporarily ... the 1/35 structure will get bigger siding boards, which will overlap the wooden sill on the foundation ... which needs a bit more coloring work ... and so it goes ...



One of those cruel, much-larger-than-life shots ... just to torture myself! 

[Ray Dunakin]

The stone wall looks great! Are those real stones, or carved, or what? I like the rough texture of the mortar.

[Malachi Constant]

Ray --

Thanks!  I'm not quite sure "what" they really are ... the stones are Woodland Scenics "talus" ... it's rocky, but you can break the stones easily with a knife and they have sort of an open-cell texture inside.  They're not foam ... not solid "rock" ... curious if someone actually knows what they are.  Coloring shown here on the stones was done with Vallejo inks, thinned with water ... will do some additional layering of colors/weathering effects as the building construction gets underway ...

Started building up the wall stone-by-stone with larger pieces ... whole lot of trial-and-error (heavy on the error) ... ended up building the walls with larger stones, then facing them with smaller stones.  The mortar is Liquitex "Ceramic Stucco" with a touch of gray acrylic paint added.  It's an acrylic medium found at art/craft stores, has plenty of working time, dries with a rough texture, but still can be carved or cut with a knife.

Again, whole big trial-and-error thing on my part (cuz all I know is that Marcel had to start somewhere!) ... full recap of the misadventures in stone masonry here:
http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=29357&whichpage=7

Includes shots of a homemade pastry bag and modified syringe that proved useful in applying the mortar with some degree of control.

Cheers,
Dallas

[Ray Dunakin]

Cool. The wall turned out remarkably lifelike.

[Malachi Constant]

Mr. Mudgeon says:  Enjoy the holiday weekend, but don't drink any dang blasted kerosene!

[Malachi Constant]

Okay ... starting to experiment with coloring some siding.  Started trying some of the "resist" methods with so-so results ... Chuck describes using mineral spirits and several layers of paint ... Mark describes using turpentine and a single thicker layer of paint ... obviously, I'd need some more practice to "get it right" on these ...

BUT ... was quickly reminded that trying to work with turpentine, mineral spirits, etc instantly gives me a nasty headache ... and I'm gonna need to treat a couple hundred boards here. 



Made some slight improvement to the first group of boards using some Vallejo inks ...



Now, I'm trying to find a way to get the desired effects without using the nasty stuff.  Boards were stained with artists inks and rubbing alcohol (which doesn't bother me) ... then used acrylic crackle medium as an ersatz "resist" topped with Vallejo paints and inks ...

The six nearest boards have more paint remaining and are closer to what I'd like to use ... seems like this is headed in the right direction, but would welcome any criticism, ideas, suggestions, etc. on where to go from here ...