Alan's O'Neill's Build

Mountaingoat

Looking goooooood!...Rick

Alan_H

Well the Ultimation sander just arrived. I unboxed it, looked it over, and mounted the Repeater. It's quite a substantial tool. I can see why Brett didn't clamp his down. If you're working in HO I don't see a need. This thing is heavier than you'd expect. It shouldn't go anywhere. As our British/Australian/Kiwi friends say, "Quite a nice piece of kit!" I think some rubber feet would do nicely if it has a tendency to move on my bench.

Alan_H

Last night I completed the tower roof and installed it. As the manual says take care to make sure it sits level, but also make sure it gets properly centered. There's room for it to move off center if you aren't careful. I have an aged copper Reaper color I'm going to try on the spire/lightning rod and we'll see how it does depicting the greenish film that accumulates on these fixtures in the real world. The rest of the session was spent adding detail to the welding shop walls and installing the doors. Lots to do here yet, but so far so good!

I didn't get too much play time in with the Ultimation sander last night, but I did fix a few loading dock legs, and I'm already sold, or maybe I should say sold again. I find it much easier and more reliable than the True Sander. The default 90 degree feature is also very handy for small pieces and easier to use than the NWSL tool. To anyone "on the fence": You won't regret buying it. I have a feeling it's going to pay for itself in the coming steps of the build!

Mountaingoat

Looking really good.....Rick

KKarns

Great progress Alan...love the subtitle paint fade and peel!

Karl.A

Looking great Alan, the coloring of the wood and the subsequent paint effect look great.
The details are coming along nicely and starting to fill the scene out.
Great work.
Unfortunately it looks like you're going to need to pop that front wall off.
The side walls are too high and the roof wont fit right. This will be so easy to do at this stage and save you many headaches later in the build.
Some clean alcohol to soften the glue and a little patience is all you need.
Once again, great work all around so far.

Alan_H

Karl.A said:

Looking great Alan, the coloring of the wood and the subsequent paint effect look great.
The details are coming along nicely and starting to fill the scene out.
Great work.
Unfortunately it looks like you're going to need to pop that front wall off.
The side walls are too high and the roof wont fit right. This will be so easy to do at this stage and save you many headaches later in the build.
Some clean alcohol to soften the glue and a little patience is all you need.
Once again, great work all around so far.

Yes, I saw that gap between the side wall and the floor when I posted this photo this morning and it has been bugging me some. The other side is OK so I may just have to do this one seam. Curses!

Karl.A

Just damp the corners from the inside with some clean alcohol on a clean paintbrush a few times letting it soak in for 10 mins or so, go sparing just on the inside corners and it will come apart with no damage.

Do one side at a time, they both need it, the gap on the floor isnt the problem, that could be easily hidden, it's the alignment at the top you need right in order for the rafters to fit correctly, let the first side dry fully once apart before doing the second corner, it'll be fine.
A couple of boards may need to be glued back on but that's a small thing and will be well worth it moving forward.

kebmo

once fixed it's gonna look awesome. great coloring. i used much more paint than you did, and i think i like yours better.

Alan_H

Gap gone, building straight now! Thanks for the tip Karl. I was debating what to do about that and the alcohol soak worked perfectly.

brownbr

Good save on the wall. I like the gray siding color you got. Very convincing.

The shingled roof looks a bit too new for the tower. Maybe using some of the chalk you used on the siding might blend it together.

Alan_H

Yeah that was kinda the plan for the tower roof. I just haven't gotten around to it quite yet. You know how you get pulled in several different directions at once on these builds sometimes.

Alan_H

Not as much work done as I'd have preferred this week, but as Phil says, small steps! I'm going to be doing supports, porches, railing, overhangs, etc. next. The Ultimation sander proved its worth on the addition porch. It squares up lumber nicely, and very fast. That's very useful, especially on these small pieces. I'm still learning the tool. It's easy enough to use but the techniques require more attention when you aren't used to using it yet. I expect it will soon all be second nature.


The addition support is done and attached.


I also got around to knocking down the brightness of the tower roof with some chalk. Before:


After:

Mountaingoat

Progress looks good. Photos show little things like the lightning rod has been bumped....Rick

Alan_H

Mountaingoat said:

Progress looks good. Photos show little things like the lightning rod has been bumped....Rick

Yes, these things happen. I expect I'll be fixing these little items right up to when they get placed on the diorama base. They tend to pile up while you're constantly handling the parts during assembly or transferring things in and out of safe storage. I still have to tar around that smoke jack too.

MuddyCreekRR

Life is not always 90 degree angles either.....perfect and square seldom occurs in the real world....a dent or a ding sometimes adds character...

Karl.A

Making great progress Alan, everything is coming together so nicely.
Great work so far.

KCSTrains

Alan, I’m glad you’re making progress. I’m working again (so much for retirement) and have a lot going so not much progress has been made. BTW I’m constantly bumping into things and regluing things. Phil

Alan_H

KCSTrains said:

Alan, I’m glad you’re making progress. I’m working again (so much for retirement) and have a lot going so not much progress has been made. BTW I’m constantly bumping into things and regluing things. Phil

Well I hope you're making them pay through the nose! I'm back on the road this week so I won't get anything much done either. Small steps, as you've said.

KCSTrains

Alan, the pay is not bad. It feels good to exercise the brain again, although building this kit certainly requires brain power and creativity. Phil

admin

Looks great Alan, really coming together nicely!

Jim M

Alan, great thread. You're doing a fantastic job. I'm just getting back to my O scale O'Neills and I have to say that I can't imagine how much harder it must be in HO. I'm struggling with my fingers getting in the way in my O scale build.
This is just fantastic, great modeling.

Alan_H

Hi everyone. Back again. Two weekends in a row with the granddaughter, and a week on the road. When she visits its all about her, so no modeling gets done! This weekend I started on the porch supports and stairs. This is not difficult work, but it goes slow, as you need to keep everything square and plumb. I got to try out the repeater attachment on the Ultimation sander. I'm loving how well it works. Yeah, it was expensive, but so worth it!

Mountaingoat

Excellent results.....Rick

KKarns

Nice tight even eave joints...first thing I look at! Looking mighty fine...

admin

Fantastic modeling!

Alan_H

Got the addition stairway, porch and supports finished, and now working on the upper deck and lower landing and stairs.

Karl.A

Great stuff,
I noticed the extra weathering outside the door and the edge of the balcony/porch,
Nicely done, subtle but effective.

Karl.A

(Maybe darken the lower doorstep in the middle if you can, looks a bit clean... just sayin.. it's the little things)
Wonderful all around.

brownbr

Making great progress