BlueSky Company Warehouse HO/HOn3

KKarns

This wall of the Dry Goods Store faces the tracks. I glued in a piece of stripwood behind the left window and populated it with various items to represent a shelf or desk top inside. Will likely add a stick or can holding the window up. The right window has newsprint covering part of the window. Additional rotted area on the lower left.




This picture highlights the features inside the left window a bit better.



This wall was originally a solid wall. I took Brett's lead from the O Scale version of BlueSky in which a door was added to this wall. I felt the wall was too bare and decided to put in a service window. This window has horizontal sliding windows. I installed a large counter sill on the outside for cutomers and delivery personnel to submit orders, etc., and a light to illuminate the area. I'll have a couple of "bar stool" style chairs here for sitting and loafing. The loading dock will be along this wall. Inside the window I placed another stripwood piece to act as a desk or counter that will have details placed before the walls go together. Note the service "buzzer"



This wall was fetured earlier and was a solid wall that I decided to add a solid door and a screen door. I have now added a small light and door "buzzer". This door allows direct access to the BlueSky Complex from the CookHouse out back.



Illustrates the solid door partially open inside.



Here is the front of the Gorcery and Dry Goods Store. I added a screen door in front of the original solid door, added signage and a light.



View of the cracked open screen door...



Those not familiar with BlueSky, there is a service station component with a gas pump and various service station items. I decided to make my service station a Texaco brand. I fashioned the sign by gluing two identical signs back-to-back. I then ran a strip of thin paper painted and rusted along the edge. The sign framing is all styrene and NBWs. Rusted and weathered to taste.



This concludes the main detailing and finish of the Dry Goods Store walls. Time to glue everything up...

Joel

Wow! Love the buzzer and the new screen door. Love the fact the screen is coming detached just like most screen doors I know. Also much better scale screen. Great work. Amazing eye for detail.

admin

The Texaco sign is fantastic. Love it. The product pricing signs are so perfect. and then there's the doorbell/light combo on the wall. Outstanding. Ring the bell for service boys!

KKarns

Thanks Joel. You're right this screen door looks much better and thanks for the tip.

Appreciate that Brett and thanks much for your council on several issues including the dreadful "ICE" sign, such a good call! It snuck in on a couple of the pictures before removal....

brownbr

You sure work fast. Love all the details on the walls.

nextceo

Really like the sign Kenny G...

Wes

Well Mr Doan, sorry i mean Karns.

That is some really fantastic and inspiring work my friend. Knitting or lawn bowls is seriously looking to be a better option than trying to compete against your artistry.

I cant wait for more.

SteveCuster

Looks great Ken, really fantastic detail. What did you do to lighten up the wall?

I second what Wes said, this is Chuck Doan level detailing.

KCSTrains

Ken, you continue to amaze me with your imagination and craftsman skills. You truly are gifted and if I had the power I would dub thee as a "Master Craftsman!!" Phil

KKarns

Thanks Bryan, seems to me like I go at a snails pace...glad it doesn't appear that way to some.

Gald to hear that Alan, spent a good bit of time on it as it's right out there and really shows!

Hey Wes, appreciate the sentiments for sure. However, my/our address is planet earth...Chuck's is somewhere else!!

Thanks Steve. I studied the manual to get a feel for the roof overhang as I haven't gotten that far yet of course. Once I decided that, I scraped along the boards carefully with the edge of my #11 blade, then did some targted sanding mostly on the front edge of the boards followed by some light brown chalk leaving more paint up undet the future eaves.

Hi Phil, I really look forward to your critique and certianly thank you for your thoughts but you may have left out a letter in dub...maybe an "m"...more fitting for my mug.

CarlRowe

R E diculous. Great ideas and building.

KKarns

Hey Apprecaite that Carl, nice hearing from you.

ironmountainlumber

Hey there! Dr Grunge I see you are applying some new and exiting techniques and ideas to put you over the top again. You are putting us to shame. I really have to tell you outstanding, fantastic, and you are blowing my mind. First the idea of opening up the wall with exposed studs underneath is really cool and really adds another dimension to your modeling. Secondly the screen doors and the crackled paint are fantastic. You asked about screen and I was on line buying some LEDs and there is a product called micro mesh that you could use for screen. I think the screen you have is absolutely stunning and i like it a lot! The idea of a grocery store with the signs is fantastic. I like Brett, really love the texaco sign and all the details around the doors as well. I am not for sure what you will come up with next, but I bet it will blow everyone away. I was thinking and I had maybe a good or bad idea. You will have to decide on this one. What may be cool is when you get to the porch to use natural branchs to shape into the posts. I saw this Tom Millers FN3 layout video on one of his buildings. Just an idea.

I tell you so many great builds going on the forum right now. So get back at it! This is simply a marvelous outstanding and fantastic build!

Jim

Coors2u

Always first class work Ken. It is really great to be able to sit back and enjoy your work.

KKarns

Hey my friend, how have you been Jim? From your response to Steve it sounds like your making some progress on your layout.

I always look forward to your critique and you certainly made my day. Thank you very much for that. I really do enjoy trying new things with each build. I have always liked the look of old grocery stores and gas stations and love the old screen doors you see occasionally. BlueSky was the perfect opportunity to try and model them. I also love the look of framing showing through broken and missing clapboard siding, so once again BlueSky was ripe for this experiment. Another thing that Brett promotes in most, if not all, his kits is to detail each wall before assembling the structure. This allows the wall to be manipulated and postioned to facilitate all the wonderful details he recommends. I do spend a good bit of time as a result making sure I think about the adjacent wall and how the details may need to carry over to give the right effect, since I'm working on one wall at a time. I slid in a picture here of the back lower corner of the Main Barn on BlueSky to illustrate this point.



An example of planning ahead when working on detailing walls before assembly. I wanted this back corner to appear rotten and worn due to the plumbing leaks and roof run off. By forward planning I made sure the two walls, once put together, appeared as they were together all along and deteriorated.

Thanks for the tip on the screen material. The idea of using natural "logs" for porch supports is a really good one. I have seen just what you're talking about in several pictures of old porches I have researched. I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

Thanks again Jim and sorry for the lengthy and slightly off topic response.

Well...there's that proud father! How ya been Justin? Appreciate you checking in and thanks for your thoughts.

KKarns

Oh...just for you nut and bolt counters...the plumbing, both pipes, will extend and disappear below ground once the building is planted on the diorama.

sdrees

Ken,

Since we are both working on the walls, I am following you to see what I might want to do to my walls on Shelby's Marine. Thanks for all your posts on the Blue Sky and your description and how to of your details.

KKarns

You bet Stephen. The walls for BlueSky have been assembled and working on the roof of the main barn. Will post an update on this soon.

Joel

Even your work surface in the above picture is beautifully weathered. Well done!

KKarns

Thanks Joel...that's just a weathered section of my outdoor deck railing! Fits in nice to the "Dr. Grunge" persona...

ironmountainlumber

Ken, I enjoy hearing your take on things. The more thoughts the better! The picture above is fantastic. This is great fun looking at the pictures and your thoughts about how you are doing it. Great job! Bring it on I say.

Jim

Wes

Some more awesome work Ken. Always excited to see your updates bud.

KKarns

Good to hear Jim, I'm planning (maybe) to have the ground sunken in just a bit around this corner and have a bit of "foundation" showing...we'll see how that goes.

Appreciate that Wes and I think about your comments often and look forward to your thoughts on things as well.

sdrees

Ken,

I know I am late in the game here on the screen door, but take a look at the material they use for silk screen. I have used it and I like it.

KKarns

Ahh...very nice Stephen. Wouldn't have thought of that but can visualize the utility there! Thanks.

KKarns

As I mentioned early on, updates on my BlueSky build may be far and few between but I am working. All the walls are assembled and the barn roof is almost done. In the mean time, I experimented with an idea I had. Rather than just have a black paper view block that prevents someone peeking inside a window and seeing the other side and an unfinished wall, I wanted there to be something to see but didn't want to try and make up a detailed interior. I searched and found an appropriate image, sized it through trial and error and then mounted it inside the building on a piece of folded card stock. This is not a new idea but one I hadn't tried and I don't recall seeing very often. Image below of the end result.

KKarns

Inside image is a bit out of focus as camera focused on the window, but you get the idea.

MitchN

Ken,
That service button with the wire is great! And the sign too. Clever.
Mitch

KKarns

Thanks Mitch...the window appears high on the wall, but the loading dock and deck will bring the floor up proper...

sdrees

Ken,

Very clever, and a nice addition to the project.