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Kit 311 O scale O'Neills

1235713

Comments

  • Terry, this structure is raised so the shovel overhang is not a problem.

    Bryan
  • Bryan,
    It looks great. Love the sheet metal patches and the finish on the pails is outstanding.
  • Thanks Joel. I wish I could get a cleaner closeup shot. I'll keep trying.

    I'm nearing completion of the details included in part 1. I'll post some pics as I start grouping them together. If only there was another box of unfinished details somewhere...

    Also, I noticed that O'Neills repairs cracked enging blocks so I fished one out of my spare parts bin and gave a heavy rust effect. I believe it was supposed to be an aircraft engine, but it will serve as a truck block here. I'm thinking about putting it on a pallet off in the weeds somewhere.IMG_0267
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  • edited May 2018
    Nice looking 'block' Bryan, great texture and colour variation of the rust, that's gonna look great buried in the weeds(but still visible) somewhere on the dio..

    Can I ask a question and make a suggestion?

    Karl.A
  • I'd be very interested in your ideas Karl.
  • edited May 2018
    Ok, These are just my thoughts, if I had that 'piece' infront of me...

    Firstly I assume that those 6 oval recesses in the last pic are supposed to represent the cylinders.... the engine is shown with the head removed? correct?

    At a minimum I would paint within those recesses flat black to give the illusion of depth and a cavity, I would do this if the item were planned to be placed in weeds/etc where it was not too visible, but..., it will still give depth to the otherwise flat casting, even if it is hidden in weeds it will create the illusion.

    If it were in a visible location, (and even if it really wasn't, just cos its me) I would drill out those cylinder cavities with a drill bit in a dremel and then paint the interior of the resulting holes black.
    Again this giving an otherwise bland casting depth and reality.

    Thirdly, in addition to, or even if neither of the previous two steps are taken.... an old engine block would be covered in old oil, at the least I would coat any recesses, deep areas, logical places in oily black, grimy black etc, just black. Yes it may be rusting away, but any old engine I've seen is mostly black and oily and leaking shit everywhere... at least on the bottom half. Not dry an dusty/rusty...

    My thoughts

    Karl.A


  • edited May 2018
    Oh, and if you want to take it to the 'next level' ... I would add some hoses and wires coming off it in appropriate places, I'd use solder and/or thin wire for this.
    That would really elevate it and give it depth and a feeling of realism....
  • All good points Karl. I have no idea if the recesses are the cylinders. I believe the top of the casting to be the first pic.

    I'll work on it some more and see what I can come up with.
  • Bryan,

    I like all Karl's suggestions.

    However, you mentioned that the detail is possibly an aircraft engine and a bit of research confirms that it is fairly representative of the 12 cylinder Rolls Royce Merlin (or could be a Packard Merlin), but missing the supercharger and most of the peripherals (which Karl mentions) and with the end of the crank shaft lopped off. Consequently the entire engine and all the covers (cam boxes, crank case, sump, etc.) would be aluminum. Therefore no rust!

    The oval holes are actually the exhaust ports - six on each side. The air/fuel intakes were nested inside the vee under the long cast aluminum air flow channels.

    In my opinion the block (and therefore stroke and bore) is too small to represent the typical big vee-twelve diesel so I suggest that you go ahead as planned with your rusted scrap engine theme (which I like) but detail the surrounding weeds, or whatever, to largely mask the size of the engine compared with any item close by that provides a comparative measure of size/scale (example: brake wheel, car wheel, etc.). That way the original detail cannot be identified for what it was supposed to represent.



  • Great suggestions. Turning junk into art. Love it.
  • Thanks Brian. This block-being so big-may get planted somewhere in the weeds on the layout. I have located a smaller Buda engine laying around and will give that a go. I don't want something in the weeds to overpower a scene.
  • More fun with castings. Here we have a family portrait of drums. Funny how the camera picks up stuff. I see a brush hair in the kerosene tank that I had not noticed before. It has been successfully removed.


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  • Now those are definitely some exquisitely well done drums. Beautiful work.

    Karl.A
  • Great work, love the oily mess on the kerosene tank.
  • A pleasure to look at !!!
  • I've been making slow progress on this. Lots of summertime activities, etc. I got the drive-through, canopies, stairs, decks, etc completed. I'll take it outside over the next couple days and get some pics in better lighting. In the mean time, I've begun working on the part 2 castings. I just love the complex/detailed wood castings. The second shot of the junk bin is closer to the actual color.

    I'm debating the final layout of the diorama along with how to mount the light switches and battery packs. I believe I will be adding a couple of inches to the size. Around 16x18 or 16x20. I have a few extra elements I want to add and the extra space will help. I'm also strongly considering an acrylic case to cover the dio. You can have custom cases made...for a price.

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  • Great paint job !!
  • Your castings look very good
  • Excellent looking castings/details, that second pic really tells the story of how finely detailed each piece appears. Just enough color and metal finish variation to look purposeful and not like a bunch of jelly beans (color for the sake of color). Progress is progress Bryan no matter how little...
  • Thanks guys. Ken, yes these castings are very finely detailed and as you paint one small detail inside the casting it makes other details become visible. I used a dark gray wash to start inside the bin to give shadow then had 4 different "metal" colors and started painting individual parts inside the bin. Painted everything that looked like a beer bottle green and the two medium sized drums to make them stand out. Followed with a dark rust wash to blend everyting together. LOVE these castings.
  • Creating the shadows in the lower parts between all the castings is key. Your metal colors are great. Best castings on the planet!
  • Fantastic, natural detail painting Bryan. Very nicely done indeed.
    It always amazes me how you find more and more detail in Brett's castings as you are painting them, they never disappoint.

    Karl.A
  • Never disappoint indeed Karl.

    I believe I have picked out the base for the diorama. Here you see a 16x20 unfinished frame with a piece of Gatorboard in it. There is a 3/8" lip to the top of the frame. Underneath there is plenty of room for wires, etc. And the face of the frame is wide enough to mount switches for the lights. Overall, this meets my needs. I may or may not lay the structure directly on the gatorboard. I'm thinking about using 2 layers of foam core board to make the "ground" level with the frame. Gluing the foam core to the Gator will keep it from warping. If I use 1/2" foam as seen here, it sits above the frame.

    A front and back pic shows the overall working size. The cardboard mockups are the size of the corrugated Dueling Shack and an outhouse. Once I start playing around with the placement of the castings I'll decide whether to include these additional structures. I'll have some extra room to work with inside this frame.

    I'm leaning towards a dark stain for the frame...like a walnut...with no distracting finishes or weathering. As discussed earlier, I am also leaning towards an acrylic cover which would be the size of the frame.IMG_0009
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  • And if we turn it...IMG_0013
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  • edited July 2018
    Very nice....will be entered in a competition ?
    Terry
  • Very impressive!
    I have noticed that a number of workbench photos reveal completed kits mounted in this manner on shelves. I'm a bit curious about this type of presentation. Is it motivated by the ability to present the "display" at a show for judging; to keep the kit on the sideline until a layout is built; or is it a simple recognition that the hobby can be in the satisfaction of completing a well-done kit. I'm sure there are a multitude of answers, including just building Sierra West dioramas.
    Collectively, What motivates the forum members?
  • Thanks Terry. No plans for competition, but it will be travel-ready with this plan.
  • Bill...I don’t have a layout to place my models on so they go on a shelf....I model for the sheer enjoyment.... I began modeling Fine Scale Minatures in the early 70’s after returning from Vietnam.... I used modeling (the more complicated the better) to “clear my head” and it worked....a great stress reliever for me....can you relate?
  • Bill, I have incorporated all of my kits into my layout. This is the first one that will be a standalone diorama only because I ran out of spots for a kit like this. I have spots left for smaller kits or for kits that only need to be viewed from the front.

    I have also found over the years that I get more enjoyment out of building kits than running trains. I may do more like this in the future.
  • Diorama base came out nice. I sandwiched foamboard with Gatorboard to be able to mount flush with the frame. I like the way it turned out but I noticed that one edge got a little crooked. I'll hide that with scenery.

    I'll be taking it out of the frame for the groundwork so I don't mess the frame up. A big decision is which way to orient the structure. I'm leaning towards having the front of the building along the long edge. I like this way because you get a closer look into the workshop from the edge of the dio. But I think the outbuildings look better when the front of the structure is along the short edge. Anyone have thoughts on orientation?
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