Kit 311 O scale O'Neills

brownbr

Alan, I did try my hand at expansion joints for a machine shop floor once. If I remember correctly, I poured the plaster in the mold and leveled it off. This time, the up side will be the floor not the down side. Once it was nearly dry I used a straight edge and exacto blade to cut these joints. Though it is entirely possible that I did the mold, flipped it over like on the current example and cut the lines when fully dry. It was a long time ago and hard to remember. Please try and post your results. I'd love to see what you come up with.

nextceo

Thanks for the explanation. I'm in between using plaster of paris or quikrete patcher for my slab. Its for a giant air plane hanger and I want to be able to polish it to give it a light shine like you'd expect on that type of floor.

SteveCuster

Bryan, the concrete looks great. The rebar detail is really amazing. Very nice work.

-Steve

brownbr

These guys are skinny.

Sure wish I could take better photos. All of my close ups are grainy.

vietnamseabee

“Let them eat cake”
Marie Antoinette

admin

Excellent progress Bryan. The diorama is coming along so well and just looks fantastic. Thanks for posting all the great pics!

KKarns

No doubt faces of LPs make or break their addition to a diorama...most often the they function as a spoiler...not your's. Very well done.

brownbr

Thanks guys. Ken, the faces in these figures makes them forefront models. Kudos to the sculptor who created them.

Well I've never built a ship in a bottle, but I think this is what it would be like. I'm running the wires for the inside of the shop. Here we see a tangled mess for 4 (2 inside shop, 1 on front wall, 1 in the drive-through) lights being threaded into a small hole in the floor and out the bottom. I'll twist them together and use a scrap board to hide them as they go down the wall. I placed a conduit tube in the diorama base already.

I have a decision to make. I can mount the shop and drive-through now and secure the lights which means I build the roof while the shop is secured. Option 2 is build the roof while working around the wires for the light. I'm leaning towards option 1 after watching Joel build his roof with the shop in place. This will make finishing the lights relatively easier.

Also, I'm only installing 1 front door for better visibility inside.

brownbr

Wires installed. shop mounted. Wires hidden. You will have to look very close to find the wires, even with the roof off.

Joel

Beautifully done.

KKarns

Interior is looking great, love the old stove!

brownbr

All of the large elements are mounted and the first layer of ground is on. I wanted a little bit of contour in the ground but I think I got too much in some locations. I'll go back when completely dry and sand/carve off some of the "peaks" in the dirt.

CarlLaskey

Bryan. Nice real nice best one yet. .............Carl.........

nextceo

Hey Bryan, looks great. What did you end up using for your Mortar?

Alan

Karl.A

Fantastic as always Bryan, the high contrast lighting really shows off the structures angles and how they work together. It also shows off your superb weathering and finishes, really nicely done.

Karl.A

brownbr

Thanks Carl and Karl. Alan, I used the same plaster for the mortar as the cement. Once it started to set up I spread it over the bricks with a finger and pushed it in place. I used a damp sponge to wipe off the bricks.

All of the top-side wiring is done. I need a break before trying to tackle the underside. That is going to be a challenge. I'll try to get some photos as I go.

I took a short video of the burn barrel. If anyone knows how to load it here please let me know.

brownbr

Let's see if this works. The burnt wood looks wet because it is. I soaked it in a fixing agent that has not dried yet.

Dave_S

Bryan,

That "burn barrel" is great. The video shows the flickering light of a diminishing fire in the barrel. Very effective when coupled with the heavily charred lumber sticking out of the top. Thanks for posting the video. Is the LED you used one from Ngineering?

Later, Dave S Tucson, AZ

brownbr

Thanks Dave. Yes, I use Ngineering parts for lights. I'll be trying one of their sound modules for this as well.

I went ahead and wired the lights to the board. The first pic shows the board with resistors installed...they sure are small. Second pic shows where wires come out from under diorama. 2 tips on working with magnet wire. 1-twisting your wire pairs together makes them a whole lot easier to work with. 2-tie a knot at the end of your twisted wire pair so you don't mix up wires when wiring to board. 3-(I didn't follow) label your wires so you know which light they go to...I have 1 light not working so I have some investigating to do.

Pic 3 shows D-cell power pack that will be mounted under the diorams followed by a couple of pics with lights on...note that the light not working is above the door to the welding shop.

Last 2 pics give perspective on where this is mounted under the diorama.

nextceo

Thanks for all the pictures. The Barrel looks great. Adding those holes int he barrel is a nice touch. I typically use a 12V Plug in Power Supply. Any idea how long the D-Cell Power Pack will run? I know when Ive taken my diorama to the shows, I think they just let the dioramas run all night meaning the lights could be on for 72 straight hours until the show ends.

brownbr

Alan I believe that the setup I have here will run about 48 hours continuously. I make that estimate based on conversations I had with Tim at Ngineering. There will be seperate on/off switches of course...see pic. The 12 (hopefully not 11) lights will run off of the D-cells. Each flicker module (barrel and welder) will have a seperate 9V power, and the sound module will need 2 9V. More complicated than plugging in for sure, but I wanted a completely free-standing unit.

This is the side of the base for the diorama. Once the groundwork is nearly complete I will slip the diorama into this frame and secure it. I think the black button is the way to go versus the red.

KKarns

Wow...that's some seriously cool animation...do I see a sound selection? What kind of sounds are you going for? Sock foot for scale...too funny!

brownbr

Ken, the playtrack is called "Industrial". Think small factory.

brownbr

I've been making some pallets while the 2nd coat of "ground" dries. I had a pallet jig from another kit and noticed that they are 2 different sizes so I made some of each for interest.

A while back I made a new motor also, but I think it need a fan belt. I placed it on a pallet to see how it would look. Joel made me try a bent and exposed nail on the pallet.

brownbr

I got started placing some details this weekend. Lots in but LOTS more to go. The overhead shot gives you a feel for the final layout of how everything will go together.

Looks like there is some back-breaking work going on here!

I'm also about ready to put it into the frame. Most of the dirty work is done but I'll still protect the finish with some painter's tape. I think that the more details I add, the higher the chances of messing something up when it goes into the frame.

brownbr

I also figured out my not-lit light. I had to take it out, resolder the LED, then reinstall by splicing in the new wires. Not a fun job, but it had to be done.

Wes

Man this is looking so good. That frame is going to finish it off nicely.

Apologies in advance if youve mentioned before, but where are your figures from?

KCSTrains

Looking real good. I really like the people you have put in. They look very realistic. Phil

Joel

Looking great. Now comes the best part, all those fantastic details.

brownbr

Thanks guys.

Yes Joel. I always enjoy adding the details.