Neal's O scale Build for the Romantics and the Madmen

Robert.G

Got to be the notorious Maine Giant.... Looks more like 1/43,4 then 1/48 scale.

EricMG

The guy measures exactly 5 feet 10 inches according to my 1/48th scale rule. It is the door that is short. If anyone has this kit, see for yourself. Besides, he's Italian and he's saying: "What the fonk is goin' on here?"

Dave_S

Might be Paul Bunyan and Babe is just out for lunch (doesn't do stairs anyway). Or quite possibly even André René Roussimoff an actor born in Coulommiers, France
(aka Andre the Giant or "Fezzik" from The Princess Bride movie).
Later, Dave S.

EricMG

Tower walls roughed in. Trying the hairspray bit one more time.

Question: very few of you respond to this build compared to all the others, where you all gush praise like fire hoses. Besides Dave and Robert, who are friends anyway, I seem to be not engaging the rest of you. I'm thinking this is my last post. I can spend the effort where it might be appreciated. Ken, you, of course, are in the class of modeling gods.

Cheers and good modeling. Sad because I have some crazy ideas up my sleeves.

Robert.G

I am in for some crazy (modeling )ideas ! Anyway, I think you are doing a mighty fine job on this build. While I started the SW adventure with the Dueling Shacks, and am working my way up the difficulty ladder, you jumped on right away to the ' advanced building ' league. So, what I want to say, we DO like to see your efforts and we'll take the Maine humor that sometimes comes with it...

KKarns

Tower walls look great Eric, to me just the right amount of loose boards, uneven siding, and general weathering. Ahh...don't let the perceived lack of response discourage you Eric. You're at a point in the build that is technical but not as showy as adding details to scenes and scenic work, thus not as much to comment on but plenty to scrutinize. Can't wait to see the crazy ideas you have, that's what makes this so much fun. Oh, and add a piece of siding below that upper left window...thought nobody would notice!..get on it lol

Dave_S

Robert and Ken,

Couldn't agree more with your comments. We see the makings of a great project but once all these ingredients are assembled and some details are added to the scene we can begin to finally appreciate the artistry involved in getting there.

Eric,

Don't get to flustered by the lack of written responses. We could all see your double cylinder mill engine project coming together, agree with the frustrations of trying to follow directions to assemble something for the first time. (All dads can understand that as we have all toiled in the wee hours of the morning trying to get the kids Christmas presents assembled before they awakened, and then drag our weary bones out of bed to see their astonishment and bewildering responses.) But once it was finally assembled and we could easily see the artistry we were wowed. Brett included.

Did you ever watch someone wash their car, clean off all the bugs and road tar, get the hubcaps all nice and shiny. wax the car top to bottom clean the windows inside and out, vacuum the upholstery and carpet. We all know the routine. You can watch and learn how that person does the job their way, but once it is all completed and sitting out on a cloudless day reflecting the surroundings like a mirror then we can all stand back and say wow! You always knew the gem that was hidden beneath all the dirt, bugs and grime. Now we can see it as well.

We are all watching as your project takes shape. Many of your ideas and techniques are new to us. That's what makes your art unique after all. Your experiences and view of structures are totally different than many of ours. Some of us are just more inclined during this stage of your build to post our thoughts. While some are just waiting to see what is next and where is this going. But believe me once the walls are together, the roof on, decks, stairs etc in place, posters and advertisements carefully and artistically placed and a few details are added to the scene it becomes more evident what you had in mind when you started and we can then see the steps necessary to get to the finish line. Then each of us can respond to what part of the build we find that most gets our attention and comment and ask how did you do that part again. or please give more of an explanation of how or why you did that.

Keep on keeping on. Believe me, we are all watching and care.

Later, Dave S. Tucson, AZ

Robert.G

And more I'd say, 3.7K views on this build already and you are just in the beginning of it. Doesn't seem that bad to me. And I am certain, there are WAY more readers than contributors on the forum, so , there is plenty of attention. Being on the forum, I've noticed that people are interested in my special kind of modeling. This goes for yours as well. You too have an artistic approach on modeling and that makes it worthwhile to keep on following what you're doing. Thanks anyway for your postings.

EricMG

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EricMG

Ken, I never try to place a board anything but straight. But whatever happens, I leave. In art, your accidents can be the best part, if you are awake and alert.

EricMG

Building a saw mill. Needs weathering, of course.

EricMG

A taste of the roof weathering.

Robert.G

What an awesome project !!

EricMG

Robert, I've named my On30 railroad which will service the sawmill. The MicMac Line.

EricMG

My friend Richard Silliboy is a MicMac. He and his ancestors have lived on the same ridge above Houlton, Maine for 5k years.

Dave_S

Eric,

The craftsmanship in the photos you shared of the Saw Mill is spot on. Are you using a chopper to get all the pieces the same length or did you create a jig to get them duplicated?

Hopefully, you will consider showing the Saw Mill build as a separate build!

A few additional questions about the Saw Mill project you have introduced during the Neal's O scale Build for the Romantics and the Madmen build.

1.) How do you plan to weather the interior of the Saw Mill shed now that you have it assembled? Spray it with your magic elixir? Or do you plan to weather it at all?

2.) Can you show us an enlarged isolated close-up of what appears to be a figure working on something in the bottom left corner of the photo where you show us the roof weathering with your magic elixir?

http://www.craftsmankituniversity.com/vanforum/uploads/imageupload/176/3M6USX4D51AT.jpg

3.) Can you get a close up photo of the roof truss assembly to show us the steel rods used to connect the top chord (rafters) and the bottom chord (tie beams) to keep stabilize the roof?

Thanks, Dave S. Tucson, AZ

vietnamseabee

Nice weathing on the siding....I like how a few of the boards have significant pieces missing from the ends....purely a personal style comment, you have butt jointed a few pieces of siding almost dead center in the wall....my preference would be about a third of the way in from one side and a few boards higher a third of the way from the other side a a very few in the center....just my way of siding a building...neither your way or mine is right or wrong...just a different methodology
Terry

EricMG

Dave, since the saw mill is not connected to SW as business. I will e-mail you directly with answers to your questions. Cheers!

Having sided clapboard many times, I find the longest run is usually the way to go. Of course getting decent 1/4 sawn wood gets more and more expensive and difficult.

Robert.G

Eric, I looked again at the tower walls. I enlarged them out of proportion big and they still look very well done. You managed with , apparently very few tones and shades to make them look interesting . Just enough splits, damages and variations in the clapboarding. I like especially the fact they are still quiet light. In color that is. I believe with final weathering it will be a great tower. I haven't read the manual yet, but here, the windows seem to open in another direction than the windows from, let's say the Logging and Tractor repair shop.

Dave_S

Eric,

Thanks for the response. I'll look at my mail for more info regarding the mill.

Just back home from my 5 mile daily walk. It was a cold one out here for us desert rats. Backyard thermometer said 28. I know that would be a heatwave for most of the northern states but once your blood has thinned out it is about 80 degrees colder out than our summer days and that is a big difference. Still plenty of snow up in the Catalina Mountains to look at.

Later, Dave S

kebmo

the big weather guy in the sky says we can expect wind chills of -30F tonight. that's pretty cold.

vietnamseabee

Where are talking about, K? I’ll be in Chicago next week and supposedly going to be bitterly cold....wondering if this central Florida boy will survive
Terry

Dave_S

Get your car engine block heater fired up! I can't fathom that kind of cold any longer. Can the best of the best furnaces keep a house above 55 degrees in that kind of cold?

Just checked and the expected low temperature in Anchorage, AK tonight is 35 degrees above and in Fairbanks it is expected to be around 12 degrees. Can you still catch a plane?
\
Later, Dave S. Tucson, AZ

Mountaingoat

Eric,

I openly admit I am one who reads the posts and learn from them, but don't typically comment. I'm sure there are many more like myself.

P.S. Living in Hawaii I won't even mention our current weather, but the beach is calling.

Rick

Robert.G

Maybe we 're deviating from the actual build here

EricMG

Here is a decent shot of the hairspray method where I felt it worked okay. I've learned it works better on less porous surfaces. I cheated with a bit of dry brushing. Also, old window glass shows in right window. I really like it in person.

vietnamseabee

I have never tried the hair spray method so nothing personal to compare it to but I especially like the wall on the left...the boards above and below the bottom window
Terry

Robert.G

That's right, they have the most of the peeled paint effect. Perhaps next time, you could seal the wood first with a extra mat varnish. AK interactive has that.

https://ak-interactive.com/product/ultra-matte-varnish/

EricMG

Tried that on third trial. Made a mess.

EricMG