New Building for the FBGR

[FBGR]

I am continuing to build buildings for the FBGR in plastic that will live outside, and here is my latest effort.

The inspiration comes from a slide I took way back in 1975, in Merton, South London, just round the corner from Ravesbury Park. The building is still there, I found it on Google Earth, but it has been cleaned up and turned into flats – it was much nicer before.

75S0211L.JPG (149.05 KiB) Viewed 4145 times

The only parts that are not plastic are the chains (brass), weight ball (glass bead) and crane hook (copper wire).

13 Mar 31 Bldg B.jpg (230.98 KiB) Viewed 4145 times

13 Mar 31 Bldg D.jpg (212.56 KiB) Viewed 4145 times

13 Mar 31 Bldg E.jpg (174.23 KiB) Viewed 4145 times

Hand (brush) applied enamel paint and varnish all by Humbrol (some of which was much thinned with white spirit).

JOhn

[bazzer42]

That's fantastic. It must be one of the finest buildings I've seen in a long time. Do you scribe the bricks or use sheet? Any tips you can share on construction methods greatly appreciated. There are threads on the forums that inspire and this is definitely one of those. Thanks for posting on a miserable cold Monday!

[FBGR]

Thank you Bazzer42.

The bricks (and slates) are all individually applied, there are several thousand of them (0.5mm thick sheet for the bricks, 0.75mm thick sheet for slates). The main walls are 1.5mm thick sheet, reinforced with 25mm deep 1.5mm thick ribs in line with the openings, both vertically and horizontally.

As to construction tips, all I can give you is what I do - start with the size of the brick and work out all the overall dimensions, then set in the openings to fit in the brick courses and bonding from there (just as they used to do it). Don’t guess at how the bonding works, but go and find a bit of old wall to copy (real or photograph). When I start the construction work on a building I already have most of the dimensions sorted. I always start the construction with the windows however.

JOhn

[bazzer42]

I take my hat off to you, I'm not sure I have the patience to lay individual bricks. Do you use plastic for guttering and drainpipes because they are also very convincing?
Do you use poly cement to lay slates and bricks? I have considered slate laying but wondered what glue to use for a building that will live outdoors.
Nothing like learning from a master!
Thanks
Derek

[FBGR]

Dear Derek,

Everything is plastic.

For downpipes and gutters I use rod/tube (mostly Evergreen sections but sometime Plastistrut, as available at my local model shops), with the gutter made by splitting bits of 20-25mm long tube in half and then joining them end to end. Joints and brackets are made with either short bits of slightly larger tubes or small bits of sheet bent over the fingernail and held in position until stuck.

I use Humbrol Poly Cement (Yellow dispenser), and try to make sure all edges are sealed, somtimes running a bead around parts after finishing.

Like most materials, after a bit of practice, you get a 'feeling' for the material, so that you know how hard to press when cutting and how much to file to get the finish you want. Being quite cheap, if something dosn't come out right I just through it away and make it again.

This building is very big, and I'll probably never do a building as big again. I only have the use of a table in the back bedroom, so I don't have the facilities to use machine tools etc, so using plastic suits me just fine.

JOhn

[bazzer42]

Thanks John,
The gutter ing tip is clever, so much easier to cut a 25mm length than a complete length! I think I will have a go at a single road engine shed with an overhead water tank as I have limited space.
I will try your slates and gutters ideas but will try scribing bricks - starting with the windows!
Thanks again for sharing your skills.

[Peter Butler]

Just stunning!!

Expertly made and beautifully finished..... I like the weathering showing water runs below the windows from the cills.

But there's more.... The tiny hinges on the swinging windows, cast grilles set into the bricks, rust marks on the hoist pivots and wear to the bottom edge of the doors...it carries on...

Now that's attention to detail.

More please.

[MDLR]

Are you entering it for the MOTY (Model Of The Year) at Peterborough?

[Dr. Bond of the DVLR]

Brilliant looking building! I like the subtle weathering such as the rain stains on each side of the window sills.

[invicta280]

Stunning warehouse! Top marks for that. Quality build.

[FBGR]

Thanks for the kind comments.

This building is now firmly screwed down in position on the FBGR, so there is no prospect of it travelling to anywhere.

I think that the weathering has come out very well (always a surprise to me), sometimes it is a case of less is more.

Now I wait and see what the weather will do, it will be interesting if the subtleties will last long, or whether I should have been a little bolder and let the sun, rain, wind, sea air, etc. tone it all down. I will have to report in a year or so.

Here is a couple more pics anyway.

13 Mar 31 Bldg C.jpg (224.79 KiB) Viewed 4145 times

13 Mar 31 Bldg F.jpg (210.13 KiB) Viewed 4145 times

JOhn