faster. The pillars are very delicate. The instructions call for adding the
stairs once the corner trim and porch is in place. Just looking at them on the diagram they seem fragile. I knew with even gentle and careful handling I’d have a momentary lapse of concentra- tion and knock the delicate stairs to places unknown. I left the stair assem- bly till last in fact because I planned to add roof flashing all around and gut- ters and downspouts. I left the more delicate rear stairs off till the house was completely detailed and ready to go on the layout. Before building up the roof, I added window treatments such as curtains and shades behind all the windows. I used a variety of items from various papers to envelopes and green file fold- ers. Nothing implies life in any struc- ture like window treatments, and this somewhat time consuming step pays realistic dividends in spades. I cut all of the curtains and shades oversize and used white glue to cement them to the wall above and below each window. The sub-roof went onto the structure without a hitch–be mindful of the overlaps at the peaks. There are small exploded diagrams in the instructions to guide you. The peel-and-stick roof panels are made of vinyl embossed with what looks to be slate shingles. The shingles appear a bit oversize on the fret but once on the roof underlay and painted, the oversize of the indi- vidual shingles do shrink noticeably. There are two triangular sections of
roofing which neither the instructions nor the photos of the finished model show exact placement. It would appear at first glance they’re peel-and-stick onto the roof slopes where they meet the tower. They do this but another peak against the back of the tower, where running water is channeled, is where the two steep roofs slope away from the base of the tower. You cannot peel and stick these as they stand on edge and only touch each other at the peak. I found carefully fitting the base of each triangle into the opening of the respective roof and then leaning the sections against each other so the peak is tight is the best method of assembly. Once in place, I ran a bead of cyano- acrylate along the base of each section then along the peak. You don’t need to cement these sections where they butt against the sides of the tower. There is a cutaway diagram “15b” which at- tempts to illustrate the assembly but it is just not that clear. There are gaps where the roof materials meet but be- fore I placed the structure into the scene, I planned to add flashing with narrow strips of masking tape. The bay window is the most chal-
lenging assembly and took the most time. The instructions make it sound easy but there are definite fitting prob-
lems to be aware of. Each of the five walls of the bay has a 90 degree edge, a function of the laser cutting. However, when assembling them into a multi an- gled bay there should be an angle on each edge for an even and tight fit. I spent a lot of time carefully sanding away each edge which cemented to the next section of the bay. A few of the walls were almost as delicate as the porch posts so again, I used minimum pressure and let the sandpaper do the work. It re- quires a lot of trial and error fitting and sanding to get a good fit, mine was nowhere near perfect but a lot better than had I just cemented the walls to- gether with the flat 90-degree edges. I used a good bit of gap filling cyano- acrylate at the edges and when the bay had cured, I went back and sanded the joints to remove any residual edges and make the fit smoother. The roof of the bay unfortunately is slightly un- dersize and lacks a pitch. It shouldn’t be a real problem though to go back and cut one from styrene sheet with a proper pitch and overhang should this bother you. There won’t be enough roofing material to match but often- times the roofs of bays were clad in copper sheet so it could be cool to have some verdigiris roofing to accent the bay and contrast the rest of the roof. Happily the windows easily went into their respective openings. The trim above and below the bay windows is notched so you can bend it around the angles of the bay. The peel-and-stick adhesive is not up to the stresses of this style of assembly so I ran a bead cyanoacrylate along the edge as I ce- mented each trim piece around the bay. Care and patience in assembly of the bay will truly result in the best ar- chitectural feature on the house after the tower. The tower roof is a solid resin cast-
ing, dare I say a bit crude at first glance. I don’t know if I just got a bad casting in this particular kit. The base needed to be sanded flat and when you looked down on the roof, it was defi- nitely not square at the base but rather trapezoidal. However, once I sanded the base flat, squared up the of- fending “trapezoidal” corner a bit, painted the shingles and cemented the tower roof to the tower, it didn’t look near as bad as I feared. I made sure the offensive angled base was pointed in the direction away from the edge of the layout where no one would see the funky corner. The peak trim is ornate and stunning and adds much to the pe- riod look of the house. Instead of peel- ing and sticking it to the siding, I at- tached it just inside the edge of the roof peak with cyanoacrylate. The off-set from the house made it more eye catch- ing. There is no reference as to where the chimney goes. It shouldn’t, though, be too difficult to imagine where. I do
MODELRAILROAD
Modeling in •Wood
•Cardstock •Paper •Plastic •Plaster
STRUCTURES FROM ATO Z
MODELRAILROAD
STRUCTURES FROM A TO Z
by Wayne and Mary Cay Wesolowski
Build your own model bridges, buildings, and backgrounds . . . from scratch! Create all kinds of unique original models from wood, paperboard, plastic, plaster, and other inexpensive easy to find materials. Easy step-by-step instructions, plus lots of detailed illustrations and photos help you make professional looking models right from the start Build a simple drainage bridge, the “Schulz Brothers” ice house, a storage shed, section house, and highway bridge. Learn how to design your own out- buildings!
about. This book covers digital and con- ventional photography as a design aid, suggests sources for model ideas, and covers plans, drawings and popular mod- eling scales. There’s a whole section on tools you’ll need, from calipers to razor saws, X-Acto knives, chppers, drills, and more. Lots of detailed info on modeling woods: balsa, basswood and pine, plus how to’s for selecting, storing and finish- ing. Glues, joints, cutting techniques, lay- out and construction are all explained, with project plans to let you test your new skills.
cutting, gluing, making window areas, and even how to simulate wood and metal. Plaster casting may sound complicated but you’ll quickly learn how simple and in- expensive plaster modeling can be as you build bridges, brick chimneys and more. 96 inside pages, color and b&w photos.
ONLY $15.95
plus shipping ISBN 59073-14-3
Shipping: US $6, Can $10, Frn $12 Payment in US Funds. Canada add 5% GST; NJ Res. add 7% tax. Prices and availability subject to change. Allow 4-6 weeks delivery.
1-888-526-5365 (M-F; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. e.s.t.) (Please have credit card ready; this number is for orders only, not customer service.)
carstens-publications.com Fax: 1-973-383-4064
ONLINE at www.
Send your order with payment to: Carstens Publications, P.O. Box 700, Newton, NJ 07860
You’ll find out how to work with paper: Learn what scratchbuilding is all
BYWAYNE&MARYCAYWESOLOWSKI
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