Evolution of a Structure Kit - How to "Americanize" a European Kit

Introduction:

For most of the early years N-Scale structures were dominated by European imports that looked, well, European. While many areas of the United States and Canada have strong European backgrounds, some of the building features and materials portrayed look out of character on a North American layout.

Some simple modification (i.e. kitbashing) can make dramatic improvements in the appearance of a very European looking structure:

Into something less out of place on a North American layout:

I’ll go through the step-by-step process I followed to make these changes.

Inspiration:

Some of the inspiration for the project:

My biggest concern WAS the round-topped (arched) entry door, but these even had arched windows! I might cut the vertical muntin to make two panes instead of three, but I'll keep looking for more examples like the kit windows first.

My original inspiration pic seems to have gone AWOL; so here are a few that give plausability to the project:

http://sjconnor.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/chinatown-balcony-wp.jpg - a building apparently in Chinatown, Vancouver

Notice the the three pane windows, with a vertical muntin separating the lower section, with approximately the same proportions as the kit windows. So not completely alien...

http://shoutyoungstown.blogspot.com/2011/07/federal-building-is-fully-rented-before.html

A much cleaner looking structure, and granted, no fancy trim, but the arch-topped windows at the top floor. I may have to try this one some day...

Preparation:

I added some of the "out of the box" details that would use on the finished structure, both for ease of working and to add strength to the finished product.

The first pic below shows the starting condition of the parts to be modified:

For reference, the right-hand opening on the front (pink) wall will become the doorway. The other larger opening will be partially filled in and a window (like those in the upper floors, but without the 'detail' surround) will be added. Both front and back walls will need trimming to remove the peaked roof, which by itself is both the biggest change and the feature that made the structure 'passably' American.

I also trimmed the front 'trim' section to retain the cornices but remove the vertical trim bars. The top curved molding was left to give me something to hold on to, but will eventually be trimmed off when the wall is de-capped. Below is the image of the cuts made to separate the cornices from the one-piece molding:

I then joined the lower and upper front walls, and used the edge of the joint as a guide to position the lower cornice. This is glued to the surface of the front wall. I removed the vertical bars as I thought the glue would seep under the edges and mar the surface, and I wanted to retain the molded stucco effect.

I also cut down the separate vertical trim bars and cemented the mounting lugs into the holes on the wall surface. I trimmed these as small as possible to minimize the marring of the surface, but still left enough to handle the piece.

Unfortunately my progress was limited by the availability of cement; I was at my son’s house and packed up everything I needed, but the bottle of plastic cement tipped over in the bag on the way here and evaporated, leaving me with the alternative of nasty, thick, filler based cement. Yuck! That is the stuff that leaves strings and a blob of itself behind if you are not careful, so I carefully used that and did the bits you see here, and will carry on with construction when the new cement and filler (found a source for squadron green and white over here: woo hoo!). Hopefully the next 

installment will be within the week...

Cutting the walls to the new shape:

Right, time for some progress. And regression.

I had a fairly productive evening on two of the kits, and have almost a shell completed.

I have trimmed the white 'details' off the top section of the front wall in preparation for topping it. The peak is going to go, and a piece of strip styrene will build up the front.

The rear wall was also peaked, so it had to get cropped as well. Thankfully the trim makes a nice guide for the razor saw, but be sure to not cut into the trim itself, as it will be visible if the roof is visible...

The regression: I never really like the arched, euro-style back door, and the kit contained extra castings for doors and windows, one of which (IMHO) was much more plausible. But it meant filling the hole. And shaving off the raised trim. I used a flat 'chisel' blade to carefully shave the raised detail off around the door frame.

Since the kit wall is approximately .040" thick I used a similar size of styrene strip; you could use the plastic cut off the roof peak, but that seemed a bit more complicated than trimming strip stock to match a rounded whole. After the glue dried I filled it with Squadron white putty (I love this stuff!). Once the  was dry (within a couple of hours) I sanded the surface smooth with very fine sandpaper from Testors.

This also shows the future door. I am considering retro-fitting the same door to the other structures almost completed...

The front of the structure has two arched doorways, and I replaced one with a standard window from the extras supplied with the kit. This meant filling and smoothing, but thankfully not the trimming as the raised detail is a separate piece. You can see the two in comparison:

I made windows opening the same height as an adjacent structure, which worked out to about .040" below the existing window frame. This 'size' is becoming part of my n-scale life in a big way, especially considering it is also the height of code 40 rail! But that's another story...

Once the cement was dry I filled the gaps with more white putty, and smoothed it after drying.

I also discovered it is MUCH easier to cut the hole to a rectangular shape instead of trimming the plastic strips to fit the arched hole. Go figure! I also used the strip from the sides of the front detail (cut off earlier) to fill in the sides, and they were exactly the right size. And besides, recycling is better, right?

After I was satisfied with the finish of the surface I used ACC to attach to small strip to the top and bottom of the window opening to match other structures. It made a huge difference in making the window look 'finished'.

Attaching the rest of the front detail was as the kit instructions intended. The windows details have small pins to hold them in place which makes the job a LOT easier...

Likewise, attaching the sides is straightforward. I did discover that I had sanded too much off the bottom of the front wall under the new window, and will have to be more careful on subsequent kits and fill this  in. I also added a strip of HO scale 6x8 on its side to build up the top of the front detail.

In the next instalment I'll add interior floors and walls to break up the open-ness of the structure's interior, and hopefully discuss lighting...

Floors:

I have spent considerably more time doing other than Model Railroad stuff this week, so I did not get a chance to even think about lighting. But what I DID do was cut the floors for the existing structures, and add the floor bracing for the two still "in progress", in order to document the progress.

I used strips of .060" plastic square stock to position the interior floors at approximately the right height, about balanced between the rows of windows. You can see this below:

This is much easier to do while the side walls are lying flat, instead of adding it later, when the building is assembled. This way you can easily use a square to enure the floor will be roughly level, or at least perpendicular to the wall. You can see the bracing in a standing structure:

I then cut .020" styrene sheet for the floors. Once you have one cut you can use it as a guide for the size of the others. I did not glue them in yet; they only sit loosely on the bracing at present. 

You will also need a new roof, as this WAS the whole reason for doing this, right? DO NOT use the floor as a guide for the roof, as this needs to be a touch wider than the floors. It sits partly on top of the side walls...

A view of the floors:

Why do the interior floors?

It is not necessary, but DOES make a considerable visual impact on the finished structure; as shown here:

Looking 'through' the structure you will not be able to see the 'downstairs' windows, only those on the same floor. I will be adding interior walls as well, in order to break up the interior and add more detail, but you should AT LEAST consider adding floors and painting them if you go no further on the inside detailing.

An Alternative method:

I was experimenting  with some heavy card the wife’s employer uses for advertising, and decided that in addition to a wonderful sub-base for the structure ‘blocks’ and sidewalks, it is an excellent material for interior walls! So I added floors and some divider walls using this same card. It will block the light better than plastic would, and is just as easy to use as plastic. From the outside you cannot tell the difference.

Card:

Plastic:

About the only difference is the thickness of the material, which allows the better light control. It is also a bit easier to work with, using PVA or Elmer's glue as opposed to plastic cement. Adding vertical walls was also a simpler process, as it involves a bit of trimming and fitting, and went together with a little less hassle than the plastic walls.

Next: Stairs and interior walls...

A Little More Block Progress

In addition to cleaning up the train room, I managed to make more progress on the town, and finalized some of the features I was contemplating.

Some Base Added

I glued down some more foam and glued the bases for the row of townhouses together for better alignment. Also changed a few off the Downtown Deco structure locations. Compare the layout to the previous posted "version":

I might use the wall and guard's shack in a slightly different location, kind of around the corner from where it is in this photo.

A Little Closer

I decided to use the existing sidewalks as a guide, and probably at least as far as "Blair Avenue, part 2". The Trackside Tavern comes with a base, but I found it too thick to consider, and unles I can sand it down a LOT, I may have to improvise.

A longer Look Down Main Street

A slightly longer look down the street. The stop sign and dude against the wall are just props. Might go with either theme in greater detail.

A Look Down Townhouse Row

Seven of the eleven strcutures are kitbashed, and able to occupy their spaces. The other four are just needing doing, though the doorway modifications take the most time, followed by interior walls and floors. Using the cardboard makes it go a bit easier than plastic, and pre-mounted LEDs might even mean I get them lighted this century.

Sitting at the dinner table two things come to mind (and I am surprised no one else picked up on one of them): I don't have a church, and a town like this would have a movie theater.  I found this one at a "friendly on line merchant"

Photo from http://www.coalregionrails.com

Anyone think it would look out of place in my city? Now to locate a reasonable church for my flock...

Planning Concepts - Another Block

I used some scraps of card (the same stuff I have been using for the roads and floors) to make "space blocks" for the Downtown Deco building kits:

This is going to become the edge of "North Bedford", a seedier side of the big city, behind Townhouse Row. Still haven't decided on a name for this street yet. Run down buildings, crime, litter, and the charm of modelling it, as a barrier between the softer side of Bedford Valley and the railroad industry. Every city needs a "down by the tracks", and this will be mine. I've already acquired the call girls, the bikers, and the bars...

I know some of you have built the kits already, and do the dimensions quoted on the box only refer to the structure itself, or does it include sidewalk areas (where included)?

Structure Interiors: A New Material

Feeling used up from hay fever and hopefully not a chest infection (though I know when to get it seen to) I decided to do a little something productive. Well, two really, this is part one.

Added floors and some divider walls using the same card I used for the sidewalks. It will block the light better than plastic would, and is just as easy to use as plastic. From the outside you cannot tell the difference.

Letting the Grass Grow

I posted this elsewhere over a few days; I know some of you like to keep up with what I'm doing, so here's the update:

Woodland Scenic’s Field grass (Light Green, FG173) cut and glued by hand, but in clumps. Once the glue dries I'll trim it down, as it's currently over six feet (scale feet) tall!

I added a few more clumps while the glue was setting, to give the area a more realistic appearance:

The challenge will be to trim it and keep the randomness of height.

I also wanted to do a "signature piece" so tried this clump between the tracks near the bridge:

Of course it is just part of the ultimate effect.

A friend commented on it being taller than a man:

I placed a figure from the Preiser Wedding set next to the grass to show how tall it is. Presuming the guy is average height I am not as far off as I thought I was...

So I let the glue dry overnight, and did a little trimming; the idea was not to do everything at once, but to cut it a bit, and leave it to dwell on for a while, and maybe come back and chop some more...

"Hairdressers have scissors that cut every second hair, or something to that effect. If you can ge tyour hands on some of those, then you could play the randomness by cutting the grass a few times at varying heights.

Otherwise angle the scissors into the clumps and chop a few times; this-way, then that-way..."

Great minds think alike; the 'every other' option wouldn't do, as it is too close in, and those types of scissors never seemed to come out on my short head crop, so I'll assume it's a long-hair thing lol. But I did have access to some very small, very sharp cross-stitch scissors, which are used to cut individual threads in a needle point project. The natural fibers seem to be easily cut.

After taking the photo I went back and chopped a few of the tallest ones down some more:

A little more randomness to come, and maybe some more color. I'll try to get better pictures in better light, but mainly wanted to capture the height against a GP35.

Tried a few more minutes of the "Do a bit, leave it, and come back". I must admit it is coming a long nicely, and this would make interesting effects for a large scale layout. But back here in 1:160 land:

I think this is just about enough for this side of the tracks. Now to add some clump foliage and eventually some trees. They need to be sturdy here, or cheap, since this is the grandson's favorite part of the layout (you can see one of his cars in the first picture)...

And looking at the other side of the tracks:

That one long strand got chopped, and I added a few more bits to give a better "high level" view. That's all for now...

More Town Progress

Had to book a day off, and thankfully the worst of the reason why didn't come to pass. Our pooch hasn't been doing to well, but he is slowly on the mend, and I had to go to the vet for his follow-up and hard questions time. Overall he seems to be getting along better for an old dog, so fingers crossed...

BUT it did mean some time to work on the scenery; I mentioned in a previous post how it was slowly going froward. Well, today I managed to complete another section, one more street in place, and can get a better idea of how it will go.

First: the base is the most important part, right:

This filled the last "gap" in my scenery, aside from the bit that will cover the staging tracks. Just a bit of foam, and later will become seedy North Bedford. I've got the Downtown Deco kits, the bikers, and the "working girls" all in a drawer somewhere. The transformer was just there to hold it all down...

Hopefully the last sections of "raised" scenery. I Was running out of free stuff, and thankfully my neighbor had a few bits of foam ( used in the back), but this image shows the base for Townhouse Row.

Just to make sure I hadn't really messed up!























More Paved Paradise:

More of the same, cut just big enough to allow the roads, buildings, and sidewalks to fit. The rest of the scenery will be more or less "free form".




















Same area, with structures:

Now that the glue has set I could place the buildings; First Bank of Bedford Falls, with the competition behind it (the building with the blue ground floor front) and more town house pictures.The town houses will have a small piece of back yard that is fenced in, and included on the structure base. Probably expect a small bit of rougher ground, or maybe an alley behind the ones on the left at least. Haven't decided completely yet.

This shot shows a better view of the new street. I'll try and get the road parts painted so I can fix the base locations, and add the other side walks (using the left-overs from the Pola kits). Then I'll have some strategic planning in North Bedford (to the left of this area), and figure out where to put everything!

More Progress

We were supposed to be elsewhere, and I had planned laying more track on Lofty Ambitions, but the dog wasn't well, so we couldn't go anywhere. I took advantage of the time to do some of this:

yep, I decided to spend some time running trains; my 60' MT trailer-cars and a singel Atlas 60' box car follow a lone GP35 through Bedford Cut.

I also decide to work on the town, and this case it meant laying out some locations for structures, and modifying one to make it fit how I wanted it to:

I shaved off the window trim, and removed a few details to make the two structures sit together, sharing a common wall.

Planning the plots:

You can see how many townhouses will be here; these are all modified Model Power kits with some of the obvious "European" features removed. Mostly this involved flattening the roof, and making chages to the doors. You'll see some better shots below.

Townhouse Row

The townhouses will fill both sides of the street, representing a more, or perhaps formerly, well-to-do area.

You can see some of the modifcations I made; there were originally two doors with very overly ornate trim, so I cleaned one up (the round-top entry door gives it a certain character), and on most replaced the second door with a spare window, simulating a super's office or apartment. All have at least floors, and may get more interior detailing as I move along.

The other end of town:

The rows of townhouses on both sides of the road, complete with a modified sidewalk corner; I must have a dozen corner castings, but they are ALL the same, and only half of the direction I need. The section on the bottom right will become an abandoned lot.

 An updated overhead of the town:

As you can see I've made a couple of minor changes, and some progress.