Beginning to take shape

Rick, the highway department

Rick, the highway department just called, they want the road back! That is some great looking highway.

Rob

If they didn't let their roads get so darn hot they wouldn't shrink so much. After about three summers in the sun I go out at night and scrape them up with a flapjack turner (whatever those things are called). 

At least....

when they shrink they stay smooth, here they eat cars!!!

Stuck in a Buffalo pothole, Bill

How it started

 I photographed this building a couple of years ago before I really started photo scratch building. If I were to do it again I would walk along the front of the building and get as many straight on shots as possible. Sometimes it just isn’t possible.

It is a very large building and I knew that with the photos I had it may be impossible to get usable material. Failure is always an option. Below are the three photos of the real building.

I use Affinity Photo for Mac to stretch, bend, recolor and everything I can do to come up with a usable main wall. 

If I can get that main wall the rest will fall in place. The biggest issue with this building was the extreme angle of the left side of the structure. Here is the first session of dozens to start getting something worth pursuing. First the angles have to be corrected to square up the structure.

We’ll skip all the intermediate steps and go to the final mock up that could be squeezed into the space available. The space was really tight and that’s where the problems started to be a giant pain.

At this point the building looks very flat but it would be expanded to the depth available as the model was built.

I really wanted the loading area to have an open back wall to increase the feeling of depth and allow for some interesting photo angles. The space was not only tight horizontally but just too shallow to allow for that so a back wall had to be designed.

Yes, if you are following you’ve already noticed that the start of the final build shown in an earlier post looks almost nothing like the original design….sometimes that happens. Sometimes it’s a dead ringer. Most of the time it uses about half of the original plans as it grows into what it wants to be.

What doesn't get used on this build will probably be incorporated in another structure at a later date.

@ Rick

Isn’t your last statement what the “bands” called improvisation (a jam)?  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.  

Whatever, your project looks great!  I like it!

Nick

amsnick

That's a very interesting observation. You are right on the mark. Did I telegraph somewhere that I spent most of my life in music one way or the other? Playing professionally, teaching guitar and the last 40 years as a recording engineer? I guess a lot of what you have done sticks with you no matter what! 

Improv, jam and "hey! That wasn't a mistake 'cause I meant to do it......that's why I did it twice.

Looks really good

Also congrats on getting your photo in the magazine that must not be named. Knew I recognized that water tower.

thanks trainmaster247

'ppreciate it!

Really digging this C.S.F

Starting to show its personality

Got some color and volume on it this week. All the paper is there to protect my desk and computer as the building is at the end of a module that is screwed to my desktop......if it doesn't fit in the paint booth the paint booth has to come to it.

Neat

Nice!  Solar panels even -

Nice!  Solar panels even - nice touch for a modern industry.

Great work Rick as usual! I

Great work Rick as usual!

I really like the weathering on the wall! Following this with interest!

Thanks guys

Your encouragement is really appreciated. This building is going to be a two staged project. First stage is for a photo where it will be in the background and second stage will be the finishing touches for future close up photos.

 I build by the "seat of my pants" so it will take a while to sort out how this puppy will end up.........that's part of the fun!

Moving along

Solar panels

That looks incredible, Rick!  The solar panels really place it in the modern era.  How did you build those?

Hi Eric

Solar panels are scratch. I built four about six months ago. Steel wire, styrene structural shapes and a photo or I drew in computer (don't remember) the panel face and glued it to sheet styrene. They were meant for the Golden Pacific project but they were just one item too many for the look of that building so two have made their appearance on this build. The other two more were placed on the roof near the huge HVAC system and they also were 86'd again. Too much detail can get jumbled looking.....they'll show up elsewhere.

Thanks, Rick.

Thanks, Rick.  You've inspired to to try my hand at building some.  Funny how I see panels every day, but never thought of putting them on my layout until I saw how great they look on yours.  Thanks for the motivation. 

A quick mock-up of citrus delivery trailer

Yeah. It fits. Now to do it for real. 

Also.....starting to think of constructing a service bridge across the tracks and building a larger annex as this part of the structure is really mostly hidden "behind" the backdrop. That ought to keep me busy for several more months!

Very nice

Rick, that is just some

Rick, that is just some amazing work. Right up to your usual standards of excellent. Merry Christmas and thanks for sharing.

I can only hope that someday

I can only hope that someday I can model to your standards Rick...very impressive 

Thanks guys

I really appreciate that you take the time to encourage me. That keeps my motor running.

So often I take photos of the progress and something jumps out at me....not always a good thing! Yesterday was a pretty long day at my workbench but late in the afternoon after working for quite a while on an awning for the ramp leading up to the office door I took several photos. Took a break and after dinner looked at the shots and YIKES! What had looked fine to me in person just screamed FAIL on every level at every angle photographed. Those photos are the ones that I definitely don't post. It's amazing how fast you can tear something off a model compared to how long it took to make and attach it. So often the big problems occur when working too fast. Usually I can spot that rushed feeling towards the end of the day and put on the brakes and quit for the day. Oh well. Like the old saying......."The faster I go the behinder I get." 

The dark camouflage green paint that is all over both hands is another little clue that I was in a hurry.....hope to get it all off before the annual family party tonight!

Merry Christmas and peace to all.