Too often, do I find myself not completing a project because I don't have the skill. Well that's how I used to think. With proper planning and the determination to find the right materials, your project will surely find its way to succeeding beyond expectations.

In this our second, FSA kit, we build the Barrel Factory. This is going to look great on our Full Steam Ahead diorama. Follow this build step-by-step with us and see how building a craftsman kit could be right down your alley.

We found last time that doing a light stain on all the strip wood allowed us greater control with the look we wanted. The walls are going to warp with stain/paint, so we will need to glue the 1/8" x 1/8" to the back of the walls, as shown. Make sure to leave room for the mdf base plate. We marked the thickness on the walls before gluing on the backing, to save us trouble. Instead of using the wood provided, we opted to use some rough strip wood we home made. This will allow us to later use these pieces on a future scratchbuild.

It is also, at this time, when you can use the pounce wheel and razor blade to add prototypical features, as well as realistic damage to wood clapboard.

Next step is to clean the plastic parts in soapy water. Leave them on the sprue. Let them dry, then prime the pieces with grey. Choosing grey allows the weathered scratches we add later, to look more realistic with a contrasting color. We painted the windows with a brown spray paint that closely matches burnt umber.

We painted the outer walls now. This task requires us to slightly water down the paint, to allow the weathering to show through better. We used parchment acrylic for the walls and burnt umber for the trim.

Next we add windows, doors and a roof.