Fullsteamahead.ca Framer's market

Too often, do I find myself not completing a project because I don't have the skill. Well thats 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 very first build, we attempt to dazzle you with our average Joe talents. No pun intended, Mr. Rutter.

Craftsman Kits are a packaged set of materials, plans and scene-specific objects put together to create a scene. These kits don't have tools or paint; they just have precisely cut pieces to make a truly stunning scene. Just follow this build and you won't be left out of the loop. We found all the suggested pieces of this sweet puzzle and are ready for the build.

As it states in the instructions, find and organize your pieces. Separate the plastic and resin pieces from the rest of the kit and wash them in soapy water. Rinse and dry thoroughly. Leave the sprue on the windows and doors. This makes it easier for handling during painting. Put them aside for priming. We will get to that shortly.

Next, attach the plastic sprues to a piece of masking tape. This keeps the parts from running off when being sprayed. We used Grey automotive primer on all the parts. Do a few coats, letting each coat dry completely.

Separate the wood pieces as per the instructions and do a medium weathering on them (will update with recipes), two 2"x6", three corner trims. Next, find the bundle of 1/8"x1/8" (1:1 scale) uncolored strips of wood and use these to brace the wood walls. Use the pictures in the instructions to see the placing of the brace boards, making sure to leave room for the mdf base plate at the bottom of the walls. One thing to note is dry fit the walls and see how they actually are put together (one overlaps the other). Glue the walls together and let the glue dry.

Do a light weathering on the exterior of the walls and let dry.

After we let all the pieces dry, we can go on to painting the pieces. Preparation for a build like this makes all the difference. It is important to be patient and let each step finish, before moving on. This gives us time to study the instructions and pictures provided with the kit.

Once dry, I first decided that adding LED's to models is a good upgrade, so I will paint the inside of the structure. This way, when lit up, we won't see the whitish glare of the walls inside. I am using Krylon Hunter Green spray paint on the trim, windows and doors.

On the walls I am using Vintage White. In the instructions it is suggested to use Parchment White; however I couldn't find it at Michaels. In the instructions there is a lot in terms of painting advice. This is my first kit, so I decided to take the simplest form of paint job titled "hasn't seen paint in a few years". This avoids rubber cement and wire brush weathering, still giving a lived-in look.

I painted the walls with a thin White coat and let dry; and then touched up later with a light wash. I didn't want a solid coat. I liked the idea of some dull spots.

Last bit of Part 1 took care of preparing the pieces for the structures. Now, that our paint is dry, we can focus on windows. The kit comes with acetate for the window glazing. It seems everyone has their own way of glazing. All I did was use a fine tip brush and paint white glue on the back of the window frames, then cut the acetate to fit, pressed it on and let dry (We later find this technique is flawed and will need a new approach). Add the hunter green corner trims to the structure. Cut them longer than you need and very gently trim to fit.

While we are letting the structure pieces dry, we can work on the open-air loading dock. Note: these are super easy to break. If one does break (two in my case), just take your time and glue them in just as you would if it came in two pieces. I used stainable glue for this part. I know that there is a better product for this and will update this story to match the best procedure.

We stained the loading dock after building it. I did wonder why we were doing it this way, as all previous steps said to stain first. The result was glue showing through the stain. The fix will be dry brushing Grey over the glue marks. Next time, I will pay more attention to how I apply the glue - to make sure none escapes and smears on the wood.

Next, we installed the windows by doing a VERY light sanding of the window hole - and once in place, brushing glue around the outside edge.
Note: most of the acetate fell off during this step. I intend to revisit the windows later and install the acetate in the model. I know this will be difficult; however we are going to try it and see how it works. This will be updated to better describe the best procedure.

After installing the windows and doors frames, I decided I was going to make a few upgrades to the inside of the structure. Namely, adding a hardwood floor and a loft, to fit with the stairs going to the second floor. I decided to make it a loft, because there is a hoist and door providing access to the loading area below. I have seen prototypes in the past that allowed the hoist to drop materials on the main floor, as well as the loft. After installing the main floor and loft floor joists, we did a medium weathering on these sections. Make sure to weather the bottom side of the loft joists, as these will be unreachable after adding floor boards.

Working on the loading dock has taught me a bit on how stain works with small parts. I stained it first and this warped the wood. Everything worked out, but I see I have some repairs to do later, when all this is cured.
Use just a wee bit of glue - dabbing it to make sure it is not bubbled. This will ensure that this step is done cleanly and will not show through in the final staining.

Since we are getting close to having something to look at, I started the base of the diorama (that is one weird name I have yet to get used to saying). Anyway, I started by using scrap pieces of Styrofoam insulation and glued them together. I figured there is no need to buy a piece if I have enough scrap around.

Drawing a rough sketch of the layout, we start to plan scenery and placements. I want to use this base to showcase a few items, so it is pretty big. Remember to make it a suitable size to fit through a door (very important to consider this early in the build). I know I am not the only one to forget this at least once.

In this third part of the Farmer's Market build, we build a removable roof, finish off the second floor, and further prepare the Diorama. These builds are a source of peace for me. I find that the relaxation I receive during modeling is unmatchable.

First job to tackle is to add a thin layer of cereal board to the back of the roof. This adds strength for handling the roof. We also cut holes in the front roof panel to allow the LED's to shine through the windows. Last, we added some backing to the roof panels (this can be scrap pieces of wood). The backing is necessary to avoid the warpage from the roofing glue.

We started the cedar shakes. Wow, what a sweet process. Just when you think "dang I screwed the paint up", you start to see the beauty of these put together. We held off on the third coat of Black suggested in the instructions, opting to wait till the shakes were laid, so we could better re-create the water stains described.

This kit is a great little build. All the steps to the finished product don't hold back. Each step uses the best materials for the job. I am specifically talking about the shakes, tin (after etching), and finally down to the fence jig burned into the back of the cigar box the model arrived in. This is a truly great build and I have to thank Joe again next time we talk.

Capping it off

The paint on the cedar shakes is dry and we started gluing them on. We applied the glue by painting it on lightly, then laying down a strip of shake, using scissors to cut the ends off. Take some time and add flashing for that ultra-realistic look - or do as we did and opt to weather it on. Also, as we stated before, we want to hold off on adding the Black wash to add later in the weathering stage. Make sure to have a dry brush to whisk away glue that comes through; making sure you clean this glue up is very important to getting a good shingle roof.