I’ve taken a little break from my layout and instead decided to spend the
last few weeks trying my hand at my very first model building. The last time
I put together any kind of model was a couple car kits that I built when I
was in my early teens. This kit was given to me by my partner who found it
mixed in with a bunch of junk at a local thrift store. The kit is an old
POLA-HO Freight Station, model #557. I was surprised to find that all the
pieces intact inside the kit and nothing was missing except a couple small
accessories. This would be a perfect practice kit!
The kit was missing its instruction manual but it was pretty self
explanatory how everything went together. I did however change a few things
with the roof. I didn’t like how far the roof extended out from the front of
the building to cover the loading deck and how it extended the full length
of the building. This overhang covered too much of the first floor windows
and doors so I cut it back and removed the overhang between the first and
second floors.
I used Humbrol enamel paints mixed at 1:1 with paint thinner. Recalling my
plastic car models from when I was younger, I remember never really worked
successfully with enamel paints. With patience and determination however,
the painting went pretty well for my first attempt. I used a wash of white
acrylic to colour the mortar between the bricks and a black wash for the
deck surface and base. I sealed everything in with a coat of Testor's Dull
Coat.
I also built a small interior scene of a storage room. The entire structure
is lit with two small 12 volt bulbs with leads extending out the bottom of
the base. I used clear styrene coated with dull-coat for the window glazing.
This allows for a more uniform lighting effect across all windows. I was
pretty pleased with the final result and I am now more confident to move
onto bigger and better structure projects.
I went back to work on my layout a few nights ago, working on the base
structure of all the landscape and terrain. I will also be starting my
second structure kit right away, my Walthers Cornerstone Merchant’s Row 1
model (kit# 993-3028).
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