French POW dio WIP **update: 2/26/09 pg 11**

Jim Barton wrote:

SteveM wrote: cassibill: This is fantastic information, I can't thank you enough! Some of this stuff was on my list, others I never would have thought of in a million years. I had plans for building shelves in there and loading them up with storage. Ideas rushing through my mind now. The cart is single horse. Here's a shot of it- far from finished but assembled enough to give me an idea of the room I will need for it: Thanks so much for taking the time to write all of that out for me. Steve     Now of course, you want to make sure you don't put the cart before the horse! Cassibill definitely seems to know what she's talking about. If she lives on a farm or grew up on one and has pictures, perhaps she can post a few. Way back when, farmers almost never threw anything away. If some machine or tool was unable to perform its normal function anymore, it was recycled and modified to do something else. It might be jerry-rigged or cobbled together with some other old equipment that had been lying around for who-knows-how-long, and look clumsy, but if it worked, that was all that mattered. It didn't have to look "pretty."

I like your latches, SteveM! They look like they really work!

Cassibill makes me want to go visit an old-time farm! She really has a ton of useful information.

Since reading this thread yesterday I ran out to Micheal's Craft Store and bought $60 worth of basswood and balsa. I really want to build the old shed on my parents property back in Louisiana.

Thanks alot for the inspiration. Your barn looks A-1!

SST

LOL, Steve it looks like you're contagious.  I still haven't gotten any pictures taken and I leave to go back to school today.  Maybe the weekend.  I'll have to see what I can find harness wise.  The last pic I took of horses in harness was at a Civil War wedding and that wouldn't be quite right.  The collar is the main part. 

Does this help any? Harness

Thanks, cassibill... yeah that link does help a lot. I found something similar, but the one you sent has a lot more detail. Like Jim said, you're making me want to go hang out in a barn for a while. There's nothing like the smell of an old barn- the wood, dust, dead grass, horse leavings- it's a scent all its own. When my wife mentioned she had never been inside of one, I was incredulous! I believe that it should be a right of passage for every kid to screw around in a barn.

Continued thanks, Manny. My quest for authenticity waivers in between bouts of conviction This project has a due date of 9/27 (for the Austin Scale Modelers' convention), but I am trying not to rush through this. I will have plenty to regret later, when I finish with the figure painting. LOL! BTW- those cart wheels look a little odd because I used thin copper sheeting to make the steel tiring.

Nick- I appreciate the encouragement! Feel free to post any of your pictures on this thread. I will gladly and shamelessly steal from you

Thanks again, Jim. The latches did work, until I glued them. Funny how I'll fashion an item so that it is fully operable, and then glue it into permanency.

SST- $60 worth of bass and balsa?! That either speaks for Michaels' overpricing, or for the sheer volume of craft wood you walked out with Actually, I've spent about that as well. IMHO, you can never have enough of this stuff.  And, at an average of .28¢ each, I can now imagine what your hobby room looks like... I have had to build a holder for all of this craft wood. Without a doubt, I'm more proud of it than I am of any model I've ever built

Been working on the barn's work area and workbench this weekend. Nothing groundbreaking, but I'm kinda happy with it so far. I am now trying to locate reference pics of storage shelving in an old barn. Not much luck; I'm afraid that I might have to make this stuff up. Trying to imagine how it would be done without the assistance of electric power tools (or a Walmart or Container Store )

Steve

Heeeehheeeeheeehehee, naturally the site I found would have a massive amount of detail for you.  My secret main goal is to make your head explode dio as real as possible.  I've got plenty of barn hours.  Ducking in out of the weather in a storm and listening to the rain and hail on the tin roof.  Dozing off in the hay loft and waking up with 17 cats laying on me. A million pounds of feed lugged and hay stacked.  Barn is a recogizable smell.  So is root celler.  Damp and earthy, hints of produce, and a metallic tang from canning jars.

The most expediant way to build shelves is to simply nail pieces of wood to the uprights to form a ledge to span the boards between.  They don't have to be pretty, just strong and functional.  If a board isn't wide enough to make a shelf, then two narrow ones can be used, one painted maybe in its last life.  Ones with ragged ends, knots, splits, whatever is available and really not worth keeping to be used on anything else.  A piece of stove wood can be a support even, a side of an old window frame, etc.  It is an amusing mix in a way what gets used in barn projects. For example-

The stantions on our manger are a mix of boards, 2"x4"s and straight branches and trees about 4" in dia. with the side bits trimmed off.  The edges have been worn down by decades of stock rubbing on them with the odd bits of hair and wool in cracks and splits and on nails.

hi steve ,

 some pictures of farm in europe (france).

http://images.google.fr/images?ndsp=21&um=1&hl=fr&q=photo+de+ferme&start=0&sa=N

and some barn

http://images.google.fr/images?um=1&hl=fr&q=photo+de+grange

Don't forget barn are different in each french région (sorry i don't know the word in english) .

Vit13- thanks a lot for those links. Very useful.

Steve 

Steve....please tell me those latches dont work.....lol

Your barnwork is jaw dropping gorgeous!

Here are some update shots, mostly interior work area and clutter. By no means finished. Lots more to be placed on shelf, just spare plastic parts from here. One thing I am very proud of... the roof is designed to be removed, in two parts, but looks completely attached when in place. Pretty happy with that

Beginning of outside work area:

Slate shingle roof (so far):

Hayloft pulley:

Some cart tack (keeping seperate until after painting):

Oh, well, I don't think I'm gonna get this finished by competition day, 9/27/08. I'm just not that fast. Feel free to criticize, I need some inspiration.

Steve

   Steve been looking at your barn for a little while and the attention to detail is above and beyond I cant find anything that isnt Right. Where did you get those resin tin cans?

Dude, that is freakin' incredible...it is so lifelike that it defies belief that it is 35th scale...WOW...forget the Germans and POW's!!! This work stands on its own alone!!!

I particularly like the treatment to the 55 gallon drum---presumably to give it a flaked-rust look...I recognize some of the resin items as VLS stuff---like the wicker basket...cool, I happen to be using the same basket in my WIP dio!!! 

Really nice work; you may want to reconsider the open barn side as being the back of the dio....too nice to hide...

Thank you, guys, very much for your compliments. It means a lot, coming from excellent builders.

panzerguy and Manny- yeah, a lot of that stuff is Verlinden, some Custom Dioramics. The Verlinden tin cans are cool, I drilled them out. And I love those wicker baskets. Cardboard boxes are Hudson & Allen, German supplies, but formed inside out.

My wife has promised me that, if she gets to have a girls-night over here Friday, then she'll leave me alone for the rest of the weekend to work on this. I don't see how I can lose on this deal

Now, I just need to find some Amish guys...

Steve

One of the things I am so impressed with is how real everything is placed (workbench, shelves, etc.)..Often, when someone attempts this kind of scene, many items seem "forced" or are out of place (because the builder fudged on realism for the sake of stuffing as much into the scene as possible)...this is one of the best minature interiors I HAVE EVER seen...

As if you need any advice: I often find the best way to get unfinished wood looking like old and weathered wood is to simply brush very dirty paint thinner onto it...wan't sure what you had in mind but that has worked for me...

...to get a varnished floor, I have used brown paste shoe polish: dab it on and rub as much off as you can with an old t-shirt or cotton sock (then sand lightly to get worn areas)...  

Some examples (sorry, when i took these the wood wasn't the highlight of the pic):

This one has had shoe polish applied, then sanded to give a very worn look: 

SteveM wrote:

Manny- thanks a million for the compliments, and those pictures absolutely ROCK. Love the grenadier with the bino. And I like the placement of the two wine bottles. Very Austin Powers LOL! Yes, I most certainly do need advice. One question I have about the thinner and shoe polish tricks (excellent and time saving!): Will / won't the thinner highlight the massive amount of glue blobs that are everywhere on this barn? I have glued the s*** out of it in some places, because I knew I'd be handling it plenty. I just figured I'd paint it the beast. Although, I am afraid of my painting skills enough to consider other options. cassibill- thanks for all the input you've provided. As a matter of fact, I had planned on fashioning a European barn owl nest up at the top, above the window. Funny you should mention... :) Steve

Hmmmmm...great point...I understand your concern; I have run into that problem as well: the stain will not reach the wood as the glue will act as a clear sealer...might just want to experiment on scraps first...

Another alternative is to have your barn painted, and distress the finish VERY heavily... 

Steve, please don't rush this to get ready for any "deadline"!!!

There will always be another contest--but this is pure Art, plain and simple! This is truly, the absolute pinnacle of what modeling "is", and "should " be! 

Amazing!

Stupendous!

Phenomenal!

I run out of superlatives;--it's that good!

I would highly recommend, and beg you,--for the sake of any modelers not currently on this site or following this thread--to write up this build as an article ad submit it for publication to Finescale Modeler magazine. People should see ths genuine masterpiece!

My highest commendations!

the doog wrote:

Steve, please don't rush this to get ready for any "deadline"!!! There will always be another contest--but this is pure Art, plain and simple! This is truly, the absolute pinnacle of what modeling "is", and "should " be!  Amazing! Stupendous! Phenomenal! I run out of superlatives;--it's that good! I would highly recommend, and beg you,--for the sake of any modelers not currently on this site or following this thread--to write up this build as an article ad submit it for publication to Finescale Modeler magazine. People should see ths genuine masterpiece! My highest commendations!

AND...

Steve,

   An amazing job on your barn!! I would not rush it for the contest either. I would have liked to seen it up close (but not compete against it, LOL). If your still going to the show, don't they have a table for display only? If you want to risk transporting it I'm sure it would be a big hit. If not there is always the show in San Antonio in Feb. Anyways if I don't see the model hopefully I'll get to meet the man himself!

-Stephen

Hey Doog- I'm simply bowled over by your compliments . Coming from a true Model Master. Yeah, I agree... I've been fighting the urge to blast throught is, because I can always tell later on. Like NucMedTech stated, there is always the Alamo Squadron show, San Antonio, in February.

But I wanna show some'ting ???

I appreciate your encouragement to write this up and submit it. I just don't know where to begin. I'll see how the whole dio turns out, and then consider doing it. It would be awesome to join the ranks of the likes of you and wbill76.

NucMedTech- Thanks so much for looking in, and for your kind words. I'm really looking forward to the Austin show next weekend. I'll be there (1 mile from my house), in the ball cap and glasses, annoyingly combing over every single item on every single table. Been brutal waiting out the postponement I might touch up my Patton figure and show it. No contest winner, but it'll be an excuse to bring more money, if I have to stick around til the very end

Thanks again, ya'll. Now, back to laying rows and rows of slate shingles (Self-torture, but I think it'll be worth it).

Steve