West Marine was where I got mine too! I bought a half gallon.
You must be applying strips a lot faster or in bunches. I do one strip at a time and the MEK is almost dissolved by the end.
1 Like
The one thing i have learned with mass application of MEK is to apply a layer on each surface. It gets it melting. Then apply again and apply. I make no claims to this being the “right” way. So I brush the side then the strip and then as I put the strip on the side I apply more as needed.
The makers of MEK I am sure love my technique.
Wow. Your dumping more MEK than I use. I have noticed my MEK bonds aren’t they deep at times. One of the ways I can tell is scraps that I pull apart. Layers of “bubbles” are the MEK melt and then it gets down to the solid stuff.
I might actually get a MIK build done in the 30 days.
Need to study the prototype photos some more for the final trim pieces then it’s off to the paint shop for primer and paint. I’m pretty sure I can find paint.
I am glad you are getting done. I am in panic mode. I only have about half a billion strips to cut.
Well I’m actually shocked at my own progress. This is motivation to see what other projects I can whip out in 30 days for no expense.
Not sure that I would have tackled this project this soon if it wasn’t for this challenge.
1 Like
Picking out some colors that I have on hand. I actually think these are the same colors I used last year.
[img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52664029644_2069b6afbc_c.jpg]
The red isn’t quite as bright as I want but it’s what I have on hand.
Yep same colors…
But I think it matches the photo fairly well. And after all this with the depot, it will eventually get removed.
I found a half bottle of some bright red. I think that will be just barely enough to paint the red section.
Impatiently waiting for the primer to flash off, but not really sure why as I know I’m not painting today/evening.
I have some of that Tuscan red also. I kinda like it myself.
It’s not quite bright enough for the building but it does a really good job of preweathering color of “boxcar red”. One of these days I’ll get back to painting rolling stock again.
The two armed bandit is working along. 1 arm has the airbrush and the other has the hairdryer. This photo was the brush paint attempt the other night when I had all but 10 minutes to work. Gave a nice starting layer to airbrush on top.
Well I think I might be done with the air brush.
There’s a few touch up spots that need some work and the roof needs a new coat of black as I forgot to tape that off.
Hopefully this can all get done tonight and dry well. Then tomorrow I can do some light weathering with a grimy wash and call it done for now.
1 Like
Craig,
It’s hard to believe I had to basically challenge your manhood a few years ago to join in on this insanity. You are such a great modeler and we don’t get enough of your talent on here. You really are one of the best.
This is looking great. All I wish is that I had taken stock in painters tape. . . I’d be rich.
2 Likes
I don’t have doubts that I can model, I just never think outside the box of projects when I’ve got some stuck in my head.
I’ll say this, my method of siding and roofing with the thin strips might be a pain in the butt to do but it looks great. This might be the swift kick in the butt to do the clapboard siding building of T-D Feeds. I was thinking about doing it with PVC lumber but I don’t have any of that on hand, but I’ve got lots of this thin stuff. I’m sure enough to do one more building.
Yah I should have done the trim first and then painted the rest. Oops. Oh well.
1 Like
Couldn’t resist mocking up the building outside with the other mockup buildings and half done ones. This is going to be a neat looking scene when it’s done.
2 Likes
Looks great Craig. And after cutting and afixing a billion strips, I have to agree. I am pleased with the results on my project
Despite the 24 hour extension, I’m going to have to call mine done for now. Got thinking about it last night as I don’t want to glue the windows in quite yet until the interior is finished just in case I somehow need access through the windows. I might just start working on the interior next.
Some shelves with random stuff on them, some drop lights, a cash register. Not sure exactly. Probably would be smart to throw in a figure or two.
Or just add this to the list of half done projects. 
So it’s been a couple of years since I started the Pawn shop building as part of the MIK challenge and at the time I had the grand idea to try and whip out both buildings but I never had the time nor energy or a method to make the cinderblock building.
Well a few years later, a random trip to meet someone in Everett to exchange/swap train cars, I just happened to make a detour to TAP Plastics and buy a 4x8 sheet of 3mm PVC board.
With that on hand, I started the tedious process of scribing cinderblocks…
During this past 2 years I also was able to acquire slightly more information about the building including the lean too. It has a small man door and a roll up garage door.
While I was at TAP, I raided the $1 scrap bin for acrylic scraps… I then used a piece for the door and window sections and MEK’ed styrene to make the windows.
I’ll probably use the acrylic for the other buildings as well.
Glued a roof and front sign area…
This basically forms the main structure. For the small 20x20 lean to on the backside, I bashed that up with 1/8 styrene, covered the walls with some .030 scrap to represent the plywood sheets they used to cover. It looked from the photo to be a slightly non air tight siding work, so I built in some sloppy 4x8 sheets. I’ll probably slightly sand them to get a bit of texture.
Next up is making shingles once again for the lean too, and covering the flat roof with the concrete patch stuff like I used for the other building.