Climb to Kurama ( eizan Mini layout)

[JR 500系]

Wow just amazing work you have done there! Very nicely built indeed! 

[sid21177]

 Isn't the highlighted girder too close to the track ??

[Bubule]

2 hours ago, sid21177 said:

 Isn't the highlighted girder too close to the track ??

 

 

I have checked it and no, there is enougth room. You can see on the last photos that the rolling strock, in strait line, is as large as the track.

I'm reserving the right to put away, 3mm on the rigth, the pole if it's too tight visualy. But like you see it is working.

 

 

[Bubule]

8 hours ago, gavino200 said:

 

Jef, when I saw this first, my attention was captured by the scratch built crane. I didn't really notice the 'concrete' that it's standing on. It's done really well. Can you comment on how you created this concrete effect? 

 

Thanks ! The base is "aged concrete" paint from polyscale, airbrushed. The weathering is "grimmy black" paint from poly scale, applyed in juice at the artist sponge like the technic just below. Rust is added with pigment powders.

 

 

 

 

 

[Bubule]

9 hours ago, gavino200 said:

 

 

I like the jig that you made to hold the bridge pier piece in place while you glued them. Could you post a picture of the jig unloaded - with no pier pieces on it.

 

Also, what is the "delux putty" you mentioned?

 

The putty is like the tamiya one, but i prefer the deluxe witch is finer and more easy to use. You can also see the jig unloaded

 

[sid21177]

13 hours ago, Bubule said:

 

I have checked it and no, there is enougth room. You can see on the last photos that the rolling strock, in strait line, is as large as the track.

I'm reserving the right to put away, 3mm on the rigth, the pole if it's too tight visualy. But like you see it is working.

 

 

 

From this angle it looks fine

[Bubule]

Hey guys . . . i have finished the built of the bridge ! Now i can witch to paint job on it.

 

The last step was a little bit technic because it was the addition of the walkway panels, and the counter-rails.

 

The walkway are sawed in a fine deployed metal photo-etched sheet. It is from a french craftsman called "Decapod". I buy this kind of stuff in a french online shop specialized in providing professionnal precision tools, accessories and craftsman materials  for scratchbuiling and mechanical precision job : https://micro-modele.fr/fr/

 

So i have striked the metal with a knife (Tree pass, cut regulary the blade to keep shapness) and have finalized the cut by bending the metal with precision flat pliers. The walk way is 2.5mm  large. 

 

 

When this done, I have attached the walkways, with a hight perfomance Cyano glue. It is a pasty powerfull glue. But it's allow 10 sec before drying so you have the possibility to place correctly the panels without to much stress to do mistakes. It's a long and boring step but the results worth the trouble. In the curve the pannel are a little bit angled and are 4 to 6 ties long to keep a smooth curved apearence. It is see through grid so the effect of transparency is quite nice, i am very happy with that point  :

 

 

Here the glue for metal walkways :

 

 

After adding the center walkways, the last detail to add on the bridge is the counter-rails. They are made with .030" square strips styrene from evergreen. They are attached with a profesionnal very very fluid cyano professionnal glue. The rails are keep up in the correct place with the nail. The point of the nail not the meet ... I you dont do it with your nail your finger will have great chance to  become a part of the bridge. That kind of glue LOVE the finger meet ! I apply the glue with a fine pin to have a great precition. The capilatity power of this fluid glue do the rest of job :

 

 

Here is the fluid meet lover glue, Important point you need to store it in your fridge.  :

 

 

Result of this work, on a Zoom. I think it is matching the real bridge looks. Your can still gess the internal structural details of the bridge witch is very nice and was a goal of the project :

 

 

 

Some views of the bridge, now ready to prime. I feel Happy with the result of the work, it was a great scrathbuilding challenge, and it matched my hopes :

 

 

 

So there will be some times before next update, my holidays time is finished and the paint job will be quite long and difficult, So stay tuned ... Bye all.

 

Best regards,

 

JEF

 

[JR 500系]

It just keeps looking better and better! 

[Bubule]

Hello all and thanks !

 

I have just finished to paint the bridge. Like i have expected it was a combat, a difficult and long war. I do not like very much the painting job, it is not my favorite part of the hobby. But however it is the most important to have a great results. It's a pity, but i need to care that point instead of i dont take a lot of fun with. 

 

So here is the bridge finished on the the work bench :

 

 

 

Here you can see the transparency of the internal structure :

 

 

And last two with a train :

 

 

 

Now i need to work on the retaining walls, tunnels portals, and aboutments before attaching the bridge on the layout.

 

So see you for next step.

 

Best regards.

 

Jef.

 

[Ken Ford]

Phenomenal work, Jef!

[valkyriepm]

Wow looks great with the weathering! Can't wait to see some scenery!

 

Martin

[Khaul]

16 hours ago, valkyriepm said:

Wow looks great with the weathering! Can't wait to see some scenery!

 

Martin

 

Same here!

[Das Steinkopf]

Absolutely superb, just like everyone else has said I can't wait to see the scenery.

[Bubule]

Hello all and Many thanks guys !

 

I had some times to give a little more details on the painting process of the bridge. (photo treatment is very long)

 

Here are the different stapes :

 

First : Apllying a primer cote at the airbrush on all the parts of the bridge. I use AK interactive 758 Grey for airbrush ready to use primer. My airbrush is a Testor Aztek.

 

 

I have painted the catenery poles and the main beam of the bridge in XF 80 royal ligth grey from tamiya and bridge poles in Prince August Silver grey 883 acrilics. This paints are airbrushed too :

 

 

I have masked with Tesa profesionnal masking tape the girders, before airbrushing the rust (Testor polysale rust ) on the rails and walkways.

 

At that  point, and before starting weathering, i have applyed two cotes of matt polyurethane varnish ( Prince Agust) whit airbrush. The colours apears a very little bit darker after this prosses. You need to allow 12 hours drying time. After tha time your paint is protected. If you do errors on weathering (i have done some) you will be able to clean your mistakes with a little bit of solvent without damaging the paint youve done before.

 

 

 

The details of the catenery poles have been painted with a Zero precision paint brush, and the conrete texture have been made with a sponge and a very dilluted juice of grimmy black from Polyscale. Proceed by very thin layers and stop when result is good. Dont do too much texture:

 

 

Finaly i have underlined the relief of parts, bolts, Ect... with a juice of grimmy black. I had rust on the girders and on catenery poles, and drips on the brige poles with a combination of airbrush thin cotes for shadowing, and pigments powders mix (burnt sienna and back) :

 

 

Here are some detail photo of final bridge :

 

Structure underneath :

 

 

The internal strucure is very visible from up side by transparency :

 

 

Detail of the weathering of the poles :

 

 

 

Details of the underneath structure of the catenery poles :

 

 

And a view with a lovely Geisha raden :

 

 

Now i start the stone walls ... to be continued

 

Best regards.

 

Jef

 

 

 

 

[Kiha66]

Amazing work as always!  Thanks so much for taking the time to take the pictures, this tutorial is super helpful.  It seems much less scary to attempt when I can see how you went about it.

[JR 500系]

Wow I really like the weathering you have done on the bridge! It looks really authentic! Man you can start some weathering and wood work classes with your skills! 

[Bubule]

Hey  all !

 

Thanks a lot for your comments !  👍

 

Some work on the stone walls.

 

First the product i have chosen. It is Noch foam stone walls and tunnel portals :

 

 

The product is light, have quite good appearence for my project and easy to bend with a air heater :

 

 

You can also remove parts and restick in position the upper facing

 

:

 

I have used Redutex N scale latex stone texture to made the vault of the tunnel. It's glued on a plywood structure to make the shape with CA glue :

 

 

The foam is cutted and sticked to the wood stucture (wood glue or CA glue  works well) :

 

 

For the aboutment i have carved some CP card to make new facings. You can see the tools i have used to carve at the bottom :

 

 

The main retaining wall was too short, so i have need to lengthen it with a 5mm ply reinforcement plate :

 

 

 

The second aboutment of the bridge and the second tunnel :

 

 

So now i need to test all that stuff in place ... and paint it.

 

Best regrads.

 

Jef

 

[Bubule]

Here are the photos of the walls installed for test only before painting :

 

The socket for the bridge poles  are glued and adjusted. The place of the bridge is the last one. It will be attached when the scenery underneath will be done. The small aboutment at the rigth is suppoorted by the retaining wall. The left one is indepedent from the wall and have it's own socket in plywood. Adding the senerye there will be a challenge.

 

 

 

Detail of the left area :

 

 

Details on the right area. You can see how the exterior line tunnel is integrated to the retaining wall. Still remain some job on the upper tunnel to made the vault and a descent socket. But you can have an idea how the scene will come.

 

 

 

See you later ... stay tune.

 

Best regards.

 

Jef

 

 

Edited August 5, 2018 by Bubule

[katoftw]

Wow great work.

[Bubule]

Hello all,

 

On this morning first painting of masonries. It takes me some times but i this the colours are much better than the origin ones.

 

 

 

With a train :

 

 

I have to do the same work on the main curved retaining wall this afternoon.

 

See you soon, best regards.

 

Jef

 

Edited August 11, 2018 by Bubule

[JR 500系]

Wow that weathering... It's insane! Your skills are brilliant! So when are you opening classes?  🙂

[Claude_Dreyfus]

I agree, the painting and weathering here is very impressive. I am looking forward to seeing this complete, and if it is an exhibition layout, I would be curious to see which shows it attends. 

 

A couple of questions, you have a lot of woodwork going on there. Does this make the layout quite heavy? How easy is it to move around?

[Bubule]

Thanks guys !

 

Claude, the layout is quite small and pine wood frame is very light. I'am not Stalone and i still can handle it alone. But i have not had the scenery witch can add some weith with some plaster and the show case box. But this layout is design to work with a two guys crew. With two persons it will be ok.

[Bubule]

To paint the stone wall i have first filled the gaps and imperfection with putty. After that i have primed in grey all the parts. The next step is to pass a juice of grimmy black :

 

 

The juice need to dry 6 hours to become dry and matt. When the juice is dry, you can paint some ligther stones with ligth grey acrilic paint with a precision paintbrush. You need to choos the stone ramdomly like it would be in reality :

 

 

The ligther stones painted, repeate the opperation with darker stones with medium greys :

 

 

melt the colours by adding another juice of grimmy black, very diluted and finalize  weathering with pigment powder black to shadow the edges in hollow of the structure.

 

Here are the views of the main retaining wall painted and tested in place :

 

 

 

 

To be contiuned ...

[Pauljag900]

Fantastic work👍😀