The Mikado Final Part

Final details added including the smoke jacks that I forgot about!

Seamus Hanrahan wielding a large hammer and hoping the floor won't collapse into the cellar.

A bit of history and some more tools etc added.

The Mikado Part 5

Progressing

I decided that I wanted to make this a run-down building undergoing some repairs. The kit comes with Campbell corrugated aluminium roofing but I opted for tarpaper instead.

I pinched an idea from Blogger Stan Knott. I glued the structure to a piece of thin card using double sided tape. This gives a small area that can be pre-landscaped and the card is easy to meld into the existing terrain. Unlike Stan I made the card a random shape which is easier to disguise.  Then I anchored the corners of the base card to a piece of plastic so that I could work on it safely.

I spread thin white glue on the card base and sprinkled a blend of fine tan grout then hit it with Isopropyl and left it to dry. The hole in the white wall is for an LED.

 I then added detail and landscaping to the card

A broken window with a scattering of microscope slide glass broken up and scattered about, anchored with white glue solution.

The tarpaper was made by brushing black shoe dye followed by dust (cement works well for this) onto some thick, handmade, tan coloured paper I had saved from somewhere.  Cut into strips and glued on it will be finished with a ridge cap when the roof is applied. That tarpaper is looking too pristine for an old shack. Some distressing work ahead I fear :)

I will be adding more details outside before I finish.

The Mikado Part 4

I fixed the upside down board and placed the model on a thin card base to add basic ground cover to so I can easily drop it into place later. I added a boardwalk too as I want to pile it up with building paraphernalia.

Grout (still wet) laid down as base dirt.

The Mikado Part 3

Well I proceeded with windows and framing and so on.

Aaaaaarrrrrghhh!!!!

The photo below reveals the obvious mistake!  The corbels don't support the top trim rails because I fitted the ready-cut fascia board upside down!   Doh! Read the manual........

The Mikado Part 2

I didn't align the stencil too well so it's a tad off centre but I figured Charlie McPhwat the local signwriter had been sampling the tavern wares rather generously that day. 

For some reason I decided on some interior detail. Rudimentary stuff.

We now have Seamus Hanrahan (builder of repute) working on the floor. He is an old and poor cast metal figure that would not stand outside display so is ideal for the job.

Ground boards and window trims attached.

Anvil Mountain (now Berkshire Valley) models kit of The Mikado, a long gone saloon and bordello from Silverton Colorado

I decided to make this kit as a run-down and disintegrating structure but am finding that difficult due to the construction methods utilised in a laser cut kit. That's no reflection on the kit which is beautifully put together. I think I will have to re-think the degree of collapse and just make a seedy, just-abandoned building instead. Sort of a Sellios treatment.

The wood bits ready for the off

Construction

I attempted to distress the timber as much as I could but the hard ply material doesn't lend itself to this treatment very well, unlike basswood. Anyway after scraping until I got bored I weathered all the wood with weak washes of black and brown aniline dyes diluted with isopropyl. I then started the construction phase as per the instructions. I will add some interior detail that may just be visible through the large front windows. Perhaps I'll model it with builders going in and out on a refurbishment job, that might give scope for some detailing fun.

A bit of classy floral wallpaper in an attractive shade of brown...I will have to dirty it up a fair bit before i finish!