My next task was to add the small details.  I used Floquil rust to paint the stairs, and will use the color on the railings also.  I changed the design of the landing on the right by adding some strip-wood in places where it would be on the prototype.  For all of the wood pieces I dipped the bulk pieces in a solution of alcohol and India ink.  I have found that it works much better to color the wood before cutting the pieces and gluing.  The glue can make the stain not absorb if used before.  When I figure out the location on the layout for the building I will weather them to match the location, making the rust color of the stairs blend well.

This picture shows a better view of the rear railing.  It was rather difficult to bend the rails into the correct shape, but using pliers with rather straight edges helped.

As I mentioned in the previous post I painted the front of the building nicely – to make it look well maintained as it will be the side facing the street.  Attention to small details like this add much the believability of a scene on a model railroad.  As you can see in this picture I am in the middle of painting the trim work on the front of the building.  This is another small detail that is really worth the time and effort.

This picture shows how the rubber cement helps to create peeling paint.  After the paint had dried over cement (I waited overnight to be sure) I used masking tape over all of the walls.  I worked this into the grooves a little bit with my finger nail. I then peeled the tape off, taking some of the outer layer with it.  I figured that the back of the building would have been ignored the last time the business was painted, in an effort to save money.

One of my latest projects has been the Bertani’s Billiards model from JL Innovative Design.  As you might have seen in my earliest posts I have built one of their kits previously.  The quality of the details provided with the kit are pretty good, although it is important to check the fit of parts before installing them.

This kit went together fairly easily, and the directions were pretty good.  I used Elmer’s wood glue to fasten the wood parts together and a ca++ (superglue) to glue the plastic parts to the wood.

I primed the model and then began the painting.  On the front two sides I went ahead and painted the first coat of green as I wanted it to look well maintained.  On the back I painted on rubber cement in spots.  I have used this technique before and found that it works really well for simulating peeling paint.  The most important part of this is to make sure it is completely dry before painting on the top layer.

After touching up all the details, I decided to install the signs.  I followed the instructions provided with the kit and used rubber cement to secure the signs into place.  Before the glue set I used the edge of a fingernail to push the signs into the details.

Here is the view of the other side of the building.  Using the rubber cement method worked really well on this side of the building, really giving the impression that they were painted on.

I decided to wait on the chalk weathering until I have figured out the look of the layout where it will be place.  For now this model will be stored until I get around to building the next section of the GOP.

One of my recent small projects (mixed in the middle of all of the others) was this logging caboose from Kadee.  It was not very hard to assemble, with most of the parts being completely free from flash, requiring only minimal prep.  Of course the most difficult part is in assembling the couplers, however after assembling a couple you begin to get the hang of it.  I assembled the body of the caboose separately from the truck so I could prime them separately.

Here is a close-up of the caboose after I dry-brushed it with a medium gray.  It might look a little bit overdone this close, however at about 2 feet it looks much better.  I have found that it is better to slightly overdo effects like this, mostly due to the fact that the smaller an item is, the brighter it needs to be painted to resemble the large version.  Closely tied into this is painting so that the lighting makes it appear correct.

Also I intend to use chalk to blend it in, but want to wait until I add my road name to the caboose.