After sitting back and thinking about the community garden shed model I built inspired by the Back to Basics Challenge, I decided I really wanted to try and make front doors that open. I thought it would give the shed more life.
And while I was at it I also thought I should just go full tilt and build a new shed the way I normally would: making use of whatever was in my spares boxes regardless of whether or not I was using beginner friendly materials.
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The flower pots are engine nozzles from Hasegawa's Space Shuttle Egg Plane kit
This is advanced LTB :-) |
For the walls I used a piece of 4-ply, 500 series Strathmore bristol board that was left over from the repurposed firehouse project.
Although I laid out the walls in a continuous strip, I cut out individual pieces for creating the structure instead of folding the strip into a box.
Siding was simulated by scribing vertical lines into the bristol board.
The trim overlays were drawn on a 3x5 index card as they were for the first model.
Unlike the first model I attached strips of transfer tape to the back of the card so the trim overlays would be self-adhesive. They wouldn't need to be glued on.
As I always say, put a new blade in your knife before cutting. It's especially important when cutting out the fiddly trim overlays.
With the transfer tape backing, it's no fuss, no muss attaching the trim to the door blanks. But, it's important to get the alignment right the first time because that tape bonds instantly and is a real %^&##$^ to peel off in case of a mistake.
Checking the doors' fit. It turns out it was a little too tight and I had to sand their edges a little when it came time to install the hinges so they'd open and close without too much effort.
Jumping ahead a little because I got so caught up in construction I forgot to take photos at this point in the process :-( I dug up a scrap of 'thin' sheet balsa and sliced off 2x4s for paneling the interior. I also did some scrounging to find some garden tools in my scrap box. The interior is painted with Tamiya XF-57 Buff.
The roof is also made from bristol board. The ridges and peak cap are from 3x5 card, held in place with transfer tape.
Trusses were cut from bristol board to give the roof its shape. They're stuck down with transfer tape. I added trusses because I thought I'd make the roof removable. The fit isn't bad, but not perfect. I may go ahead and stick it in place with some glue, but for now I'll leave it removable.
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| Painting in progress |
Ok, around about this point I started to paint the pieces. And around about this point progress on the project stalled out. I got it in my mind to go out and buy some Vallejo Model Color paint at a nearby hobby store that I colour matched to the prototype. Well, insane gas prices and winter weather that just wouldn't quit encouraged me to delay my shopping trip for days. I finally gave up and went back to the workshop to look in more detail at the colours I had on hand. Instead of relying on the bottles' coloured labels I opened them up, mixed them, and then did some test painting to properly assess the colours, which is what I should have done for the first model.
Bingo, I had some that were fairly close to the prototype, so I used them and saved a trip and some money. The walls and roof are painted with several coats of Revell Aqua Color 36162 Mossy Green with a few washes of Tamiya XF-5 Flat Green to give some colour variation in the surfaces. The off-white trim is a mix of Vallejo Model Color 70.919 Cool White with a very small amount of Vallejo Model Color 70.917 Beige.
And then there's red:
I painted the space shuttle engine nozzles I used for the flower pots with Tamiya XF-7 Flat Red. Well, let me clarify, I painted them with what was left over after I spilt the new bottle I had on the floor :-( Luckily, the deluge missed my pants. But not my shoes :-( The workshop floor is painted red, so no problem there, but my foot warmer rug got splashed. Argh.
Once the flat red had dried - the flat red on the flower pots that is - a thin wash of Tamiya X-7 Red was applied to give them a little shine.
I wanted an interior light, and following my philosophy of scrounging my spares boxes for parts I finally found a light that would fit. It's a Model Power incandescent streetlight cut from its support structure. I glued it to the trusses so that it pointed towards the back wall to light the tools and be a bit subdued.
There it is, lit up with a 9v battery. I love the incandescent glow. It's something that's hard to replicate with LEDs.
Ok, now the elephant in the room and the reason for this model: the opening doors.
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| The security window screens are scraps of very fine mesh I had in a spares box. |
The prototype looks like it uses strap hinges on the doors. After some thought, and rummaging through my spares boxes, I decided to try using the thinnest brass shim stock I had on hand to cut out straps to use as hinges.
The brass 'hinges' were attached to the front wall with dabs of superglue.
And now for the truth telling part: they work, but not that well. When I closed the doors after taking some beauty shots of the model, half of the hinges popped free from the frame. I think the problem is the doors are still sitting too tight in the frame. They need more clearance, more free-play, so that no force or fiddling is required to open them. I'll likely need to remove the doors, sand their edges, and then remount them. Live and learn.
Well, there you have it. A shed from the spares boxes and junk drawers of the workshop.
It's good to have the first piece of the new layout done. I'm starting to see how this micro will develop. Stay tuned!
