Backesto Block Bldg. ~ Gettin' My Kicks Printing Backesto Bits

 The Backesto Bits Sprue has Returned from the 3D Printers!

It took many tries, many revisions, (and many dollars!) to get it to pass the printers standards. But it's finally done! 

Despite following the printers minimum standard of 1mm thicknesses, they pushed back a lot on how delicate the whole thing was. After a lot of back and forth and many revisions, I eventually figured out that their "Fine Detail Plastic" could handle the delicacy. But of course that is their premium plastic and cost a freakin' fortune to print- $272.39!  I could have bought an actual 3D Printer for that kind of money (I'm looking in to it now.). But this has been going on for too long now so I bit the bullet and ordered it. Live and learn. Yes sir- live and learn.

But man- you can't beat that detail! This printed beautifully. The finished model should be ridiculously realistic!

Yes sir!

Ridiculous!

Dandy

Structures ~ Backesto Block Reduex

Reviving the Backesto Block Building Project.

This Time 3D Printing the Backesto Block Bldg's Detail Parts.

After the failed attempt to scratch build and cast parts for the Backesto Bldg and sulking about it all this time, I've decided to try again by 3D printing the parts this time.

Printing the entire building would be pricey.  So instead I will build this building similar to how the prototype building was built; scratch build the shell and add prebuilt details.

My selectively compressed drawings of the Backesto Block and the Old City Hall buildings. 

South side of the Backesto and the Grand Pacific Hotel.

The details (doors, windows, columns, cornices, chimneys, ornaments) were modeled on top of these drawings that I imported to a 3D program (3DS Max). 

Then all the 3d modeled "Backesto Bits" were laid out flat and attached to each other to create this sprue for ease of 3D printing.

Then off to the printer it goes! 

Shapeways = $272.39! (I should just buy my own printer!).

Now comes the wait. Fingers crossed all goes well!

Yes sir! Fingers crossed!

Dandy

Jessop's Clock ~ Grand Finale

 Adding the Final Details

to this fantabulous Time Piece.

Voila!

Photos of the Jessop's plaques were straightened, scaled and duplicated in photoshop. There is no way I can model the clocks mechanism in the base of the clock, so it too will be represented with a photo. 

Then this was all printed onto photo paper with my home printer.

The back of the plaques were painted with the same copper paint as the rest of the clock.

And then applied to the clock. The edges and back were touched up with more copper paint in hopes to seal it all up and protect it from warpage.

And last but not least- the Eagle has landed!

Well whaddaya think?  Not a bad transformation, huh?

Yes sir! Not bad at all!

Dandy

Jessop's Street Clock ~ Painting

 Painting This Model Just Like Painting Any Other Model.

Testors Paint makes a nice Metallic Copper color. And its small bottles should be about right for a small project like this.

Here are the colors I'm trying to represent:

Copper. With Gold and Black trim.  On the left is the clock looking polished and shiny after being restored and installed at Horton Plaza.  After several years it has patinaed as seen on the right.

The modified Brawa model has been masked and is ready for the paint booth.

Primered.  The Testors "rattle can" primer works just fine for this. I applied two coats within 3 hours of each other and then let it dry for over 24 hours. Testors recommends 48 hours but the weather has been warm and dry so it should be fine.

Coppered. Wow! It looks like a brand new shiny penny. The paint was thinned 15 drops thinner and 20 drops paint for the airbrush. Two coats covered nicely. The second coat was airbrushed on within 3 hours after the first coat as recommended by Testors. 

Unmasked.  The suspense was killing me as to if the masks did their job. With the spraying done, now is the time for the unmasking.

Success!  For the most part the round masks worked. As expected a little touch up paint was required.

After letting the paint dry for the recommended 48 hours it was time for the...

Golded.  This was rather difficult to paint as the gold isn't showing up so well. It's very similar to the copper color. Hopefully another coat or two will help it pop?

Birds turn.  I'm going to try something different with this bird. I'm going to dip him right into the gold paint bottle!  This could go very bad if I drop him in!

The claw pick up tool seems to have a good grip on him- so in he goes!

Golded Eagle.

Blacked.  It took me way too long to notice that the base is also black.  So I masked off the clock and airbrushed the base black.

Gold Bits.  Some of the details are impossible to model so they are represented with a dot of gold paint. This dot of paint comes way closer to the detail than anything I could model.

Painted. And thus completes the painting portion of this project.

Yes sir!

Painted!

Dandy.

Jessop's Street Clock ~ Detailing

 Let's See How Close I Can Make This Look Like The Prototype Before I Paint It.

There's no need for this to be a precise model of the Jessop's clock. I would have scratch built it if I wanted that.

 This project is meant to be 'quick and dirty'.  I'll be happy with a 'reasonable facsimile'.

The birds showed up in the mail (Preiser HO Scale # 10169 - Birds (Pigeons, Seagulls, Crows and Birds of prey)) and I quickly found one that would fit the bill (beak?) and it looks great! So we are off to a very good start here! 

On the prototype the bird is on a sort of pedestal. I should be able to fashion one rather easily with styrene.

Using the telescopic abilities of Evergreen Styrene tubes, a ring was cut from a 3/16 tube and fit around a 1/8 tube and glued in place.  For ease of handling, it was then filed to the '1/4 dome' shape while still attached to the length of tube before being cut to size.

And then centered and glued to the clock.  Because of the delicacy of the parts, I'll be holding off gluing the bird on until after painting.

And that's it. I don't think there is anything more I can do before painting.  Other details (such as those arched 'Jessop's' plaques) are best put on afterwards.

Now its time to prep for painting.  Since I'm unable to disassemble this model, how the heck am I going to mask off those round clock faces for painting?!?.

Yes sir!

Round masks!

Dandy.