Hey all,
I have acquired several Korber kits over the years and decided it was time to 'bash an auto plant out of them. Thank you summer challenge for motivating me to work on it. If you are not familiar with the Korber line, many of the their kits are modular in design -- perfect for kitbashing. I am using four of their kits to bash an auto plant like the Fisher Body plant. Here are the instructions from the kits to show which ones I am using:


Here is the skeleton mock up of what I am planning. The smaller building to the right is included and will be either connected by a bridge or I will build a wall connecting it to the main building with an overhead door for the tracks to enter the building ( and cover up the hole in the backdrop). There will also be a concrete loading dock running the length of the building. I am not sure if I will put a roof over the dock.


Chuck

Welcome to the kitbash challenge. An interesting project for sure... Anxious to see how it progresses.

that's gonna be sweet!!

Chuck, this would be the one in Ionia right? The one where they used to assemble Corvette bodies back in the 60s..

Catt Wrote:Chuck, this would be the one in Ionia right? The one where they used to assemble Corvette bodies back in the 60s..

Sort of. It is like the one in Ionia, but I was inspired by the Fisher Body plant in Detroit by Milwaukee Junction -- there are a lot of curtain wall construction type of buildings in that area. I love old industrial areas....

Here is an update on my kitbash challenge. I am further along than the pics show, but here is an issue I came across while building the Korber kits. Each modular section has a "finishing" strip that goes along each side of the modular piece which interlocks with another wall section. Seems like a good idea for construction. Unfortunately, the finishing or trim pieces don't line up very well to one another; some have a slight crack, others a gap at the joint. I have to fill and sand every joint to get a smooth, "crack-less" look. ARRRRRRGH! Not to mention I had some issues keeping the longer / taller sections straight and square as some of the pieces did not quite match up with one another. See pics below to see what I mean:





I tried using squadron putty, but it isn't working very well. It doesn't want to stick. It pops and cracks quite easily, so I am trying plaster and Durabond to see how it goes. So far, on the test section, it is holding up very well. More info to come soon!

Chuck

Here is the building on location. I am working on adding a dock and possibly a roof to go over said dock along with quite a few details......



Here is how I braced it on the inside --




For the roof I used thin sheet stock with bracing -- it is quite sturdy without any flexing.




There is still quite a bit of detailing to be done like piping, ducts, fans etc. And then the all-important weathering over it all. First, I need to figure out how I am going to make the dock. Right now I am trying Durabond over card stock to give it the "cement" look. Once it is dry I'll upload some pics before and after sanding to see what y'all think.

Chuck

That is really a building!!!

Here is the latest update -- I used card stock for the dock that runs along the length of the building. It just didn't look right, even after painting it. I've used Durabond 90 on other projects to simulate concrete with good results. The Durabond is easy to sand, and one can add cracks and chips that look realistic. The first set of photos show the dock slathered with Durabond, ready for sanding.




The second set of pics show the docks after the initial sanding. There is still some finer sanding to do. I wet my finger and rub the Durabond to smooth out the scratches from sanding, unless they look good as cracks or chips.... I think I may add a rusty steel strip along the side of the dock -- I have seen that quite often when I was a truck driver. The edging helps protect the concrete and provides a little more support along the edge where a dock plate will be used.




This last set of pics show the docks after I applied an India ink and alcohol wash. The results were not what I was expecting, and the pics do not really show the color very well. I may have to retake them or get closer. I have to do some more sanding and "crack adding" before I add a little light grey paint to the mix to lighten it up. Once I am happy with the way it looks, I will attach the docks to the building and smooth over the joint where the two pieces come together. Next up is going to be the roof over the dock. That should be interesting to build......



Chuck

Dock's looking good!

Well, I scrapped the dock I built from card stock and coated with durabond. While it looked good, like a beat-up cement dock, it wasn't fitting quite right. There was a gap along the wall and every time I tried to trim it to fit, it just made things worse. So, I decided to go with styrene and rebuild the dock. This time it fits quite well, and it is the proper height as you can see in the pics below. I am not sure if I will meet the deadline, but I will post pics of what I was able to accomplish by the deadline.




I decided to not add a roof over the dock. I still have some piping to add and some roof details, along with dock clutter.

Chuck

Below are some last photos of my project before the deadline. I put together some details for the roof to show what it is going to look like. I am going to have some piping run down the side of the building as well. I used kit sprues for the piping -- a little more sanding and some valves and it should be ready for painting. I am thinking of adding a water tower, but if I do, I am thinking of placing as a "shallow relief" against the back drop -- only 1/2 the tower will physically be present.


The dock is completed and in place. I am going to add some black and grey washes to weather it. There is also going to be a rusty steel strap that runs along the front edge. I have seen this on numerous docks when I was a truck driver -- the strap helps protect the concrete from damage.


And lastly, here is a photo of the "completed" building prior to weathering:


Thank you summer challenge for motivating me to build this building! Without his challenge, I doubt the building would have been built. It was a learning experience dealing with the Korber modular kit construction..... There is still some weathering and detailing to be done, but it will soon be in place on the layout generating some revenue for my Detroit Connecting.

Chuck

Great looking building. That was a real challenge for sure, and you step right into it. When it is in place will you post some pictures?
Charlie

I like it!!

Charlie B Wrote:Great looking building. That was a real challenge for sure, and you step right into it. When it is in place will you post some pictures?
Charlie

Sure thing! It may be awhile as school is back in session. I have to find my "groove" for the year balancing all my classes and being a mentor to a new teacher before I'll have much time for trains. I give it another week or so and things should calm down a bit.

Chuck