ezdays kitbash 09 summer challenge

[ezdays]

Just a preliminary post, not that I'm sure of what I'm going to be doing, but here's what I have in mind. I've got three kits, a Model Power Lumber Yard, an MP U. S. Customs and a Cambria City Warehouse kit that I'm planning on turning into some sort of furniture factory. It should look like they added to the building as their needs grew, probably around the 1900 ear when the first building was built and was added to in a hodge-podge manner a few decades later. It will still be a functioning factory, although I'm not sure what they'll be building there seeing as how most furniture is built off-shore now days.

[TrainNut]

Cool! This should be interesting.

[Steamtrains]

...My thoughts precisely....

[eightyeightfan1]

Looks like a fine project.
BTW Don, A lot of furniture is still made here in the states. Some from North Carolina, and even here in my home town, one furniture manufacturer opened up a couple of years ago(Bad timing) in an old factory that used to make golf club shafts for Brunswick.

[Trucklover]

Nice structures to make a kitbash Don!! Cant wait to see what you come up with in the process of bashing those kits together

[ezdays]

First we need to discuss the history of the building that has been used by the, EZways Furniture Manufacturing Co. for some 80 years now. Back around 1925, one of my forefathers had developed a way of manufacturing furniture that was cost effective and amazingly easy to make. After working out of a garage for a few years, he bought two abandoned buildings once used by U. S. Customs for holding confiscated goods. A portion of one building was beyond repair, so he cleverly joined the remaining good half to the other building and had one large structure that would house his growing needs. As it continued to grow, he found a rickety old warehouse nearby that was about to be demolished, so for just the price of moving the building, he was able to join it to the side of his existing structure. Unfortunately, half the warehouse fell apart during the move, but the rest remained intact and fit just right.

He taught his craft to his children and as they and the business grew. They purchased an old lumber yard a few miles away back in the 50’s, but the trip back and forth to deliver finished lumber became expensive and time consuming, so a decade later they had the main structure torn down and rebuilt near the existing manufacturing plant. The problem was that the guys they hired to do the job were somewhat inept and did not mark the parts properly when they tore it down. Therefore, what was once a four-story structure, wound up as a two-story one. When completed, it was only about half as wide as well. Still, it was adequate for their needs as a sawmill.
Raw lumber could now be brought in, cut for their own use and even dried out on site before using it in their manufacturing of low-cost, but quality furniture. The building complex is still in use today and is run by the current generation of the Ezdays family Growth as been limited though, because the family refuses to skimp on quality or move work off-shore. They still do all the manufacturing in this small and very old structure.

[ezdays]

The main building wasn't difficult. I took the parts and painted them an off-white before dry brushing them with a brick color. I did a preliminary ink wash before separating them. Since I couldn't use the base, I made a temporary insert in order to keep the walls square before adding the roof.    

[ezdays]

The rough structure:

[ezdays]

The structure still not finished but showing the transformation from what it should have been:

[ezdays]

Here's a shot of the warehouse annex before being attached. The insert shows how it was originally before being relocated.

[ezdays]

Now for the sawmill. This is a shot taken when those dodo-heads were in the middle of reconstructing the building. You can see the differences right away.

[Trucklover]

SWEET Don, your making some nice progress on these structures. I cant wait to see them bashed together

[nachoman]

HAha! That sounds like the house across from my parents' house. So many tear downs and additions. Just be sure your contractor applied to all the appropriate building permits and inspections

[eightyeightfan1]

Nice history of the structure.
Why didn't you take over the family business?

[ezdays]

Nice history of the structure.
Why didn't you take over the family business?

Splinters... I hate splinters. Every time I work with wood I get splinters... Makes me paranoid just thinking about it. Nope, let my kids get all those splinters, I'm just a silent partner cashing those minuscule royalty checks every month, well, I actually have to save a few up before the bank will cash any.