Latest Wild West Adobe Hacienda

[Super_Gibbon]

Someday I will get around to some middle eastern buildings and I was wondering if the spackle warped the foam core. Thanks for allaying my fears.

Hurry up and paint it and post more pictures!

[Malamute]

I'll paint it this weekend.
 If you look on the Wild West board you will see some pictures of another Hacienda and an adobe church I did several months ago all using faomcore and they are fine, no warping.

[Rhoderic]

Spackle, presuming it's the same material as what we here in Sweden call "spackel", is marvellous. You can construct your foamcore buildings quite haphazardly and the spackle will still cover up all the mistakes. You can then use various techniques to give it different finishes. I like to dab it with a sponge or a crumpled-up piece of tin foil (depending on how rough I want it to look). If I want it smooth, I sand it after it's dry.

As Malamute says, it doesn't warp the foamcore. If anything, it can be used to hide any potential warping caused by the glue (layer it on more thickly where it gets concave).

The stuff I use does smell a little bit like rotten fish while it's wet (does that ring a bell with anyone else?) but it's really no big deal.

[Super_Gibbon]

Thats good info. I've built a few buildings from foam core and I used the stone texture spray paint but I've never done any mud brick or anything that needs to look plastered. I'm really aching to do some terrain, especially after those hacienda photos! The spackle will serve me well for an Afghan fort.

Pollyfilla, its a funny word. Sounds like Godzilla's drag name.

[Super_Gibbon]

I just found the older thread with the detailed description of your method. Which emoticon says "I'm sorry for wasting everyone's time!"? ?

[Argonor]

Pollyfilla, its a funny word. Sounds like Godzilla's drag name.

It's just poly-purpose filler, really.. 

I'd like a 'how to' for those doors/shutters, though... When I get old and retired, I must be able to find some time for building stuff... or at least when my kids are a little older and can go to bed by themselves.... 

[Malamute]

I'd like a 'how to' for those doors/shutters, though... When I get old and retired, I must be able to find some time for building stuff... or at least when my kids are a little older and can go to bed by themselves.... 

The doors are Balsa wood, either scored deeply to represent individual planks or have had thin balsa strips/pieces added to represent paneling etc.
The shutters were very fiddly and time consuming, but fun to do. I cut the balsa into very thin strips and just glued them on.Firstly making the frame then fitting the smaller horizontal shutters.
I later found you can buy doors and windows and shutters and just about every architectural thing you need from Grandt Designs in the States or from TM terrain in the UK.
I like to build my stuff from scratch particularly for these buildings to give them a more  rustic look.
The painting stage is very simple. Just a thinned base coat of artists Raw Umber straight form the tube then a dry brush with GW Bleached Bone or similar.
Be careful when painting the doors, if you have not scored them deep enough then they will loose the paneled look as the balsa swells and expands when painted, particularly if you wash the paint on thinly.
Hope that helps.
Should have some pics of the painted model up soon, its had its base coat and first drybrush.

[Argonor]

Thanks.... 

[Malamute]

I have posted some photos of the finished, painted model in the Old west Board.

[Snate56]

Spackle, presuming it's the same material as what we here in Sweden call "spackel", is marvellous. You can construct your foamcore buildings quite haphazardly and the spackle will still cover up all the mistakes. You can then use various techniques to give it different finishes. I like to dab it with a sponge or a crumpled-up piece of tin foil (depending on how rough I want it to look). If I want it smooth, I sand it after it's dry.

That's amusing, because that's what it's for in real houses, too.


SteveN