# Kitbashing bashed kits



## Ed Gerken (Jan 23, 2012)

Sandy and I decided to leap into the model train hobby recently and to save money we're buying used lots off ebay, thrift shops, etc.

Our first auction that we bid high enough to win was for a group of old Plasticville kits that had been well-used and poorly stored. Out of maybe a dozen kits represented, we see maybe 5 that are relatively complete. Still, not a bad deal for the price of $24, shipping included, so we're having fun assembling the bits and experimenting.

Getting rid of the too-uniform plastic-look is a high priority. Sandy tried her acrylics but it was disappointing. Looks like we need to go with an airbrush and some sort of Testor's paint, but it would be great if we could find an acrylic/brush alternative.

Towards that end, I took a brick wall side of an incomplete kit and tried a coat of flat gray primer to see if that would help acrylics to stick better. The primer seemed to take alright. On a whim, I scraped the primer off the brick surfaces with the edge of a pocket knife, exposing the original plastic beneath, but leaving the gray primer embedded in the "mortar." 

Needing something to add a little aging to the "naked" brick, I dabbed my finger tip into some ashes and rubbed that in. If it got too heavy, I would scrape again or moisten my fingertip and rub to take some of it back off.

Anyway, with a little rubbing and finger grease I wore the smudges in and around till I liked the effect. The mortar stayed fairly clean and it gave a nice random darkening pattern to the brick faces, just about like you'd see in real life.

I was kinda proud of my first effort at aging a brick wall, so I thought I'd share!










I'd like it more if the wall was a bit darker overall like the native bricks on old building found here. Maybe a thinned wash will add that aged look to the mortar as well as the brick and slightly darken the appearance.

Next we gotta figure out how we're going to replace the missing parts, like roofs and walls. Might be there's an N-scale kit mixed in there as well. I'm seeking out pics of the old Plasticville kits to see what we might be missing, but so far I've only found two matches and those kits happen to be fairly complete in the group that I bought. Is there some sort of online "master catalog" showing more of the vintage Plasticville kits than you might find for sale today?

Anyway, what do you guys think of my practice wall? How'd I do? I think I'm gonna enjoy this hobby and my wife just loves this kind of "crafty" stuff, too!

-Ed


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

I think you done good and to have your beloved at your side makes it all the more fun...:thumbsup:


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Great looking brick, nice job. I'm hoping to get my wife involved in some scenery, good job there too.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Ed Gerken said:


> Anyway, what do you guys think of my practice wall? How'd I do?


Uhh ... well ...

:worshippy::worshippy::worshippy:

Brilliant! I love the darker color bricks here and there. Very realistic!

TJ


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## Ed Gerken (Jan 23, 2012)

Wow, thanks for the high praise guys! It kinda fits into the "I accidentally did it right" category. I was just wondering to myself how to make the mortar gray but have reddish brick. Who knew it would be so simple?

Sandy really likes the effect too. I think she was a little disappointed in the plastic look of the buildings, but now she sees what is possible so now we'll no doubt be aging all the structures.

Hardest part was popping out all the glued in windows so I didn't have to mask.

A few short weeks ago we both enjoyed our first visit to see the model rr setup at the train museum in town. I was surprised a week or so later when she mentioned getting into the hobby.

When I dive into something I go whole hog, so I've spent many enjoyable late nights reading up, making bids and dreaming about all the details about which I know so little.

I've got track and buildings, now all I need is the trains to show up. Good thing we're self-employed or my boss would be wondering why I'm not at work yet today! I'd have to tell him I was waiting on a train, LOL!

-Ed


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

You'll find a coat of Krylon 1311 Matte Finish after you're done will seal it in nicely. You get about 4x more than Testor's Dul-Cote for the same price.


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## Ed Gerken (Jan 23, 2012)

Thanks Shay, I've been thinkin' about that and bought a can of Valspar clear satin today. Just what the local hardware happened to carry.
-Ed


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

I use Valspar Matte and Satin with great results!


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## Ed Gerken (Jan 23, 2012)

The other day I did the same thing to the larger wall shown in the first pic.

I sprayed gray primer at a low angle to make sure the edges of the brick and window openings got covered.









Next I scraped the dried primer off the brick faces like it was a lotto scratch ticket.









The wall at this point looks like newly laid brick.









To "age" it, I just took some ash on my fingertip and spread it around. 









The final result. I'm not as happy with this one because I over-scraped one area and took too much gray off. I figure that's a good place to put a vintage sign. Or I could add more gray and try that area again.









-Ed


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Excellent tutorial! And you make it look so easy, too. Very realistic results. Thanks for sharing,

TJ


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## Xnats (Dec 5, 2010)

It that looks fantastic, Ed. Thanks for the tutorial :thumbsup:


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## manchesterjim (Dec 30, 2011)

*Wow!*

Ok.....being self-employed also.....i'm about to run downstairs and do a little work on some of my buildings!!!


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Does this mean I have to start smoking? I don't have any ashes around. :laugh: :laugh:
Seriously, it looks really good! :thumbsup:
Bob


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

Bob,
I've got a ton of ashes from the wood stove I'll send up a box of it!


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## Ed Gerken (Jan 23, 2012)

Well, there's that urn of gramma's ashes on the mantle...  Just kidding!  

I think ash from a stick of incense would work well. A little goes a long way.

-Ed


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## millers29456 (Jul 16, 2013)

that is awesome. Thanks for sharing.


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## Model Train Structures (Oct 10, 2013)

You did a really nice job; the bricks look real! 

D.A.


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

Great job! Really like it. What do you use for the ash? Should I save the ash from my next cigar?


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

I use weathering chalks and flat paint for the same effect. I use the red primer for the brick color and run the chalk onto the wall for the mortar. Lock it down with a little flat clearcoat.


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## daveh219 (Sep 16, 2012)

WELL DONE, Ed...the thing about weathering is that there are SO many different techniques that can be done. Who would imagine ash being used to weather...but it sure makes sense. Keep up with the pics...

Dave


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