# RSLaserKit's "Carl's Cabin"



## Carl (Feb 19, 2012)

I have some time to start the construction of this kit. The waslls are in place and the rafters have been installed. Hope to get to the roofing and final exterior finish in the next month.

This kit is from RSLaserKits.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

With the roof in place, aren't the rafters and joists hidden? Are they actually adding some structural support?

One rafter truss (in middle) seems out of alignment ... maybe tweek that one before you install the roof?

Nice modeling work!

TJ


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Hey Carl....Rich named a kit after you?


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## Carl (Feb 19, 2012)

Thanks for comment.....When you buy one of Rich's kit, it contains all kinds of things....including rafters that will be covered up by a roof......of course, the rafter ends will exposed under the roof. And, you are right on the one rafter alignment (that is the nice thing about a picture of a N Scale model.....it increases the size so one can see that adjustments that need to be made.

Ed......don't know.


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## Ranger (Mar 4, 2012)

nice cabin


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Carl said:


> When you buy one of Rich's kit, it contains all kinds of things....including rafters that will be covered up by a roof


That's pretty cool that there's that realism in the kits. I had never heard of RXLaser (Rich) kits before ... impressive detailing!

Purely for discussion, I was wondering the following: Did the kit instructions say to glue the rafters to the walls first, then lay the roof panels on top? I'm wonderng (just out of curiosity) if one could have glued the two roof panels together (at the proper pitch angle), turn them upside down, and then glued the rafter trusses to the "inside" of the overturned roof ... first? Then, flip the whole subassembly, and install that on the walls. Any thoughts on that from an alignment / fabrication standpoint ???

Regards,

TJ


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## Carl (Feb 19, 2012)

TJ

Yes, per the instructions you first erect the walls......interesting, in that the kit provided laser-cut card stock walls to which one would attach the laser-cut walls. Then the rafters. In thinking about the kit construction, as described in the direction sheet, you build the kit as one might build a house.....base (foundation), card stock walls (2 x 4 wall studs), exterior wall finish (exterior wall siding), roof rafters (roof rafter) and two pieces of roof panel laser-cut from card stock (this might be considered as the plywood decking used in current roof construction). Was the card stock walls necessary, maybe not, but it was a nice touch.

For this kit, it would be very difficult, and would add a degree of difficulty that really is not necessary, to first apply the rafters to the roof panels one would need to determine the roof slope, then create a cradle to hold the two panels together and at the right angle....that is a lot of work and could lead to problems. To ensure that the rafters are properly placed, the kits walls were notched so that the rafters could be properly spaced and, when glued in place, provide a strong bond.

The other thing that I would like to stress to all that scratch build or kit build in the small scales (N and HO). Taking a picture of the model, at various stage of construction, is an excellent way to see what needs to be adjusted, corrected or what ever. The larger the picture, the better. This may seem as “counting the rivets”, but it does result, in my humble opinion, in a better looking model.


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## Xnats (Dec 5, 2010)

Lol Carl just admit you got the kit, because it had your name all over it  :laugh:
It is looking good too :thumbsup: What type of glue are you using?
I will agree, a picture is a very valuable tool in N Scale to get a better viewing angle of things that need a little tweaking.


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## Carl (Feb 19, 2012)

Stan: Well I can not say much about the Kit name. To glue the card stock in place, I used a CA glue. Wood joints were subjected to Elmer's Glue-All (it dries clear).


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks for your insightful comment about construction sequence, Carl ... much appreciated.

TJ


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## rslaserkits (Jun 18, 2012)

Hi All
Rich here, first nice job so far Carl. On the roof question I do the truss in a lot of kits as you need rafter tails and doing the truss is just as easy and looks better in my eye.
Also if you just set the rafters in place then glue the roof panels in place you will end up with a removable roof for those that detail the interiors.
rich
wwww.rslaserkits.com


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## Carl (Feb 19, 2012)

Thanks Rich.......by the way, check out Rich's site for his new N Scale Speeder shack.


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