Industrial Photo-Op Base

[crazyjim]

My mistake, sorry. I'll have to check out this Gatorboard stuff. Is it like the story about Gatorade - made right up the road in Gainesville?

[Dr. Cranky]

I don't know who first made it but I get it from Micro Mark Inc., but you can also find it cheaper if you shop around. It's a great material to mock up a building first . . . Ken Hamilton is currently building a diorama called The Arcade and he's using it too . . .

See how Ken is using it.

[Dr. Cranky]

In order to keep everything square and in place, I decided to use magnets to make assembly easier when I am using the photo-ob base, and then for easy break down too . . .

I added 4 1" inch metal plates (you can get these at Fantasy Gaming stores or on line) to the back of the panel . . .

The magnets will be inserted into the foam of the Gatorboard and everything should line up . . .

Like this:

[Dr. Cranky]

I am also putting some finishing touches on each leg of the I-beam rafter module, which will also be magnetized to the base for more stability . . .

[Dr. Cranky]

Once I square up exactly where each post will go, I will glue down an individual metal plate to the base, which will blend in with the rest of the concrete and dirt of the surface, plus it ill make the whole surface a bit more interesting . . .

Since I was at it, I also added some more detail to each post . . .

A little variety doesn't hurt . . ..

[Dr. Cranky]

In the future, I can work on the outside, but I will primer everything just so that it doesn't look so in-progress . . .

[Dr. Cranky]

It looks just right with the doors hanging, and with all the door details too . . .

[Dr. Cranky]

This is what I was explaining earlier about being able to remove bits and pieces just to get different shots and angles, plus it's a blast to play will all this stuff . . . you can remove one or several legs to get the shot you want and still include all the other elements . . .

Oh and I added the final detail to the doors, the bolts that lock them down on the concrete . . . I still have to make the iron rods . . .

Stay tuned in for more progress . . .

[Nick Winter]

That's down right amazing,I have a question though, how did you do the rollers for the doors? I bet those would be cool for a Barn find dio I'd like to build.

Nick.

[Dr. Cranky]

Nick, those are watch parts. A few years ago I bought about 10 pounds of watch parts, and over the years they have saved my sanity time again. Or wait, maybe they've kept me insane all these years! Well, either way, get your hands on some watch parts and you'll put them to use too!

[crazyjim]

Amazing doctor. Just amazing. And it's fun watching your dio come together.

[Dr. Cranky]

Thanks, Jim, I am certainly having a blast with this one . . . it's fun when it all comes together, and it's also the Doctor's OCD kicking in!

So I marked down where the steel plating for the magnets would go, and then used Glossy Accents to glue them down. It's an epoxy glue used by crafters as a glue. It dries shiny, so it can be used for water puddles too!

Since they are thicker metal than I am used to, I put these suckers in a mixture of Clorox, Vinnegar, and salt, and overnight it discolored the metal and rusted it a little bit, just for that extra added weathering . . .

All the pieces are in place and glued down well . . . .

[Dr. Cranky]

This is how it's going to go . . . and I can move the rafters and columns around a little bit . . .

They also give the appearance that at one time they were part of individual bays of some sort . . . hey, or at least that's the story being told in my head!

Stay tuned in for more . . .

[Foxer]

The magnetic plates are a neat trick. As for their origin, I've seen things at industrial sites that for the life of me I could not explain. I think I've visited your site before ..

[Monte's Motors]

Looks GREAT Cranky

[Dr. Cranky]

Thanks everyone . . . and like with the models themselves, I am not one of those builders who is a stickler for architectural and structural accuracies . . . once I get going on a project I get possessed.

Sometimes this comes at a high price in that if it doesn't work I have to start all over again, but this one is working so far . . .

[Clay]

Virgil, you are doing great with this. You build fast. Keep it up.

[Dr. Cranky]

It slowing down now because of all the little details, etc . . . there will be more progress in the coming days.

Thanks for all the kind words, folks.

[Terror]

This is just way to cool,man.When I get around to it,I would love to make one of these.If I do you know where the techniques came from.Dr.Crankey's helpful addvice.Whens my next appointment?

[vaughn]

Darn good work there Virgil. Where do you find the time? Keep on keepin on !

[Dr. Cranky]

Thanks, chaps . . . here's a slight detour . . .

I am fighting very hard NOT to make this one too gunky and far-gone, but what's an industrial space without a name. I've been working on this one for the last couple of days and I think it's finally looking like a good sign . . .

It's made with a 2" cardboard letter template, styrene, and plastic letters from Office Depot . . . the rest is paint, crackle paint, and washes, with a little bit of airbrushing thrown in for good measure . ..

[Dr. Cranky]

Oh, and I made the sign magnetized so that along the way, if I come up with other ideas, I can swap them out like this . . .

So we can change from this:

To this, faster than you can say magnet:

[crazyjim]

Even more amazing!! You're killin' me here, Dr. Cranky.

[Dr. Cranky]

Thanks, Jim . . . and by the way, if anyone has reference pictures of warehouse siding (not corrugated tin siding) I would love for you to share it with me here . . . I am looking for ideas for paint color and weathering when the time comes.

Thanks in advance.

[crazyjim]

Hey doc. I looked up gatorboard on the computer. Did you really have to cut that stuff with a power saw? Would a utility knife work?