SCENES ALONG THE
CIMARRON & TALL TIMBERS RR
By
Tom Troughton, MMR
Kathy's Greasy Spoon is a polyurethane kit produced by Pine Canyon Scale Models. It's part of their 1950's Highway Series of easy to build kits.
Photo 1.
The basic building structure was completed first. "Lightning Bond," AC cement was used exclusively on the polyurethane castings. I had a problem with the squareness of the main roof. Once it was corrected, I used it as a guide to align the side walls against the front wall casting.
Photo 2.
There was one problem, "bubble hole," on the rear side of the front wall. Rather than fill it first, then assemble the structure, I decided to assemble the walls first, then fix the hole with Lightning Bond and Lightning Fill. I wasn't sure the hole would show on the finished product.
Photo 3.
The concrete stoop casting for the rear door was attached to keep the lower edge of the wall aligned.
Photo 4.
I had a problem with the rear wall of the rest room addition. It was wider than the front wall and formed an, "out of square," addition. I carved and sanded it down to match the width of the front wall.
Photo 5.
The separate sidewalk/flower bed wall casting was, "tacked in place," with AC from above and reinforced from below with additional drops of the cement.
Photo 6.
The swamp cooler and ventilator turbine were cleaned up with a hobby knife and attached to their respective locations on the roof casting. A hole had to be drilled for the short piece of styrene tubing that represents a plumbing vent.
Photo 7.
The four thin strips of styrene that support the roof casting were attached to the inner surfaces of the walls. They were located to position the roof with the roll roofing detail even with the bottom of the rain water drain holes in the back wall.
Photo 7.
The entire building was carefully washed with Comet cleanser and Joy dishwashing detergent, then rinsed with warm water and set aside to air dry. Krylon, "Gray Primer," was sprayed over the entire model, inside and out. When dry, an additional coat of a light gray Polly Scale paint was airbrushed on everything.
Photo 8.
The stones along the front wall and of flower bed were painted with various limestone colored acrylic craft paints. A dark wash of the paint was applied over the colored stones to suggest mortar and grime. The wash was also used to weather the sidewalk and enhance the expansion joints and various cracks.
Photo 9.
The windows and doors were also painted with the, "Gray Primer," before being glazed with clear styrene. Acetate glazing is provided in the kit, but I decided to go with the thicker styrene. The components were secured in place with drops of the AC cement.
Photo 10.
A narrow piece of paper forms the flashing for the small roof of the restroom addition.
Photo 11.
All the roll roofing detail was painted with Polly Scale, "Tarnished Black," and Pactra, "Glossy Black," was used on the seams. It was also used to represent tar along the base of the cooler, ventilator turbine and plumbing vents.
Photo 12.
Several of the posters that are included in the kit were attached to the sides of the building. They were sprayed with Krylon "Matte Fixative" to prevent the inks from bleeding. After being trimmed from the sheet, the paper backing was thinned by dampening it with water and carefully rubbing it away with my fingers until I saw the backside of the ink. The poster or sign was then glued in place with diluted white Elmer's glue.
Photo 13.
A simple photo diorama was created to photograph the building. A small amount of dirt was added to the flower bed and three clumps of Woodland Scenics foam clusters were added to represent bushes. "Crusher Fines," from a local limestone quarry provided the gravel for the front drive and parking lot.
Photo 14.
A 1950's Ertl Ford pick up truck and a couple of Railmaster Exports figures add life to the scene. The rock backdrop is a part of my main layout.
Photo 15.
The large posters that come with the kit are visible on the large side wall of the Cafe. These were also "thinned" before being applied.
Photo 16.
Eventually these two customers will make it inside to enjoy a plate of non-fat-free fries and possibly a pork cutlet sandwich.
Photo 17.
This scene of the back of the building shows the exhaust vent fan in the wall, a couple of trash cans and Kathy and her daughter.
I hope you enjoyed this quick look at, "Kathy's Greasy Spoon," and didn't get high cholesterol readings by merely looking at the pictures.
