Mack FK Truck Tractor by FriedClams - FINISHED - Shadowbox Display in 1:87

[FriedClams]

Greetings Fellow Modelers,

 

I've begun work on a new shadowbox display and have decided to bore you with the details of its construction.  This will be the fourth shadowbox model that I've built, and because it's easier to show than to describe what these shadowbox displays are all about, here's a few photos of the three I've already made.

 

This was my first and simplest design.  The model insert itself is 4-7/8” wide (124mm) by 2-1/4” high (57mm) and 2-1/2” deep (64mm).

 

 

 

That was followed by this more complicated boat shop.  Same physical size as the first one.

 

 

 

And finally, a 1940 garage scene that I built last year.  It is the same height and depth as the other two, but half again as wide to accommodate the details I wanted it to include. 

 

A build log for the garage display can be found here.

 

 

 

This new display will differ from the others in the sense that its only purpose is to provide a display stage for interchangeable 1:87 truck models and other vehicles.  When I tire of looking at one vehicle, I can replace it with something else.

 

The “stage” will be the interior of an empty old building.  There will be no “things” in the building to visually compete with the subject.  What the vehicle is doing in the building is ambiguous and no real story is being offered.  Maybe it's just being stored there, away from the weather and out of the reach of vandals.  I don't know.  My goal is simply to provide an atmospheric backdrop for whatever vehicle is placed in there.

 

Initially, a 1938-1941 Mack FK truck tractor will be displayed.  I haven't built it yet, so that too will be part of this build log.  It's a resin kit from Ralph Ratcliffe Models and I found it on eBay quite a few years ago.  I bought it because it looked interesting, was out of production and very few people were bidding on it, so I ended up getting it cheap.  RR Models is once again producing these kits (at a steep price) and their castings are characteristically clean and crisp, especially considering the scale.  I've never built a resin kit before, so if it turns out badly, I'll have to build something else to take its place.  But eventually, something will be going in there, even if it's the toy out of a Happy Meal.

 

Here's a photo from their website.  The model is just under 3” long.  I'll be putting some wear on my build of the kit.

 

Ralph Ratcliffe Models

 

 

I've already begun work this project and in the next few posts, I'll bring things up to date.

 

Thanks for stopping in and taking a look.  Be safe and stay well.

 

Gary

[Egilman]

The Master at it again, I'm down for this....

[Jack12477]

I'm in too !

[pwog]

Gary, your builds are never boring. I’m looking forward to this one. As said above, you are the master. 

[Keith Black]

 Gary , you made my day! I so enjoy watching your creations come together, it sounds like you're going for the "saying more by saying less" concept. I know it'll be exceptional, can't wait for you to get started. Happy New Year!

Edited December 31, 2022 by Keith Black

[Roger Pellett]

Gary, your shadowboxes are unique and a delight to watch being built.  I’m looking forward to this!

 

Roger

[Old Collingwood]

I'm in aswel  -   these are  Amazing.

 

OC.

[Danstream]

Here another build of the guy that takes pictures of real things and tells us that they are models, in 1:87 scale!

Surely I will tag along.

Cheers,

Dan

[mtaylor]

I'm in also as it will be great to see another masterpiece being built.

[Canute]

Sign me up for this one, too.  And it's in HO scale.

[FriedClams]

Hello Fellow Modelers.

 

Thank you Egilman, Jack, Paul, Keith, Roger, OC., Dan, Mark and Ken for your warm reception and comments.  I'm very pleased to have you following along.  And thanks to all for the likes and for stopping to take a look.

 

 

The model display is built as a separate module and simply fits into a rabbeted cutout in the face frame of the shadow box. The box and how the module fits into it looks like this.

 

 

The box is made from 1/2” poplar which is glued and clamped together. All pieces are mitered, and the only fastenings are a few beech biscuits that hold the face frame to the body. Poplar is soft enough to work easily, yet hard enough to maintain crisp edges. After sanding to the point where my fingers would no longer bend, a coating of pre-stain wood conditioner was applied to help promote uniform stain absorption and avoid a splotchy finish. Some furniture stain and few coats of semi-gloss poly complete the box.

 

 

 

 

Having lived with myself for quite some time, I know that if I build the vehicle first and it turns out all wrong, I might just be tempted to drop the whole project. Therefore, I'll outsmart myself and build the stage first.

 

Here's a top down view of the stage, just a rectangular room. The main lighting for the display will be “outside” lighting coming through the open door on the right, and from the windows along the back wall. The stairway provides some visual interest in the back corner, but it will also serve as a way to illuminate that end of the display. Light will shine down from the top of the staircase (where it penetrates the ceiling) and cast shadows through and across the stairs. Fill light will also be needed in the form a few ceiling pendants.

 

 

 

In the back wall drawing, the rectangular blue line represents the front opening of the shadowbox. There will be no front view of the upper stairs because it's located behind the face frame. Having only a partial side view of the upper staircase means the light source at the top won't be seen directly.

 

 

 

The walls are a steel frame structure with brick infill. The “steel” is Evergreen columns and I-beams.

 

 

 

It is assembled with solvent cement and primed with Badger Stynylrez gray. After the primer dried, small amounts of rust colored pigment powders were applied. Finally, graphite powder was scraped off a #2 pencil and rubbed on with a small silicone color shaper to give select areas an uneven metallic look.

 

 

 

The wall sections are cut (razor saw) from blank panels of Hydrocal brick material. Cutting the window openings was a tedious file and fit operation because it had to be exact in order to accept the injected molded windows. Masonry window frames fit into the wall and they don't have jambs or outer casing trim to cover gaps.

 

I'm using up some older HO brick stock from C.C. Crow which I'm not sure is even sold anymore. Typically, I use material from New England Brownstone.

 

 

 

Because I'll be using indirect lighting, I think dark walls would suck all the light out of it, so I decided on painting the brick white.  But I want to be able to pull some of that white layer off to reveal the red brick underneath.  I always use gouache to color hydrocal/plaster because it is dead flat, blends color easily, and I like the results.

 

 

 

But I can't use gouache here because the slightest bit of moisture reactivates it, so washes and over painting are not possible.  A different approach was required, and I ran into some unexpected difficulties.  First, was the tendency of both layers of paint to pull off together, when I all wanted was the top layer to chip off.  Sometimes it took plaster with it.  Also, I only want the white layer to pull off the face of the bricks and leave the paint behind in the grout lines.  Using the old hairspray standby to release the upper layer wasn't the answer because that method is unpredictable, and the paint chipped wherever it wanted and not just off the face of the individual bricks.  I'm not in love with the result, but here's what I ended up doing.

 

First, I pre-wet the hydrocal with straight water, lots of it. Then I applied a heavy, soupy layer of burnt sienna acrylic and let it soak in and dry overnight. The idea is to penetrate the surface of the hydrocal with color so it can't pull off easily.

 

 

 

I then applied white acrylic primer as a topcoat because it clung tenaciously in the grout lines. Using straight acrylic paint simply pulled off in sheets, which I'll remember if I ever want that look.

 

 

 

Then using cellophane tape, I pulled the primer off in controllable chunks by burnishing the tape down with my thumbnail wherever I wanted it removed.  As a bonus, the primer pulled at the lower layer of paint unevenly leaving the sienna darker in some spots than others.

 

Although it took some time to get to, the process is easy, and the result is passable.  Batteries not included and your mileage may vary.

 

 

 

Continuing on, I plowed out cavities for the I-beam headers.

 

 

Windows from Tichy Train Group were set into the opening.  The window is only 3/8” away from the back of the shadowbox, so I want obscure what will be seen through it.  To that end, I dirtied up a piece of acetate with PVA and powders for the glazing.  Also, on top of that is a blackened brass “security grate”.  The grating material is from Clover House.

 

 

 

The completed wall section shown backlit.

 

 

 

Three sections make up the back wall.  I bricked up the single window because I decided against any additional back lighting for the vehicle, the one double window will be enough.

 

 

 

The left wall gets a man door beneath the stairway.  A gap under the door allows space for the floorboards.

 

 

 

And the main open doorway occupies most of the right wall.

 

 

 

Thanks for taking a look and I wish everyone a healthy and happy new year.

 

Be safe and stay well.

 

Gary

Edited January 8, 2023 by FriedClams
Not good grammar

[Keith Black]

 Gary, love the bricked up window. Great detail even if it wasn't part of the initial plan. 

[wefalck]

Indeed, also looking forward to your new project !

 

I have a conceptual question: my understanding of 'shadow boxes' or 'real' dioramas (as opposed to just a base plate with something on it) is that a frame sort of hides the left, right and top margin of the scene. However looking at your drawing below

 

it appears that margins of the 'diorama area' are the same size as the opening of the frame. So, you don't actually get the real diorama effect.

 

Is my interpretation correct ?

 

[pwog]

The brick walls look fantastic Gary! Nice start. 

[rookie]

I am pulling up a chair!

really enjoy the tricks to weathering etc 

 

Colin 

[Old Collingwood]

Fantastic  start  -  loving that  wall   with  the  weathered  rendering and brick work  -   takes me back to  doing similar  to  my  Waterloo dio.

 

OC.

[FriedClams]

Greetings,

 

On 1/4/2023 at 2:14 PM, Keith Black said:

Great detail even if it wasn't part of the initial plan. 

 

Nothing ever works out according to my original plans - but sometimes it works out for the best.  Thanks Keith.

 

 

On 1/4/2023 at 2:20 PM, wefalck said:

I have a conceptual question: my understanding of 'shadow boxes' or 'real' dioramas (as opposed to just a base plate with something on it) is that a frame sort of hides the left, right and top margin of the scene. However looking at your drawing below

 

it appears that margins of the 'diorama area' are the same size as the opening of the frame. So, you don't actually get the real diorama effect.

 

Is my interpretation correct ?

 

Glad to have you looking in Wefalck, and thanks for the comment.  I'm not sure that I fully understand your question, but I'm thinking yes, your interpretation is correct.  I actually don't consider this particular model to be a diorama and I was careful not to use the term in the title, calling it a shadowbox display instead.  The drawing shown in your post is generic and a reference for constructing all my shadowboxes.  It labels the model space as the “diorama area” even though it is not applicable to this current model.  I do, however, consider two of the four mini displays I've made, to actually be dioramas; the boat shop and the 1940 garage.  The distinction being that both of those contain images behind the model that is seen through the windows.

 

In example, the boat shop.

 

 

 

 

Top view.

 

 

The definition of a diorama (as I understand it) is the 3D representation of something placed in a landscape and semi enclosed by a painted or photo backdrop.  By that definition, none of my displays are true dioramas.  But modelers have come to accept and understand that the term simply refers to a scale model placed in a setting that provides added context for the object, with or without a backdrop.

 

Reading back through my first two posts, I see I should be more consistent in the terms I use when referring to these displays.  But I hope that answers you question.  Thanks.

 

 

On 1/4/2023 at 4:06 PM, pwog said:

The brick walls look fantastic Gary! Nice start.

 

Thank you, Paul.

 

On 1/4/2023 at 4:17 PM, rookie said:

I am pulling up a chair!

really enjoy the tricks to weathering etc 

 

Glad to have you following Colin.  I hope you find something useful here.

 

22 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

Fantastic  start  -  loving that  wall   with  the  weathered  rendering and brick work  -   takes me back to  doing similar  to  my  Waterloo dio.

 

Thanks OC.  It is fun trying to put some age on these walls.

 

 

Thanks to all for the likes and for looking.

 

Be safe and stay well.

 

Gary

[Danstream]

Great start. Quality of details is astonishing already in your first post.

Cheers,

Dan

[Edwardkenway]

Late to the party, but I'm in, I just love these builds you do!

[FlyingFish]

Just noticed this; I must pay more attention. Lovely work Gary.

[FriedClams]

Greetings Fellow Modelers,

 

Dan, Edward and Andy - thanks so much for the kind words and for stopping to take a look.  And thanks to all for the likes.  

 

 

This mess below is the backside of the rear wall.  After having the wall break apart at the styrene columns, I reasoned it was time to reinforce the thing with some strips of wood and absurd amounts of PVA.  I mixed the PVA with black acrylic paint so it can serve double duty and act as a light barrier as well.  The “exterior” lighting to be used on this model will be very bright, and without the black PVA, it will peek through all the cracks and eliminate the hope of a convincing scene.  I have also learned that the styrene has to be back-painted with the black goo to keep it from emitting a low translucent glow.

 

 

 

The display needs a point of interest in the right corner of the building – something attached to the building.  So, I added an electrical distribution panel.  Commonly, these panels have a face cover with an attached door that is larger than the metal box behind it.  This allows the panel to be flush mounted in a finished wall as well as surface mounted.  To represent this detail, a rectangular block of styrene is front faced with .005” (.127 mm) material.  A cover door of the same material is placed on top of that, and a piece of fine brass wire is glued to its edge pretending to be a piano hinge.

 

 

 

Conduits feeding and leaving the panel are brass wire and a few are styrene.

 

 

 

A piece of 3/32” basswood sheet is cut for the base and the walls are stood up and glued together.  Here on the left end of the display, the recessed wall section for the upper staircase is seen.

 

 

 

The end wall on the right side has been capped with a “steel” I-beam.  I placed a larger header over the doorway than I did on the windows not because the structure requires it, but because the visual weight of the smaller header just looked wrong.

 

 

 

With this post, I have caught up to the current state of progress on the model.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

Be safe and stay well.

 

Gary

[Keith Black]

 Great look, Gary. Question, do you ever tag any of your walls or rolling stock? 

Edited January 8, 2023 by Keith Black

[Old Collingwood]

Lovely work  miniature   work at its  finest.

 

OC.

[Canute]

Gary, great technique doing up the Hydrocal walls. All too easy to end up with the splotchy looking walls. Really enjoying this build. 👍

[FriedClams]

 

17 hours ago, Keith Black said:

Question, do you ever tag any of your walls or rolling stock?

 

Hello Keith.  Do you mean like an information tag - name, when built, that sort of thing?  At the urgings of my wife, I now put an info tag/label on most things I build that are large enough to discreetly accept one.  Small items such as an HO scale vehicle, no I don't.  Of course, I've made a lot of junk over the years that I don't label and would rather not admit to building. I hope that answers what you were asking Keith.  As always, thanks for your support.

 

16 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

Lovely work  miniature   work at its  finest

 

Thank you so much OC.

 

1 hour ago, Canute said:

Gary, great technique doing up the Hydrocal walls. All too easy to end up with the splotchy looking walls. Really enjoying this build.

 

Thanks Ken, it's always fun trying to make something look like you had in mind.

 

Thanks to all for looking and for the likes.

 

Gary  

 

 

[Keith Black]

 Sorry, Gary. As much of a train guy as you are I thought you'd be familiar with the term "tag". Tag = graffiti. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tag_(graffiti)

Edited January 9, 2023 by Keith Black

[Canute]

That's a relatively recent term. I think the time period of most of Gary's builds precede the tagging era of anything not moving getting marked. I have a few friends who are masters of the art. They model the 80s and later. As a modeler of the post WW2 to approximately 1960 time frame, I don't have that issue to play with. Chalk marks from switching is about it.

[FriedClams]

 

5 hours ago, Keith Black said:

Sorry, Gary. As much of a train guy as you are I thought you'd be familiar with the term "tag". Tag = graffiti. 

HA!  Well that makes me feel really out of the loop!  I have not heard that term before, but what do expect from a guy who just last year bought his first smart phone and then never uses it.

 

You must be thinking of another MSW member, because I’m not a model railroader.  It looks like a fun hobby, but I never took it up myself.

 

Well, at least you now know my stance on putting labels on models.  And no, I’m not going to tag anything - or label it either.  

 I’m going to laugh every time I see a boxcar from now on.  Thanks Keith.

 

Gary

 

 

Edited January 10, 2023 by FriedClams

[Keith Black]

 Gary, I thought it was you that told a story in your Last Dollar build about building a railcar and weathering it? You took it to a show and an old guy dressed you down about the weathering and told you maybe some someday you'd learn how to properly build a model. Something like that or close to it. From the story I thought you built railroad stuff. 

 

 If this wasn't/isn't your story I deem myself ready for professional help and five o'clock med cups with tiny umbrellas. 

Edited January 10, 2023 by Keith Black

[FriedClams]

 

 

11 hours ago, Keith Black said:

 Gary, I thought it was you that told a story in your Last Dollar build about building a railcar and weathering it? You took it to a show and an old guy dressed you down about the weathering and told you maybe some someday you'd learn how to properly build a model. Something like that or close to it. From the story I thought you built railroad stuff. 

 

 If this wasn't/isn't your story I deem myself ready for professional help and five o'clock med cups with tiny umbrellas. 

 

You have a good memory Keith.  Yes, that was in the Stonington Dragger log, but the model was the surface buildings of a hard rock mine, with headframe, hoist house, ore bin and lots of rusty junk.  It was the first time I ran into the disdain some folks have against weathering.  I don't mind being told my model is crap, but I didn't care for the assertion that I was intentionally using weathering to cover up my lack of skill.  As you can probably tell that encounter, even after all these years still raises my blood pressure.  And he had bad breath too!

 

So you were mostly right my friend, and I'm honored that you remembered that little story.  So put away those five o'clock med cups and tiny umbrellas because you're still sharp as a tack.

 

Gary