Large scale brick test

[tom mann]

I carved some brick from a piece of blue foam.  Each brick is about 3mmx9mm, so about right for 1:29 scale.  It is colored with burnt umber, sienna, and tan acrylics, and mortar is drywall compound.



I first used a template that I printed out and an X-acto knife, but switched to a correctly sized plastic I beam that I could use to make an impression for the horizontal lines.  I still found it difficult to make everything perfect, since the angle into the foam will effect the sizing of the adjacent bricks.  I'm sure if you take your time, you could get it perfect, but it is tedious enough as is.  I am happy with the colorization and texture, though.

Next, I'm going to make a roller tool that can press a brick pattern into the foam and see if I can get more exact results.   I don't need/want such as run-down of a look for what I'm working on.

Thoughts?

[VonRyan]

At first glance I was impressed, but after a closer look the fact that it is foam became obvious because some of the bricks look more rounded (like the foam was more compressed rather than cut) than they probably should be, especially for new-ish construction.

However, the coloring is spot-on.

[DKS]

At first glance I was impressed, but after a closer look the fact that it is foam became obvious because some of the bricks look more rounded (like the foam was more compressed rather than cut) than they probably should be, especially for new-ish construction.

However, the coloring is spot-on.

This.

[Jesse6669]

Having lived in an old farm house built in the 1830's, this reminds me a lot of the hand-made brick it was made of.  They were not as uniform as modern bricks, and there were imperfections as seen here.  I understand that many times the brick was even made from clay mined on site or at very least close to the construction site. .. So if this is for a rural farmhouse of that era, I think it works very well!

[tom mann]

Yes, a bunch of older brick in historic Annapolis has this rounded look, but I'm after something a little more modern looking.  I suppose that if you use the Xacto perfectly (i.e., 90 degrees to the foam), you can get more uniform results.  But let your mind wander and enter at an angle and you have two rows of differently sized brick and one rounded (or beveled at this point).

[jimmo]

You could always take the Charlie Vlk approach and cut and lay individual bricks. Charlie did his for his N-scale Corner Bar kit years ago.

[ednadolski]

Looks pretty convincing overall, tho to my eye after a closer look it seems that there is a bit of inconsistency between the coloring and the texture.  The coloring reminds me of brick that is in pretty good condition, whereas the texture is more like brick that is somewhat deteriorated.  The gaps in the mortar lines lend to the 'deteriorated' impression.

You could always take the Charlie Vlk approach and cut and lay individual bricks. Charlie did his for his N-scale Corner Bar kit years ago.

Got a link? love to see how he did this.

Ed

[wazzou]

Got a link? love to see how he did this.

Ed

If I'm not mistaken, that was BI  (before internet).   

[Chris333]

Got a link? love to see how he did this.

Ed

[wazzou]

That structure is like the Unicorn of kits for me.  I have been looking for one of those kits for probably 15 years.

[DKS]

Definitely got the surface texture and color nailed, but the slightly rounded edges, crumbling and irregularities detract. Perhaps start with a sheet of thin foam, and cut the bricks individually with a sharp knife. Glue them to a substrate, then make a mold so you can generate larger areas without going nuts cutting and gluing individual bricks. Once cast, color and fill in the mortar lines with mortar.

[160pennsy]

That structure is like the Unicorn of kits for me.  I have been looking for one of those kits for probably 15 years.

Chris333, you're not the only one with a built-up kit...here's mine: He did write an article in N-Scale magazine on the brick-by-brick construction.





Spoke with Charlie during the Roanoke convention room sales and he mentioned there's still a few resin kits sitting around at his place. Can't locate his business card right now (it's buried in a large pile or envelope of other manufacture's printed info, catalogs, price sheets, etc that I picked up during the convention).

[ednadolski]

Now that is what I call an eye-popper!  I can only imagine how good it must look in-person.  Thanks for the pics!

Is that roof fan one of those Dremel milling bits?  http://www.angelfire.com/mech/jinsaotome/WorkspaceSetup/DremelBits.jpg

Ed

[Chris333]

I got mine direct from Charlie, it is all one piece resin.

Think we jacked Tom's thread 

[DKS]

With all due respect to Charlie, I have to say, while it's an impressive piece of craftsmanship--and I'm sure a labor of love--I find the brickwork too inconsistent to be believable. It is an eye-catching little piece to be sure, but close-up photos don't do it any favors.