Part 1.

I thought I would share my progress on this project as others may find it useful.

I need something tall to fill one of the corners at Middleton station on my layout and it seems a church on a rise in the ground might do the trick.  I have been looking around for a church that will fit into quite a tight space, give height and look the part.  After a lot of looking I spotted an old Hornby kit - The Country Church.  It is not a bad model and as it has no nave it will fit nicely into the space I have available.  I also liked it because the etched detail is very well done and very crisp, however at about �12 it was more than I wanted to pay.  As luck would have it I found one on ebay which I bought for about �3 making around �5 with p&p.  It was already constructed which was good in some respects, but would make painting it more difficult.  The model is moulded in beige and brown plastic:



Clearly some work is required to make it look reasonable for the layout.  I decided I would paint it grey stone with a slate coloured roof.  To start I painted the whole building a medium grey.  I used Revell 75 as this is a brownish grey and will simualte stone well.  Once dry I painted the roof a darker grey (Humbrol 27) and again once dry I treated all the woodwork; the doors and tower roof in a medium wood brown (Humbrol 110).  Finally I painted the gutters, drainpipes and the iron work on the doors a very dark grey, almost black.



This will now be set aside to dry for at least 24 hours, after which I will start the weathering process.

Novice

From the photographs it looks as if it has been put together ok so that's a big plus. It looks much better already now you have painted it and the weathering should take the newness off. Looks like you are going to finish up with a fine model that fulfills your purpose. For a fiver that can't be bad.

Looks like you are making a real nice job of that! :)

Looking forward to the weathered shots….should fill your space a treat.

What a difference a lick of paint makes Novice - looks totally different now.

Can't wait to see how you weather it.  That's a skill I've yet to master !!

Petermac

A great paint job there mate, cant wait to see how weather it.
Phill

That looks great Novice  :)

looks good ,and sounds like its going to be even better, and its a bargain .well done novice

That's quite a transformation, Novice. Nice one!  :D

Perry

Good work Novice - painting AND purchasing.  
 Does it have stained glass windows?

 Mike

Mike

Indeed it does have stained glass windows, which was one of the problems when it came to painting as they were already fitted. Needed a fine brush to get into all those window frames.

Novice

Even better   :D

 Mike

You can just make out the stained glass windows in the first photograph Mike. The browser I'm using has a magnifying glass and it makes it easier to see stuff close up.

Will the bells ring for Tim ? :D  :D  :D  :D  :D

Petermac

Novice said

Indeed it does have stained glass windows

Perfect then for some night time scenes with interior lighting :D
As for wanting bells …  :evil:  :evil:  :evil:

It sure looks nice Novice What a difference….yeah i would do a ringing bell, i am sure Faller does one :wink:

Darryl

Novice,
The Church Looks great, please be thorough with your weathering technics, as I have never done it before.
Also, being from the good ole USA, I have no idea what a "nave" is, please explain.:oops:
Wayne

Wayne,

Tim is better qualified to speak of this than me so I stand to be corrected, but I'll draw on my memory as a former Churchwarden and tell you that the nave is the main part of the church where the congregation sit i.e. usually the central isle and the pews (seats). :D  :D

Les

Correct, Les - as opposed to a "knave" which is a young servant boy, or a rogue :!:  :wink:

By the way, we have 'naves' in the USA as well :!:

Tim wrote

a "knave" which is a young servant boy, or a rogue

Oh Tim "lead us not into tempatation".    

Les

Not me, Les - but it seems as if the more scurrilous parts of the church have both naves and knaves :!:  :!:  :!:  :wink: