Three more 4Ground Side Buildings

Here is the last of my 4Ground side buildings. I decided to put all three together because they are all completed in the same way honestly, except for Crockett Bit and Spur Company which I made my first attempt at a shingled roof.

The Zin's Hardware and Tinware sign caught my eye right when I saw it and I new I'd found my first tradesman for my town. This building was actually the first one I completed when I started this project. There isn't a lot I did differently here from the Western Union Office except for the side sign. That was an absolute afterthought! I set the building on the table, and honestly was pretty happy with it. As I went back to my desk I saw a pack of Woodland Scenics dry transfers (#506) in a box.

 I had tried to use these as a kid when I was attempting to build a model railroad. The results were disastrous, but that was 30 years ago, so hopefully my skills will have improved. I cut a small piece of wood for the side sign, painted it gray and attempted to put the letters on.

Did my skills improve? Well, they did a little, but honestly those things are absolutely horrific to work with. The only thing that saves face is that being the old west, the mistakes like the letters not lining up perfectly, actually give the sign a little more character. That little side sign is actually my favorite part of this building.                   

The Billiards Hall was another business on my must have list, I just needed to find the right sign.

I'd seen this particular sign on some other old west buildings on TMP and Lead Adventure Forum and thought it was really neat. I really like the font. I added some billiard balls above the sign to try to make my sign different from everyone else's.

Again, had to have a side sign! The roof details are done the exact same way as the Western Union building from the first post.

That little chair is from 4Ground as well. And if you've never attempted to build one, be sure no one with sensitive ears is anywhere close by, because you will curse like never before. And probably even be making up curse words because you're so frustrated! They do add a nice bit of atmosphere though.

Crockett Bit and Spur was my first attempt with a 4Ground shingle set. This one was the Bleached Wood Axed Shingles. I'd actually been sitting on these for well over a year. Never attempting something like this before I definitely made some mistakes looking back. The biggest one was that there is a run of shingles (right in the middle of the sheet the shingles come on) that were supposed to go along the peak of the roof.

I couldn't for the life of me figure out where they were supposed to go when I first saw them. All my shingled buildings since have that run on them, and it makes a big difference in the finished look in my opinion. Because I didn't know how those peak shingles worked, this building has six rows of shingles on each side. All my shingled buildings since have five rows. The shingles that come on the sheets have three different height sizes, so make sure to match the height going across before trimming.

It will take about one and half of each shingle, front to back, to cover the main roof. The overhang uses three rows, cut to size. I used a Vallejo Sepia Wash on the shingles and looking back, I think I went way too dark. But again, being the first one, I definitely learned a lot for all my future buildings. Balsa wood was added to make posts for the porch again.

The cactus are from Pegasus Hobbies Cactus #1 and #2. The flowers and dry grass are from JTT Scenery. All tufts are from Army Painter. The other thing that I think is important to mention is that all my boardwalks and stairways are dulled with a product called Age It Easy by Micro Mark. It takes about two or three coats to get the desired effect (I think because it's really supposed to be used on wood that is not treated, and the boardwalks are definitely treated). That extra effort gives the overall building more of a weathered look.

Thanks for looking! Next up is some of my corner feature buildings.

Cheers!
Ivor