I used various dimensions of basswood strips for this creation. Loosely modelled on the paper Isba plans from Tamiya that they did in conjunction with the releaseof their 1/48 StuG Ausf B.,I also searched the web for pictures of rural farm buildings in the Karelian peninsula and around Leningrad/St. Petersburg. When I ran out of strips, I finished the roof with scale corrugated tin. Being slippery, it was nearly impossible to paint, but using acrylics and pastel pigments I managed to produce the rust effect. The wood was first roughed up with a distresser weathering brush and then copious amounts of Weather-it were applied until the wood darkened. Caution is needed as Weather-it will warp the strips of wood and soften white glue. The door hinges are Grandt line products, first painted semi-gloss black and rubbed with graphite. Then, various browns and rust coloured pigments were used to age them.

That barn and in fact,all of the groundwork,cart,fence,etc are all top notch man!
Super nice weathering.
J

Thank you for your comment. Making a simple building from scratch is very easy and very satisfying.
The best thing is that everyone can do it. It requires no special abilities, tools or materials-just some wood strips, X-acto knife, glue and whatever weathering materials the modeller chooses to use.

I agree with Jerry. Exceptional work, even if it is "easy"!

I do like doing the groundwork. I use the earth coloured ground cover that comes in a bag, Woodland Scenics, I think. And then, I just use a few types of flocking. The grass is Noch grass sheets. I just rip it out in clumps and glue it where I think it looks best. I find that gluing long grass in clumps around fence posts and sides of wooden buildings enhances the sense of realism. The grass sheets are far more economical that buying the small clumps of grass ones that Noch produces also.

Hi Glenn. I also like the barn very much and think the use of tin works. Its important though to remember that both roof types would be weathered similarily. I usually spray/mist a very thin wash over them with the air brush to tie them together more naturally. The little fence is fantastic. The only other thing that I could offer is to include more dynanism in the ground level ... some slopes, different heights, etc. Looks so much better and adds a lot of interest over a flat ground. Doing your ground work will be easier, as its hard to get flat ground work looking natural and believable.

Frank, it is hard to see in the picture, but there is a rutted cart trail on the other side of the fence. I am planning to texture the ground some more. Having placed numerous vehicles in various positions on this diorama, I have concluded that this diorama needs another wooden building, in the open area at a right angle to the barn. Once that is added, the flat area wil be much reduced.

Glenn: nice work on the barn. It actually looks like a lot of the sheds around here, without the mildew anyway.

Happy Modeling, -zon

Very nice work, but I have an alternate method of staining basswood that won't swell the wood. I don't know how it interacts with white glue, but I'd recommend staining before gluing.

Mix 90% isopropyl alcohol with a small amount of ink (black and/or brown) to create a stain. I would say to keep the ratio high (~9:1), and give selected boards a second or even third coat if you want some darker.

You can also use this with some acrylics, but not all colors seem to interact well with the alcohol. I'll attach a photo of a sculpture, with one side stained with ink and the other acrylic.

Charles

The barn looks fantastic Glenn.