Description for this item:
5th Anniversary Edition: Rubbles Depot Kit #3117
by Scale Model Masterpieces/Thomas A. Yorke Enterprises HO/HOn3/HOn2/HOn30

Change Is Here!

As we mention in our website October 2015 Newsletter & here in our website Blog, changes for the HO & O scale Rubbles kits are almost here. The rusty brown corrugated metal roof is on, the tower is glued in place and the windows & door are in-WHEW! We will be posting progress images of some of the upcoming changes, primarily the transition back to a rusty steel corrugated and a reduction in price.

So as we promised, we have been posting progress images of some of the upcoming changes, primarily the transition back to a rusty steel corrugated (SEE below) and a "significant" reduction in price (SEE website). We are also offering a bunch of "Options' for you to choose to add such as the Doctor Ben's Solutions and/or Stains listed and used in the Instructions for building this kit. We are also offering some optional roofing types for those would like something other than the corrugated metal and not only does this kit come with a "ton" of Detail Castings, you have the Option to ADD one or more Details Set(s) to the kit purchase. And in case you are wondering just how many of which SMM Details are included, here is the current list: 3 pieces each of: SMM5050, SMM5045, SMM5011, & SMM5041. There are 1 pieces each of: SMM5139, SMM5170, SMM5178, SMM5180, SMM5106, SMM5030, SMM5035, SMM5100, SMM5135, SMM5105, SMM5085, & SMM5040 (setof 3). Yeah, I know; that's a lot of details, right? Options, options, options! What else can we do???

Step 1: Rip off the old copper roofing and build five roof trusses. OK, just kidding, we spent two days designing and re-drawing one-piece roof trusses. The CADD drawings are fed into our Precision Plotter Cutter which does a great job pre-cutting the Stencil Board that the delicate roof trusses are cut from. Technically there are four and two-thirds roof trusses because truss #5 intersects with the stone tower inside the structure. The partial roof truss is cut to size so all you have to do is glue it in place.

Step 2: Just like the roof trusses, the roofing material that to which the corrugated metal is attached is pre-cut by our Precision Cutter; two swipes of a brand new Xacto #11 blade and you are ready to attach the roofing material to the roof trusses.

Step 3: Applying corrugated metal roofing to a model can often be described as a fork in the road. One path is the smooth and easy path of just gluing down the whole metal strip, then trim the ends and, VIOLA! it down. The other path is a good deal more work, requires quite a bit more patience, and can be ambiguous at times. The first path can look nice and easy; and the second path can look nice and rough. I like it nice and rough because the increased level of detail is impressive.

For me, the opportunity to try something new and have it work is a win-win experience. I have always provided guidelines for cutting the corrugated metal with a sharp X-Acto knife & a straight edge. So I thought that I would try cutting the metal with my super sharp scissors (Julie Chen kitchen scissors). The scissors cut the metal like butter, but the edges curled up--darn it! So I spent quite a bit of time flattening the edges back down and the long story short and the results of this effort is the back roof pictured above right.

So I thought, Hey! I have a bench top shear; I'll try that instead of the scissors. And then I remembered; I have one of those Sears "Handi Cut" tools, I'll try that. Once again, the long story short is that the Handi Cut tool worked amazing. I was easier to cut the metal to the length that I wanted and the corners did NOT curl up like when I used scissors and the non-sanding primer that I sprayed on the corrugated metal did not flake off like when I cut the corrugated metal with the scissors. In case you are wondering what I used to glue the corrugated metal to the roofing stencil board, I used my old friend Doctor Ben's Super Sticky Adhesive #2924. It never fails me even when I try something new!

Step 4:To be continued... in a few days

Just a few move caveats; the price for this new kit will be decreasing quite a bit plus you will have "Options" to add to the kit which enables you to make it your own. The Loading Dock will still be included as well as a bunch of our Scale Model Masterpieces Details (formerly Cal Freight Details) and as you can already notice we have bundled the Doctor Ben's Stains and Solutions that may be purchased with the kit and an opportunity of savings on the bundled Stains & Solutions. Stay tuned!

This kit includes Thomas Yorke drawings, castings from meticulously hand-carved master patterns by the master himself, Scale Lumber, Grandt Line windows, doors & roof detail, and updated construction and weathering instructions. The foot print of this fantastic model is 4" wide by 3" deep. Construction should only take a few nights especially if you follow the instructions and use Doctor Ben's products to finish the model!

Want to know what others think about this kit? Read the Charlie Getz Review (image above) in the Narrow Gauge & Short Line Gazette, July/August 2010 issue.

We want you to be satisfied with your purchase. If you have a question, please ask & we typically will answer very quickly.

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Thank you for your business! Please tell your friends; it’s our only advertising. Sincerely, Debbie & Ben Bendever