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Building the Kestrel Brewery Boiler House Kit

Image of Martin LovellMARTIN LOVELL builds this versatile new N Scale kit in the Kestrel Range.

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Kestrel Boiler House Kit.

Hello and welcome to another 'how to' article. Today I’m building the GMKD1007 Kestrel Boiler House Kit, one of the three parts of the Brewery complex in the new range of Kestrel "super-detailed" N Scale Kits. The three kits can of course be used for any suitable industry, not just a brewery!

Kestrel Boiler House Kit.

Before beginning this, or any other kit, take a look at the packaging to make sure you are in the correct scale, i.e. you haven’t mistakenly bought a OO Scale kit when you are modelling in N for example.

Secondly, as you will be using sharp tools and plastic kit glues, don’t forget to follow safe procedures - eye protection, work in a well ventilated area etc., and a workbench or covering for the kitchen table to spare the wrath of a partner when you get paint or glue on the best tablecloth!

On opening the kit, first lay the various sprues out and identify them from the instruction sheet, to make sure that you have all the relevant parts.

The turn to the most important piece of the kit, namely the INSTRUCTIONS. it can be very tempting to dive straight in and start assembly, but you might find that you should have built part 'A' first, as this might not fit into part 'B' if you have assembled 'B' first!

So, having carried out the above we can now begin assembly. We start by removing the various pieces from the sprue, using a sharp knife or sprue cutters and once removed clean up any sprue marks or plastic pips to ensure good matching of parts.

Kestrel Boiler House Kit.

Before applying glue, have a 'dry run' to make sure the pieces match, with no gaps caused by stray mould marks etc., and that you are using the correct door or whatever in the opening. When you are happy, apply the glue, join the parts, and allow the glue to set.

The choice of glue used is of course up to you, I prefer a liquid glue such as Deluxe Materials Plastic Magic, as this flows into gaps, and welds the plastic together.

Following the instructions, work through the various stages, until the model is complete.

Kestrel Boiler House Kit.

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Kestrel Boiler House Kit.

A note on work surfaces - as you see from the photos, I use a standard cutting mat, but also a sheet of toughened glass. This allows you to ensure every thing is square to the surface and, using a set square, that the building corners are true.

The black card insert supplied with the kit is so lighting can be installed, allowing light to show through the windows, not the walls!

Finishing touches - Straight out of the box, like all of the Kestrel range, this kit is already pre-coloured - but I have added some extra touches to make the model even more lifelike.

Kestrel Boiler House Kit.

I went over the brickwork with a matt brick paint, this gets rid of the 'plastic sheen' and then, using a drybrushing technique, added light rust and smoke grime to the appropriate parts of the finished kit.

Kestrel Boiler House Kit.

We can then put the completed model aside to dry, and then add the model to the layout.

Kestrel Boiler House Kit.

In order to disguise the join between the ground and the walls, some foliage or appropriate scatter can be added to the bottom of the wall, to give the impression that the walls are built on foundations, not just plonked on the grass!

So there we are, another article for your instruction and, I hope, enjoyment. I hope that you might be tempted to 'have a go'.

Happy modelling

Martin

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