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Home -> Projects -> Buildings -> RefineryRefinery
by Gary James
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This is possibly the most ambitious terrain piece I have made
to date. It is also the most expensive, though it was still
under 10 pounds. The refinery makes extensive use of plasticard
and specially shaped plastic rod - see the materials section for
details. |
Materials
- Plywood or Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) for the base
- Foamcore
- Plasticard
- Plastic rod in girder cross-section (like a capital I),
in T - shaped cross-section and in
round cross-section about 3mm diameter.
- Two tin cans for the tanks. I used 1 litre beer cans which are
about 7.5 inches tall but I recommend you experiment with lots and
lots of beer cans until you find the best ones. This is a major
advantage of this terrain piece!
- Thin card, such as cerial box card.
- PVA glue
- Press-studs (also called poppers - see materials section)
Method
- The refinery was made in sections and fixed to the base as
ready, so prepare the base first. This model has very little
strength from the buildings - because there are no walls - so use
a good, strong base like 8mm plywood or MDF (see materials
section). My base was about 14 inches by 16 inches. The concrete
block effect is simply slabs of foamcore or thick card stuck to
the base with gaps between. Seal with PVA and spray black. Paint
with grey powder or poster paints and mix up the paints to a
thick, pasty texture to get the concrete effect. Dry brush with
lighter greys. Brush or spray with matt varnish to seal the water
based paint and provide a good surface for gluing.
- Obtain your cans, empty them, and then arrange them on your base
in a position that pleases you (this may take some time due to
knocking them over and failing to resist the temptation to stand
your miniatures on them - this passes as you sober up). I suggest
you allow a miniature-sized gap between them.
| When you are happy with the position of the cans slip a sheet
of plasticard beneath them and draw on the shape of the platform
you want - this allows you to build a platform that is logical
in relation to the tank position. Don't make it too complex a
shape. My platform is like a capital letter J. |
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- Cut the platform shape out of the plasticard. This now has the
legs built onto it in plastic rod. I used the T-shaped
rod for the legs, one at each corner (internal and external
corners have a leg). My platform is 4.5 inches tall. I used liquid
poly cement to attach the legs, though a hot glue gun might allow
quicker work. I then glued girder-shaped plastic rod under the
platform at the edges, butting up to the legs. This makes the
platform reasonably rigid.
 |
To increase stability and add detail I used plastic rod to
make X-shaped cross members between the legs. I cut and glued
one cross member of the X as a long rod and then glued two rods
half as long to complete the X shape. |
Small rectangular plasticard plates were glued over the cross to tidy
it and strengthen the joints. The rivet detail is just pricked into
the reverse of the plasticard.
The steps are scratch-built from plastic rod using I-shaped
rod for the sides of the steps (stringer) and T-shaped
rod for the steps. I got the rivet detail by pricking into very thin
plasticard and sticking it on with the bumps uppermost.
| The platform has a guard rail around the top constructed from
plastic rod and plastic card. The rods appear to pass through
the rail but really small slivers of rod have been glued on top.
I have also added a round rail to the top of one of the tanks.
The control box is scratch-built and the dials painted on. |
 |
- Plastic rod in various diameters has been used to add a ladder
to the tank side, waste and connecting pipes and so on. When
adding them think about letting miniatures between and beneath
them. To bend plastic rod I use a hot-air paint stripper on it
until it softens. It will then bend easily but don't over-do it or
it will go all wobbly. Prop the hot air gun up somehow, hold the
rod in both hands, and keep testing it until it begins to bend at
which point pull it out of the hot air.
- One of the tanks has a pointed, conical top. Just cut a circle
of thin card, cut a slit from the centre to the edge along the
radius, and overlap the card to make a cone of the correct size.
You will need to start out with a circle of card about 1 inch
radius greater than the radius of the can.
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The control wheels are just half of a press-stud (UK name,
also called poppers or pop-studs) painted in different colors.
Press-studs come invarious sizes. Sometimes I glue them straight
on to a pipe, at other times I stick it in a small length of
plastic rod and then stick that onto the pipe. |
The large bore pipe in the photograph is an offcut from a piece of
copper plumbing pipe that is sold as hand-bendable, hence the
corrugated appearance. Look out for offcuts of interesting piping.
- This model has some fans added here and there. You will find
instructions for these on our industrial fans page. If you are having difficulty gluing and fitting onto round
surfaces you will also find help on this topic on the fans page.
- All that is left is the painting. Spray everything black. Then
apply silver paint using an old, largish, soft brush -
because the best way is to splay the brush by prodding it onto the
surface rather than brushing. This gives a criss-cross pattern to
the paint which looks like galavanised steel. Wash with black and
chestnut inks diluted 50% with water. Paint rust on with neat
chestnut ink. Paint black and yellow stripes, lettering, control
panels of anything else you fancy on it.
- Pat yourself on the back and look forward to some great games on
the beautiful terrain piece you have just made!
