How to paint Woodland Scenics tunnel portals/retaining walls

[Paul M.]

Does anybody have any experience with the plaster/ HydroCal Woodland Scenics tunnel portals and retaining walls? I recently aquired some Timber tunnel portals and reataining walls and would like to paint them. Keep in mind that I'm on a limited budget, and I have the experience of a 12- year - old (which I am), so I don't own an airbrush yet.

[SteamGene]

I'm working with some of the Woodland Scenic tunnel portals right now.  Unfortunately for you, I have concrete and stone ones, the wooden portals being a bit too old or branch line for my needs.  However, what I did to start was to spray paint them with a spray can of primar gray.  You could try the brown primer, or a dark gray.   With the concrete portal, I'm going to go back with old concrete, which I will probably brush paint since I still haven't found my paint guns yet.  With the stone portals, I will paint individual stones with several shades of gray - light, medium, dark, in a random fashion.  You could do the same with wood shades.
Gene

[the Bach-man]

Dear Paul,
Check out the portals on the Riley's Run layout in the gallery. I simply brushed on Hunter Scenery Products weathering wash.
Have fun!
the Bach-man

[r0bert]

make a stong pot of coffee,  and pour it into a shallow pan to cool.
put the castings in for 10-15 seconds, remove and allow to dry, you can use a hair dryer on low to speed the process, and repeat if not dark enough.
mix thin acrylic black paint  to a very thin wash, and flow over the parts, and it will flow into the grooves and form the shadows, again allow to dry.
drybrush the highlites with light yellows, browns, greys or even white to bring out the sunlit details.
the older you want the wood to look the more grey it needs to be.
when your happy, seal the pieces with flat clear spay.
this one is concrete, but, except for the coffee (used thinned light grey paint), the method is the same for both the portal and rocks.

[ginzokid]

Paul,
Since you have little experience and probably a limited budget, I suggest the following. Go to the local hobby shop or craft store like Michaels and get a bottles of the following Acrylic Craft paints: Burnt Umber and Black. Then also get a can of Testors Dulcote spray finish.

You will make a wash of the balck and the burnt umber separately. For the black it is 1 teaspoon of black paint to 5 ounces of water. For the burnt umber it is 2 teaspoons of burnt umber paint to 5 ounces of water.

After you mix these washes you can use a spray bottle or a brush to apply the wash to the timber castings.

Do the burnt umber first, letting it dry for a shor time before you next apply the black wash. The casting will absorb the washes and they will become lighter as they dry. You can apply as many coats of wash as you want until you get the look you desire. Once you are satisfied and the castings are dry, spray them with the Dulcote to seal the color.

Finally apply a wash of the black again that should settle in the cracks and edges to highlight the depths. Then seal it again.

Sounds like a lot of work, but it is worth it and not that expensive.

The Ginzokid

[r.cprmier]

On weathered material to look like old wood that has been weatherbeaten to the nines, use a small amount of some light metallic paint, like silver SPARINGLY-oh so sparingly... as a wash.  try it not on the good model, but on a siece of similar material until you get what you want it to be.  If you take a good look at old weathered wood-as on the deck of a flat car (circ. 40s f'rinstance), you will see a whole spectrum of shades and tints, and I am sure some silvering will be there also.

RIch

[hminky]

I have a "what I did" on a Woodland Scenics Tunnel Portal at:

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/4x8/portal/





Thank you if you visit
Harold

[Paul M.]

Thanks, everybody for the advice... I think I'm gonna "wash" the portals & walls with brown , tan and black acrylic paint diluted in water. I'll post photos once it's finished and installed with the hill on the layout.

[Craig]

r0bert,

The modeling in your pictures is superb.

Harold,

I was going to post that link to your website but you beat me to it.

Craig