A gas station for Carlin - Part 2

Basic assembly of this kit has been quick and easy.  The pieces cut out easily from the sheets and the tabs and grooves fit perfectly.  I used my flat sheet metal fixture along with some magnets to hold the pieces nice and square while the glue dried.  This fixture is something I made 35 years ago and has been a great tool used for many structure projects.

One change I did make was to remove the large square columns from the island that support the overhang and replace them with styrene rods.  The large square holes that were on the bottom of the overhang section were covered with a styrene strip and holes matching the round columns were drilled in it.

Once the basic structure was assembled, it's exact position was determined on the base and a perimeter of .040 strip and sidewalk was glued to the base.  This will hold the structure in place but it will still be able to be lifted out.  As I was installing the sidewalks along the front and one side I realized that I will need to adjust the height of the outside doors to the bathrooms and office.

The building got painted a gray color on the inside and white on the outside.  The trims will be red and I am waiting for the red paint to arrive.  I am going to wait to install the roof sections as that will make it easier to add details on the inside.

Next I painted the surrounding area to match the nearby road.  In this photo the paint was still wet and when it dried, the color did match.  The floor inside the structure is another shade of gray and a coat of gloss finish to simulate the type of polished concrete floors found in gas station garages.

My local hobby shop did not have the decals I wanted for this project so I ordered them directly from Microscale.  I got a set for Sinclair and another set which is a general gas station set.  With decals in hand I started to make the signs that are separate items that will be added to the scene later.