Hey folks, Bailey here and today I present to you a combination How To: Build & Paint article for the Laser Craft Workshop MDF Terrain Sector 38 Scaffolding Bridge. The bridges come two in a pack but today I will only work on one of them for the sake of time. I got my bridge in the Sector 38 Hab Block Starter box but they come separately as well. If you want to know what else accompanies the bridges in the starter box, please check out our Unboxing: article here.
The parts for the bag come in an unsealed but rolled up plastic bag. The kit contains 2 bridges so the bag holds enough for two bridges. The material needed to complete one bridge consists of: one floor board; two side panels; and six steps.
The first step in building this bridge involves punching out the all the excess MDF on the bridge.
I used a tooth pick to punch out the excess material.
When I finished, I ended up with the image above. Next, I moved on to dry fitting. Dry fitting pieces, putting the pieces where they go without adding glue first, remains an essential part of the Dank process .
I only dry fitted the body and a stair piece it in order to save time but I liked what I saw.
Taking one of the side panels, I added glue to the inside of the holes that the stair and body tabs fit into. I used a tooth pick to apply the glue.
I then put all of the stairs and one side of the body portion into the glued holes of the side panel.
I then glued the other side panel to the exposed tabs.
Once I finished pushing the side panel onto the tabs, I cleaned excess glue from the side of the panel.
Normally, this would finish off the article, however, this special article also includes a painting section! Before I work my magic with brushes, I take the bridge outside to prime.
I choose a flat red color because when I dry brush a metallic over it then the nooks and crannies look rusted out. This "work smarter, not harder" technique from fellow team member Patrick. I choose the Rust-oleum brand because it applies well and is affordable for the amount of paint I use across all my priming projects.
Don't forget to flip it over and prime the bottom.
I take the bridge inside and move onto a dry brush with the Folkarts Gunmetal Gray. I make sure to get the underside as well. To dry brush paint, I dip my brush into a little paint and then quickly brush most of it off on cardboard or paper towel. Then, I make quick strokes over the edges and surfaces of the bridge to apply the paint. It may take several coats to get the coverage I want. I don't try and reach everywhere because I want the primer to come through in the corners to give the rusted look.
I add a highlight dry brush of Folkarts Brushed Silver. I brush up the stairs and across the railings so that the edges facing out get the most paint and thus the most shine.
I get creative a bit with my wash. I make it myself using water and Apple Barrel Jet Black. I thin the paint with water on a wet pallet, shown on the left, made out of: a plastic ware lid; a wet paper towel; and plastic wrap. I apply the wash directly to the bridge. If it went on too dark, I simply added more water directly to the paint and spread it around till the color thinned and the metal came back.
This might take some time to dry so bring something else to work on as well.
When the wash dries, I reapply a layer of the Brushed Silver on the extreme edges of the railings and stairs. I take care to brush up the stairs and across the railings as I did before.
Finally, I possess a finished bridge. The last step of course includes a coat of clear matte varnish. This may take some of the shine out of the metal but it will seal and protect the paint. I spray it on outside and on a not windy day. Otherwise, you will experience the bad time that I previously suffered through myself. Let's just say concrete and paint don't mix well but the MDF board impressively survived in intact.
With glue and paint drying, I finished this project in a few hours. I enjoyed the process and I look forward to finding uses for the excess pieces of MDF board that I punched out of the bridge.
This completes my How To: Paint & Build for the Laser Craft Workshop Sector 38 Scaffolding Bridge. If you want to purchase your own set of bridges, please click here. Otherwise, check out the last array of Laser Craft Workshop's other products here.
If you want to see more How To: Build or Paint articles, please check out the rest of this blog. Do you prefer videos or text? Then check out our Youtube channel here or our Twitch channel here.
Until next time,
Keep it dank!
Bailey
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