Earlier this spring I was at the Strasburg Train Shop in Strasburg, PA (awesome place to go if you’re in PA for model railroading BTW) looking for a new project to add to our new 4’ x 12’ layout and I found the DPM HO Scale Modular Learning Kit.
I know, it’s a pretty basic kit, and is really meant for entry level model railroaders, but I was intrigued with the small kit and the gears in my head began to spin about how I could take this kit and turn it into something different from the ‘norm’.
So I picked up the kit and made sure to pick up some other smaller detail pewter parts to add to my kitbash project. I ended up picking up some pewter barrels and a pewter wood stove that also came with a small shovel.
The next part of the kitbash wouldn’t be coming from a kit, but rather from Michael’s Craft Store in the form of balsa strips and some smaller corrugated cardboard scrapbooking pages that I stumbled upon.
I was determined to build a general store / feed store that was comprised of a custom built balsa wood ban and the DPM HO Scale Modular Learning Kit, both mashed together with a metal roof (made from the corrugated scrapbooking material).
The first step I took was to paint the DPM kit and decide what shape I was going to make the barn side if the kitbash. I searched and searched online and decided on making a peaked barn roof (kind of like a church shape).
The DPM side of this kitbash was painted with Craft Smart Brick Red Acrylic Paint on the wall sections and FolkArt 515 Vintage White Matte Acrylic for the windows and doors.
So I began to assemble the barn by eye…
Next came the barn boards for the exterior of the barn. I decided to keep the beams visible from the outside and I think in the end result, it made a really neat look and feel to the structure.
Once the exterior barn boards were done I needed to paint it and cut out and paint the corrugated roof. I painted the barn exterior with the FolkArt 432 Sunflower Matte Acrylic Paint and the corrugated roof sections with FolkArt 2561 Matte Acrylic.
Side Note: I really like to use the acrylic paints from the craft store because of the cost and I think the matte acrylic paints accept weathering just as good or even better than the oil based, more expensive oil based hobby paints.
The roof vent parts and wood stove were painted with black matte spray paint. I also added a wet-transfer decal sign to the side of the barn which adds a nice touch to the kitbash building.
After all was dry, it was assembled with simple Elmer’s Wood Glue and weathered to display as you see it now!
