Building Up a Korber Kit

I've tried a few ways.

Robert's Brick Paste - Its talc or some kind of powder in suspension. You brush it on, let it dry and wipe off as much as you want. Spray with dullcote to set. The dullcote tends to dilute it a little more, so multiple coats may be necessary. 

Acrylic Paint - the cheap stuff from walmart.... white, light grey, light tan, whatever you want to achieve for a look. Thin it with isopropyl alcohol, brush it on and wipe it off as you go. If you dont like it, alcohol on a rag will remove more even after it dries. Set with dullcote, doesnt wash it out like the Roberts. 

After I do it in white, I like to go back over it in spots with something dark, either an asphalt grey or black. Some people black wash the whole thing, it depends how dirty you want it. 

Its very hard to mess up and not reverse it.... just make sure you like it before you get the dullcote out.

Steve,

i just use some watered down white latex paint for the mortar joints. You can do each section first or wait until the building is put together. I use a brush and paint one wall section at a time and then wipe it off with a cloth or old tee shirt.

to put the building together I use crazy glue and then a glue gun on all the inside joints.

alan graziano

I have not done a building that large, but I have done a few Ameri-Towne buildings. I used a gray acrylic as Boilermaker1 stated above. I applied the paint full strength (I didn't thin it), did one floor on one side, let it dry for a bit and wiped it off with a dry cloth like an old t-shirt or similar. Just don't let it dry too long, you can always go back over it. I didn't use any dullcote (probably should have), but the buildings are about 4-5 years old and still look fine. What I did really wan't too hard and it turned out better than I thought it was going to.

The Ameri-Towne buildings were the first ones I ever built so I didn't really know much about it back then. I didn't know the alcohol would remove it back then either, that makes it even easier if you don't like what you get the first try. I have read several things and the methods of others since then. I have also now heard of the Roberts Brick Mortar which many have said did a good job, but I have yet to try it. The next brick building I do, I will probably give that a try.

Thanks everyone for your help. I guess I'm even more dumb than I feared.

Let me start with some basic questions:

1. What color is the base plastic of the Korber kit?  Maroon?  Brick colored?
   
   
2. If the answer to #1 is yes, are you saying that you paint it with a grayish-colored mortar paint and then wipe it off to leave mortar but still show the red bricks?
   
   
3. If the answer to #1 is no, what color is the base plastic and what do you do before you use either "Robert's Brick Paste" or "acrylic paint ... from walmart" or "white latex paint" or something else?  Do you paint the plastic some brick color and let it dry?  If so, what do you use for the brick color?

I went to the Robert's Mortar Website and that stuff looks pretty good.

Please let me know something about the base colors of the basic Korber kit.

Thanks very much again in advance for your help.

SJS

1 and 3. The kit is cast in brick color. If it has swirls in it or something, then you can paint it Rustoleum Colonial Red, which is brick red. You can also paint it some other color if you want brown bricks or something like that. 

2. Yes, paint the whole thing, before it dries you wipe it off (so work in sections). The paint stays in the mortar lines and leaves the bricks red. 

I find the instructions that come with the Korber kits are pretty good. 

I've used a number of methods. One not suggested yet.......I paint the finished building with Dupli-color white primer then dry brush a water based brick red on.  Mess up...wipe it off go again. Figure out what works for you.....you'll find one you like. 

In my case the Ameri-Towne buildings came as a red brick color (as Boilermaker1 also says above) so I just left that as it came. Washed it with warm soapy water and let dry, then added the 'mortar' which was concrete gray in my case.

There is a film residue on the plastic from the molds it was made in, the reason for the washing before adding paint. I think this may have been in the directions that came with my kits.

It really isn't too hard and as others say above you will get the hang of it pretty quick in a method that works for you. I had never done any until I got my first couple of kits a few years ago when I got back into the hobby.

Thanks for all the tips guys.  I've already learned a lot and, just knowing that others have done it with no major issues makes it all seem more approachable.

I did some good work in the layout room this weekend.  The painter will finish next week and hopefully the electrician soon after that.

Thanks again.

Steven J. Serenska

I always wash the parts first and then wipe with spackling paste and after 5 minutes wipe off with a damp cloth, leaves mortar marks and weathers the brick. I really like the look especially on Korber buildings! Going to try Roberts though to see if I get a different look! All these suggestions are great! Always learning in this hobby and on this forum!

play trains posted:

I always wash the parts first and then wipe with spackling paste and after 5 minutes wipe off with a damp cloth, leaves mortar marks and weathers the brick. I really like the look especially on Korber buildings! Going to try Roberts though to see if I get a different look! All these suggestions are great! Always learning in this hobby and on this forum!

Due to the layout room construction, I have plenty of spackling paste. Do you have a picture you can share with your results?

Steven J. Serenska

Great suggestions, all. I have also used white or gray spray paint, sprayed a very light coat and then immediately wiped the brick with a rag - looks pretty good..... I have also used the spackling paste approach.....  

I too like the Rustoleum line of spray paints for painting these buildings - bricks can be different colors.

Here's a link to this kit on the Korber website. 

Here's a link to all of the kits.

Yes - I built one and they are a challenge!  Hence my earlier post that give Alex M two thumbs up, cause these are not an easy build... sort of like gluing wet noodles together 

Steven, I don't have a picture but I will try to get one and figure out how to put it on here! I'm not very techy, for years I thought my VCR was supposed to blink 12! LOL

play trains posted:

Steven, I don't have a picture but I will try to get one and figure out how to put it on here! I'm not very techy, for years I thought my VCR was supposed to blink 12! LOL

Dave Barry once wrote a funny column dealing with the blinking VCR clock.  He said something to the effect of "The quickest way to stop the numbers from blinking is to carefully put a piece of black electrical tape over the numbers.  If that doesn't work, loudly proclaim 'Hey, it's 00:00:00!  Time for a beer!'."

Thanks in advance for trying to upload the photo.

SJS