Arnica Real Estate Freestanding Shack

In December, I purchased kit number 1-05-K Freestanding Shed from Arnica Real Estate. The kit is made out of white resin and sells for $6. It is a great value with many gaming uses, such as Western, Gothic horror, American Civil War, American Revolution, and Pirates. The kit comes in five large pieces plus a door. I washed the pieces in warm, soapy water, scrubbing with a toothbrush. I then throughly dried them with a hair dryer. When dry, I glued the pieces with two-part epoxy.

When the epoxy had set the following day, I primed this building using black gesso brushed on. The gesso took to the resin well. Some small pin-head-sized spots gave the primer some difficulty, but I took care of it. Perhaps some mold release was still on the model or the small spots were not dry completely?

When the primer had dried, I began drybrushing the building. I was going for an abandoned, spooky look like shacks I used to come across as a kid hiking in the mountains where my grandparents lived. They often contained old furniture as well--very creepy!

The first paint coat was Americana Burnt Umber, followed by lighter shades of brown. I used a stiff bristle brush for this project. When I was done, I lightly drybrushed Linen to make it look like broken off wood in spots. The roof is dry brushed a few different shades of gray. I am saving the door for later. I sprayed the entire building with Testor's Dulcoat, giving it a good seal. By the way, the lighter circle on the right wall is from my flashlight I used to light the building, not paint!

You can easily build these shacks in couple hours over a few days. Clean and glue the pieces letting the dry over night, prime them the next day, letting the primer cure lest it bubbles off, and paint the third evening. Drybrushing took me about an hour.

I have another shed kit and will do some 'in process' photos to show how easy building and painting it is, and how well it will look on any game table. I'll also be posting some photos of an Arnica barn I drybrushed gray with red trim.

Links: Arnica Real Estate