Welcome to ... "J.W.
Wencich Manufactory"
Built 1993 by Richard E.
Bendever
This
diorama began its life as a Pola plastic kit (Galvanizing Works). Frankly, I got
sick and tired of people telling me that they couldn't build craftsman kits like
I could. I kept explaining to them that they didn't need to build craftsman kits
to have really good models. So, in order to prove a point, I built Wenrich's
Manufactory.
J.W.
Wenrich's was awarded 3rd Place at the NMRA National Convention in Atlanta,
Georgia in the Summer of 1995. The only reason Wenrich's took Third is because
it had to compete with my Hooker's Point Lighthouse diorama. In my haste to get
to the Convention, I forgot to cover the track so that this diorama would
compete in the Off-Line category instead of On-Line. Wenrich's was awarded 116
points, seven points higher than the winner of the Off-Line diorama. Either way,
it was extremely fun proving my point!
Photo
Description #1: Would it be hard to believe that all of the details (except for
the figures) are "cast in Hot Glue"? Look closely at the right photo. The
barrels, drums, bumpers, chimneys, junk piles & clutter. machinery, ventilators,
(and trucks in the rear of the building); they're all hot glue. Yep, and I even
wrote an article about it in the 1996 NG&SL "Gazette" magazine."... Still, it
was fun to learn some new modeling techniques. I suppose that I got lucky with
this model since Dean Frytag brought several of the Contest Judges over to our
table at the show and told them what I had shared with him about this being a
plastic kit. I doubt I'll be able to slip something like this by the Judges
again; or maybe...
Photo Description #2: In
the image at left, yes,
even the car in the front of the image is a Hot Glue casting, as are all the
rest of the roof details. It's a lot of fun taking off the cover of this case
and wiggling the chimney's with my finger as the people stare in amazement!.....
Photo Description #3: The
photo at right shows how I "Americanized" the European style tile roof to a
material that we see here in the United States. In addition to the red brick
color (originally this model was molded in a mustard yellow color) and the
addition of trees made of flower wire and sisal rope fibers, we have a perfectly
believable North Eastern industry!
Photo Description
#4: Don't attempt to adjust you monitor! The photo at left illustrates the risk
of activating the patina process on real copper material and the possible
variation of colors and changes the copper will change in to. The fluctuating
colors of the patina process is all about how temperature and humidity or the
lack thereof humidity in the air around the copper. More humidity and cooler
temperatures and the patina turns a bright teal green. Not so much humidity and
the patina goes to a faded pale white-ish green color. It's all about
chemistry...
Photo Description #5: The
image at right is a good view of the left rear of the structure and its multiple
corners that even though fit well for a plastic kit, did not fit well enough to
be considered a contest model and thusly falling to the scrutiny of the NMRA
judging process. Quite a bit of time and effort was spent coaxing the corner
joints with a variety of tools, heat gun and lacquer thinner to soften and fit
the corners to judging perfection.
Photo Description #6: The
photo at left shows .
Photo Description #7: Photo
at right
