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HOW TO : Build A Monroe Models Jurgens Junk Yard           
  Article By Bryan Catley and his Alligator Lines Copyright ©
                                                                                                       

Monroe Models Jurgens Junk Yard

The main building of this kit (a Quonset hut) has footprint of approximately 2 ½" x 3 ½". Fencing is provided for the actual yard itself which may be adjusted to fit the available space.

The kit contains one sheet of instructions, a pre-cast and pre-finished junk pile (which may also be purchased separately), a package of cast white metal pieces of various junk items, a cast resin back-end for the hut, a plastic bag of nine laser cut sheets and two pieces of corrugated metal (one for the roofing and one to cut the fence pieces from. It all comes in a plastic container which is also used for the window glazing! Oh yes, the instruction sheet also contains all the signage which is cut out and glued in place when needed.

The metal roofing was also a little beat up and I was initially concerned it would impact the overall apearance but, after smoothing it out, this was not the case.

The instructions start with a "General Assembly Pep-Talk"! From there they were pretty complete with reasonable detail and lots of pictures. The only odd thing I came across was the mention of adding a "paper sub base" before the corrugated roof goes in place.

As it turns out this kit was quite challenging ! First the trim, while of reasonable size, was very thin and required particular care in removing it from the container sheets and then, since it was not of the peel 'n stick variety, minute amounts of glue were needed to affix it in place! The metal roofing also presented its own problems, especially since it was folded around the other kit pieces and was creased pretty badly!

The basic frame for the hut went together easily with the need to assure correct alignment the only real challenge. From there, things got a little more interesting!

At this point I deviated from the instructions somewhat. They say to complete the front and back of the hut before applying the metal roof. I found that a trial run of folding the roofing material over the frame showed quite a few indentations which I really wanted to try and avoid. Now, the instructions mention a paper sub-base on the frame under the actual roof but go into no further detail. Taking the hint, I applied an entire paper sub-roof! For this I used CA (super glue) on all pieces of the frame. If I were doing it again, I would only glue the vertical and bottom horizontal pieces. I think you would end up with a smoother finish.

Before tackling the roof the back end of the hut needed to be in place since the roofing material extends over it. This is a single cast resin piece that requires painting and since several different areas with different colors are involved you need a very small brush and a steady hand to complete this task!

Once the back was glued in place I turned my attention to the corrugated metal roofing. As indicated it was pretty creased from being wrapped around the rest of the kit contents and I was afraid that applying pressure to smooth it out may end up removing the corrugation. Such was not the case. It smoothed out pretty well (using my finger tips) without damaging the corrugated surface.

I cut a piece a little oversize and glued it to the structure using CA glue on the vertical pieces only (other than the bottom pieces). When dry, I trimmed it using a hobby knife.

Note: The instructions recommend "Walthers Goo" or "Liquid Nails" for this task. I had neither. The CA glue worked OK but I suspect it took a little longer to dry and hold the roof firmly in place.

The front of the building (which had been constructed earlier, including the signs) was then installed. The main front wall was pretty thin and even though it had received a coat of sealer it still wanted to warp when painted. Placing it under a weight overnight corrected this!

Remember that no glazing for the windows is provided. The instructions suggest using a piece of the container the kit came in. I did this and it actually worked pretty well!v Once the front was in place, painting of the trim was completed using a toothpick!

The two side windows (constructed separately) can be attached at this point. You can place both on one side or one on each side and in any position you wish. You can also leave them off altogether if you wish! I used CA glue to attach them, holding them in place till the glue dried enough to take over. After they've been attached you should cut small pieces of metal sheeting as roof covering for them.

Unless you like the new metal appearance, the roof needs to be painted and weathered at this point. I used a couple of coats of different grays (allowing one to show through the other), some dark green, some yellow ochre and some burnt umber all covered with a black wash! I also added the two lights and the two chimneys from the accessories provided.

The dumpster, heating oil tank, tires, oil cans and platters werer added after the structure was in place. These items look best resting on the ground cover rather than being surrounded by it! Similarly, the fence was also installed after the structure was positioned into the overall target area.

Note: The following two paragraphs are actually part of the scenery description on the web site. They are included here for completeness.

The kit instructions suggest cutting the supplied corrugated metal into 4 x 8 scale pieces and gluing them to the fence frames. I simply decided to cut pieces to the length of the fence frames making sure the corrugation was vertical. I cut the pieces to ensure a little bit of extension above the top of the frame. Using CA glue they were glued to the frame. Weights held them in place until the glue dried. Painting was much like the roof but on both sides.

Everything was then glued into position. One of the fence pieces needed to be cut so it could be bent around a corner. To allow this, the frame was cut but with care not to cut the "fencing".