Burnside Bridge: a modification

Last summer I undertook a fairly large modification project of the BMC/Americana Burnside Bridge.

Although I'll be reviewing them in a later post, generally speaking BMC makes pretty inferior figures, the poses can be imaginative, but the casting and consistency is usually pretty dreadful. Where BMC/Americana really shines however is with many of their ancillary models, especially Meade's Headquarters (later post) and here, Burnside Bridge.

I wanted to make a much more convincing model of the bridge and permanently mount it spanning Antietam Creek. Combining two out of the bag kits I spent sixteen hours to remake the finished model.

By combining the two kits I was able to double up the stone walls making them appear thicker and much more like the real bridge which I'm lucky enough to see five days a week.

http://volunteersinparks.blogspot.com/2007/01/burnisides-bridge-new-perspective-part.html


I mounted the painted and weathered bridge on a panel of luan plywood and sculpted plaster-of-paris appproaches and creek banks, painted the entire base and creekbed, and used envirotex clear resin for the surface of the muddy creek.

Here are the results.

Before and after. A side by side comparison of the Americana kit and my modification.


The approach to the bridge.


And here it is alongside the real thing:




This was really a fun project.

In a future post I'll show a modifications I did to Meade's Headquarters, Dunker Church, and show you how to get two buildings from one kit.

Until then keep your reenforcements close at hand.

Mannie
(next post July 1)