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Don't forget to read our latest modelling tips located at the bottom of the newsletter.

Neil Sutton sent us several pictures of his layout "Bogs Lane". Click on them to see them all in full size.

This week in history - On August the 6th 1947 a transport act was passed by parliament providing for the nationalisation of all major British railways in 1948. Not all news is good news!

After a few months of unavailability, Metcalfe kits are now back in stock. You can find the whole OO Metcalfe kits range here and the N gauge range here.

Wargaming has been around for nearly as long as model railways. A fascinating game of strategy and luck of the dice, it has kept military fans of all eras entertained for decades. Play often takes place on a layout or diorama varying in crudeness and depicting a battleground from the past or future that has in most cases been modelled by the gamer. The focus and enjoyment of the game are very much based around the strategy of playing it rather than the diorama on which it is played, that said, a certain amount of modelling and the use of the odd building or two to create a viable playing environment certainly have a part to play in the hobby.
 
The most popular wargaming scales are 1:56 (called 28mm) and 1:72 (also called 20mm), the latter is close enough to 1:76.2 scale (00 gauge) for models to be interchangeable. This is great for wargamers as they can use hedges, trees, walls, buildings and even railways that were produced with model railways in mind to enhance their battlegrounds. It's also great news for railway modellers who want to model wartime because they can have a much larger selection of models to choose from by simply checking out a few brands not usually associated with model railways.

Here are some good examples of 1:72 scale kits by a company called Plastic Soldier Company including a British Universal Carrier, Churchill Tank and a British Cromwell Tank. Also, for modellers depicting Europe in wartime, there is a German Armoured Car, Tiger I Tank and an Opel Blitz Truck.

The kits are great value for money as each box usually contains three vehicles and most come with crew figures as well, making a wartime diorama both easy and affordable.

Whether you are wargaming or building a model railway you are likely to be using trees on your layout or diorama. With such a wide selection it is often bewildering when deciding where to start.

The first thing that you need to think about is whether your trees are to cover a large expanse to create a wooded area or are the trees to be used as a special feature in a scene.

If you want to use trees to cover an area, you may want to consider using the larger packs of 00/H0 trees from Busch, they represent excellent value and come in packs as big as 60 pine trees or 30 mixed forest trees. For a little more detail Busch also produces some great trees in bloom and a pack of 25 deciduous trees. For a lot more detail and to make a feature out of the trees then you might consider using Woodland Scenics trees, take a look at their 7" tall Sun-kissed and Waters Edge variants, they are fantastic!

We keep on adding modelling tips to our website. Here are the latest ones:

• What is RailCom?
• How do I fix track to a baseboard?
• How do I solder?
• What do you need to do to service an engine?
• How do I cut model railway flexible track?