Modellings tips and answers - Modelling a hotel - Videos
Hello
Don't forget to read our latest modelling tips and unboxing videos located at the bottom of the newsletter.
Feel free to send this newsletter to your friends, family and club members if you think they will benefit from it. They can subscribe for free.
This week in history
On Wednesday 8th January 1908, the German aviation pioneer Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin announced his plans to build an airship that would carry up to 100 paying passengers. An officer in the Imperial German Army, von Zeppelin travelled to the United States in 1863 to act as a neutral military observer during the Civil War. It was whilst travelling in the Midwest that von Zeppelin experienced his first balloon flight, which fired his considerable imagination and enthusiasm. He was the driving force behind the development of the first successful airship, the Zeppelin LZ1, which first flew in 1900. The initial development of airships was with a view to military operations, although von Zeppelin had a fractious relationship with the German Army and as a result, looked to develop the airship for commercial use. Up until the start of World War One, commercial airships carried nearly 40,000 paying passengers without incident. Ferdinand von Zeppelin died in 1917 and was subsequently inducted into the International Air and Space Hall of Fame in 1975 for his services to aviation.
Tool for thought
This week's tool for thought is the Mr. Colour Levelling Thinner 110ml by Mr Hobby. This thinning and levelling agent is specifically formulated for use with acrylic and lacquer-based paints and comes in a 110ml bottle. It can be used by both brush and airbrush modellers. In addition to being a thinner, it also contains a retarding agent. This has two main benefits: it allows the paint more time to flow into recessed panel lines and contour other fine details, resulting in a smoother and more detailed finish, and it prevents the thinned paint from drying on the airbrush needle, which can cause spitting and an uneven paint finish. The Mr. Colour Levelling thinner is also available in a 400ml bottle.
Creating ambience for your hotel
There are several good models of hotels available for 00 gauge, a good example is Superquick's 'Railway Hotel' card kit that looks just as good in a town as it does in the countryside. Once you have chosen or built a hotel that suits your needs, you can start to work on the details. Think specifically about the hotel's grounds, they don't have to be massive to incorporate details such as signage, a few tables and chairs for guests to relax at or some ornamental features such as a birdbath, sundial or some planters. If you choose you could even anchor your hotel to a specific location, for example, think small car park complete with tour bus and a smattering of palm trees and your mind immediately thinks of Torquay.
Once your hotel has a physical identity, it's time to think about what sort of activity would be taking place there. You could add some beer barrels waiting to be put away in the cellar, reception staff greeting and helping customers, travellers arriving from their long journeys, taxis picking up guests or a gardener tending to the flower beds. Planting your hotel properly and demonstrating a little bit of activity can really help bring it to life and truly make it a feature to be proud of on your layout!
Modelling tips
We keep on adding modelling tips to our website. Here are the latest ones:
- Are there any alternatives to oil based lubricants for locomotives?
- How can I make a realistic surface for my diorama?
- How can I add rust and weathering effects to white metal parts?
- How can I stop light shining through wall joints or the base of a building?
- How easily can I remove adhesives or putties?
- Can I create my own rock surfaces for my layout or diorama?
- What is the difference between gauge and scale?
- How can I safely ballast points?
- What is the best size wire to use on my layout?
- Make your own wooden trestle bridge for a layout.
Unboxing videos
You want to know what is inside the boxes of modelling products? We open them for you! Subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified before everyone else or simply click on this selection. Please note that videos are at the bottom of each page.
- Metcalfe PO228 Coaching Inn in OO HO Gauge
- Victrix VXA029 African War Elephant 28mm Figure Scale
- Busch BUS7894 Weather Station OO/HO Gauge
- Noch N58614 T-Rex Dinosaur Excavation OO, HO and N Gauges
- Mr Hobby MC 132 Mr Cement SP Black 40ml
You can access all the unboxing videos by visiting this page or simply click on the link called "videos" on our website.
Events and exhibitions
Do you need to order?
Send us an email or give us a call to check availability or to reserve anything, whatever scale you model in. As usual, if we do not have in stock what you are looking for, we will order it for you and you will get it fast (usually within a week if the manufacturer has it in stock). We place weekly orders with most suppliers.
Remember, you can park for free for one hour on the High Street. So no excuse not to come and visit us!
Upstairs Downstairs is open Tuesday to Saturday 10am till 4.30pm. Obviously, our website is open 24h a day and we can post to most locations, including Europe, USA and Australia.
Upstairs Downstairs
3 Pier Street
Sandown, PO36 8JR
Isle of Wight
Tel: 01983 406 616
http://www.trainshop.co.uk or find us on Facebook
If for some reason you do not want to receive this newsletter anymore, click this link to unsubscribe