News from your model shop - 12 March 2023

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As the first rays of sunrise get ever earlier it is a sure sign that spring is on the way.  Springtime can be a great source of inspiration for modellers.  With the prospect of warmer and brighter days ahead, inevitably many will seek to head outside to tend to the garden as it wakes from its winter slumber, to have fun or just to explore and reconnect with the great outdoors.  There are plenty of options for those modellers who are looking to give their layouts a springtime makeover, or for those looking to develop a spring-based theme for a new project.

For the OO gauge modeller, the promise of warmer weather will lure young and old alike outside into the fresh air.  This can be a very good theme for a modeller to develop as an existing layout can be given a spring makeover by the addition of figures, vehicles, cameo sets or a combination of them all.  One of the benefits of adding these items is that in many cases they are compact and pre-painted which means they can be quickly and easily integrated into a layout.  A good example of this is the 4 cyclists and the Grandparents & Grandchildren cameo sets, both by Noch.  Similarly, by Preiser, is the Korsar Sailing Boat with 2 crew members.



Cameo and figure sets can easily add an interesting visual counterpoint that is very effective at developing a theme but also giving extra visual impact to a layout.  There is a large and diverse range of figure sets available from a number of manufacturers.  Integration of these sets can really help bring a layout to life by bringing a variety of diverse but mutually supportive activities into a small space.  The 'Hikers' set by Woodland Scenics is a good option for a remote or rural location on a layout.  Conversely, activities such as 'Putting up a nestbox' and 'Trimming the hedges' can enliven a domestic urban environment such as a garden or a small park.  Both are produced by Busch.



In addition to figures and cameo sets it is also possible to develop a spring-based theme by selectively sprucing up the landscape.  This can be easily done by adding a few specific effects such as spring colours to the substrate in addition to foliage, shrubs and plants.  The Springtime Facelift kit by Busch is a simple and quick way to achieve this and can help enliven a layout feature such as a meadow or a pond.  Other manufacturers also produce similar materials that can readily be integrated at key points to develop the hint of spring such as 'Spring tufts' by Javis and 'Spring Grass Flock' by Gaugemaster.  One of the key points to notice in the case of each of these 'landscape' items as they have been configured by their respective manufacturers to be non-gauge specific, thus allowing them to be used in a wider variety of layouts.



In N gauge, spring is also a time for new life to flourish and what better way to indicate that than new arrivals down on the farm.  The 'Sheep and Lambs' set by Modelscene is a great way to integrate this into a farm or other suitable rural environment.  Meanwhile, the increase in activity elsewhere across the countryside is a sure sign that preparations for the growing season are well underway.  The 'Farm machinery-spring planting' set by Langley is a great way to add seasonal activity to the landscape.  This particular set is unpainted, thus giving the modeller the opportunity to add their own personal touch to scene elements.  The 'Riders and Horses Equestrian' set by Noch is another example of how a simple and compact cameo set can integrate and blend with a layout to add balanced visual appeal.  These three sets are good examples of how N Gauge modellers can easily and seamlessly blend scene elements into a layout to develop a particular theme.



Springtime is a great theme for a modeller to use to help develop a layout.  As we have seen, the addition of Figure, Cameo or vehicle sets along with selective foliage tweaks can easily help develop a Spring-based theme whilst offering a significant amount of visual appeal to a layout.  Used in a variety of combinations these features are highly effective and have the added advantage that they can be added quickly but also removed if the modeller wishes to develop other themes.  This juxtaposition of scene elements is a great way to keep the landscape and layout fresh and alive as it reflects the world as it changes with the seasons.  Why not give your layout a spring clean with some new scene elements or work a dynamic and ever-changing landscape theme into your next project?

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