News from your model shop - modelling with easy to build kits

Hello

We have just added lots of second hand locomotives and other items to the website.

And because we never have too much choice of figures, we are delighted to offer you the range of figures from Dutch manufacturer Artitec. Available in OO/HO, N and Z, they are incredibly well painted and very realistic with very exciting subjects such as cyclists in the rain or milking farmers. Discover them by clicking here.

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

Most images in this newsletter are clickable for more details.

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Railway song of the week

Where do we start with this one? Well, let's just say this is light hearted, coming from someone who loves the hobby and as most intelligent people is not afraid of making fun of themselves. Most of us will relate to the lyrics. As a bonus: the lyrics are displayed on the video so you can sing along!

So here it is: Anthony Dodge's "Model Train Guy Rhapsody".

There is an unwritten rule when furnishing your layout with station buildings, platforms or high streets that you use either plastic or card kits, mixing the two can highlight the difference in texture between the two materials and compromise the finished effect of your scene.

Of course, there are a lot of very skilled modellers out there that can overcome this problem with the clever use of weathering and paint. Others take advantage of the vast choice of card kits available and use them exclusively whilst others prefer plastic.

Plastic kits, however, generally do not receive the same coverage as their card counterparts, which is a shame because there are some wonderful kits out there and at very reasonable prices.

The main difference you will find when constructing plastic kits as opposed to card ones is that they will likely require painting. This may put some modellers off, but don't be afraid, try to remember the number of skills you have mastered so far building your layout and give it a go.

Once you have gotten your head around the subject of paints and techniques, then you will really be ready to take your layout and rolling stock to the next level. Starting off with small lineside kits (as opposed to your favourite locomotive) is an excellent and inexpensive way to get started.

Dapol is a Welsh company that manufactures quite a significant range of buildings, line-side miscellaneous and even non-motorised rolling stock. The kits used to be part of the Kitmaster range in the 1950s and 1960s. Then they got acquired by Airfix and finally Dapol. They are all in OO gauge.

To give you an idea of the kind of kits now available in plastic, you can access the whole range here or we have selected to show you some pictures of the easier kits to construct and paint: there are some telegraph poles which once painted look so much better than the ready to go variety, a water tower (which looks fantastic weathered if you're feeling adventurous), a modern-day general store, a platform kiosk and steps, some track-side accessories and an impressive girder bridge. Note from the pictures how a little bit of rust effect would make all the difference.

For a more substantial project, you may want to attempt a kit that requires some micro-detailing to really pull it off. The general store that we have featured looks fine freshly painted but apply a couple of decades worth of grime and pollution, this unattractive little shop would really deliver realism. Also featured is a village church (which happens to be based on the church in Bonchurch on the Isle of Wight) and station booking hall, at first glance, these look relatively simple, but look again carefully at the brickwork, not only are the grout lines evident but the bricks are an irregular colour too, these all need to be painted.

Again with the dockside crane and station canopy, they look great freshly painted, but add grime, rust and some soot or diesel smoke residue and see how a transformation takes place.

But why go to all the effort when a card kit has the detail already printed on the model? Don't get us wrong we love the card kits, but a hand-painted plastic kit will be unique, and it's that uniqueness that will distance your layout from the Hornby catalogue.

And because we couldn't resist, we mentioned earlier that Dapol produce non-motorised rolling stock, we leave you with this small taster of an old first-generation railbus, wouldn't it look marvellous either in a siding or even a shelf?

 

 

• What is model railway track plan?
• What is the difference between ready-to-run and kit-built model rolling stock?
• What is G scale?
• What are BEMO couplings?
• What is the best way to create realistic grass on model railway layouts?

• Can I operate two point motors with the same switch?
• How do I model moss?
• What are ejector pin marks and how can I remove them ?
• Can I apply washes and other weathering techniques over decals and stencils without damaging them?
• What is the difference between gauge and scale?

You can access all the unboxing videos by visiting this page or simply click on the link called "videos" on our website.