Model Kit | House Under Construction by Faller

I finally got around to painting the wooden frame of the House Under Construction kit by Faller. As I mentioned in an earlier post (circa 2009!), I was planning to get around to painting the shiny, yellow plastic frame of the house a matte, woody color.

Faller's House Under Construction before I painted the wooden frame. Figures are from Woodland Scenics Masonry Workers set.

In the second pic below, you can clearly see the plastic, almost translucent look of what are supposed to be wooden frames.  Will not do..

A couple of years ago, I had already given the walls of the house a brush of matte white paint which I then wiped off with a paper towel. This removed much of the white paint on the brick, leaving a thin, rough layer to simulate bare concrete brick. The white paint also settled into the seams between the bricks, which looked like cement holding the bricks together.

I was pretty happy with the effect, so I left the concrete walls alone. For now, at least.

Closeup of the plastic wooden frames of the house.

I chose Model Color Buff which gives anything plastic the look of freshly cut lumber. And the great thing about Model Color acrylic paints is that cleaning up doesn't require thinners. Paintbrushes rinse out easily under running tap water. Just so long as the paint hasn't had a chance to dry out!

And as you can see from the pics below, I missed a couple of spots. Dang.

Wooden frames of the house painted with Model Color's Buff.

This Faller kit also includes several pieces of tiled roof sections, allowing the model to be built according to various stages of completion. You can even go with a completed, fully-roofed house if you wanted to, but that would hide all that gorgeous detail of the lumber frame underneath.

For my model, I went with the half-tiled roof -- I wanted it to look like the workmen were at least making some progress in building the house. They have, after all, been at it since 2009!

The brick-red tiled roof. I chose the half-tiled roof section from the kit.

You can read about the workmen figures I used in this scene here:

Woodland Scenics | Masonry Workers Model Figures


More model kit buildings on The Sunny Model Railroad:

Western Homestead Shanty by Life-Like models

Country Chapel by Faller

Sanding Tower Model Kit by Faller

Atlas Picket Fence and Gate Kit

Constance Signal Tower Model Kit by Faller

House Under Construction Model Kit by Faller

Gantry Crane Model Kit by Faller


Station Platform by Atlas

Woodland Scenics | Rusty's Regret Model Car

This Porsche has been parked outside the Western Homestead Shanty on my layout for the past three years. You might say I enjoyed the inconguence of a brand-spanking-new car outside the rundown shack.

But what was the story here? 

Life Like Train's Western Homestead Shanty. But why is there a Porsche parked outside?

Had the car been won in a raffle by the occupants of said shanty? Was the shanty a front for some illegal activity? Had someone's cover been blown, and they had to take refuge in a little shack on the Sunny Model Railroad, with the dead giveaway being their baby-blue vehicle parked outside?

And is the lady, hanging the laundry out back, an accomplice to these shenanigans?

Recently rummaging through my e-Hobbyland order from a couple of years ago, I realized that there were still several Atlas and Woodland Scenics models yet to be built.

And I was pleasantly surprised when I rediscovered this Woodland Scenics model car, still sealed in the original packaging. I had totally forgotten about it!  I must have had the shanty in mind when I ordered ol' Rusty.

Woodland Scenics Rusty's Regret from their Auto Scenes collection of cars and vehicles.

Woodland Scenics Rusty's Regret is a nicely detailed model, all plastic, though I wish it were die-cast. It could also do with a little more authentic weathering, which I plan to do soon.

Rusty's going to get even rustier after I'm through.

Rusty's Regret in front of the rundown old shanty. Now that's more like it!

There's a certain charm and melancholy in this picture of Rusty against the setting sun coming through the window.

Looking at these pics, I'm inspired to a lay a sandy driveway in front of the shanty instead of the thick flock of grass where the car now sits. One can never be done working on a model railroad.

This picture brings more of the shanty into focus -- note the weathering on the walls and the barrel detail at the side. And I still have to get around to concealing that plastic base!

More model kit buildings on The Sunny Model Railroad:

Western Homestead Shanty by Life-Like models

Country Chapel by Faller

Sanding Tower Model Kit by Faller

Atlas Picket Fence and Gate Kit

Constance Signal Tower Model Kit by Faller

Model Kit | Model Railroad Sanding Tower by Faller

A quantity of sand was carried by trains to prevent their wheels from slipping on the track, providing the necessary friction when the track was wet or oily. The sanding tower loaded sand into a dome situated above the boiler of steam locomotives, where heat from the boiler kept the sand dry. The sanding valve was operated by the train engineer and air pressure dropped dry sand onto the rails just in front of the wheels.

Sanding Tower by Faller

This Sanding Tower model kit by Faller was pretty complicated to put together but thankfully, the instruction sheet was fairly clear as to where all the various bits were supposed to go.

Railway man looks off into the distance from atop the Sanding Tower, contemplating his existence on the Sunny Model Railroad

I used Tamiya Extra-Thin Cement for this kit which helped cut down on the potential mess factor. The great thing about Tamiya Extra-Thin Cement is that it is applied with a brush, giving you ultimate control over how much cement you need use. For a model such as Faller's Sanding Tower which is made up mostly of a complex mesh of very thin plastic struts, the lesser the amount of cement used, the better. You also don't get the unsightly blobs at the joints such as when cement from a tube is used.

A railway man leaps from the second strut of Sanding Tower instead of using the ladder. Note rust weathering on the tower. Also note globs of Scenic Accents Glue used to attach the figure to the Tower. These close-up pics sure do bring out details I would otherwise miss.

True to the prototype, I painted the Sanding Tower kit with Model Color's Basalt Grey. Weathering was done with a light dry-brushing of rust red to simulate, well.. rust.

Scenic Accents Glue was used to attach the figures to the Sanding Tower. The great thing about Scenic Accents Glue is that it doesn't dry out and remains tacky, allowing easy re-positioning of figures on a layout.

Another view of the top of the Sanding Tower. Again Scenic Accents Glue used to affix the figure is clearly seen around his shoes.

As you can see in the pics, I used perhaps a little too much Scenic Accents Glue, something that only shows up in these close-up pics. Cleaning up the excess glue will be easy though -- just pluck them off with tweezers. I'll need to get out my magnifying glass for this purpose though. These eyes ain't what they used to be.

A view of the Sanding Tower from the ground at evening time. I was also testing the Fleischmann bulb in the Constance Signal Tower in this picture.

I still have to get around to levelling the Sanding Tower with the baseboard and attaching it permanently, blending in the base of the tower so that it is nearly flush with the groundcover.

More model kit buildings on The Sunny Model Railroad:

Western Homestead Shanty by Life-Like models

Country Chapel by Faller

Atlas Picket Fence and Gate Kit

Constance Signal Tower Model Kit by Faller

Model Kit | Constance Signal Tower by Faller

It's been awhile (three years!) since the Sunny Model Railroad site was updated, and I can't think of a better topic to write about than this Constance Signal Tower model kit by Faller Gmbh.

This highly detailed kit is faithfully modelled after the original Constance Signal Tower that was built in 1886. The original Constance -- or Konstanz, in German -- is preserved in its original colors, in a railway museum in Blumberg, Germany.



Constance Signal Tower by Faller

Following the protoype, I painted the walls the original signal yellow and the roof a dark red. I did some simple weathering of the yellow walls and red roof with some black and brown crayon, and a quick brush with very dilute india ink. I've always liked weathering with india ink as it also brings out the detail of model kits -- details you probably would never notice if the kit was painted a basic single color.

I took some liberty with the window frames, metal supports and ladder and painted them metallic silver instead of the dull blue-gray of the original. I felt that silver paint would make the model stand out better on the layout.



A Fleischmann goods train passes under the Constance signal tower. Moose not included with the kit! 

This kit comes with transparent plastic sheets which are glued behind the window frames to create the impression of glass windows. I also installed a Fleischmann light bulb inside the tower which will be lit with its own on-off switch once I'm done sorting out the electrical wiring for all the buildings under the baseboard of my layout. Whenever that will be.

The figures in these pics are from Woodland Scenics Train Personnel set in HO scale.



A railway man signals to his colleague to get the moose away from the tracks!



Someone had better get 'round to trimming the grass near those tracks.

Like most Faller kits, the instructions that came with model were not very clear and some of the important parts did not fit together like they should have. This kit is not for beginners! More experienced model builders will enjoy the challenge though, and once the Constance Signal Tower is up with trains running under it, it adds a nice bit of historical detail to any layout.



Another view of the moose and her calf.

More model kit buildings on The Sunny Model Railroad:

Western Homestead Shanty by Life-Like models

Country Chapel by Faller

Sanding Tower Model Kit by Faller

Atlas Picket Fence and Gate Kit

Woodland Scenics | Fine Leaf Foliage Part 2

Here are couple more trees I made up with Woodland Scenics Fine Leaf Foliage. I really like the Fall Mix as it adds some nice color -- reds and yellows -- to the overall layout. Things would look overly green and pretty monotonous otherwise.

Woodland Scenics Fine Leaf Foliage looks much more realistic than the usual lichen that most hobbyists use to make their own trees. In fact, after using Fine Leaf Foliage, I took all the 'lichen trees' off my layout!



Woodland Scenics Fine Leaf Foliage attached to tree armatures with PVA glue

I attached the foliage with little of PVA glue, careful to try and get the little 'branches' on the foliage to attach to the branches on the tree armatures.

PVA glue is great -- it takes a while to dry but once it sets, it provides a very firm bond and is nearly invisible.



Woodland Scenics Tree Armatures. Gotta get rid of those sprues and conceal the bases with ground cover!

I still need to remove the little sprues still attached to the bases of the tree armatures, glue the bases down and conceal them with ground cover.



Woodland Scenics Fall Mix adds a splash of color behind the Country Chapel

As you can see, I've recently added telegraph poles to my layout -- been looking for these for ages. I'll talk about them in another instalment soon.

Woodland Scenics | Fine Leaf Foliage

I decided I wanted to accent the various shades of green on my layout with some Fall colors of reds, orange and yellow.

And as usual, as if to thwart my plan, the local hobby shops only stocked green foliage and turf. Light green, medium green, dark green, olive green. Any color as long as it was green.



Woodland Scenics Fine Leaf Foliage - Fall Mix

High on my e-Hobbyland list was Woodland Scenics Fine Leaf Foliage Fall Mix. The accents that some reds and yellows would provide would be perfect to add some color to my layout!



Woodland Scenics Fall Mix includes three main colors

And no other product on Woodland Scenics range matches their Fine Leaf Foliage for texture and detail for tree-making. And believe me, I've tried a few of 'em:

• Lichen -- Doesn't look natural at all on a layout despite being a natural product. Or maybe I just haven't found a way to use it well


• Clump Foliage -- Good for bushes, and creating large clusters of trees




• Polyfiber -- Good when sprinkled with Fine Turf and/or Coarse Turf to create a 3-dimensional 'raised' effect. I've used this combination to create fir trees




• Underbrush -- A clumpy sponge-material like Clump Foliage; same use

Fine Leaf Foliage is a whole different kettle o' fish. An all-natural product, the foliage is a matrix of little 'leaves' and branches. When attached to a standard tree armature you end up with an extremely detailed tree. Fine Leaf Foliage costs more but the results are well worth it.

As a bonus Woodland Scenics also supplies a very large tree armature in the package. I decided to deck this tree out with the three colors in layers.



Large tree armature included in Woodland Scenic Fine Leaf Foliage Fall Mix



A mix of all three colors from the Fall Mix were glued on in layers with PVA glue

Model Railroad Scenery | Creating A Realistic Lake Feature

I've always been fascinated by the realistic looking lakes and rivers I've seen on model railroads.

When it came to building the Sunny Model Railroad, I initially had plans to create a waterfall on the far left corner of the layout. After considering the amount of additional space a convincing looking waterfall would need and then looking at the space that I had to work with, I settled on a lake scene instead.

I imagined swaying palm trees, a man-made sandy beach and sunbathers and swimmers out to have some fun in the sun. I also envisioned a place nearby where they would park their cars and camper vans..

But back to how I created this pool of artificial water.

After much research and deliberation, I decided to go with Envirotex polymer resin to create artificial water the for the lake scene on my model railroad.

Envirotex comes in two liquid parts, the resin and the hardener. When the two components are mixed vigorously together it forms a paste that dries clear in about 72 hours.




Building up 'water' in a model lake layer by layer with Envirotex. A few more layers left to go.

After I poured the mixture, and while it was still wet, I added the Woodland Scenics Field Grass to represent long water grasses you see in the pic.




Adding Woodland Scenics Field Grass along the bank of the lake

We have to add Envirotex in several thin layers, giving each layer time to dry before adding the next layer to ensure that the product dries completely. The pic you see is the depth of the lake after pouring in the third layer.




More Field Grass added. The 'rocks' at the bottom of the lake are actually cork chips!

Meanwhile, I'm trying to figure out how best to create model HO scale fish which I can add to the lake. I'll then pour one final layer of resin over the fish for the final depth.

During the curing I covered the drying resin with the lid of a train set box. This was to prevent dust and loose scenery particles from settling on the surface of the drying resin and becoming a permanent fixture.

There are, of course, other alternatives to Envirotex.

Products by Woodland Scenics such as their Realistic Water come ready-mixed in thick liquid form and only have to be poured on and left to dry. They also have another product called E-Z Water which comes in the form of resin chips that have to be heated and melted over a stove.

I've tried Realistic Water and can say that the clarity and surface sheen of the cured product seems as good as Envirotex. I also misplaced a bag of E-Z Water that I had purchased early on --- which is probably a blessing in disguise. Molten resin is something I don't think I should be messing with..

I'll be adding more details to the lake scene very soon. Stay tuned!

Woodland Scenics | Masonry Workers Model Figures

Woodland Scenics makes a good line of pre-painted of scenic figures as part of their Scenic Accents range.

The worker shovelling sand into the cement mixer is from Woodland Scenics Masonry Workers set.

A worker shovels sand into the cement mixer. I used fine quartz sand -- but not fine enough for 1/87 scale!

For the sand I used decorative quartz sand from Ikea which is the finest white sand I've been able to find, but still a bit too large in grain size for HO.

Closeup of the not-so-fine sand. I'll need to grind these up finer somehow.

The pics below show the complete scene of masonry workers building a cottage.

This cottage kit originally came with shiny grey plastic 'brick' sides.

I brought out the brick detail by painting the shiny grey brick with a dilute coat of matte white first. Then, while the paint was still wet, I wiped off the surface, leaving the white paint in the crevices to enhance the outline of the bricks. The thin layer of matte white also got rid of the plasticy shine.

I've yet to paint the wooden frame of the roof though. Details, details....

A lone deer looks on as the workmen go about their job

I'll need to paint the wooden frame of the house to get rid of that plasticy look.

When time (and patience) permit I intend to re-paint and detail the figures on my layout, perhaps down to the facial features. But more on that later..


More model kit buildings on The Sunny Model Railroad:

Western Homestead Shanty by Life-Like models

Country Chapel by Faller

Sanding Tower Model Kit by Faller

Atlas Picket Fence and Gate Kit

Constance Signal Tower Model Kit by Faller

Model Railroad Scenery | Tunnels and Blue Foam

The first pic below shows the mountain tunnel exit on the upper level of my layout. I like to use various coarse turfs to accent the craggy rock -- these are by Woodland Scenics which I think look very natural in color and texture.

The 'stone' tunnel portals on my layout are by Hornby and Faller -- nice detail on both.



Fleischmann train exiting the tunnel cut out of the mountain

It's always a good idea to apply matte black paint to the inside of tunnels otherwise the foundational material (in this case, blue foam) is obviously visible. Matte black art paper would work just as well for this purpose.



Note the tight clearance of the carriage exiting the tunnel. Just enough room!

You can just make out the blue foam in the tunnel as the train on the lower deck approaches in the pic below. I used high-density blue foam for the foundation of all the scenery on The Sunny Model Railroad.



Blue foam in the tunnel is visible as this Fleischmann passenger train approaches

The good thing about documenting this layout in progress is that I get to notice details and flaws that the camera captures.




Fleischmann train entering the tunnel below Windmill Hill  

The fourth pic above shows the other tunnel at the opposite end. I hadn't originally planned for this tunnel but I needed a place to mount the Pola windmill and building set I had purchased on impulse.

Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention.

So, I set to work with -- what else -- blue foam and created a tunnel for the Pola Windmill kit to sit on. I tried out a product called Celluclay instead of plaster for the landscape rock base. Celluclay is an instant, just-add-water paper mache product. And it took forever to dry. No kidding. It must've taken 2 weeks at least before I could paint it.

In the process it developed black and grey mold and mildew. Celluclay probably works well for small projects and, according to the instructions, can be dried in an oven. I had slapped it on pretty thick like I would plaster, which is obviously not the way to use it. The whole thing was also too large to fit in my oven. Not to mention the noxious fumes that burning blue foam would emit.

Gotta love that blue foam.

Designing a Model Railroad Layout for Maximum Action In A Minimal Space

Here's an article that I published online recently:

Gleefully unwrapping that large package on Christmas morning and discovering a toy train set within must surely be a cherished childhood memory for many a model train enthusiast. Setting it up on the floor, with Dad's help of course, the next couple of hours were spent watching the locomotive and its parade of coaches and wagons circle that oval of track endlessly, its purpose and destination limited only by our imaginations.

Fast forward 30 years and we decide that it would be a fun hobby to get into. But this time we would take it seriously.



Upper track level of The Sunny Model Railroad

We have our eye on that highly-detailed miniature steam locomotive with the multiple carriages. We scour the net for information looking for the best track to buy and read up on baseboard construction while aspiring to create scenery that can rival, in miniature, anything that man or Mother Nature could create.

Most importantly we've gotten approval from our other half to setup our dream layout in a part of the house that will henceforth become own little railroad sanctuary. The next step is a visit, or several, to our favorite hobby shop. We leave contented, wallets lightened and a little deeper in credit card debt.

For those of us fortunate enough to have a large loft, garage or spare room in which to pursue our grand design, we have hundreds of track layouts to choose from, with a myriad variations of each. Oh, the possibilities!

But if, like me, you live in a small 2-bedroom apartment and you do not have the luxury of a 12-foot straight run with 6-foot turns, that tiny 6'x3' oval is not going to hold ones interest for very long.

Enter the two-tiered double loop. This is exactly what I created on my 6'3" x 3'6" layout in HO scale.



Fleischman trains on the upper and lower deck of the model railway. Both tracks are independent of each other

Consisting of two independent loops powered by separate transformers, the lower loop is an irregular oval with a short siding. The second elevated layer is a modified dog bone, switchable to a straight pass, also with a short siding. A single layered double loop would not have fit on a layout this size but this limitation turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I now have a more complex and interesting layout especially with the double levels.

I created two separate tunnels for the lower oval, one through the mountain and another at the opposite end so that the steam passenger train is visible maybe only two-thirds of the time as it winds its way around the track. To add realism I can stop the train in one of the tunnels and delay its exit to create the illusion that the train is traveling a far greater distance.

On the upper layer, a goods train passes through its own tunnel in the mountainside and then past a signal-control tower with the possibility of some simple switching on the siding.
Possibly the best part of this system is that the trains are controlled independently -- all without the aid of Digital Command Control!

Because of the split-level, the center of the layout forms a meadow valley and this is where I'm constantly trying out new ideas and themes hoping to get really creative with my landscaping. As it stands, a farmer watches over his flock of sheep as they graze on marigolds. Some distance away, workmen are at work building a small cottage. Further away still, the dazzling white quartz sand of a man-made beach fronting a lake lined with tall water-grasses awaits its holiday-makers. All in all, a model railroad is a continual work in progress that one secretly hopes will never be done.

Having squeezed a fair amount of train action out of my limited space in HO scale I can't help but think that if I had a chance to do it all over again, N scale would be my choice. Oh, the possibilities!