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How to “plant” model buildings


DaveyH
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I have just completed two Metcalfe card models and am wondering how best to “plant” them on the baseboard (6mm plywood) so that they appear to be built into rather than onto the ground?

 

What advice could you give me please?

 

Thanks

 

Davey

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  • RMweb Gold

Good advice on that thread from Miss Prism.

 

The secret is not to think of the buildings being linked to that 6mm ply. Cover the ply with a sheet of foam. Shape the foam to give a credible landscape and then cut some suitable holes in the foam to set the building into.

 

The problem is that most model buildings have no foundations. So you may need to add something to the bottom of the buildings to make it work.

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Hi,

 

When I built my layout, Burnt Mills see link below, I used "Fab Foam" from Hobbycraft  https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/black-fab-foam-sheet-a3/565433-1000  I'm sure other craft retailers do this too.

 

I covered most of the layout with 2 layers of grey sheets as I would be using grey ballast, and cutting away the top layer gave a ballast shoulder. Plus it cushioned the track.

 

You can decided where you need to place the foam, for your particular scenario, other colours are available.

 

When I came to plant the structures, I just pressed down with the building, which left an indentation in the 1st layer, then I cut round that with a scalpel. The structure then drops in the hole and you get the planted look. 

 

HTH

 

Rob

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"Acrylic paint is the best paint to use when you want to paint the entire surface or a large section of the foam. It spreads easily with a paintbrush and is thick enough that it won't drown the color into the foam. Leave the paint thick and mix it quickly.

 

For the maximum color appearance, don't dilute the paint. And if you plan to mix colors, do so quickly, as acrylic paint dries rapidly. Be patient.

 

Though acrylic paint is fast-drying, foam takes longer than other surfaces to dry. You likely will need to wait several hours before working with the foam after painting it. If you plan for moisture to touch your craft project, use an acrylic gloss over the paint so that it doesn't come off."

 

I found that quote on a craft website, and I did use acrylics from an airbrush to paint some of the foam on my layout .

 

HTH

 

Rob

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  • 2 months later...

Not sure if this is particularly useful for card buildings, but plastic kit buildings i masking tape round the base of the structure, and then plaster/sculptamould up to the edge of the building. I then carefully pull these buildings out before the plaster sets or it will be a nightmare to move afterwards! You should then have a perfect sited structure, that you can then paint, flock, or static grass upto to hide that awful gap that you sometimes see on models. Here is a picture of the scenic base with buildings removed, they almost feel like excavations when removed. But i can now place lighting inside, and get to any lights for maintenance.624CDB9F-80D4-4E30-A4F3-847EF6E2D15A.jpeg.1e5bc46291889b2458bbe109966c5f97.jpeg05E1DAA7-9654-4452-AB2C-E128D6218B0F.jpeg.3b32d2da36d635380f418c6f4000876b.jpeg82B771D1-958E-468B-898C-82031B5EFF9C.jpeg.1c5a727ba9ecea16f7a2657b9615efbf.jpeg9362C91F-B2F2-4BE4-BB57-D6C5E944D5C1.jpeg.3576c4581fd15bbe1eaf5fd20a71ca20.jpeg 

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