KNP

Many thanks, I have more pictures in the Gallery section under the handle of Little Muddle......

Yes, some are just ordinary Seamoss spray painted and then coated with various shades of scatter. My prime trees are sagebrush armatures obtained from the states (natural bush found in the desert areas) trimmed then Seamoss sprigs added individually and finished with scatter. I have written an article on how to make them but it's on my other website which I am also a member of. Attached is a picture showing how effective they can be. Just so it stays within the confines of this topic behind the trees is the scratch built creamery!?!?! Thanks Kevin

Now for something completely different that I must say I have never seen modelled before. Namely a building damaged by a falling branch from a tree in this case on old shed in the grounds of a derelict house. Basically a shed built from plastic corrugated sheeting that I found is at a second hand stall at an exhibition. Then, and this is the bit that took some working out, how to model the damage in such a way that it looked like something had fallen on it. Namely one side pushed in with the opposite side pushed out but the building still standing. The shed was painted and then finished with an over coating of Scenic Rust which I can highly recommend, the only thing I will say is you have to be patient as it takes a while for the effect to happen, in this case I left it overnight. The last two pictures shows it insitu with the branch (sagebrush armature) resting on the roof and finished with a few Seamoss branches with scatter added. It took a while but I think it worked well. Might change the door as it the pictures it looks rather thick or I could just paint the top edge black might be the simpler answer!!! Kevin

I totally agree with the comments made, we all have to start somewhere and a little constructive advise can go a long way. Look forward to seeing the posts. Kevin

Thanks for the comments. If you want to see more pictures I have posted some (and will continue to post more) in Galleries under the title of Little Muddle which incidentally happens to be the name of the layout! Kevin

Here is a few more pictures of the store building showing that you can mix and match materials. Main walls are grey card with brick paper from Model Railway Scenery there old Victorian brick wall range, roof Wills plain tiles, gutters from wills but downpipes from plastic rod with card brackets. Windows a mixture of what I had in the scrap box which ranged from Laser cut, plastic and no idea!!!, the timber planks are just plastic strip cut of various sizes, painted and fixed in place. Water butt Langley's range, timber battens on the roof are plastic strip painted with the excellent range from Lifecolor - weathered wood. It is modelled as a view blocker so you have to peer around it to see what is behind hence why it is effectively cut off with the side painted black and in line with the profile board. Kevin

Rest assured it was pristine and the weathering effect was indeed a paint treatment!!!!!!

Totally agree. I mix up as necessary as in real life buildings are normally a mixture of finishes, styles and designs etc.. The only time this doesn't work is if you are making a housing or industrial estate all built at the same time. Materials can be as inventive as you like and as an example the roof of the attached store picture is toilet paper fixed to grey card and then painted. The walls are brick paper but the tiles on the pitched roof are from the Wills range. Basically it's what looks best and adds variety to the scene. Kevin

Quaint little platform signal box that I built over a couple of days. Normal materials used, postcard tiled roof, laser cut windows adapted to suit, postcard boarding, microstrip steps and brick paper plinth. Finials from Langley, there was a name board fitted but it was to long so back to the drawing board - might just add one saying 'Little Muddle' and leave off the signal box bit.

Noted. Keep volume controls pointing down.....seems to be the simplest way though not always the preferred. Many thanks

Yes, an iPhone 5S. It has happened once before when I posted on the other site I belong to (Railwaymodellers.com) but I sorted it by initially turning the picture upside down which resulted in it being displayed the correct way up. Didn't work here though. Is there a work around?

Many thanks gents for turning it around. What was I missing as I looked in edit etc and couldn't see an obvious way of turning it.

Suppose I'll have to stick them down to stop them falling out now? That also explains why the water troughs are empty......... Tried a few other pictures and they seem fine, even tried turning it upside down and then attaching but it still ended up the wrong way. I assume you are all seeing this the wrong way up!

Not sure what's happened to the picture as on my computer it's upside down.......can't seem to find a way to turn it up the right way. Anyone help?

Just finished the piggery so thought I would post it on the site. Made as normal form brick paper on card with card roof tiles. Now all I need is some pigs, anyone got any suggestions on the best make!!! I know we all try and make our models look as realistic as possible but there is one aspect that I not be modelling and that is the smell!!!! I'll leave that to others.........

Looking through my archives I found this poor quality picture of the creamery!!!!!!! Or is it........? Kevin

Effective and well the worth the time it took to complete Kevin

Thanks very much for your comments. I will certainly give it some thought and try and work out which topic heading would suit? With regard to your comment on observation this touches on something I keep banging on in the other website I am involved with (Railwaymodellers.com - KevinP) and that is to observe what see, model what you see and not what you think you should see. By this I mean not all grass is green, not all tree trunks are brown, not all brickwork is red etc.etc, you know the sort of thing I mean. And the other issue is that nothing is smartly painted, clean and tidy unless of course the Queen is visiting that day!!!! I use numerous photographs (they are so easy in this digital world we live in) as this makes the eye focus on the area in question with no peripheral vision involved so highlights mistakes, problems or errors like nothing else. I can say I have thrown away quite a few buildings that just didn't look or feel right. Kevin

Dave Hadn't thought about doing one or if I am totally honest how to set one up, normally leave this techno stuff to my son to sort for me. It was only after pressure from friends and family that got me to do something with the layout on the two websites I belong to. Cheers Kevin

Thanks Alan Comments much appreciated One final one for the day taken at eye level looking towards the station. The platform canopy was a nightmare to get the card straight, used the Ratio canopy legs, LCut valance with the roof covered with strips of caborundum paper. I know not part of this forum but the tree is built using sagebrush armatures from the States, Seamoss sprigs and scatter. Kevin

Main line station at Encombe with every building being designed by myself and then scratchbuilt from my preferred option of grey card with brick papers glued on. The paper on the station building is from Model Railway Scenery - Victorian Red Brick with 6 coats of UV varnish applied to tone it down. Two types of roof tiles, red plain tiles cut from ordinary postcard (or to give it its correct name correspondence cards!!!) with the slate tiles a self adhesive tile strips from York Modelling. Windows complete mixture from etched brass to laser cut to homemade. Foot bridge turned out to be a job and a half especially getting the valance (Laser cut supplied by LCut Creative) to line up down the slope - eventually cut into individual strips and fixed to a thin card backing. Funny thing with these pictures is that for weeks I had mislaid the cover plate to the e-link module and couldn't find it but loe and behold here it is on the track bed under the footbridge.......the trouble is I have no recollection of putting it there??

Thanks for comments guys and so here is a close up of the creamery building that I have just finished. The side picture of the creamery with the water tank detail shows recycling at its best. I was helping my son remove a disused tank from his loft when I noticed the plastic overflow pipe was 20mm and just what I needed. So work was delayed whilst I cut a section out put it to one side and from then one every bit we removed my son looked at me and said with tongue in check - any use!!!! The moral of this tale is always view things to be discarded with a thought - can I use it for something else! Kevin

Thought I would add a couple of pictures of my own after looking at all the excellent ones posted previously. All the buildings are scratch built from 1.5mm grey card with either bick papers or Wills detail sheets overlayed. The windows are a mixture of either Scalelink, Brassmasters or the signal box is LCut Creative plus what ever I had to hand at the time. For example the boiler flue is the plastic protective cover supplied with paint brushes and the flat roof to the front store is toilet paper!! Kevin