EXPERT MODELLERS SHOW YOU HOW
HOW TO CUSTOMISE A LASER-CUT KIT
George Dent shows how a greater sense of realism can be achieved by adding surface texture to a structure.
Surface texture can be really important, especially for models that sit in the foreground of a layout. The combination of the brickwork and roof tiles greatly enhances this laser-cut kit.
PHOTOGRAPHY: GEORGE DENT
Having assembled a couple of new laser-cut kits from Scale Model Scenery, I was particularly taken with a small machine shop/ workshop structure. Thinking it would fit nicely on one of my ongoing layout projects, I determined to see if the kit could be customised and improved to match the neighbouring buildings.
Consisting of a sturdy main structure formed from fibreboard, the kit features a choice of brick or random stone overlays for the exterior and interior walls. Brick would suit my proposed location, but the colouring of the masonry wasn’t a good enough match with my other brick-built structures.
Furthermore, the inherent ‘flatness’ of the printed brickwork – despite being rendered to a high quality – meant that the workshop looked a little incongruous within the scene.
Cladding the exterior walls with embossed plastic sheet would provide the desired texture, while allowing me to match the colour of the brickwork more closely with paint. Deciding on this approach from the start would mean that you could use the supplied printed overlay sheets as a guide to marking out and cutting the new layers.