HOW TO CREATE A REALISTIC YARD SURFACE
EXPERT MODELLERS SHOW YOU HOW
George Dent was impressed by two recent Geoscenics kits which allow for authentic yard and road surfaces to be created with ease. And we’ve arranged a special reader offer to save you ££s!
PHOTOGRAPHY: GEORGE DENT
In last month’s Workbench, Peter Marriott explained how he recreated a muddy, rutted forestry track, which set me thinking about an area of one of my own layout projects.
With a siding and yard area to treat, I’d be aiming for a cinder/ash ‐style ground covering, which would undulate slightly thanks to regular, heavy road vehicle traffic. A far-from-pristine appearance would be essential, with plenty of texture and tonal variety, while the odd pothole or two would also be welcome.
While mulling over my options, I came across a pair of Geoscenics kits, which seemed to fit the bill perfectly. As an added bonus, the kits also feature lengths of fencing. Deciding to give them a try, I knocked up a simple diorama base from layers of 5mm thick foamboard, contoured and coated in a thin layer of plaster.
Two kits were trialled: the Pot Hole Yard kit includes a 300g bag of dark grey/black fine Yard Powder scatter material. A 50g bag of grey Yard Ash and 100g bag of red/brown Yard Dirt are also provided, along with ten lengths of acrylic fencing (with a scale height of around 4ft 6in for ‘OO’).