Bilco's Bodgements #8

[Bilco]

It's been a while since the last Bodgement, but ideas have been bubbling up while I've been sitting around - sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits ...

Anyway, I've seen some of those layouts in the USA, down in their basements, and with scenery from floor to ceiling, and I wondered if I could do somehting on a much smaller scale, and follow up on the scenery in Watts' Yawzes Mine. I also thought I would try making the baseboard from foamboard, just to see if I could ...

So, the components assembled ...



A sheet of 5mm hardboard found in the back of the garage, an unused piece of extruded polystyrene insulation ditto, and a pack of 10 A0 sheets of foam board ...

A bit of cutting later produced these ...



A base cut from the hardboard, and one piece of foamboard cut in half lengthways, and 30 degree angle cut at the ends - which became ...



Top corners of the foamboard cut off and glued to the bottom, and the sheet then glued to the hardboard base - looks like it might get airborne soon ...

Hours of fun ...

[Steve Holland]

Are you sure that this will not become one of the Imperial shuttles from Star Wars? It sort of reminds me a bit of one with its wings folded for landing http://neil-ellis-models.blogspot.com/2015/05/studio-scale-imperial-shuttle-tydirium.html
Now one of those in 1:24 scale..........

[backwaterscotland]

Are you sure that this will not become one of the Imperial shuttles from Star Wars? It sort of reminds me a bit of one with its wings folded for landing http://neil-ellis-models.blogspot.com/2015/05/studio-scale-imperial-shuttle-tydirium.html
Now one of those in 1:24 scale..........

There is a kit in 1:24 but the $3200 price is scary! https://www.craggsmodels.com/store/imperial-shuttle-studio-scale-1-24-scale-kit-1

Trying to imagine how a layout based on star wars would look

Bilco - I was involved in designing a 00 gauge West Highland layout a few years ago with a planned hillside that ran from almost floor level to 6 feet to get the same idea but getting the scale right was problematic along with the sheer size everything would be. I'll be interested to see how yours looks.

Andy

[Bilco]

Good guesses chaps ...



... but no, it's one of these ...



Both sides stuck on, a double-skin top in place, and a couple of triangular strengtheners fixed in the corners ...

This is the 'box' into which the track and scenery will fit in due course ...

Hours of fun ...

[Bilco]

On to the next step - another piece of foamboard, approximately 2 feet square, was cut out and strengthening pieces glued to the underside ...



The basic shape ...



... and the finished article. Light but strong, it looks rather like one of those mazes that psycologists make rats run around ...

In due course the front corners will be rounded off - tentative curves pencilled in ...

Hours of fun ...

[Bilco]

Next up - the track for a simple pizza circle. I had two yard lengths of Peco track in the back of the garage, so the rails were extracted and curved with a home-made bender as described by Steve Bennett. Once the rails were at the right radius (9") they were fed back into the sleeper base ...



Then the odd-looking construction from the last post was turned the right way up, and the track glued down with Woodland Scenics Scenic Glue ...



We have a pizza - well, a bit oval ...

Hours of fun ...

[Bilco]

And the last bit of this phase ...



The board with the track on was glued about half way up the outer casing, making sure it was level L-R and F-R (I hope). The front, scenic side ...



... and the back. Just need to do a little bit of wiring, and then it's on with the scenicing. Not quite floor to ceiling ...

Hours of fun ...

[chris stockdale]

Ah, now it makes sense!

I really hadn’t appreciated how the ‘frame’ was going to work.

Cheers,

[Bilco]

The last couple of weeks have been rather busy for some reason - something to do with platinum ...

Anyway, the lower mountainside has been constructed ...



... left side ...



... and right side. I used insulation foam sheet cut into strips and glued together on foam board formers. Then the foam was attcked with knives to roughen it, and the joins filled with decorator's caulk. Finally, several layers of acrylic texture paste coloured with acrylic paint and painted on as thick undercoats, washes to bring out the texture, and dry-brushings to highlight ...

The white bit is going to be a supporting wall where the mountainside needed building out for the trackbed. That will have a stone paper covering in due course ...

Next, the upper mountainside ...

Hours of fun ...

[Bilco]

Nearly a month since my last post on this Bodgement. Where does the time go?

Anyway, The rock painting is done ...



Right side ...



... front ...



... and left side ...

So, the sequence was:

1. A thick coat of acrylic texture paste mixed with white acrylic paint and a little Payne's Grey, allowed to dry
2. A not-too watery wash of Payne's Grey, wiped off the high points and increased in the crevices, allowed to dry over several days
3. A not-too-thick mix of acrylic texture paste and white acrylic paint, Payne's Grey and a little Burnt Sienna, brushed over the high points, using a wide, short-bristle brush
4. Allow to dry, step back, and admire ...

Next up - paint the track, ballast, complete the retaining wall ...

Hours of fun ...