This question pertains mainly to shelf railroaders since the 4x8 guys need to paint all 4 sides.
Generally on a shelf layout, there will be at least one side of a structure that cannot be seen from the aisle and in the case of a corner structure sometimes two such sides. I know a lot of modelers don’t even both to paint them and in some cases, just substitute a sheet of styrene for them and use the wall section either for kitbashing or a background building flat. This does make sense but I have to say that in most cases, I do paint all 4 sides. I have several reasons for doing so.
The primary reason is that on a number of occasions after placing the structure on the layout, I don’t like the way it looks or it doesn’t quite fit and I will move it to a new location and/or use it for another purpose. In so doing, what might have been invisible in the original location can be seen from its new location. Painting a structure after assembly is problematic. I might not spend the time weathering the rear of the building but I almost always to the basic painting.
The second reason for doing the backs has to do with a look ahead. The backs of some structures may not be visible from the aisle but could have track running behind them. At some point, I will probably add onboard video to my layout. If I do so, those back walls that can’t be seen from the aisle will be visible on the monitor and an unpainted wall or plain sheet of styrene would destroy the illusion of seeing the layout from the engineer’s seat.
I paint and weather all sides of the building because 90% of the time they will be moved to a more suitible location during the scenery process, but more importantly I’ll do some painting if the building is lighted. There is nothing worse than light coming thru the plastic walls so I also paint the interior walls with a flat dark colored paint so this won’t happen either…chuck
I’ve got a 5x12, but I assume the 4x8 statement applies to me, too. Even if I were doing a shelf layout, I’d still paint and weather the whole thing. There is always the future, and one never knows what the next incarnation of a railroad might look like. It only takes a few extra minutes to paint and weather one more wall while putting a building together, but it would be another whole project if you had to take something you had built 5 years earlier and match the other 3 walls.
I’ve got a video camera, and parts of my layout are designed specifically with that in mind. In particular, of course, are the subway tunnels, but I place buildings and even the advertising decalled on the sides of them to be seen by the video camera at the best possible angle. As the train emerges from the tunnel, Ted Williams tells the folks on board to drink Moxie.
No, I don’t paint, detail or even use original sides, for corner structures or a building in between two others, I don’t bother either. Many kitbashes are the same way, if I have to relocate, I’ll then make adjustments.If it’s not seen,why bother?
I paint all sides of a building but only because quite often I’ll build it before I know where it will end up on the layout. If I knew exactly where a building would end up… If I knew for certain that no one would ever see that side of the building… I’d probably paint it anyway ( I just know that one day I’ll get a visitor who’ll bring a hand mirror with them!)
I only have two buildings that are not completed on all four sides. Both of the buildings are against a backdrop. I have build the rest of the layout to facilitate taking pictures. A camera can be set just about anywhere on the layout so all side of the building need to be complete.