im at the stage in my layout where I’m starting to accumulate buildings and ore small structures…
my thought is to start making them into standalone dioramas whe I can decorate around the structure and do some ground landscaping, the permanent location of the diorama isn’t firmly set yet.
has anyone had any experience doing this and what thickness of styrene do I have to use so that the spray glued attached ground foam and elements like dirt parking lots don’t fall off when I move it around?
Plywood or foam, or whatever you plan to eventually use for the layout/diorama surface would probably be a better choice than styrene. Most of the adhesives used for scenic materials don’t adhere very well to plastic (the reason why many of those adhesives come in plastic containers). [swg]
I scratch build most of my structures and like to build them on base sheets of .040" styrene. Most of my structures are built atop separate base sheets. I build the structure, then mate it to the styrene base using strip styrene curbs cemented to the base sheet just inside the structure walls. This allows each structure to be lifted off of the base sheet for cleaning and maintenance while making sure that the structure doesn’t wander around when set in place on the layout. These interior curbs also keep light from bleeding under the walls of the buildings. Admittedly, I have been concentrating on the urban areas of my layout so I haven’t had to worry too much about adding scenery. So far, most of the base sheets extending beyond the perimeters of the structures are used to represent sidewalks and/or concrete slabs. I scribe expansion joints into the styrene base spaced so each edge of the base sheets look like just another expansion joint when placed against an adjacent structure’s base sheet. I typically use either latex caulking or Elmers Spray Adhesive to mount the base sheets on the layout.
The only multiple structure base sheet I have made to this point is reinforced using a piece of 1/8" Luaun plywood glued to the underside. It holds a depot structure and adjoining freight house. If you don’t want to use multiple layers, you might try .060" or even .080" stryene sheet for large base sheets. Whether or not any of these thicknesses will be sufficient to keep scenery from breaking off will need to be determined by trial and error, although I don’t see much of a problem as most of the scenery products we tend to use remain somewhat flexible. I would just exercise caution when moving your structures on and off the layout.
One big advantage to building on base sheets is having the ability to construct interiors on the base sheets without the structure getting in the way.
I use black foamcore art board for my structures and building flats. In fact, I have a whole town, Silverton, that’s a 1/4" thick.
I like black foamcore because it natively self-shadows and hides edges.
Here is the flat pulled to the front. You can’t it here, but I usually glue a piece of hardwood along the bottom to act as a weight to keep things nicely upright.
And here is the back. Now you can see where I used the wood on this one, but just at one end due to the way the terrain it sits up against.
LION built this city block on a Masonite board. The whole block was decorated at once. This unit survives to be planted on my new layout, the rest of that layout is gone.
Just for the record foam board such as gator foam board and thin wood sheets made from either bass wood or balsa wood are available at craft stores such as Hobby Lobby and Michaels.
Also lightly sanding a styrene sheet will let the glue adhere.
I have seen a number of posts referring to changeable elements. A building or scene was on a “standard” size base and could be changed with another scene. This gives the layout a different look when you change the scenes.
With this in mind, you might want to decide on a standard size for your bases, 6"x6", 12"x12" or whatever size you choose. For larger scenes you could just double your standard and have two smaller ones to fit in place of one larger one.
I have thought of having a couple of changeable scenes. At the moment would favor either Gatorboard or luan. I would be sure to seal the luan so that it does not warp on you when scenic elements are added. I had originally thought of using foam core board, but after using it for other projects (successfully), I don’t feel it is rugged enough to hold up to being moved on and off the layout very often. If you are using extruded foam insulation as the base for your layout, you could also use it for your changeable sections. Just a little care when moving it so as not to damage the edges.
I used styrene “FOR SALE” signs form the Dollar store. also the smaller “XX’S ROOM” signs. I glued the structure to it and landscaped around it on the styrene sign. I kept it to a minimum around the building {about 2 inches or 3} but I did this so I could easily remove the buildings.
See, i play with differing eras as I like to change out,s o I wanted to be able to remove/replace some buildings, houses etc to fit the era I wanted for the trains.
I used WS’s “Scenery glue” {basically white glue}. I even built planters and planted "flowers’ {the tinniest of budlings off fake flowers at the craft store.}
I build and paint a lot of ‘‘Warhammer 40k,figures and vehicles’’,the figures have a round plastic base that they sit on,(THINK OF CHESS GAME) they are handled and moved around a lot,on different terrain scenery…I use WS scenic glue spread on with a small brush and use a spoon with WS gravel and brush foliage,no of it has come off yet…
It won’t be plywood but, rather, either balsa wood or bass wood. And, the thinner the sheet, the more likely it is to warp, particularly if water based products are applied to it. Sanded styrene sheet would probably be the better choice.
Rich is right, a very limited selection if you’re looking at Michaels IIRC. What you need is a hobby shop that carries RC aircraft supplies. Larger sheets of plywood are used for wingskin, etc. They come in thickness down to 1/64" IIRC. For what you want I wouldn’t go less than 1/32", while 1/16" might be better.
And, yes, it will warp if you get it damp, unless you seal it with paint or something first. I use it pretty successfully for parking lots after painting.
That said, be prepared for sticker shock if you need much of it. It can run $20 or more for a sheet, say 24" x 12". That’s one of the reasons I prefer black foamcore for building flats. I can get a huge sheet of it (40" x 40"?) for well under $10.
Oh yeah, one last thing. This thin hobby plywood usually doesn’t lay flat. It will typically have a slight bow to it, I guess because it’s run through rollers as part of the production process. This is not an issue for airplanes, as it is usually fitted to a curved surface anyway. If you want it to stand absolutely straight, it will need some framing to hold it flat. That’s another reason I like black foamcore, as it comes flat and stays flat without a lot of extra work.
Thanks for the tips, so if I go the wood route airbrush both sides with a very thin layer, is there a preference for floquil vs polyscale as far as priming goes? What is the best adhesive of a wood building to styrene?
I would not recommend using Floquil or Polyscale for priming those wood bases. Too expensive. You can get a rattle can of paint from the local hardware or big box store in an appropriate color for a lot less, and will get just as good a result.
To seal the wood you can get a can of brush on sealer. It costs less than a spray can and only have to clean up a brush (or toss it). Use the same sealer to seal any wood in the framework of your layout too. Keeps it from changing with the humidity in the room.
