I plunged in. Got myself a roll of plaster cloth and a couple blocks of floral foam and started earth-building. The reason I combined foam and cardboard netting instead of just the netting is because I plan to stick some tall fir trees in around the Perkins later, and so I needed something underneath the topography for the trees to stick into. Here’s the progression.
First I had to bridge the empty space so the foam could be supported.
Next, the foam. I don’t like this stuff at all, but I gotta say, you can shape it super easily with a razor saw. There will be a very large fir tree, taller than the Perkins, on that level top near the track, and one or two down at the level of the lower block. I held my breath and crossed my fingers that Elmer’s Glue-All would work on this weird foam without eating it away. It worked fine.
Next I built the hill. This topography is precipitous in a way I don’t think is terribly realistic, but I needed there to be enough room at the bottom for a rut road between the hill and the inner track.
Finally, a chance to see what this much touted plaster cloth can do. It’s actually pretty amazing stuff. Per Kathy Millatt’s advice in her scenery book, instead of dipping it in water first, I laid it on dry and then used a squirt bottle (protecting the structure, of course) to moisten it. It worked pretty well.
I have a ways to go yet – gotta get ahold of some Sculptamold to fill it out – but I consider this first outing a success. I’ll post more later, but I have more research and learning to do before the next phase.
Great first effort! Yes, def get Scuptamold or Plaster of Paris (POP) or something similar to fill the holes. After it dries, visit the oops table at HD and get yourself an indoor paint of whatever earth color is suitable for your geographic area. While the paint is wet, start sprinkling some ground foam. Then, glue on some bushes fallen branches and add some trees.
Now to get good at plaster cloth you need to make sure the side with the most plaster is facing up and you need to smooth it with your hand, don’t know if the misting idea will give you enough water, guess it will if you spray it enough. Next thing is the foam you are using is real real expencive, most foam will work but you need a hot wire or they are messy, I use beaded foam, it is free a lot of times and with the hot wire you do not get the beads everywhere.
Thanks kkb. The trees are going to be a while coming because for this scene in particular, I want really tall realistic ones from Coastman’s. I live in the Pacific Northwest, where men are men and trees are tall. I didn’t know about the oops table. Is that a thing at every Home Depot? @Kevin?
This is actually a concern I have. Ms. Millatt did make the point that you have to get the cloth good and wet. But I think I did, because most of the areas dried pretty hard. It’s true I didn’t smear the bumps around a lot, so I still have holes, but my plan was always to apply a liberal ground cover of some POP or Sculptamold over top of this.
Rather than coating the cloth with Sculptamold, what I do is brush on a soupy layer of tinted Hydrocal. That provides a very strong surface for additional work. When I proceed with final contours, I’ll use Celluclay rather than Sculptamold since it’s available locally (Sculptamold isn’t).
A very strange thing is happening for me with this thread. When I view it on my iPhone I see nine replies, but on my computer I see only four, even after reloading, rebooting and doing “all the things”. And they’re not the same replies. Pruitt’s reply above only shows up here on the computer, but it doesn’t show up among the nine on my phone. Bizarre! Never seen this before.
I totally disagree! I think the shape and the slope are very realistic. You have done a great job, especially when you consider that this was your first attempt.
I think it looks fine, bu with a small layout, I would not be concerned if things did not look as realistic as you hoped.
I would concentrate on making some realistic vinette’s or scenes, with the understanding that they might be connected with less than realistic transitions. Pick your favorite parts of the layout and make them the best you can make them, and the others will just have to be there, so to speak.
The right side is a little steep for the angle of repose needed for soil, but generally you can get away with steeper than nature on a model railroad without it looking odd. Sort of like how scale size trees would look wrong, because trees are way bigger than we think they are.
The left side is too steep for grasses but I don’t see that as a bad thing. That lower third or so is crying out for a rockface. Which isn’t nearly as difficult as it seems and is a good skill to practice early on.
Thanks for sayin’, Dave. We’ll see when I go to plant trees. The whole reason I used such a klugey assemblage of supports was so that there would be foam in the right places when I go to stick trees. But as someone pointed out in a post that has since vanished from this thread (one of several), the foam I used likely won’t hold up very well.
Thanks Bear! Glad U-R-sine it the same way I see it. (<-- long way to reach for a pun, I know)
Thanks, Douglas. Sound counsel, good for a perfectionist with champagne expectations but potato hooch skills to hear.
Lion, that right side will be the equivalent of fascia; there’s an access hole there so the drop off is immediate. As for the lower left portion of the hill, yes, I most definitely want to do a mossy rock face there, especially since the drop from the upper level as you go around that corner to the left will be almost vertical to make room for the track and a little gravel road. I know there are many methods for rock faces, from plaster casts to carved foam to puchased scenery. I haven’t done much research on that yet.
Mark, it looks like I can get Sculptamold just over the ridge a couple miles away for an okay price. I think Hydrocal is available here too, but I might have to buy way more than I want to pay for or store. Thanks for tip though, and the reminder to mix my earth color into the plaster before applying it, so that nicks and dings won’t show white.
For me I could get the beadboard for free where I work. (Although I am done with the rough scenery.)
I use Scluptamold for my scenery. I have to order it when I need it but I have to do that for most everything anyway. I don’t have to be precise with the mix and can experiment for thicker or thinner mixes as well.
