I’m (finally) getting ready to add some scenery to my freelance (sorta UP oriented) 5’ x 10’ HO cookie cutter (2 level layout). I’ve got a plan to address the big elevation changes with bridge pier abutments, cardboard strips and plastercloth (here and there) slopes, some Cripplebush and Hydrocal cast rocks, etc. May use sme 3/4" foam to build some small hills. I plan to paint the rocks areas (have reference material for that) and will add some texture first to the contours (other than at the rocks) and flatter areas with Sculptamold and/or “ground goop”. All this based on what I’ve read in books and herein. I’ve been acquiring the materials to start this.
My question is about advice on the next steps regarding materials, aside from how to paint the rocks (have references on that), before getting to trees. For detailing the flatter areas and hills, I’ve acquired from my Hobby Lobby a number of Woodland Scenics packs of turf, bushes, clump foliage, underbrush & poly fiber. But I see that “Basic Scenery for Model Railroaders” (by L. Sassi) suggests AMSI foams and groundcovers, plus real dirt (I bought some kitchen sieves). For example, do the foams look too much like foam?? I know I need to add talus to my supplies. I haven’t thought much about static grass yet.
I’m interested in what to try…do brands matter? etc? Any advice will help me experiment wisely on my first sections.
My other reference books include “Essential Model Railroad Scenery Techniques” (by P. Seeborg) and “How to Build realistic Model Railroad Scenery” (by D. Frary) .
I apply a coat of ground coloured latex paint to a small area and sprinkle on various fine and medium foams.
Additional coats can be added by sprinkle on more foam and then adding diluted white glue. I dilute about three parts water to one part glue and a few drops of dish deterengent. I apply this with a child’s medicine dropper.
My best scenery tool is a paint scraper to remove mistakes.
I am not one of the experts here but in some ways that just puts my perspective closer to yours.
For the past 6 months I’ve probably spent as much time in the workshop testing various techniques for scenery as I spent on the actual layout. And found was time well-spent. Some of the recommended methods work really well and some do not- at least not for me. Same goes for materials. And yes brands do matter, but again it all depends on what you want to achieve and the “look” that you want.
I suggest that you do the same thing I did and try out a variety of different materials and methods to make sure you will be satisfied before actually applying them to the layout. My first attempts were usually not-so-good because there are skills to it that can only be learned by doing. Practice really does help.
There are so many ways to do scenery I am sure that you will get a lot of different views, but here is a short list of conclusions I have come to.
I am forming terrain mostly using foam, but also using the plaster shell method in some areas. There are pros/cons to both methods. Just try and see for yourself what works best for you.
There are a lot of ways to make rocks and rock faces. I learned how to hand-carve plaster on my first layout many years ago and still prefer this over molds. But it definitely takes practice. I bought a 50 lb box of hydrocal on e-bay and most of the way through it now. If you are going to use a bunch its a whole lot cheaper than buying a little at a time.
Cheap acrylic paints from Michaels or Walmart are great for coloring and shading plaster rocks and walls, ground cover, and just about anything else. You can mix with water to make a thin wash or leave it thick for good coverage. Mixing colors and thinning to get the desired effects takes trial-and-error practice but is pretty easy once you get the hang of it.
As mentioned above, trial and error is an excellent teacher. What works for one person, may be a nightmare method for another. Try a few different ideas. Also, what to use follows the same ideas. Cardboard lath and plaster cloth may work well in some places, but you may find that stacked foam will work better in others.
You mentioned needing talus. I just used chunks of left over plaster and broke them up into small pieces. Use the same wash that you color your rock face with to soak the plaster chunks in, then they match. If you use pre-colored rock faces, try to match the color with your mix.
Even though I had no scenery experience, watching some videos and reading several scenery books brought me results much better than I had expected for a first try. As your skills improve, you can go back and improve your scenery.
For making trees, I also, agree that Scenic Express Super Trees and Scenic Sage trunks, make great trees. I soak the Super Tree armature in Matte Medium and then apply spray adhesive. Sprinkle on the varied green fine and medium foam for the foliage.Respray with adhesive. Drill the holes for the trees, or drill fine holes in the base of the trunk and glue short nails in the holes. Then push the nails or tree trunks into the holes. Vacuum up any white powder before spraying the ground varying shades of brown terrain . For large numbers of trees, buy the crate of Scenic Express Super Trees. It makes 350-400 trees. Tip the plastic box of Super Trees over, so that the bottom side is up. The Super Trees are packed radially so that you can remove the trees without breaking branches. Bob Hahn
Brands matter with regard to which specific colors and textures you might want. Certain colors of AMSI foam are essential to me for things like sagebrush, as Woodland Scenics (WS) has no useful colors for that. I use some foams from Scenic Express also, again as there are no equivalents in WS.
Many hobbyists stick with WS because their local shop carries no other, or they don’t know the other brands well enough to think of what to use from them. Use photos of the scenery you’re modeling as a basis for purchasing decisions. If one brand lacks appropriate colors, try another.
This scene uses a base of real dirt to prevent any thinner areas of grass from revealing plaster or Homasote underneath. It has ground foam from Woodland Scenics, Scenic Express and AMSI, along with static grass from Silflor and Noch. Static grass provides an extra dimension of texture that can’t be achieved with plain foam, but the foam can still be important. Note that mixtures of related colors are often more effective than using one color by itself. Again, use photos as a guide.
Rob your weed tufts really look great- eager to pull out the static stick and try duplicating it this evening. Assume that you are putting drops of glue on the foil and using it as a conductor? Why canopy glue instead of regular white glue?
Paul another point that we have mentioned- the region that you are modeling will also favor some methods over others and using photos as a guide really helps. If you are modeling UP then rocks and ground/dirt texture will be important, trees and foliage will be less of a factor. Mountain shapes and rock textures/colors also differ from one region to another. The best place that I have found to get good pictures of specific railroads is railpictures.net. Here are results of a UP search: http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?railroad=Union%20Pacific
Going back to the example photos that I posted earlier, here you can see the rock textures and colors that I was aiming for. I actually printed these pictures and had them on the bench so that I could use them as a reference as I was carving and painting. This exercise also convinced me that I was going to have to come up with something better than the pre-made WS trees and dark green WS ground foam.
You are correct about how I do it - drops of glue are placed on the foil, then the ground probe on the static grass machine is clipped to the foil. Be sure to use non-stick! If you try it on regular foil your grass tufts won’t come off.
Canopy glue remains flexible after it dries, and stays wet enough for grass fibers to stick for a long time. I’ve also tried “easy flow formula” Tacky Glue and it works just as well. White glue can break apart when you remove it, but may work OK.
I got the information for making the tufts from the Monster Model & Laserworks site, but it appears to have been taken down.
Thanks everyone for all the comments and photos. I’ll definitely do some garage trials, great idea, and check out the Scenic Express and AMSI materials, plus the tree options. I also get to experiment on my grandson’s 4x6 layout (out of town). I checked out the UP photo site and will use that as well.
One issue is the lack of hobby shops with much selection here in central TX. Maybe one in DFW (where we often visit) will offer more. It the SE and AMSI sites show decent photos that can suffice to choose colors, etc.
Looks like it will involve a lot of learning and experimentation but I’m in no hurry and usually enjoy learning new things (e.g., DCC).
Nature experiments all the time. You should too. Perhaps the best suggestion I can offer is to use many different techniques, and particularly many different materials. I’ve got two different containers of ground foam, four of turf and six bags of static grass, plus a few bags of field grass. My collection of cheap acrylic craft paints has half a dozen different grays, and the same number of browns and greens. I’ve accumulated all of these slowly, over several years as I’ve scenicked different sections of my layout.
Pay attention to geology and biology. As you move away from your rivers and streams, the grasses get less green and more brown, and also more splotchy. I apply turf by hand, pinch by pinch, so I can avoid the unrealistic “golf course” look in wild areas. Use all kinds of different trees, too.
I am now committed to including static grass, as I ordered a GrassTech $40 applicator today, recommended in an earlier thread. It hits a happy medium for me, between building my own and the high $$ ones. I downloaded the Scenic Express catalog and will get some additional foams and some static grass samples. Need to go out and collect some dirt! Then start experimenting, first by building some contours on scrap plywood.
