Has anyone built this model and used brass rods instead of the included plastic ones for the sandbox cross-supports? I am thinking of .010 or .015 diameter rods. The kit’s plastic ones look fairly flimsy.
Any suggestions or advice on giving a wood look to the styrene sides of that sand box?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Cedarwoodron
When I built my sandhouse I used “piano wire” for the cross supports, I soaked them in water for a few days prior to installing them and they weathered (rusted) very naturally. I’m not sure of the exact diameter of the wire since I work part time at a hardware store and I just took what was available in the scrap bin.
I built one for our layout at Boothbay Railway Village. I thought the plastic tie rods were way too fragile and replaced them with brass. I do not remember the diameter, but it was similar to the diameter of the plastic ones. We still need to do some scenery details in this area
I did this kit not long ago and had no problems with the plastic cross rods. They’re a little more flexible than they appear and I didn"t even glue them. As for the wood look, I used a dark grey, similar to grimy black and then did some drybrushing with a medium grey to get the look I was after
I did the same thing, just stayed with the plastic rods. They are fine.
I have this kit but haven’t built it yet. I’ll keep the piano wire in mind when I do get around to building it.