PLAY YOUR CARD RIGHT

Printed card kits have been around since the early 20th century, offering a relatively cheap and easy means of building a variety of models, including locomotives and rolling stock. The use of card for replicating trains has waned over the past 50 years, but it’s still a popular material for model structures and scenic accessories.

In more recent decades, improvements in printing technology have allowed kit manufacturers to create much more lifelike renditions of brick, stone, concrete and timber, meaning that there’s no need for painting the assembled models. Indeed, some kits now also come pre-weathered, with optional graffiti in some instances.

Die-cutting and laser-cutting have also greatly speeded up assembly times, with pre-cut kit parts removing the need for tedious work with a knife and steel rule. Pre-cut parts also remove any margin for error, ensuring that the parts are uniform and the various elements slot together as intended.

A well-designed card kit will build into a surprisingly sturdy – yet lightweight – structure and the material is easy to work with, with only a handful of simple tools required. There’s very little mess involved and no need for smelly, solvent-based glues. What’s more, any waste card can be recycled, so it’s an environmentally friendly option too!

Card is a porous material, so we need to take some precautions when using it. Choice of glue is important (see panel), as anything too watery may cause the card to swell and deform. There’s also the risk of the printed surfaces being damaged by excess moisture, so the parts need to be handled carefully and the finished model stored in a relatively dry and stable environment, protected from variations in temperature and humidity.

A modern variation on the traditional card kit is the downloadable version, as offered by Scalescenes, Smart Models and others. The kit components can be printed at home onto paper and laminated onto different grades of card. There’s a degree of extra labour involved, as the parts are not pre-cut, but the results can be impressive. An added bonus is the fact that the kits can be printed off as many times as you like.

Card kits are available to suit most scales and they’re perfect for modellers of all skill levels.

This extensive mill complex was created from a quartet of Metcalfe card kits. Card kits offer a versatile option, being easy to modify or customise.

Left: Card kits are available in various scales, representing railway, industrial and domestic building subjects. Metcalfe and Superquick are probably the best-known ranges.

Right: Lightweight magnetic clamps are designed to fit on either side of a corner joint, holding parts steady while the glue dries. As well as improving accuracy, they speed up assembly. Various shapes and sizes are available from York Modelmaking and Proses.

Wooden sprung clothes pegs are ideal for clamping parts together.