CHEMISTRY CLASS
The chemical plant itself is the focal point of the entire layout and a hugely impressive feat of modelling in itself. It also happens to be one of the few elements that is not meticulously modelled as per the prototype. “The phrase I use is ‘impressionist modelling’,” Paul explains. “I made no attempt whatsoever to create a realistic chemical plant. The layout’s objective is to hold a viewer’s attention for three to four minutes. As such, implementing details that might take a viewer 20 minutes to spot just wasn’t worth my time.” Paul’s philosophy is flawed - but in a good way. You can become entirely absorbed studying the intricacies of the chemical plant alone, and for far longer than just four minutes! Paul credits the stunning nature of the model to the baron of scratchbuilding himself, Allan Downes. “It’s very much built as an homage to the model of Scunthorpe Steelworks that Allan built a few years ago,” he says. Paul planned the layout using computer design software, but with the track laid, many of the details acquired, and trains running, the chemical plant was nowhere to be seen. Paul explains: “I had the footprint for the structure ready to go, but I still hadn’t started the build.” Paul was faced with a slight problem: close-up images of chemical plants aren’t easily acquired, but a flick through past Allan Downes articles soon armed him with enough inspiration to remedy the situation. Allan is famed for his ability to incorporate unaltered household objects into his builds - a method Paul was keen to replicate. Luckily, he was offered a helping hand: “A friend of mine, Barrie Jones, provided me with a huge bag of useful household objects and components from old kits that he’d acquired at swap meets.” These random components, combined with two Walthers Skyscraper Construction Site kits, provided Paul with enough materials to start building the plant. He says: “With the Walthers kit forming the frame, I simply tried out various household objects, and if they didn’t look right I’d rearrange or remove them. The whole process took about three months.”
GRASS ROOTS
From the intricate chemical plant to the impressively observed road markings, ‘Windmill Terminal’ is an extremely detailed model. One element that stands out is the amount of vegetation present on the layout. It’s something that’s not immediately associated with contemporary industrial layouts, but Paul considers it essential. “It’s primarily there to obscure fiddleyard sections hidden behind the chemical plant, but you’ll find vegetation - grass, weeds, brambles and shrubs - in and around most industrialised areas.” Cheap £1.50 gel pens have been used to create the road markings, with the road itself purchased and downloaded from Scalescenes and printed onto suitable paper. Paul uses adhesive mounting spray to fix the road surface. Overlapping sections of Tarmac are cleverly hidden with masking tape sprayed with a mix of grey and black acrylic, to replicate fresher patches of road surface.
SIMPLY THE BEST
From shoehorning unaltered household objects into the chemical plant to disguising the flat base with ‘view blockers’ and infrastructure, Paul has thought carefully about how to execute each and every process in the simplest manner possible. This can’t be categorised as merely a ‘simple layout’, it’s a truly stunning build that’s expertly modelled. But what Paul has done is use surprisingly simple techniques to achieve beautiful results. There’s a lot to take from ‘Windmill Terminal’. So, the next time you’re struggling with a build, stop and ask yourself: ‘does it really have to be this complicated?’