Model inside a box file
George Dent assembles a Scalescenes kit designed to fill, and flat-pack in, a tiny space.
Scalescenes new ‘box file’ layout kit is put to the test by George Dent.
The micro-layout-in-a-box formula has increased in popularity recently, offering plenty of modelling potential within a convenient, self-contained footprint. If, like me, you’ve contemplated dabbling in this concept, an ideal one-stop package is now available from Scalescenes. This layout-in-a-box kit is designed to fit in a A4/foolscap box file (H370 by W245 by D75mm), with all structures provided, along with a backscene and cutting jigs to help adapt the box’s framework. Box files do vary in size, depending on the maker, but the layout design factors in generous amounts of variation on the length, width and height of the box file. The industrial theme is well suited to a minimum-space project, allowing a handful of short-wheelbase wagons to be shunted around by equally modest steam or diesel locomotives. The various brick, concrete and steel-clad buildings suggest anything from a factory, brewery or engineering works to a colliery or mineral loading facility. The building styles are suited to any period from the 1950s onwards.
DOWNLOAD ONLY
As with all Scalescenes kits, this package is only available to purchase online, in the form of a downloadable file. You can print it off as many times as required, which allows for endless customisation or multiple attempts. Plus, if you make a mistake at any point all you need to do is reprint the necessary parts and try again. Detailed, illustrated instructions are provided as a separate electronic file and are easy to follow. Virtually everything is supplied but you will need to source a box file, standard printer paper and sheets of light, medium and heavy card with which to laminate the various parts. A decent colour inkjet printer is essential and, due to the size of the kit (nearly 40 pages), a fresh ink cartridge may be required. You’ll need to provide the track and points, but a few suggested track plans are offered in the kit’s instructions. A simple fiddleyard can be formed from a sheet of plywood, in the form of sidings, traverser or a cassette system. Parts are included to set the tracks into the ‘concrete’ groundwork, or they can be laid on the printed surface and ballasted. I opted for the latter approach, although the main groundfloor building and its loading platform should be assembled first and test-fitted to ensure clearance for rolling stock before fixing the track in position. Interior detail is provided for some of the buildings, giving the tiny scene a deceptive amount of depth. By adding items of clutter, such as stacked goods and strategically placed figures or machinery, the effect can be even more convincing. Only a handful of windows and a variety of printed options are provided, although much depends on the abilities of your home printer. My cheap inkjet printer cannot cope with clear acetate sheets, so I printed the opaque versions onto regular paper, which look fine at first glance. However, the interior detail is hidden. Instead, screen-printed clear glazing can be obtained separately from Scalescenes. Alternatively, etched brass window frames to suit the kit’s apertures are available from Brassmasters (www.brassmasters.co.uk).
STICKY ISSUES
Choosing the correct glue is essential, with most runny, dilute Pva-type adhesives best avoided for much of the assembly work. The ink on the printed sheets is liable to smudge if water-based glues are used in quantity. ‘Dry’ adhesives, such as Pritt Stick and spray mount,