CLEVER IDEAS FOR WEATHERING AND LANDSCAPING
Magic Powder
“The weathering is an aspect of the layout I’m particularly pleased with. Everything has been done with Humbrol weathering powders. I prefer this, as I have more control and, to me, it looks more realistic. A lot of the grime would have come out of the top of the chimney and would have been dusty, so the extra texture that the powders provide makes it look a little bit better.” Rob has used the same palette of weathering powders for everything at ‘Mutton’, from the locomotives to the station building – a Bachmann resin model of Woody Bay – to ensure that everything blends together. “Nothing jumps out at you as being obviously weathered in a different colour and that is how I like it. If the locomotive grime has come out of the chimney then so would a lot of the grime for the trackwork, buildings and surrounding area as it settled.”
Landscaping
There’s nothing to interrupt the flat landscape here, but Rob has added a small embankment behind the platform. “Both parts have blended into one another quite nicely, with the static grass giving the impression of a slightly overgrown embankment. I’ve used foamboard covered in plaster bandage to give the angle and then added the static grass on top. The platform is 40 thou plastic card, coupled with Peco platform edges. I wanted a crumbling asphalt effect on the platform surface. To achieve this, I glued on yet more ash then waited until it was almost set hard before using my daughter’s toy rolling pin to break up the surface and give it a cracked effect.”
Concrete technique 2
“I used a different method to make the concrete effect here than I did on ‘Sheep Lane’. I used mounting card and again covered it in ash. I was happy with the effect after I’d given it a bit of tonal variation, but it is a little too flat and I prefer the clay.”