HOLIDAY POSTCARDS

I'm not much of a sun-seeker, being liable to wilt in the heat. So, whenever our summer holiday comes around I always pack some kind of modelling project to while away the hottest hours of the day in the shade. And what could be more portable than a series of Z scale building kits from the excellent Postcard Models range?

The design and packaging of these laser-cut kits is beautiful, with each product coming supplied in a postcard-sized envelope and containing virtually everything needed to build a very handsome range of structures, ranging from factories to terraced houses. Just a few tools, glue and paint are required to assemble and finish each kit.

My plan is to use a handful of these Z scale buildings as part of a scenic extension to my tiny N gauge layout. The smaller structures will sit in the background in an effort to force the perspective of the scene, exaggerating the depth and - hopefully - fooling the viewer into thinking the layout is bigger than it actually is.

Back at home, I created some basic cardboard cut-outs to simulate the overall size of the finished Z scale kits and these helped in the basic formation of the scenic contours. Now that the buildings are progressing, the scenery can be finessed to accommodate the houses and warehouse more accurately, prior to the greenery being applied. Look out for more of this project in Model Rail magazine, issue 265.

Rough card cut-outs simulate the finished dimensions of the Z gauge buildings, allowing the polystyrene foam base layer to be shaped accordingly.

The foam was coated initially with plaster bandage before a layer of Polyfilla was sculpted over the top to form the final profile.

A few partially-completed kits helped during the landscape sculpting stage, creating suitable foundations for each building on the hillside. Once this has dried, the greenery can be added.