I recently bought and received a few Micro-Trains structures and boats I will be building & painting eventually and was looking for some input from those of you who are very familiar in building and painting them. Input such as tips, tricks, methods, specific tools used, etc., would be greatly appreciated. Maybe this thread could be used exclusively for tips n' things for building/painting Micro-Trains Structures and posting pictures... I am relatively new to Z-Scale and have never built any wood laser kits before and was wondering if it is safe to use my Testors Liquid Cements for Plastic Models on these, like I do for N-Scale structures. Or would regular Elmer's white glue work as well? What are you guy's and girl's using out there? I have also recently heard when painting some laser kits on one side that they can warp on you. Do most of you who build these structures paint both sides or have experienced this? What are some of your tips/methods for painting them if you don't mind sharing? As always, thank's for reading!
Regular elmers glue works well. I squeez some on a plate and use a toothpick for application. Paint before you do anything it will save a lot of headaches. I use crayola markers if you can believe it because I do not want thick paint to ruin the great detail. I then use bragdons weathering powders. Here are some examples. First off is Robert Rays Nail bro salvage. It is not MT but Robert makes half the kits for MT. coal tower station
Greetings Welcome to the board from the Tarheel state. Your best bet is to contact Joe from MT. Also, check out some of the threads also on zcentralstation.com.
White glue only. As for painting, it depends mostly if it is wood or laser board. The wood sometimes warps a bit, depending on grain, layers (most is micro-ply and relatively stable), mostly with water based paints (Acrylics). If you paint both sides at the same time, it minimizes but we mostly just paint one side. Also, if you assemble first, any warping is greatly suppressed. The laser board is quite stable. On some cuts, there is a bit of charcoal from the burn. I extra-fine sanding stick (finger nail files from CVS, etc.) work great. Just put them together, it will all work out fine ! .
Since I have built all those kits before, and several of each as a matter of fact, I would suggest you get these tools: Sharp hobby knife and spare #11 blades. Optivisor or similar magnification. Pointy and Flat tip tweezers. A needle point glue applicator (long sewing needle glued into wooden dowel handle). 1" square steel weights or blocks for holding walls square in place. A bright lamp to well illuminate your work area. A self healing cutting mat. White glue for the wood kits, and super glue for resin kits. Painting is best done before construction, then touched up edges after construction. Do not use the supplied roofing material for every model. The roofs on many are peel and stick so you can stick premium roofing materials like Campbell Corrugated Metal roofing, or Strips of shingles, or other custom material individually applied to customize your model. Start with the simplest kits, or the one with the lowest model number first, and build it before moving on the the more complex ones. Always test fit each part first before applying glue to the mating edges. Hold the part square in alignment for several seconds till the glue sets up. If it's too fiddly to build, get a big rock, and have a solid All American Smash Attack to vent your frustrations, wait a couple days, then start the next kit and go a bit slower. (really!)
Welcome: I just finished building a couple of laser board structures from another manufacturer and as I am a model builder for many years, (mostly cars, truck, airplanes and ships), I would suggest that you paint the biggest, or outside pieces while still on the trees, or sprues. I always used gloss enamal paint except where the instructions indicated flat paint. But in the painting of these structures, I thought that flat paint would be best. It worked extremely well and dried fast. Small pieces, and I mean really small pieces can be painted after assembled in place if you are steady enough with a very fine brush. As any model builder will tell you, read the instructions and study assembly diaghrams carefully and make sure you locate all the parts you will be working with. Saves time during the assembly process. Anything that comes in natural wood in a prototype such as barn board, should be painted in that same colour if you can find it or something close to it. Unless of course you intend on changing the model to suit your own needs and theme. White glue such as Almer's or Lepages does work extremely well as does carpenters glue, but I found something that works just as well. It's the same as white glue from the two manufacturers mentioned above, but it's clear. I stumbled across this one day while in the grocery store. It is fantastic because any residue left over from the glueing process, can be easily covered up with paint. Some people even use Krazy Glue or Super Glue but the disadvantages to that is you have to be bang on in your assembly the first time as you rarely get a second chance for re-adjustments once it sticks. If your models can be eluminated but aren't adapted for that, and if they have a floor, punch a hole in it big enough for whatever lightbuld you intend on using. I did that with all mine. I used a leather punch with an adjustable head. Worked extremely well. Once you've got your model assembled and painted, you will no doubt want to do some touch ups to hide mistakes and overpainting in some areas. Believe me there are always touchups that need to be done. I always use a very fine artists brush for these but wait until the paint dries to apply second coats if needed or another of a different colour. White paint I find is the hardest to use to cover up another colour. You may need to use two and even three coats of white to hide another colour. Depends largly on the brand of paint you use too I think. Sorry for the book. Just trying to help with my experience. Enjoy. Ken
And here I thought I was alone in having cathartic moments when something needs to have, as Robert put it, an All American Smash Attack. Not often, but on rare occasion! Another tool for building I use often are the Coffman clamps: Coffman Graphic Solutions Company With so much macro photography used in Z scale, I find these little tools invaluable for making my corners dead-on. John Ztrains.com | Z Scale (1:220) Model Railroading
I keep meaning to get one of the magnetic gluing tables to keep things square, but now I forgot where I seen them for sale?
I had a smash attack when I first set out to do the Nail Brother kit. Chris and I brainstormed the kit, and I had came up with what I though was a great office building for it. Well Chris let me get so far as even painting it, before he said... it looks like crap! Sometimes a kit don't please everyone.. And sometimes lots of effort had been put into that kit, so what becomes of such a kit? Nope! It was not disassembled, it was fodder for a Smash Attack! See the airborne debris?
This is Nail Brother's Salvage, rev1,s Final Reward! How's That Chris! Ready to ship some kits now? The first time I threw the rock I missed and only took out a small part of the structure. This made me mad, so I fired the rock again, and totally missed! That made me even madder, I was foaming at the mouth, and a steady high speed stream of x rated data spewed forth, along with an even harder throw of the rock. BULLS EYE! The shot shown where the rock was bouncing was a direct hit, and all of a sudden I was calm, serene, and peaceful again. Sigh of releaf....
Robert, That's what I'm talking about.....a little light hearted levity sure helps....kind of like the sugar makes the medicine go down..... BTW. I have a 5PM appointment slot still open and I think I can work you in. I figure only about two sessions and I can have you back to your old self........or is that a bad idea? )
Robert, please send me your smashed up kits..If I add some police cars and some fire trucks, they would really look nice for a midwest "after the tornado" scene. Not joking either.
Kelley... I asked Robert the same thing when he first posted these "Smash-up Derby" photos a year or so ago. Unfortunately, I didn't even receive the rock.
Been there! I have smashed a building only to repair it a few weeks later. There is something very satisfying about crushing a "bad" building. I have it tucked away on the layout now and everytime I see the thing I chuckle. It really helped make me better at building.
Thank's everyone for the information and tips so far, much appreciated! Not only am I getting advice from the pro's, we all received a visual orientation on how to throw a proper "smash attack"! While I have some items from building n-scale structures, I went out and did a little extra shopping specifically designated for z-scale seen in the pictures below. I would of never thought of using Crayola markers (or other art markers) for coloring/painting structures, good idea! I'm not sure if I bought the wrong white glue because it say's "school glue", but I'm going out to get some more because I found Elmer's glue made in "clear". My first kit I'm going to build will be the Micro-Trains Livestock Pen #2 Kit, as it is the lowest model number I currently have right now. I figure being that I am relatively new to the scale, this might be a good place to start for other new z-scalers as well. The instructions indicate on this kit to paint (or color) the base a dark brown...I think I will use one of my Floquil Weathering Marker's for this. It also mention's, to simulate hay inside the livestock pen, use a fine yellow turf. I found some Woodland Scenics fine yellow turf and also some yellow field grass I might dice-up superfine to sprinkle around too. Also, my Preiser #88575 Cows are on the way for the pen. I also noticed they have some nice horses. Sorry for any delays in responding to post's in advance. I'm in the middle of a semester right now and mid-terms/exams are coming up soon and paper's are due as well...fun times. As always, thank's for reading!
The wood on the stock pen kits is real thin. Be careful to clear out all the holes for the fence posts, and test fit each fence piece first before putting glue on it. Also the top boards of the loading ramp are a tight fit, and the posts will break very easily, so be slow and gentle, and take extra time to put them on. In designing the kit I chose detailed appearance OVER robust construction, so take it very slow, and careful, test fitting first. Did I mention test fit first? This is a great kit for a smash attack After you are finished I found some neat detail tricks. Find a small rectangle piece of wood the size of a hay bale, and paint it with thick tan paint, then toss it in the yellow turf and let dry. When dry. it will look like a real nice hay bale. Use dabs of thick brown paint to make smoldering cow pies! Pour a small mound of gravel in your livestock pen, then apply 50/50 white glue and water to it. When dry, paint with that thick brown paint and sprinkle a little bit of yellow turf on it, and plant a cow on top. I always see a cow standing on top of tird island! King of the hill!
I can tell - you have visited Harris Ranch on I-5 at least one time too many! (CA inside joke about cattle pens in Central Valley) Just be thankful we do NOT have Z scale smells. Lindley
