|
Designing Your Own HO Scale Buildings
|
If you have been thinking of
which model railroad scale you should select, you can try using the HO scale, which
is one of the most popular scales used throughout the world. HO scale is exactly
half of the O scale meaning, 1:87. It can easily fit onto a 4x8 foot piece of MDF
board or wood.
The best part about using this
scale is that it is the most commonly used one and all supplies and accessories are
very conveniently available. Whether you are a newbie, or have been pursuing this
hobby for long, HO scale can be the one that works best for
you.
|
Click Here for
HO SCALE TRAINS
Info
|
Now that
you have decided to use this scale, bought all the train sets and its accessories, you can
start thinking about making the scenery. You must first think of the theme of your model
railroad. Once you have selected the era you want to depict, start making the background and
scenery. Do you want to take the easy way out and buy readymade model railroad scenery? Or
would you prefer constructing your own trees, mountains, rivers, tunnels, roads, and HO scale
buildings? Making scenery on your own can not only be very captivating, it would also seem
more original as you would have come up with everything yourself.
Different eras would require different types of buildings. There were times when wood was used more
than concrete, while at other times buildings were mostly constructed of stone or bricks. Since you
have made up your mind about which era you want to depict, what you can do is research the internet
about what kind of buildings were there in your selected time period. Here are some tips on how you
can make buildings:
Card
Cardboard has been very successfully used to make buildings. All you would need to do is cut up
shapes, stick them together and paint them the color that looks most realistic. You can make
the project more detailed by printing out different brick styles or other designs which you can
then paste on your card buildings. You can make as many card buildings as you want. You can buy PDF
plans for HO buildings online at http://www.modelbuildings.org
Wood
You can use wood to make many buildings even if your era does not require wooden structures. Once
you have made the entire building, you can paint it in such a way that it gives the appearance of
concrete or even stone. It might be better to use spray paints.
One idea is to cover your buildings with foil paper then paint it a dull gray to make it look more
like steel.
Plastic
Plastic is not only easy to cut, it is also very easy to glue together. You can construct plastic
structures and then paint them according to the color you want. You can even buy small plastic
houses and add elaborate structures to make them look realistic.
Small Tip
Always remember that every building has windows and doors. So don’t forget to cut holes for them.
For doors you can use wood and for windows you can insert clear plastic acetate. Just make sure
your buildings look as close to life as possible.
Have a great time constructing HO scale buildings!
Model Train
Scenery
|
