Card model assembly hints and tips | Railwayscenics
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Railwayscenics card model assembly tips

The following notes are intended as helpful hints to enable you to get the best out of your Railwayscenics downloadable model kit. If you have specific queries on the assembly of the kits, after reading the instructions, please use the 'Contact Us' facility.

Tools

To assemble our downloadable card kits you will need to have a basic modelling tool kit that comprises at least the following items:-

  1. A sharp scalpel type craft knife and spare blades.
  2. A straight edge to cut along, either metal or plastic
  3. A pair of scissors.
  4. A cutting mat or something similar.
  5. Glue of your choice.
  6. Felt tip pens to touch up bare edges and corners.
  7. A scoring tool of some sort.
  8. A fixing spray to protect the printed surface.

craft knife

Craft knife

cutting mat

Cutting mat

felt pens

Felt pens

glue

Glue

scissors

Scissors

Cardboard

All of our models will use card. We base the designs of our 4mm scale models on using a card that is 1.5mm thick. If you do not have card this thick it is possible to print more than one copy of the relevant pages and use two, or more, layers of a thinner card. We have found that picture frame mount board is ideal, or grey board which is a recycled product. It is easy to cut and is quite strong. We stock both types of card, or they can be purchased cheaply from good craft shops, and comes in large sheets.

The texture sheets

The texture sheets should be printed onto good quality photo matte paper or paper of 120gsm or 160gsm weight. It is possible to use thinner lower quality paper, but this may affect the printed results. Print at the highest resolution possible for your printer. Printing at a lower resolution will affect the quality of the printout. Once printed we recommend that you apply a few light coats of matt clear varnish or inkjet fixative which will help protect the print during construction.

Scoring and Folding

Scoring is used to make folding the paper easier. Before you cut out the parts, prepare the folds by scoring them with a scoring tool and a straight edge. Anything blunt is OK as long as it does not cut or damage the paper. We use an old ballpoint pen that has run out of ink. Your score marks must be straight and parallel. Take your time on this very important step otherwise, the assembly will suffer and the model will not look square.

Cutting out

Care should be taken when cutting out parts. Use a straight edge and a sharp knife to achieve the best results. A sharp knife is safer to use than an older blunt one. It is possible to resharpen most craft knife blades using a small carbide stone, or even some fine wet and dry sandpaper. Ensure that all cuts are at 90 degrees to the top surface of the card. Once cut out, trial fit all parts before final assembly and glueing. Small alterations may be necessary to get a good fit.

Gluing

Use glue sparingly. More glue will only make the paper wrinkle and the drying time will get longer. Glue only one thing at a time, and let the assembly dry for a few minutes before moving on to the next step. We recommend that you use a specialist card clue suck as a Roket product, but it is possible to use either a water based PVA adhesive or something similar to UHU. We have used a contact adhesive with very good results. Do not use super glue as the excess glue turns everything near it white and cannot be removed.

Instructions

We do supply a basic set of instructions. These are there for your convenience. They give you the ideal procedure to complete the model. Whilst they are there as a guide, we do recommend that the order be followed. New instructions are being written for every model, but this is taking longer than expected. The instructions include a finished picture of the model, and again this should be used as a guide.

Adding detail

It is possible to add extra internal and external detailing items such as gutters, downpipes, curtains, interior decor, and lighting. These should be added at the relevant stage of assembly. If adding lighting to a room, please ensure that you use a low wattage bulb that does not give off too much heat, or preferably use LEDs. We used to use a grain of wheat bulb running on a slightly lower voltage than that recommended which extends the bulb life, but now use LEDs as they give off no heat and are no harder to wire and use.