Let me first say this is the first time I have made a As Scale Scene model. I just used the cheapest printer cost me $47 au. On plain A4 paper, and gluing to an old cereal packet. As a printer by trade I will get them printed out professionally next time. You will need high degree of cutting acuracy, in order to get the parts to fit properly. I personally found the windows, and staircase, very challenging, but enjoyed the build. As You can see from the photos, mine is far from perfect, but will take what I have learnt into the next build. I highly recommend a printed grid to line the wall up square. I found the instructions in the most part, easy to follow, but had to make my own interpretations in some cases. Things I liked 1. The roof tiling, looks fantastic. Cutting the tiles in strips and overlapping them, is a great idea. 2 reasonably cheap to build. 3 printed brickwork looks realistic 4 scale of the model is very good. Things I didn't like 1. The inside 3D look was a waste of time and effort. 2 the finely detailed doors are mostly hidden. 3 cutting the windows on plain A4 paper extremely difficult. (Would hate to do the N scale version) To sum up, not for the faint hearted, but even so enjoyable to build. Phil from Australia
Great informative Scale Scene signalbox report to did Vinylepea so thanks for that ... are you going to repeat this project using the pro printers paper next time?
Welcome to the world of scalescenes, and yes the windows are probably the hardest part - but get easier with practice. I now use sticky labels and either cut them into strips, or print the window frames on to the labels. Roughly cut out the window (outer frame plus a bit extra), peel off the backing paper and stick on to acetate. Then with a new scalpel blade cut out the window panes and then carefully lift them off the acetate. I also use the Spectrum Noir Alcohol based marker pens mainly Warm Greys (grey with a brown tinge) and cool greys, used along the edges they kill / blend the white cut lines, and can dirty down colours. The great bit is you can just keep printing the the kits (or parts of) to keep honing your skills. Water colour paper can be worth a try with stone papers as these give a texture to the print. Paul
An excellent model! Regarding the windows, John now produces windows printed on acetate I have got some and they are very good. Its worth checking his web site to see if he does them for future models. Cheer's, Pete.
Have been messing about with my Injet printer, and have found great results printing on semi gloss photo paper. Using the matte photo paper profile on high quality print setting. Will print out on the weekend and have another go. Also Thanks for the tips Paul and Pete.
Nice job on the signal box for your very first Scalescenes build. You may find that the matte photo paper may be too thick to bend/fold. I have tried laser jet printers only to find that it produces very glossy imagery. I know just print with the ink jet and use high quality print setting as it gives the best result. Cheers, Gary.
Thanks Gary, I will do some experimenting, might have to score lightly on back with a knife. Stay tuned.
One other issue you may find with the thicker paper is that it will add to the thickness of the buildings, only slightly but you may find that door ways and windows could be compromised or problematic. Cheers, Gary.
I have found some matte 120 gsm photo paper that is printing good quality results. It's just a little thicker than plain A4 paper. I Have mounted it on slightly thinner card. I cut out the windows last night, with much better results than the first build. Start the next stage tonight.
That looks fantastic Sol. Will be handy to use your photos, as a guide. I'm much happier with my second effort, it's so far so good.
Huge Improvement, on the second build. I can only get better from here. Just a few touch ups to finish model. Many thanks to Sol, for the link to his build, helped me immensely. This build given me confidence to go to the next build, The trackside warehouse. 3d