Finally decided on a design. So far just the skeleton nailed down and smoothed. VERY barren still. It's amazing how once you fasten down the pieces, you start seeing if the geometry will work. This was not really my exact design when I started tacking down pieces. The prior design was gapping left and right :freak:. When it's all loose you can fudge here and there. Once you start tacking and attempt to square up joints... different story altogether. Add in an elevation... well you guys know. Anyhow, the new "final" design has a higher degree of difficulty which I like. I think the one before this was a little too simple anyway. Till next time. nd

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/Tracks%20and%20Track%20Construction/new1.jpg

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/Tracks%20and%20Track%20Construction/new2.jpg

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/Tracks%20and%20Track%20Construction/new3.jpg

Looks good!

Great Nuther!

Got the worst of it behind you now. Looks like your lapping too...hows that darn half bus-stop workin' out? Looks treacherous in either direction.

Nice use of the chicanes! Very subtle. :thumbsup:

Truth be told?...On top of the "not so final" design (before this one) not working out, I was also not wanting to spend any money (cheapskate :o). I just figured I had to be able to solve this geometry problem without going out of house and calling in the boys from M.I.T. Before I tried the Chicane, I assembled everything all loosey goosey and the inside straight "seemed" to maintain a straight line parallel alongside the outside main straight. Once tacked down NOT... and I then found myself chasing a gap all over the course (maddening :freak:). By using the 1/2 Chicanes on either end of the the inside straight I solved this dilema and they took the place of some curve pieces quite conveniently. The first 1/2 Chicane (exiting the 6 inch hairpin right) replaced a couple of 6 inch 1/8th pieces I could utilize further into the course. The other 1/2 Chicane was a blessing in disguise though, because it makes you cool down after the inside straight, forcing you to drive the inside section as opposed to just going through it. Making a small layout interesting is key in my opinion. Otherwise you get bored too quickly. Neither 1/2 of the Chicane presents a driving situation you can't overcome with a few practice laps under your belt. I've removed all the nubs from the tabs and grinded down the offending Z-bends on the curves and I've gone from clickety-clack to occasional ticks (I can live with that). Right now I'm looking forward to starting actual landscaping... that is after my hands heal up!! ... I made fresh pasta for my mom-in-law to bring her some supper last night, right after working over the track... man are my hands sore this morning (getting old I guess :(). nd

I think it is beautiful, Nuther.
Looks bigger than it really is. I needed the visual clues you left on the tab;e to figure it ou! LOL

I did 2 large rock walls as separate units. Scraping, gluing, and a skim coating. I then slid them into place. From here on forward it'll be landscaping right in place. I wasn't sure I wanted this style so that's why I built them as units I could move into place. I'm liking them well enough, so I glued'em in. nd

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/Tracks%20and%20Track%20Construction/progress00004.jpg

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/Tracks%20and%20Track%20Construction/progress00005.jpg

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/Tracks%20and%20Track%20Construction/progress00002.jpg

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/Tracks%20and%20Track%20Construction/progress00007.jpg

I slid the 2 rock faces into place and have continued rocking and rolling. I stuffed the voids to reduce noise and did a little terraforming with more of the synthetic stuffing from a pillow. Topped her off with bubble wrap and I'm getting ready for Sculptamold. Anxious to see something "kinda" finished.

quote: "Hey that was a good pillow"... TM

reply: "yes dear... it was".... nd

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/Tracks%20and%20Track%20Construction/progress00013.jpg

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/Tracks%20and%20Track%20Construction/progress00014.jpg

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/Tracks%20and%20Track%20Construction/progress00002.jpg

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/Tracks%20and%20Track%20Construction/stuffing1.jpg

Nice!

I hope to be getting to the landscaping soon, but I honestly don't know where to start, and with what materials.

Questions:

What is the skim stuff you are coating the styrofoam with?

What is the reason for not using shaped foam, in the area where you are going with bubblewrap and sculptamold?

Will you be using any plaster-cloth? If yes, where, and why? If no, why not?

Thanks in advance - I'm trying to learn, having never done any of this landscaping stuff before.

For me it's become a balance of 3 things. Cost effectiveness, successful results, and ease of forward progression. Sculptamold can be found locally, as can joint compound, and foam board. All are relatively inexpensive (try pricing a full-on Woodland Scenics construction project) and relatively easy to find. I'll save my money for their turfs, gravels, and ballasts. Besides all ya add is water or hot-glue, and they work. I can also lay some down and then move on. I don't find myself going back over and over again to get a good result.

What is the skim stuff you are coating the styrofoam with?

Its ordinary joint compound thinned with water to a thick brushable paste (not runny, but much thinner than out-of-the-can). After I carve my rocks I brush on the mix. It fills voids and is a better base for paint than bare foam. I find bare foam to be too porous and it sucks in a too much paint. This coating also diminishes seams and tool marks that will happen as a reult of gluing together and carving the foam. The joint compound is smooth like batter almost and it does not have any filler or particulate matter in it. It just goes where you put it. The only drawback is that it has a longer drying time than I like, but I can live with that. I do not believe in spending the money for rock molds and the results with stacked foam are realistic. I use a steak knife, xacto blades, sandpaper, and my fingers. I also would never try to sculpt a rock wall with a Sculptamold-type product on it's own. That would be a never ending story. Nature is random, so stacking foam and skim coating (for me) helps me achieve that realistic randomness with minimal effort. I use a hot glue gun and although the heat melts the foam sometimes, with practice you will learn to hold the glue gun tip further away from the foam so the glue has already begun cooling as it drips onto the foam.

What is the reason for not using shaped foam, in the area where you are going with bubblewrap and sculptamold?

For rock walls I find foam to be the most useful product. Random slices can be cut, glued, sanded, carved, and stacked. For large land formations and in the "tween" areas you need a product that does what you want with a minimum of effort. To carve the piece inside my loop would have taken hours. I did this with my last layout on a couple sections and it was a WORKOUT. Measuring a big chunk, making it fit into the area, building it out to compensate for areas you couldn't cover... why bother?...The results you see here took literally minutes to achieve. The stuffing creates/fills the basic desired form and the bubble wrap holds it in place. I mixed the Sculptamold to the consistency of tunafish and after masking the track with blue painter's tape, I just spread it on with a spatula like making a sandwich!! It sets up in about 30 mins, so you only mix up small batches at a time. You have to allow for more drying time for thick applications, but there is ZERO sag as it dries out.

Will you be using any plaster-cloth? If yes, where, and why? If no, why not?

NONE. It's a good product, but it's expensive. It's the old-school material of choice, but not my choice. Bubblewrap is CHEAP (so am I), it provides a barrier to keep moisture off your stuffing, and it cuts to any shape you want. The plaster cloth is also relatively thin. A layer of Sculptamold (1/4 inch or so)on top of the bubblewrap is sandable and carvable. Your don't have to worry about breaking through as much.

THINK PINATA !!! ... You wouldn't carve a pinata out of a solid mass and then hollow it out. I liken landscaping to surfacing. You are try to achieve surfaces not construct solid masses.

nd

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/Tracks%20and%20Track%20Construction/progress00018.jpg

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/Tracks%20and%20Track%20Construction/progress00017.jpg

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/Tracks%20and%20Track%20Construction/stuffing5.jpg

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/Tracks%20and%20Track%20Construction/sculptfill00007.jpg

Thanks Dave.

The results are looking good!

I appreciate the responses. Even though I had an idea on why you did certain things, it's nice to actual get the reasoning behind it. I'm going to have alot of the 'in-between' areas on my layout, and am picturing rolling hills, and I didn't want to be sanding and carving foam, so the method you have used is what I will do also.

I'm guessing the Sculptamold is standard Hobby Shop fare?

It looks like you also used the s-mold to fill gaps between foam and borders. Those transitions were another area of concern I had. Your results look great.

I hope you will continue to post pics and descriptions of the processes you use - these will be extremely valuable to me for one.

Thanks!

Jeff

Sculptamold is an interesting and versatile product to work with. I can't imagine not using it to some extent. It goes through different phases and consistencies as it cures. I found that it can be worked and shaped pretty well with the back of a plastic spoon and even your finger to form a very smooth transition from the base level to an elevated section or where the scenery meets the track. When I mix Sculptamold I often blend in some white glue just to give it a little more bite. I've heard that it can be used with rock molds but I never tried it. Very cool stuff.

ND,
Looks like you're off to a good start. Like the idea about thinning out the plaster and using it as the foundation. Would think that will work out just right when you start painting and adding all of those little pieces of ballast and whatnot. Keep the pix coming. :thumbsup::thumbsup: OFD

No leaps or bounds, but some progress around the course. I stuffed most of the raised portions. I used a synthetic cottony material and its got enough density so that it does not flatten out under the weight of the sculptamold and bubble wrap. Hot glue holds it in position on the table and works great to secure the bubble wrap as well. more coming..... nd

This stuff is easy to work with, but if you try it avoid using too much water. 1 it takes longer to dry, and 2 it can get moldy sometimes. Think tunafish... no soupiness at all, and try using a thinner application. If you need to build up an area, do it with some method of stuffing to give you height,,,, nd

I use a rubber spatula. nd

That is gonna look awesome when it is all landscaped out! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Nuther, so nice to see the earth being formed right before my eyes. Landscape looks smooth and natural, never would have thought of tying it all down with bubble wrap.

I will look forward to seeing what grows in that dirt too- guess it depends on whether that track is set in the arid west or northern CT! Then again, you could use the JoeZ modified paint method for grass - drape everything in the room you don't want to paint and use a green spray bomb to fog the rest LOL?

Does Cheddy leave it alone, or does he try to add his own creative touches?

Bomb Can Bob (bobzilla) mentioned using bubble wrap when he was doing his build. I never thought of it before. In the past I used many different things (screen/newspaper/foil/saran wrap). The bubble wrap is cheap, easy to come by, lightweight, easy to cut, but best of all you can see right through it. You can lay it right over the area you intend to sick it down on, and since you can see through it, all you have to do is trace out the piece with a marker. It's really flexible, so it doesn't fight you when you are working with it. Also a plus is that it does not absorb any moisture from the landscaping mediums you're using (better drying times). nd

Thanks B.C.B.

Does anyone else want to go to 'Nuthers to turn laps besides me? This track is going to be so cool, yeah? :thumbsup:
'Nuther Dave, thank you for the play-by-play. It sure is coming along nicely! I have been learning alot from seeing this track (and the others) come together. More than ever, I want my postman to hurry up with my router bits!

Split asks an interesting Q re: Cheddy.

A fossilized "tiger-saurus" print in yer cake frosting would make a cool vignette. Especially now that he is the rare four toed version. A small roadside attraction complete with sweaty, road weary tourists snapping pictures of a CT landmark. Then it's only 9mi to the Worlds Largest Ball of String, "known to be the tigersaurs' favorite prey". Are we there yet?:freak:

Ribbin' aside Nuther, you've been making some serious tracks on yer track. Although it's lookin like a polar bear eating icecream in a snowbank right about now; I can already see the grassy knolls of which you are the master. She's lookin really smooth and starting to show glimpses of what ya had pictured in yer head. Like Joe, I enjoy the play by play, and always look forward to the next exciting episode of Nuther World.

Nuther,

I love what you are doing but, you are making me look bad with all your progress while, my Las...Zillas...Raceway (thanks for the name ND) keeps looking the same every day.

Oooooh sure I build lots of slots but, someday I need to do what you are doing and just work on my layout.... someday...someday....

Glad you mentioned the Mold thing. Yeah one time my Sculptamold mix was a little wet and got some mold growing. I just Phssssssssssssssssssssshed it with a Bomb Can. I have a whole bunch of Tan cans that I got on sale from Lowes...Phssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssh, phssssssssssssh!!:wave:

Just picked up 4 bags of Sculptamold the other day. Had a hard time finding more here in Nebraska and took all they had left. Wheeeeeew it is hard living here in the Flatland Old West Plains. Did a trade with some local Indians: Guns for Sculptamold and a few Cornflakes...LOL

Keep up the good work man and way to commit to your track build Nuther Man.

Bob...Phssssssssssssssh...zilla

Although it's lookin like a polar bear eating icecream in a snowbank right about now...

If I don't get some color down soon.... I'll be switching to these!!!! nd ;)

BTW, you can tint Sculptamold to get it to match the "earth" color that you want to achieve and eliminate the white out effect. To tint it, dilute some of the latex earth color paint that you are going to use 1:1 with water, and then use this diluted paint mixture as 25% of the water that you use to mix the Sculptamold batch. Tinting it makes it easier to blend it around the track/border and you'll never have to worry about having a white edge exposed.

Great tip on the tint AFXToo.

Tracks looking good nuther. :thumbsup: I'll be referring back to this thread often when I get around to my sculpamolding.

It has been 2 weeks since your last update, 'Nuther! You been working on YOUR track or just poking me about mine? :D

Give us some news, mate!:thumbsup:

... as soon as I can find the dang memory card and PC adapter. DOH! .... Too bad somebody lost the memory card that plugs into ME. What has transpired since the last update is the final sculptamold is down, 3 blacktop areas got a first coat of black paint, and all the interior screw holes and corner seams have been spackled. Next up is to prime the interior walls with Kilz and then paint light blue... then topcoat the final exposed pink foam with joint compound slurry. From there its color time. Pics will be forthcoming as equipment permits (lol)...nd

In the meantime here's a nice picture of a vignette on my former layout. I'm gonna do something similar to this in one spot on the new one.

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/LHO%20Landscape/121728-1.jpg

:thumbsup:

Nice to see that you are gaining ground on your 'Nuther track!
Everyday life scenes really get me going, too, buddy! The pic looks great! The long dry grasses look perfect. Did you clip that stuff out of your garden or is it a hobby shop item?

tjd, thanks for posting this project! I'm almost to the point of putting foam down on my track and appreciate the idea of the thinned joint compound over the foam being posted. It's all looking really, really good!! I tell ya, 2008 is the year of the new tracks!! Economic recession?? Not in the HO world!

:thumbsup:

Nice to see that you are gaining ground on your 'Nuther track!
Everyday life scenes really get me going, too, buddy! The pic looks great! The long dry grasses look perfect. Did you clip that stuff out of your garden or is it a hobby shop item?

Joez,

Looks like cat hair to me...LOL :eek: MEEEEEOOOOOOW

Dave,

Love that Pic also Nuther man. Your style of detail is so Kool and Fun to look at! :) You guys have inspired me with all these track pics.

Traded some slot car bodies Saturday for a bag of Sculptamold and some plaster cloth. Now I have 6 bags total...YES!

I got to race with 3 of my slot car friends yesterday in Iowa. It was a ton of fun with lots of straights on a four lane track. Enough to open up my red Faller Porsche wide open!!!! Wooooooooooooooosh baby....yeah!:woohoo:

Have been cleaning off my 4 slot car tables today where my 1/32 Eldon track used to be in our basement (MY BASEMENT...lol). The Tomy track is going to come out soon. All you guys building tracks has rubbed off on me but, I still plan on customizing (H:):)TERS & Mullet Beer) slot cars & bodies so, my progress may be slow. :rolleyes:

Bob...zilla

The nook and cranny details are always one of my favs Nuther. Coupla scrapper cars, some weed fuzz, and a splat of dirt...instant americana...classic!

Whats next?

Maybe some tar paper shacks with a wino convention under a bridge? Frog pond with tire swing and "Our Gang" skinny dipping?

'Lil snapshots as you have posted inspire the mind to run amok.

How easy is it to change an area of landscaping, after you have sculptamolded it and such? Let's say you have a hill somewhere, and you decide that you really want to put a building there...are make a gully there...etc. Is it fairly simple to take a razor knife or similiar and cut away an elevation, and redo it?

A big problem I am having on starting on my landscaping is that I don't have a vision for the completed track. Not sure where I may want to put a building, or even if I want any buildings. I'd be willing to sculptamold like crazy if I knew that once I get that step done, the 'vision' might appear to me for some different aspects, and that I haven't shot myself in the foot by moving forward without an overall plan.

I can think of no reason why you could not change scenery after the fact. Dave Frary's book shows plenty of examples of this. Sculptamold is a paper/clay mixture that you can cut with a utility knife or saw. Even plaster cloth on wire lath is changeable. All of the scenery techniques I've used which are based on model railroad scenery making are very malleable. One thing though, if you lay down "grass" that looks baseball park perfect using a custom mixture of flock you may have a harder time getting it matched perfectly unless you saved the recipe. I don't worry about it because I modeled my grassy areas with random blotchy areas and color variations, kind of like my own yard.

How easy is it to change an area of landscaping, after you have sculptamolded it and such?

I've already changed a couple after they dried completely. If you build your landscape using an "outer shell" method, all you do is crack the shell, and the inside is all stuffing. I used a dremel with a cutting wheel in addition to a utility knife. nd

How easy is it to change an area of landscaping, after you have sculptamolded it and such? Let's say you have a hill somewhere, and you decide that you really want to put a building there...are make a gully there...etc. Is it fairly simple to take a razor knife or similiar and cut away an elevation, and redo it?

A big problem I am having on starting on my landscaping is that I don't have a vision for the completed track. Not sure where I may want to put a building, or even if I want any buildings. I'd be willing to sculptamold like crazy if I knew that once I get that step done, the 'vision' might appear to me for some different aspects, and that I haven't shot myself in the foot by moving forward without an overall plan.

Scaf I here you here...like ND said about having an underneath platform then that seems to be the way to go if you think you may need to move something if plans change. I use bubble wrap under my sculptamold so, If I needed to remove a large section of sculptamold I could just cut it out and change my 2 x4 cut up track supports (they are hot glued down) and change it pretty easily.

Have been thinking about this myself lately. Before I get to the part of my layout where Godzilla is going to be some planning is going to be made ahead of time. Have 6 High Tension wire towers, from 2 kits, that are going to need to be run across in a matter that will look correct. Will need to build the High Tension towers first and figure out where they are going to be placed roughly as to figure out my landscape correctly.

My layout is a big desert so, no grass will be used. My whole layout will be sculptamold, Monsters, Cactus, Tumble weeds, and the High Tension wires. When a bit more of the landscape gets done then I can start planning for a few Casinos or other buildings. I am starting at one end and working my way to the other end...kinda planning as I go.

Held up on my track building now because I am at a tunnel build and need to do this right. Will have to eventually set a larger block of time (stop building slots and racing all the time) to get this done up right and then it should move along smoother.

My biggest problem is that these slot car bodies keep telling my brain that I need to paint them up & customized them...they talk to me on a daily basis...LOL Gotta go as one of them is calling out from downstairs right now aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!! :wave:

Bob...zilla

It's been a while since my last pics.... equipment failure (failed to find my data card reader for my cam). So, I just broke down and bought another one. I snapped off a few quickies of the turf I started laying out. So far I like the color blends (although the pics are a bit washed out). thanks fer looking.... nd

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/LHO%20Landscape/sciturfcityUSA00020.jpg

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/LHO%20Landscape/sciturfcityUSA00023.jpg

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/LHO%20Landscape/bigturfcityUSA00013.jpg

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/LHO%20Landscape/bigturfcityUSA00016.jpg

Weeeeee!

Nuthin' like a little color to pop things onto focus. Looks great Nuther.

That looks really good! Nice job with the turf :thumbsup:

Man that looks good nuther. What turf are you using, and what colors/blends?

That looks great. I really like the way the rock crop out under the turf.

good work on the rock cuts, track is coming along great!


Dave

:thumbsup: Awesome. It has a very realistic look to it.

I am still turfing this morning. I 'll have some more pics as the day goes on. nd

nice track tjd!!!

Placed a few cars in the pics. I'm starting to get anxious now:)...lol.

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/LHO%20Landscape/bigturfcityUSA00002.jpg

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/LHO%20Landscape/bigturfcityUSA00004.jpg

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj342/tjd241/LHO%20Landscape/bigturfcityUSA00008.jpg

Very, very nice. Your landscaping looks so natural, well done.

Nuther...WOW OH WOW!

This is incredible....stupendous...Fabo-u-lous man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:woohoo:

Bob...needs to work on his track sometime...zilla

:eek::eek: I wish my track would look like that!! awesome job man!

Wes

Very nice! Fabulous job with the scenery. Love the berms and overpass.

Sweet....I'm seriously thinking of doing a second track for landscaping...