Photo 1 Copyright Nicholas Kalis
Photo 2 Copyright 2019 Nicholas Kalis
Here is a second example of improvisation
The three palm trees are sold primarily to
military modelers.
Improvising Is The Name of The Game
By Nicholas Kalis
We have often been told completing a model railroad requires some imagination. So what shape can imagination (call it improvising) take? Here I will limit myself to two dimensions of improvising (and an unexpected third example of improvising).
My problem was I wanted to model a place along the Oahu Sugar Company tracks where a small refuse dump was starting to take place from locals. I started with a piece of plastic that I glued to it a cereal box I copied off the internet – being careful that the graphics were appropriate to my time period – 1944.
I then wanted to add some G scale tires to this area. When I could not find just a few tires at a reasonable price in G scale, I got on the internet and found ModelToyCars.com (through Amazon). There I found a package that would serve model car hobbyists or older children as toys (these items can be swallowed, so younger children should stay clear of these). There I found Hobby Gear 1:24 Scale Garage Tire Rack Toy Model Set. So, I took two leaps of imagination - my first improvisation was scale – I model in 1:20.3 but I figured 1:24 was close enough for tires. My second improvisation was manufacturer – Hobby Gear does not market to model railroaders. So who cares? Actually, itsthat some-what toy-oriented details were a better choice in that model railroader visitors will be unlikely to recognize a product that does not come from a traditional model railroad model manufacturer.
Initially, I used Floquil Enamel Paint Markers KX07 81 Earth and JX07 83 Mud to weather my tires and glued them on my layout. But then “disaster” struck. My tires took on an unacceptable glossy look. As Lance Minnheim has written, very few mistakes on a model railroad cannot be corrected. In this case, I followed a tried and true formula, use what you have on hand – the paint markers. When that failed, I quickly jumped to Plan B which was to remove my tires from my layout and dip them into some leftover powdered grout that I had used for my ground cover to depict reddish (iron) soil seen in photographs of Oahu sugar cane fields. So the day was saved.
So the next time a modeling challenge stumps you, remember to think outside the box – sometimes toys can be modified to your needs (within limits of course). Using an approximate scale can work or if the scales are far apart, perhaps use a detail in your background as scale reduction (often called forced perspective).
Materials
Hobby Gear 1:24 Scale Garage Tire Rack Toy Model Set
Aileen’s Glue
Grout
To see my published article purchase a back issue of Narrow Gauge Downunder
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