Assembling and gluing

Scratch building is when you make a model "from scratch", just using raw materials and bits and pieces that you would generally throw away and things you would find around the house. A good example of suitable material is your breakfast cereal box...

I would not recommend sitting on one, but otherwise they are very good and sturdy. Most card kits are made of thick card and the design will create several layers of card, reinforcing the structure. They are easy to make simply by following the...

When gluing parts, it is best to hold them in place especially if it is a large area you need to join together, such as the two parts of a fuselage of a model aircraft for example. Add your glue sparingly to the joins, taking care not to go too...

How you attach trees really depends on the type of trees you are using. Many trees have wire forming the body of the tree/trunk very similar to a bottle brush, which allows for the trunk to be sunk directly into the scenery. Simply push them down...

Select the area where you want the scatter, then apply a layer of PVA glue, sprinkle your grass covering the glue. When the glue is set, simply remove the excess scatter that has not been glued. You can use a small vacuum cleaner or if it is on...

The time old tradition for laying ballast is to lay your ballast under/around your track and add watered down PVA glue mixed with a couple of drops of washing up liquid to ease surface tension. You can also find ready to use ballast glue which is...

The platform will need to be as long as the longest rake of coaches you are running plus the length of the engine. Many people fall foul of not allowing for the length of the engine but you need to remember the driver needs to get out as well!...

This depends on what type of figures you are using for your layout. If you are using white metal figures they often come with spikes on the bottom of their feet, so it is just a case of sticking them in to the base. However if you plan to put...

The removal of flash from a model is known as deflashing. This is usually carried out either by an operative at the manufacturers or in more recent times by an automated process, however, occasionally some flash is left behind and makes it through...

Introducing the most useful piece of kit that any modeller could have in their toolbox. It is called a helping hand tool but sometimes masquerades as a third-hand tool. It delivers what its name promises: a helping hand!A helping hand tool is...

There are many types of Epoxy Resins, they all contain roughly the same properties ending up as a very hard-wearing plastic-like substance, but they cure in different ways to facilitate different types and uses.Epoxy resins are mainly used as...

A third hand tool (often referred to as a helping hand tool) is a clamp like device that sits on your worktop. Its function is to help you with those awkward modelling jobs where an extra pair of hands would be an advantage.Third hand tools...