For a beginner, one of the easiest ways to create hilly or rugged terrain for a model railway layout is to use...
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What is the easiest way for a beginner to create hilly or rugged terrain for a layout?Read more -
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In model scenery construction, what are profiles?
'Profiles' are a part of the skeleton that you would build when creating a model hill on your layout. Specifically, profiles are the vertical supports on top of which you would likely place a lattice of card strips, plaster cloth or other such materials to create a solid ground cover that can be dressed with scatter, bushes and trees,
Profiles can be made from pretty much anything, from card to wood and even plastic, there are no rules, but, it goes without saying that the sturdier the skeleton's construction, the sturdier the finished hill will be, so a nice thick chipboard or plywood will produce the best results.
Try not to skimp on the number of profiles you use to create your skeleton. If the gap between profiles is too large, the materials used to cover them will sag between the supports and your hill can easily begin to look more like a row of tents than a flowing contour. In part, this effect can be minimised by filling space between profiles with scrunched newspaper, but, relying on this alone to fill larger gaps will leave you with little control over your hill's shape.
For extra strength and a more detailed contour, consider using chicken wire attached to your profiles. Chicken wire can be easily shaped into naturally looking humps, bumps and crevices to create realistic and interesting contours, however, you will probably have to add several layers of materials on top of the wire to avoid the mesh's hexagonal-pattern showing through.
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