What tools do I need to build a Metcalfe Card Building Kit?

Metcalfe Card kits offer the Railway modeller a great selection of buildings and infrastructure to help populate a layout or diorama. They are provided in both N and OO/HO gauges and when completed can bring a great degree of realism to any layout.

Even the smallest Metcalfe Card Kits have a significant amount of detail and the construction process really enhances this detail to deliver a very pleasing and realistic 3D appearance to any building. In order to effectively deliver this 3D effect, even the simplest kits can have a wide selection of component parts including card and clear acetate components presenting windows. In order to get the best effect from the kit is important to approach the build in a logical way, not to rush and have the right tools.

Many card parts will be supplied on a thick card and will require cutting to remove them from the backing card. In order to achieve this, it is good to have a self-healing cutting mat with a sharp hobby knife. Although most parts will have perforations it can help to have a plastic ruler as a guide when cutting as this can help prevent the hobby knife from jumping or diverting from the card where it could damage other parts or injure the modeller. A pair of sharp scissors or modelling snips can help the tidy-up process before parts are fitted by removing burrs or excess backing card.

Metcalfe card is quite thick and robust in and of itself. That said, it is good practice to keep any excess card as this can be used to give additional strength and support to walls and other building parts. This will require careful alignment of different parts to achieve the required strengthening. This can take time as the adhesives used may require some time to cure. To help keep the parts in precise alignment it can be useful to use micro clamps or clothes pegs to apply pressure.  

There are a number of different options when it is time to consider adhesives. Some modellers will prefer to use a PVA-based variant for the main assembly. This offers good strength to the end result and additionally is designed to be used with card-based mediums and so will not distort the end result. Many model-based PVA adhesives also come with precision applicators which gives the modeller fine control and allows for occasions where only a small amount of glue is required. Other modellers prefer to use Roket Card Glue which is specially formulated for working with card kits. It has a quick grasp time but remains tacky for a long enough period of time to allow some movement of parts for precise alignment, considerations that are highly desirable when building a precision model like a Metcalfe kit.

During the build, it may be apparent that some of the edges of the pieces present a raw cardboard edge which is apparent against adjacent components such as external walls, outbuildings or extensions. At this stage, it is useful to have a coloured pen or artist's pencil in a suitable colour such as brown or grey which can help camouflage any 'raw edges'. Similarly, the kits are durable enough to take watercolour paints which can similarly hide any undesirable effects with the build.

Metcalfe Card kits can help add a significant amount of detail and realism to any layout or diorama. As such they offer a perfect counterpoint to any rail traffic and help bring a layout to life. Beginners may feel a little overawed at the prospect of tackling a large or sophisticated card kit. That is entirely understandable, so it is a good strategy to start small. Metcalfe offers easy-kits in both N and OO/HO Gauges such as greenhouses and Nissen Huts. These offer a great opportunity for beginners to cut their teeth on a kit before moving to something more involved. This policy can ultimately pay dividends as it is frequently the smallest items that offer the greatest realism to any layout as they can very effectively 'set the tone' for any layout. Why not experiment by incorporating a Metcalfe kit on your next layout