My Tokuyama station layout

[inobu]

Eurostar25,

 

That's really impressive. I was wondering how to address the water technique and the layer method is the answer.

 

I think the solution for the water front is using glass. 

 

With the glass you have two options. Leave the glass there or remove the glass and replicate the smoothness of the glass. if you leave the glass your can bleed the facade inward to create a clean frame.

 

In any case fantastic job.

 

Inobu

[Eurostar25]

Thanks Inobu, I hadn't thought of using glass as an edge. That would help show the depth of the river to a better effect.

Food for thought for next time.

[Eurostar25]

I had a go in some sunshine today, but getting an angle where you had blue sky and no background clutter was tricky, maybe the park across the road is the answer. Perhaps that and learning how to take a good photo too will hep.

Anyway, onwards to the next one, a corner module to join the 2 together. This one will need a bit of thought as there are grades involved and crossing lines overhead...

[katoftw]

I don't think the loop over would work just as a corner module.  Your tracks are only 20-30mm height difference apart.  It is not enough track in 90 degrees to bring each down and up to clear the 50mm you need.

 

Maybe if the corners had modules next to them that had the inclines/declines instead.  But that is 4 corners and 8 incline/decline modules to make.

Edited December 7, 2015 by katoftw

[kvp]

Looks even better in the sunlight, very much like a high depth photo of the prototype.

[Eurostar25]

Thanks all for the comments.

 

I whipped up the base board for the corner module to connect the two together but as katoftw suggested it wasn't big enough so I've gone for a 75cm square effectively.

 

The track work is just sitting on the wood at present but the grade looks promising with the longer length to climb up 2cm to reach the river scene. There still seems to be ample clearance under the viaduct for even the E4 shinkansen to fit under. (Even though it won't be running on the lower tracks it was the tallest model I had)

Im thinking this will become a tunnel module to break the scenes apart, in reality Tokuyama station to the west does run into a tunnel not far from the station ... So it's plausable!

 

Unfortunately I made the module top while I was away for the weekend and had to cut it apart to bring it back with me in my travel bag but hey it's all back together now.

 

Will update as it progresses.

[Eurostar25]

I haven't quite finished another module but had a go at making a scene for the corner module

 

I used the tomytec hot spring hotel kit. I can't say I've used the material it's made out of before, it's not as firm as styrene, it's almost like a fibre board. Quite a messy paint job on the hotel too, not quite as crisp as some of the Kato buildings I've got.

 

Anyhow I'm pretty happy with how it looks, I needed something small and I think it fits the bill.

By the way everyone is covered up, including the females around the back of the hotel!

[katoftw]

Great looking module.  Just one question.  How does one access the outside bath areas from inside the buildings?  Climb through the windows? haha

[JR 500系]

That looks great! Now that Tomytec onsen has a outdoor onsen for BOTH male and female!  I really do like that partition wall in between!  :)

 

 

Great looking module.  Just one question.  How does one access the outside bath areas from inside the buildings?  Climb through the windows? haha

 

Haha ~ Unless Eurostar25 san makes an opening for a door on the onsen building leading to both the male and female outdoor spa areas ~

[Eurostar25]

Thanks for pointing out the obvious guys!

 

The renovators have been at work over the last hour, however the historians won't be too please with the works.

However there are now no fence climbing antics required to gain entry!

[JR 500系]

Wow that looks great! Nice work!

 

I love the effect of the water at the figure walking and the dropping water into the pool from the bamboo inlet.. Looks really nice and realistic!

[Eurostar25]

Thanks JR500, very much looking forward to the progress on your layout!

[Eurostar25]

Wonder if she'll notice the room didn't look the same as it did before she went to work this morning...

[katoftw]

Can you list the products you used in your river module please?  ie grass (grade/colour), brush (type/colour) etc?  For the area of rock close to the water edge.  Did you just drop a glue/ink/water blend to make it look darker and wet?  Thanks.

[Pauljag900]

If she s anything like mine mate the answer to that would be "only if you tell her!"

Looking good Scott,your detailing is top notch mate,well done

Paul

[Eurostar25]

Hi katoftw, I think I spent enough to own shares in woodlands scenics by the end of my purchases with them...

 

River bed was woodlands scenics coarse ballast. Where it's dark I simply used a dark blue/Gray colour acrylic to paint around the edges where water has been. The base of the water itself was again just blue/green acrylic paint painted directly onto the gravel bed. All paints needed to be acrylic if you're going to use realistic water/water effects from memory as enamel paints reacted with the water effects solution.

Around the edge of the water I used woodland scenic scenery glue to create a lip effectively to keep the realistic water from running everywhere. While this lip was drying I pressed coarse gravel into it to try and hide it. For the water itself it's the WS realistic water made up of about 5 applications of the stuff. Then WS water effects on top to create the ripple effect.

 

The grass around the embankments were again WS products. The grass was 'fine turf', and the other bush was 'clump foliage' - I think there's a photo earlier in the thread of the specific bag. The White Rock throughout the gravel were of a Hornby brand from memory, one that I picked up cheaply but then poured into a jar and rubbished the bag as I thought I'd never use it again. However I wanted something other than the plain WS course gravel on the river bed so the White chip came in handy.

 

Sorry, I can't be more specific with the brand details, I just went to the local hobby shop with a photo of the location and bought what looked close enough.

 

In doing research about the water, it turns out I think that the WS realistic water is just artists acrylic medium in a smaller bottle. There are alternative ways online but I only wanted a small amount for the module and didn't want/need a big jar of the stuff lying around home - so the small (& equally expensive) of WS did the trick.

The fumes were pretty toxic too so definitely an outdoor job pouring that stuff.

[nah00]

The realistic water from woodland scenics would definitely be up there with my least favourite product to use, it went absolutely everywhere are I poured the first layer, running all off the leading and trailing edge even though it had a dam at either end it still found a way to run out the gap.

I ended up running a bead of glue around all the gravel pits in the river and around the edge of the baseboard, then pouring about 5 layers of 'water' in to get the final deep look.

 

 

My experience with this stuff is the same - it has a weird capillary action (dunno if that's the right term) that causes it to creep up along a surface (especially if you use clear acrylic for your 'dams' on a river) and flow out. One benefit of that is that it will give you a darker look along the banks when it shrinks. 

What type of glue did you use? I have a little harbor scene I want to and I'm trying to figure out how to get a 90 degree angle on a corner with stuff. Was thinking of just using two part epoxy on the corner and then wood glue along the base and sealing it with just white glue along the edges.

[velotrain]

In doing research about the water, it turns out I think that the WS realistic water is just artists acrylic medium in a smaller bottle. There are alternative ways online but I only wanted a small amount for the module and didn't want/need a big jar of the stuff lying around home - so the small (& equally expensive) of WS did the trick.

The fumes were pretty toxic too so definitely an outdoor job pouring that stuff.

 

If the fumes were toxic, I doubt it was just artists acrylic medium.

 

Not that WS doesn't rebrand / repackage commonly available material and sell it at high prices.

 

I hadn't realized you expanded beyond the station, and the river scene does look great indeed - I particularly like the suggestion of higher water levels, which is rarely done.

 

[Eurostar25]

Yes I think you're corrext with the terminology, the stuff finds its way into every single unsealed part of your scene. I had it pouring down the front and rear of the module even though I had clamped wax paper around be thin hard board, it still found a way to make the river scene on the garage floor rather than the module.

For the second attempt I used the woodlands scenics scenery glue. I used it by running a bead of glue around all the edges of where I wanted the water to be. I knew it was expensive but from their how to videos online it seemed to work and it did for me too. It comes out in a thick consistency and holds its shape when drying. Although I would suggest to let it dry completely clear before pouring water, in a couple of places it's still a milky colour on my module. It contains the water well though I must admit.

Edited January 23, 2016 by Eurostar25

[Eurostar25]

Thanks velotrain, looking at the levels now though Im thinking to tone it back a bit, it looks like a flood has gone through at the levels I've painted it!

[katoftw]

I was gonna use that product for my Otsu module.  But now I am freaked out about it.

[Eurostar25]

I would certainly use it again Katoftw, just with the prep I learnt from my first experience.

1) Seal the area with a bead of white glue where you wish the water to be contained in and disguise it with river stones/turf.

2) Pour it outside and let it dry in the garage!

I'm thinking to use the remains of the bottle on my corner module for a small creek/pond.

Will post the results as progress permits

Edited January 23, 2016 by Eurostar25

[Pauljag900]

Hi Scott,scenic stuff is great to do,but not always as easy as it looks.I love doing all that but never seem to be completely happy with it myself tho others seem to think so.I tried a few water products a couple of years ago,the last one I tried was the one you just mix with hot water,think it was called easy water,but I was nt happy with it so I scraped it all of and after a rummage around In the shed I found some old acrylic paints and a sheet of the rippled plastic they use as a water effect covering,so I emptied all the blues and greens onto a piece of wood with a bit of black and white and just dabbed it on with a brush and mixed all the colours as I went,covered it with the plastic sheet and rocks/gravel and grass around the edges,it was the best effect I d managed to achieve and took about ten minutes! Not saying it was perfect but looked OK to me,Ha ha.I personally think it s just a case of what looks right to you,but I m sure you know that,after all we re all learning and it's not so dificult to undo and start again,

Paul

[tossedman]

I used duct tape as a dam and the woodland scenics water all stayed put.

[katoftw]

Considering the size of the bottle.  I think I'll do a practice to find the best method.  For the 150x300mm canal I need it for.  I don't think I'll use much.