Awesome City Street with Working Bicycles & Trucks - Realistic Scenery Vol.31

[Music] hey all and welcome back to another really cool tutorial in this video i'll be creating this awesome little street scene complete with a delivery truck that drives around the model and some really cool cyclists there's a heck of a lot packed into this tutorial so sit back and enjoy watching this scene come to life [Music] the main feature of this model is of course the hotel it's the south side hotel kit from itla models it's a laser cut wood kit and while it looks pretty easy to put together i would consider this kit a more advanced model but in saying that this model was a real pleasure to build the techniques are quite straightforward and with just a small amount of effort you can end up with a great looking model as each part is removed i tidy up any imperfections so the parts are ready for painting [Music] there's a lot of separate parts and they all need painting sticking them to a board like this makes the job go a little bit quicker rust-oleum white primer works well for the base layer of paint don't forget some parts will need priming on both sides [Music] i'm using the box art for inspiration on the color scheme and oh boy do some of those color schemes look dodgy just like this guy secretly spying on you while you sit quietly at the cafe or this guy watching you from the bushes while you make a phone call but at least you can protect your online privacy by using today's sponsor nordvpn nordvpn stands for virtual private network which means you can surf the web anonymously your location stays private and your data is encrypted they are the number one vpn because they have super fast servers in thousands of locations across the world they support both apple and android which means you can connect to the internet privately from anywhere in the world but one of my favorite features of nordvpn is the ability to access geographically blocked content with the click of a button i love pretty much anything model train related and one of my favorites is only available in the uk so when this happens it can be really frustrating but with nordvpn once i've set my location to the uk i am i can sit back and enjoy watching from the comfort of my chair fifteen thousand kilometers away to get nordvpn on a two-year plan with one month free and a huge discount go to nordvpn.com talon and don't forget to use the promo code towen so they know i sent you and you get an extra month for free that's tower to create the yellow bricks i use a combination of naples yellow as the main base color with yellow ochre and cadmium yellow as the textured layers they all get applied using an old sponge stippled over the surface the additional layers of yellow that are applied on top of the base layer are applied sparingly only enough to give a slight colour variation to the sections of brick individual bricks are singled out and painted directly with the darker yellow to highlight a few individual bricks around each window opening a similar process is applied to the red brick areas as well just with three different shades of red and brown this time the technique of application is the same however for the base coat i used some tamiya red ochre primer that was followed up with three shades applied over the top using the sponge before applying mortar all the walls including the yellow brick walls are sealed with a matte spray this helps lock in the colour so that it doesn't bleed into the mortar as it gets applied [Music] to make the brick mortar i'm using joint compound this stuff works great i simply put a little on my finger and then spread it out over the wall making sure to press it into the gaps between each brick excess is wiped away using a paper towel don't forget to remove the excess as you go especially from areas like the window openings once the red brick parts had dried i wasn't entirely happy with the color to help get the look i wanted i dry brush some vallejo orange brown over the top it's not immediately obvious but to the naked eye it's a much nicer color the kit wasn't completely problem free the window seals were nearly impossible to remove without damaging them so in the end i laser cut some acrylic window sills this worked well but it was a bummer that the sills that came with the supplied kit didn't want to come away cleanly of course if you don't have a laser cutter you can cut the new window sills using some styrene or even some balsa wood the colour used for the windows and door frames was mahogany it was a nice contrast against the yellow bricks another small issue i ran into was the window sizes they were all just slightly too big to press into the window openings as you can see here each window needed some sanding along the bottom edge in order for them to fit whenever i put together wooden kits like this i find helmer super tack works really well it gives you just enough working time and once the parts are pressed together it doesn't take long for the glue to get to the initial hold even though it may grab fast i still recommend weighing down the parts and clamping them as required to ensure you get the best bond for a really nice footpath i've found doing a base coat of vallejo deck tan is a great new cement colour i follow up by applying some gray rlm02 which is a darker muddier coloured gray i applied it very low air pressure which results in a speckled paint flow for the weathered and used look i apply a wash using a mix of black chocolate brown and water the technique is to give a thorough application of wash and then with a paper towel stipple the surface until you get a good spread of the color you like you can let the first application dry and repeat the process for a darker color if desired [Music] a quick way to add window glazing to multiple windows at once is to cut a strip for each floor then all you need to do is add a drop of glue between each window and press the strip of plastic into position it works really well for big buildings like this now we're ready to assemble the main structure together again helmer super tack is used and the wall sections are simply slotted into the tabs [Music] the back wall is positioned but not glued this just helps keep everything square and aligned to the parts that are glued and clamped together while the main structure dries i can assemble all the little details these are really cool it all comes supplied with the kit and it goes together really nicely just like all the other parts they need painting the window awnings are weathered with some white weathering powder the powder gets sealed with some matte spray and additional coats of weathering powder are applied gradually building up the effect [Music] inside the kit it comes with some window shades but i wanted something a little more unique so i found some window curtains on google i adjusted them in photoshop and scaled them to fit h0 scale windows and printed them out you'll notice i'm spraying the photo paper with a glossy spray this helps prevent the color from fading over time once each curtain is cut out they are glued to the back of each window it's a little time consuming but the end result is well worth it the internal walls ensure the structure is solid and won't warp i live in a very hot and humid climate so these internal walls will certainly help this model last many years into the future now that the main structure is fully assembled we can start adding all the finer details that really give this model life i particularly like the fire escape it gives the building so much character all of these details together create such a unique and interesting building [Music] to give it that final finishing touch i use a variety of weathering powders i create a somewhat vignette along the footpath and around the edges of the windows when it comes to weathering start off very light and slowly work your way up it's very easy to overdo the weathering and depending on what product you use it can be hard to fix once applied now on to the moving elements this is the faller cast system a fun way of adding animation to your layout the starter set comes with a bunch of materials you'll need to get started using the system it's very well laid out and if you follow the instruction book you'll have no troubles to start with i need to know how tight the truck could turn as it would determine the width of the diorama after a few tests i found 12.5 centimeter radius was reliable and worked every time i also fashioned up a turnout that way i have the ability to change the direction of the truck as it's driving around the diorama but there will be more on that later i'm also going to be using the magna rail it will be powering the cyclist that will also be riding around the diorama i needed to build the motor assembly because just like the faller car will determine the width of the diorama the motor for the magna rail will determine the height of the baseboard [Music] the baseboard will be made using insulation foam once i've decided the dimensions i'll need to start drawing the features onto the foam this first sketchup is just a rough idea of the layout and mainly to check whether everything can fit as needed once happy layers of foam are glued using polyurethane to build up the height of the diorama is required [Music] an extra layer of pvc foam sheet is used as a top surface this is specifically for the fuller car system and it will make installing the guide wire for the vehicle much easier once cut to size it's glued onto the surface remembering to remove the protective layer of plastic [Music] whenever gluing foam together it helps to roughen up the surface so the glue will have a better hold also specifically with polyurethane glue misting over some water after the glue has been applied will help the glue react and bond to the two non-porous foam surfaces [Music] now for the second time the road is drawn onto the foam this time you want it to be perfect because this is how it will look once finished to embed the wire into the pvc foam i'm just using the back side of a tamiya seam scraper basically i'm creating a groove that the wire will sit in [Music] the turn out that was built is inserted into the ground so that it will sit flush with the surface a small push-pull rod is also inserted so the turnout can be operated from the front edge of the diorama [Music] to give the push-pull rod something to push on a paddle was added to the turnout the push-pull rod will get glued to the pedal later which gives the turnout the ability to be controlled [Music] here you can get a bit of an idea of how it works a few bits of styrene are used to make a little switch that is finger operated [Music] as for the wire it's glued into the groove we created using super glue gradually going along until the entire road track has been laid [Music] an extra little feature the fuller car system has is the ability for vehicles to stop [Music] they have a small magnetic switch that will cause the vehicle to stop if it passes over a magnet in close proximity so to make this work i created a small rotary knob that has a small magnet attached it's quite a basic setup but it works sometimes the simple method is the best as much as i was tempted to create an over complicated switching system i decided to keep it simple and it just works if you've seen some of my recent videos you'll have seen the method of installing magnarell and it's especially easy to install into foam baseboard which is my preferred method a dremel with a router attachment is essential it will ensure you get the perfect depth into the foam for the magnarell track and it makes cutting out around curves and bends much easier you want a nice snug fit an added bonus of working with a foam baseboard is that when it's time to cut out the opening for the motor mechanism it's simply a matter of carving down into the foam using a tool like a hot wire knife makes this job effortless each section of track clips together and is pressed into the groove carved into the foam [Music] to get a perfect fit you'll probably need to trim away a small amount of track the instructions are pretty easy to follow however you want to ensure the magnets are around the right way when pressing them down into the links once the links are all connected they are slid into the track and joined so there's minimal slack [Music] a quick test shows that it's working perfectly [Music] the magnarell gets masked off to prevent dust and dirt getting into it while i work on the rest of the diorama [Music] for the road surface i'm using 0.8 millimeter thick polycarbonate sheet this is also found at bunnings in australia the road is traced onto the polycarbonate next the road is cut out a sharp hobby knife will do the trick or even scissors scissors work particularly well when cutting around the curved sections as for gutters the outline of the rhode islands are traced onto some spare pvc foam sheet these are cut out and then a curved edge is sanded onto them a small tool is fashioned to mark a line following the curves around the pvc it's basically a pin that can be dragged along the edge leaving a groove later i can use that groove as a guide when cutting out the gutter to prepare the polycarbonate sheet to get glued down i first sand the bottom surface with some heavy grit sandpaper i also create some gouges so the glue can get an even better hold the masking tape is where the magnarell track runs we want that area to stay nice and smooth i also sand the top surface as well however i use a much finer sandpaper 240 grit this gives the paint a better chance of sticking and not peeling away when it's time to paint the surface i make sure it's clean and wipe it down with some isopropyl alcohol my technique for roads is really straightforward first a base coat of rust-oleum gray primer once this layer is applied and has had time to dry i missed over some heirloom white from a distance this gives a speckled application of paint [Music] after about an hour i wipe away any loose paint dust with a paper towel for a weathered look i spray some of the black brown wash we used earlier on the footpath and again stipple it with a paper towel this process can be applied as many times as you need and will result in a very nice mottled look giving the road a bit of variation across the surface don't forget you can speed up the process using a hair dryer because the road will have actual vehicles running over it i give it a good ceiling with some tamiya matte spray this will give a nice strong and durable surface that should last quite a long time even with bikes and vehicles being dragged along the surface [Music] to glue the road down i'm using some of the good old polyurethane glue just make sure it's only a thin layer so that the glue doesn't expand over into the magna rail track don't forget to remove the masking tape before placing the road [Music] and again it will also need some weighing down after the glue is set excess glue is removed some of the edges didn't quite stick down so well so a bead of super glue along those edges will help them stick down a little better [Music] now the rest of the footpath and gutters are painted and weathered just the same way it was done earlier road lines and markings really transform the scene thin masking tape is used to outline the road markings and anywhere that isn't going to have white applied is completely masked off before painting the white i first apply a layer of clear matte spray this layer helps fill in any small gaps in the masking tape to prevent the white bleeding underneath i use off-white for the line color i applied in multiple thin coats gradually building up the colour i try to be a little gentle peeling away the masking tape as not to accidentally peel away any of the paint from the road surface in preparation for scenery i paint the remaining white areas with an earthy brown colour the gutters are glued down with some super glue now for grass similar to the previous video i'm using some diy grass mat in order to get roughly the right shape i trace the area i need onto some baking paper next i prepare the grass using the woodland scenic static king along with some of their four millimeter grasses i also have some dirt texture ready to go as well the grass is mixed together to get a nice tone that i'm happy with and then it's added into the static king hopper so that it's ready to go mod podge mat is spread over the desired areas with a brush once the glue is down the static grass is applied over the top [Music] excess static grass is removed by flipping the board over and giving it a gentle tap on the back some dirt texture is also applied directly on top this helps fill down in between the grass fibers and gives a much more realistic look some coarse dirt is also applied and it gets pressed down into the grass for a bit more color variation and texture a variety of woodland scenic's coarse and fine turf is applied i tend to like the burnt grass color the best once happy with how it looks i give the grass a liberal coating of isopropyl alcohol and some scenic glue [Music] the grass should peel away from the baking paper quite easily leaving you with a nice semi-flexible grass mat ready to use to fit the grass i press them down into the planned spot and carefully trim away any excess with a sharp knife [Music] to make it permanent a layer of glue is applied to the back and it's pressed down onto the diorama this process is repeated until all the areas of grass are applied [Music] the road weathering is done with some weathering powder the road is quite smooth so i find the monroe models powders do quite well they tend to stick a little better to smooth surfaces now for the main feature it's glued down with a moderate amount of glue however not too much just in case i want to remove it in the future the baseboard had a small warp so the footpath didn't quite sit flat some weights were used to help press it flat being very careful not to damage any of the fine details on the model trees lots of trees these are the same trees i used in the previous video so they are very quick and easy to make this batch of trees only took about an hour the trees are being used as a view block to help hide the edge of the model a small hole is punched into the foam and these trees are simply pressed down with a small drop of glue when you have a bunch of these trees together they look quite good i also make sure to have some various shades of green as well so all the trees don't look exactly the same for the additional street details i'm 3d printing them using their been a4 mono 3d printer from nova 3d being able to make and print my own details has really enabled me to have the ability to create some really unique scenes i highly recommend 3d printing for anyone who builds dioramas or model railroads this thing has been a game changer and they are getting much more affordable and easy to use some of the details like these street lights were downloaded from cgtrader they are free to download and look amazing i did make a couple of adjustments so that they would print better in such small scale and i also added a small mounting hole so i could easily mount them onto the pin it's amazing how much life adding these small details brings to the model these tiny parking meters were made using tinkercad which is a free 3d building program and very easy to use for the beginner and that completes our model the cool thing about dioramas like this is you can continually work on them by adding small details and even moving people and figures around to change the scene every now and again while the dhl delivery truck drives a little too fast for this city street and could do with some weathering it certainly adds a bit of fun to the layout and being able to direct the truck and have it stop is so cool i hope you enjoyed watching and don't forget to subscribe for more cool projects like this cheers and thanks for watching

Channel: Luke Towan

Views: 380,793

Keywords: Realistic scenery, building realistic scenery, how to build a diorama, how to build model scenery, how to build model train scenery, model railroad scenery, model trains, Luke Towan, Boulder Creek Railroad

Id: 7oPT2Lkj1Tg

Length: 23min 56sec (1436 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 16 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/MollyOlyOxenfree]

I love all of Luke Towan's tutorials! So informative and soothing.