Scenery projects on a layout will usually require an abundance of tools to work with. Yet modelers will come across certain devices that, while not a Swiss Army Knife, can be used in multiple facets to help bring a scene to life and keep it vibrant. These essential multi-use tools to transform scenery can be everyday appliances and those specifically designed for the hobby.
Cups and bowls
Regardless of size and quality, cups and bowls are as multi-use as they can get in a scenery project. You can use them to pour stone ballast along your track or resin for a water effect in a river. You can also mix the likes of plaster or sculptamold to create the material needed for hills, mountains, and rock formations. Of course, cups and bowls can also be used to simply hold your other tools so they’re readily available to use.
Hobby knife
There’s a reason this knife was touted as one of 10 essential tools for a new model railroad hobbyist. Its usage in modeling shows no bounds, especially in the world of scenery. The blade might not be able to cut massive pieces of foam and cardboard strips, but it certainly makes the cut for that little attention to detail. Hobby knives can carve, scrape and shape rock formations, and create ripples in a water effect. They can also cut tree trunks and branches for the foliage needed in forest-like settings.
Painter’s tape
Working on scenery can be a messy job. Which is why painter’s tape can go a long way in protecting track, wiring, and other parts of the layout from being splattered. It can also create a clean line between surfaces when painting specific features or paving roads. The adhesive is strong enough to prevent seepage yet easy enough to peel off. Painter’s tape can also be permanently incorporated into scenery. Check out this example that uses painter’s tape to create a web over packing peanuts to shape a hillside.
Paintbrush
You’ll need a paintbrush to apply coatings, from earth-tone latex paint onto a layout’s landform, to various stone-based colors for a rock formation to stand out within a scene. But this tool can be used for more than just painting. They also come in handy when drybrushing grass fibers, spreading out ballast across track, coating a surface with glue, and creating waves for water effects. Please note the different brush sizes: some can cover a lot of ground while others are better for touching up small details.
Spray bottle
Spray bottles are commonly used in projects to apply a liquid adhesive — whether custom mixed or from a manufacturer — to lock down certain scenery features such as ground cover. Their adjustable nozzles range from a direct stream to a mist that’ll cover a vast area. Spray bottles can still be used beyond adhesive purposes: applying black acrylic paint wash to sculptamolded outcroppings, and spraying “wet water” or isopropyl alcohol for thin glue to seep into the ballast. Keep in mind that multiple bottles should be designated and labeled for specific purposes due to the material mixed in, unless a thorough cleaning is done.
Tweezer
When human hands are too big to handle small objects, tweezers step in as handy tools. Brushes, rocks and even figures can be picked up, modified if needed, and glued into place with little chance of being dropped or knocked over. Tweezers can also help you clean up your scenery by using them to collect dust bunnies in areas you might not be able to reach with your fingers. Keep in mind the multiple sizes, which also come with either a smooth or serrated jaw.
Shop vacuum
As previously stated, working on scenery will be messy. Regardless of what you’re using, loose material such as foam particles and unusable ground cover will need to be cleared away to keep your work area clean and ready for the next layer of projects. That, of course, is where a shop vacuum will come into play. But even with all the scenery work completed, the fun never stops in keeping things tidy, especially when it comes to dust. Kathy Millatt’s Keep scenery looking its best article shows how a vacuum can get the job done without causing damage to the scenery.
