Backdrop painting, Ep. 22

Steve Brown holding a paint brush in his hand while showing how to paint a backdrop for a model railroad

Want a better backdrop scene? Series host Steve Brown desperately desires something other than plain blue sky to grace his N scale layout background, so he jumps right into the process for hand painting his own mountain skyline. Grab your paint, brush, and big ideas, and then follow along the “Regular Guy” way! […]

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Backdrop painting, Ep. 22

Steve Brown holding a paint brush in his hand while showing how to paint a backdrop for a model railroad

Want a better backdrop scene? Series host Steve Brown desperately desires something other than plain blue sky to grace his N scale layout background, so he jumps right into the process for hand painting his own mountain skyline. Grab your paint, brush, and big ideas, and then follow along the “Regular Guy” way! […]

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What kind of paint should a large-scale modeler use?

Assortment of paints plus a paint stir stick labeled “wet paint.”

There are three basic ingredients to any paint: the pigment, the binder, and the solvent. The pigment is what gives the paint its color. These are either synthetic or organic, depending on the desired color. The binder does just as the name suggests. Its job is to hold everything together once the paint dries. The […]

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New toy-train products for January 2021

Atlas O Peavey Co. Pullman-Standard 4,427-cubic-foot capacity low-side three-bay covered hopper

O gauge freight cars Pullman-Standard 4,427-cubic-foot-capacity low-side three-bay covered hopper. New paint schemes: Peavey Co. (blue and white), Archer Daniels Midland (blue and white), Cooperative Marketing Association (brown and black), Gold Kist (yellow and blue), Indiana Farm Bureau Cooperative Association Inc. (red, white, and blue), Scoular (gray and black), Tabor & Co. (gray and white), […]

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Loosen paint jar caps

One hand grips a black-colored Oxo jar opener while another hand holds a paint jar.

Paint jar caps that are stuck or tightly sealed are a problem most modelers’ experience. In the spray booth at Model Railroader, we use an Oxo Good Grips jar opener (no. 21191) to open stubborn paint bottle caps. These are sold at most major discount stores and specialty cooking shops. Just place the cap into […]

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Make quick-and-easy junked cars for toy train layouts

Junkyard with painted aluminum foil auto shells.

Toy train layout operators foiled by the lack of inexpensive details can you aluminum foil as the raw materials for unlimited “junked cars.” Best of all, the project won’t strain your how-to skills and will add detail to your layout. You’ll need heavy-duty foil, gloss black paint, your choice of flat colors, a hobby knife, […]

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