Kit Building For Railway Modellers

Most modellers, regardless of what scale they work in, rely heavily on the humble plastic or metal kit, and this book will help both novice and more experienced modellers to achieve the very best results. George Dent presents here a clearly written foundation course in constructing rolling stock from kits. Examines tools, glues and materials; Describes how to successfully construct a chassis for wagons and carriages; Covers work in plastic, resin, white metal and brass; Presents an essential in-depth guide to soldering; Considers detailing, modifying and scratch-building; Discusses painting, transfers and weathering. A comprehensive guide to constructing rolling stock from kits, aimed at railway modellers of all abilities - it helps the modeller to achieve the best results form every kit. Volume one outlines all the necessary foundations and techniques relating to the construction, painting, detailing and finishing of rolling stock kits. Superbly and extensively illustrated with 591 colour photographs. George Dent is a highly respected model-maker and author.

Locomotive kit building remains the best route to achieving a varied range of motive power in most scales but it also retains a mystique, being associated with expert modellers and expensive tools. However, in this invaluable, richly illustrated volume, George Dent demonstrates how anyone can successfully assemble working kits with only a modicum of inexpensive equipment and experience. All aspects of assembly are covered in detail including working in plastics, resin and metal; the very basics of working and joining materials; installing ready-made power units and performing more complex operations, such as assembling etched metal chassis frames and intricate valve gear. Includes a full guide to essential tools, materials and adhesives, covers the art of soldering and explains the basics behind chassis construction and alignment. Presents an in-depth guide to the assembly of cylinders, coupling rods and valve gear and examines a range of power unit and transmission options. Demonstrates how to detail and modify kits for extra realism, illustrates painting, lining and weathering techniques and offers tips on running-in, testing and maintaining mechanisms. An essential guide to building locomotives and multiple units from kits and helps the modeller to achieve the best results from every kit. Aimed at railway modellers of all abilities, it is superbly illustrated with 537 colour photographs.

This beautifully illustrated and practical book covers a wide variety of materials and processes, and tells you everything you need to know about building model railway coaches. Master modeller George Dent guides the reader through the necessary techniques and skills, covering all aspects of the subject, from kit building in metal, plastic, resin and wood; through soldering, weathering, painting and lining; to 3-D printed kits and components; and adding passengers to the carriages. Also includes upgrading off-the-shelf models; kit assembly, scratch-building and finishing. He provides important advice on choosing the right tools, materials and adhesives, covers kit building in metal, plastic, resin and wood and presents many ideas for detailing, modifying and converting ready-to-run and kit-built coaches. With essential step-by-step guides to soldering, weathering, painting and lining, this will be of great interest to all railway modellers, particularly those with some experience. Superbly illustrated with 604 colour photographs.

This invaluable book is essential reading for all railway modellers, whatever their level of expertise. The author provides an overall understanding of the purpose of making buildings for a model railway and covers their construction, their positioning and how to light them.Topics covered include railway and non-railway buildings, explaining how the latter can also enhance your trains; modelling attitudes, the use of scale, levels of detail and both regional vernacular and railway architecture; ready-made buildings and how you can adapt them to your own particular purposes; different materials available for building structures and ways of choosing, finding, measuring and recording suitable prototypes; step by step construction of a cardboard building kit to illustrate the use of basic modelling tools and to explain essential procedures and techniques; using and modifying 'out-of-the-box' model buildings. Also explores the subtleties of making model railway buildings from scratch without the use of a kit, or anything more than hand-tools and a few sheets of suitable material, giving guidance on the appropriate use of texture and colour, and shows how walls, doors, windows, roofs and chimneys can be created, painted, detailed and finished off. Discusses the many aspects of lighting, including external lighting, such as street and platform lights, and the internal lighting of buildings, the problems they pose and how they can be resolved. Lighting can create dramatic effects with reference, for example, to the installation of illuminated ground signals in N-gauge using the latest 'surface-mount' technology, and by producing brilliantly illuminated back-lit sunsets. Superbly illustrated with 622 colour photographs.

Weathering is not just about making something look dirty. Rather, it should be seen as an artistic endeavour, with the aim of making a model appear as lifelike as possible. It also helps to blend a range of separate structures into a cohesive scene. Careful weathering brings out the best in even the most mundane model, drawing attention to moulded relief and enhancing surface textures. In this latest volume, expert modeller George Dent shares his theories and practices on the art of weathering buildings, motor vehicles, ships and all manner of scenic features. Topics include: A guide to paints, washes, dry powders and other weathering media. Simple techniques for maximizing realism on all types of buildings and structures. Effective methods for weathering road vehicles, machinery and ships: innovative techniques for reproducing peeling paint, corrosion and bare timber effects: using an airbrush effectively as part of the weathering process. Plus simple approaches to making authentic muddy tracks, road surfaces, platforms, railway track and infrastructure. Suitable for railway modellers of all abilities, scales and eras. Superbly illustrated in step-by-step format with 438 colour photographs. George Dent is an expert railway modeller and is Deputy Editor at Model Rail magazine. A follow up to the highly successful Weathering for Railway Modellers Volume 1: Locomotives and Rolling Stock.

Once seen as a niche practice, the craft of weathering has now become firmly rooted in the railway modelling mainstream. Not simply a means of rendering models in layers of dirty paint, weathering involves a myriad of techniques aimed at improving realism, including distinctive surface textures, highlights and shading, burnishing and peeling paint finishes. The weathering process brings out the best in a model, making moulded relief or a lustrous livery really stand out. As well as replicating the real world more closely, weathering also helps a model to look at home within a scenic setting. Aimed at modellers of all abilities and eras, this book is an essential guide to creating the most realistic locomotives and rolling stock in any scale. It includes: a guide to tools, paints, washes, dry pigments and other innovative media; the correct techniques for model preparation; a wide range of techniques for wagons, carriages, locomotives and multiple units in any scale; how to replicate authentic surface textures and effects, from polished surfaces to corroded metal and worn timber; how to bring models to life with faded paintwork, peeling and chipped finishes and subtle highlights and shading; the secret to successful airbrushing. This book will be of great interest to railway modellers of varying abilities, particularly those interested in rolling stock and locomotives, and is fully illustrated with 660 colour photographs.

This fascinating and detailed book is essential reading for all those railway modellers who wish to build their own wagons and vans. After examining the types of modelling materials that are available and discussing the basic tools that are required, the author demonstrates how the modeller can move on from building simple kits to constructing more complicated kits in a variety of materials, including plastic, white metal and brass. He then considers how kits can be detailed, converted and significantly modified (often referred to as 'kit bashing') before covering the ultimate in rolling stock construction - scratch building. Brimming with practical advice and tips, this remarkable book uses worked examples and step-by-step photographs to show what can be achieved with the application of research, patience and modelling skill. Moreover, although the volume deals with 00 gauge, the ideas and techniques discussed can easily be applied to other gauges/scales. Superbly illustrated with 294 colour photographs and two drawings.