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Author: Andy Leaning

Where do most people keep their model railway

Thinking about building a model railway and wondering where to put it? Here's where other modellers keep theirs. [...]

What sponge to use for the best battle damage and weathering results

Weathering a Deathwing Terminator with a house-hold sponge
Want to improve your battle damage look? Sponges are the way to go but the type of sponge you use makes a big difference. [...]

Fixing buildings down

model train building
How to secure buildings to the baseboard but still allow them to be removed later. [...]

Model train wiring for dummies

books about model railway wiring
The best instructional/reference books to help you get started with model railway electrics. [...]

Layout wiring

Model railway layout wiring
For a change I decided not to break anything on my exhibition layout. [...]

How to attach wires to model train track

soldering wire to oo gauge track
Moving up from track clips to attaching power wires to track? Here are 3 techniques, how to do each and the pluses and minuses of each. [...]

How to make a frozen lake model or diorama

model frozen lake scene
Want to make a believable Winter frozen lake scene for your model train layout or diorama? Don't get cold feet, here's how to model that frozen ice look. [...]

What’s the best paint for expanded Polystyrene / Styrofoam

lots of expanded polysyrene foam
So you've created your landscape with expanded Polystyrene. Now to paint it. Don't ruin your would be lush landscape by using the wrong paint. Here's the best [...]

I didn’t mean to do that

spilt fluid
How working on the model river lead to flooding one of my points with masking fluid! [...]

Making OO scale model plants and pots

making oo gauge plants
How to make outdoor ornamental plants and pots for stations, gardens and building fronts. [...]

How to make model roses

how to make model roses oo scale
For a small Valentine's Day diorama on one of my layouts, I wanted an OO scale figure holding some red roses. Here's how I made them. Compared to model [...]

Making a river, exhibition layout

Photo of a river on a model railway closeup.
Starting on the scenery. [...]

Mission impossible: The impossible railway

I've seen some bonkers model railways over the years but nothing compares to this. [...]

Setting up my Christmas tree train

Christmas train set
I've finally gotten around to setting up my Christmas tree and am now starting on the Hornby train to go under it. [...]

A quick & proven method for making modelling putty / paste

making your own model paste
Just a quick and proven tip to making your own modelling putty when you need to fill a hole on a model or miniature and have run out of, or can't get, your [...]

Model Snowmen: how to make an oo gauge Snowman

model snowman
Want a snowman for your Christmas train set or Winter diorama? Don't have a meltdown making them. Chill out and and follow this simple guide to making your own [...]

Is cork underlay needed for track?

Track Laying Mistakes and How To Avoid Them
This is question that comes up frequently, here are my thoughts. [...]

The scratch awl and its uses

Scratch awl, what are they
For reasons I can't explain, I love old tools and one of my favourites in my tool box is the scratch awl. [...]

How to painting horses for wargaming

how to paint model horses
If you have horses on your layout or war game and like me struggle with their colouring, this article on the paints to use for credible equine models will [...]

Making miniature muddy swamp water bases

how to make wargame miniature swamp base with water effect
Here's a quick tutorial and guide to making muddy swamp water-themed miniature bases. [...]