Morning gang!
How's things? Hope you've had an amazing week… We've had a right mixed bag of weather down here this week. One minute you're outside and it's roasting, really humid and like you're in the Bahamas… Next minute it's drizzling, then heavy rain… let's chuck a bit of wind in and make you want to put the heating on! But it's all good fun.
Talking of fun, it's been another fun packed week this week with a million and one things going on both at work and at home. Elizabeth finally got her car back from the garage this week so she feels like she's got her freedom back and is no longer relying on the parental taxi! The seagull that are nesting on our bungalow roof are waking us up most mornings at about 5am by tapping on the velux window above the dining room… It sounds like someone's banging on the front door! Hopefully they'll be fledging soon and they'll be gone until next year.
Work wise, Stu's been on leave this week, so Sam & I have been manning the phones. All the usual stuff has been happening with great precision and efficiency down on the shop floor, expertly captained by my good lady wife. And I've been working with Jess this week to migrate a few things to new software platforms (which I'm still trying to get my head around).
We've also had many more than usual visitors to the showroom this week, with a lot of interest in the Peco track we're now stocking, and a fascinating chat with Ian and his wife that came to visit from Dorset. He's a commercial beekeeper, which sounds pretty darn amazing! I honestly didn't realise there's so much work goes into producing just a single jar of honey. And correct me if I'm wrong Ian, but I'm pretty sure he said that last year, they processed something crazy like 600kg of honey… That's one heck of a lot of sticky stuff!
New Product Development
There's not a lot been happening this week in the new product department unfortunately as we've been grafting on behind the scenes stuff mostly. I have made a little progress on the next low relief building as well as moving a revamp of an old kit a little further forward. Hopefully I'll be able to make a bit more progress next week.
In the meantime, it's over to young Sam for this weekend's videos.
Good morning! The weather has been a bit shocking recently, classic British summertime, but it seems to be getting better. I hope you have had a good week and are looking forward to the weekend (I know I am). We have had quite a few orders for the new S034-OO Village Signs which is great to see. I love seeing your village/town names and which badges you select. James aka jeg_60 sent in an image of the sign he ordered on his and Dylan's layout, check it out:
Whilst we are on the topic of Dylington, check out the new video Dylan has made! He works hard on these videos so please show your support by leaving a like and subscribing to their channel. It's great to see kids getting into the hobby and having some lighthearted fun. Dylan is lucky to have a grandad like James. Go check it out:
I'm sure you are sick of reading this every week but please keep sending us images that include our kits. We are searching far and wide for catalogue images and Scenery Showcase submissions. A couple of ways you can send these, either via the help desk - help@scalemodelscenery.co.uk or to my email address - sam@scalemodelscenery.co.uk. Feel free to email me about anything you might need help with, a layout you are working on, or any videos you found interesting or have made. I'm always happy to discuss.
Social Media
We need your help with our social media! We are currently figuring out what you want to see and the best way to do that is to ask you. We have polls on our Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook and LinkedIn. Even if you follow us on more than one of these platforms, please vote on each. Here are the links to each post, please let us know what you would like to see:
New Bundle!
Also, I get a lot of people asking me to help pick out kits and accessories for their layout. I've been working on some bundles to make it easier for everyone to create particular scenes. There's more to come but here's the first…
- OO Gauge Garden Bundle
This handy bundle contains all you need to add detail and realism to create a wonderful garden scene on your layout, complete with forest floor scatter (which works brilliantly as mulch), Hosta plants, arch top fencing, brick garden path and of course, the essential greenhouse! Grab yours now to create a Realistically Better garden scene.
With all of that being said, it's time to dive into some videos. Make sure you have a cup of tea and some biscuits.
The Ladykillers - Dawn Quest's New Layout
The first video of the week comes from Model Railway Quest aka Dawn Quest. In this, she starts building her new layout - The Ladykillers. During the intro, Dawn says this series is for everyone, regardless of experience. If you are a beginner or you are exhibiting your 10th layout, there will be interesting tips and techniques for you. She is also going to be keeping costs down which is ideal. This layout is going to be completed within the next 5 months in preparation for the Woolwich Model Railway Show (taking place on Sunday 15th December 2024). Another reason she has set the 5-month time scale is to show that it doesn't take years to create an exhibition standard layout.
In the first part, she goes over why she chose The Ladykillers, exhibition layout criteria, the basics (such as gauge), scenery & structures and more. Grumpy Cameraman does a great job at capturing some of the people who comment on layout videos. There will be multiple levels on this layout and it is safe to say that I'm invested and excited to see how this turns out! Hopefully, I'll get to see it in person at some point.
Big Layout In A Small Space
Right, heading to the other side of the pond we have a video from Hyce. In this, he visits Tuffy Henderon's layout which is squeezed into a loft. The layout contains interesting scenery such as a bridge, industrial area, warehouses, towns and more. Much of the layout features lighting. It also has a camera system so you can manage the entire layout from one spot. Trains are constantly running. A little part which I was incredibly impressed by was the fact the edges fold down, revealing the trains and another scene featuring a river. Not to repeat what is said in the video but it is so well done, you can see the intent behind every little detail.
P.S Hyce has a range of great model railway content so I recommend checking out his channel.
The Trains Of The London Underground
Before we hop into a video covering a recent exhibition, I've got an interesting video from Jago Hazzard for you. Jago's channel is brilliant, he mainly focuses on London and trains. There are a ton of great videos on his channel so I'd recommend you check it out. At first, I was going to include a video explaining one of the stations but when I stumbled across this video I thought it was more fitting. Whenever I go to London, I enjoy using the underground (this might be because I don't have to use it every day) but I've never paid attention to what trains are running. The fact that 1972 stock is still being used surprised me.
The Bluebell Model Rail Exhibition
Finally, we have a video from That Model Railway Guy - someone you should all be familiar with now The Model Railway Weekend was hosted at The Bluebell Railway (a heritage railway in Sussex) from the 29th-30th of June 2024. TMRG was invited as a guest, he did meet-ups, saw some old trains and of course, checked out some layouts. There were many, many layouts at the layout including Brief Encounter from Dawn Quest! You can find a full list of the Layouts & Traders by clicking here.
For up-and-coming exhibitions, you can click here.
That concludes the videos for this week. I hope you enjoyed them. Let me know what you think about them in the comments or an email. Have a great rest of your weekend which will hopefully include some sun!
New Stuff
Just the a couple of new additions to the range of tools and laser cut kits this week…
- SX026 Scratch-Builders Window Marking & Cutting Jig
A handy little tool that makes light work of marking out window & door positions, cut lines & tabs. Tina came up with this idea a few weeks ago while building the KX114 prototype. Ideal for anyone who enjoys scratch-building and needs to mark out lots of window positions. It's also handy for cutting window and door tabs on the wraps for our buildings, helping reduce the risk of your craft knife slipping. It also helps protect your fingers!
The SX026 is conveniently engraved with millimetre markings to help your window tabs just right, every time! Order yours here. - LX003-O Garden Gates - O/7mm/1:43
At last, the ever popular garden gates are now available in O gauge! Just as easy to build in the larger scale as they are in OO and with the same great, weathered finish. Great value with 6 gates in a pack too! Order yours here.
Back In Stock This Week…
We've restocked a loads more stuff this week as well as received a couple of rather large deliveries from our suppliers which we're currently loading onto the website… Slowly but surely.
- Gaugemaster Backscenes In OO, N & TT:120
We've pretty much restocked the entire range of Gaugemaster Photographic Backscenes this week, with the exception of one or two that they don't currently have stock of. Backscenes add a real sense of depth to a layout and when coupled with an array of low relief buildings can give the impression that a layout is much bigger than it is.
There range covers pretty much any location around the UK, from urban to rural, industrial to rolling hills & mountains. They're very high resolution too, giving you a in incredibly realistic backdrop for your layout.
The larger backscenes are ideal for OO/HO and larger scales, measuring a generous 2.7m long by around 300mm tall. The smaller ones are ideal for N & TT:120 measuring approx 1.3m long x 150mm tall. Click here to shop backscenes.
- Merten Modern Farm Figures for OO/HO
We're also bringing back into stock some of the figures we used to stock a few years ago. First to hit the shelves this week is this brilliant set of modern image farmers from Merten. They're really nicely painted and great value too, with 6 figures, all busy carrying out a variety of farm task with an assortment of tools etc. The wheelbarrow is particularly good I have to say! There's also a chap climbing into a tractor too. Now, strictly speaking these are 1:87 scale figures but we've offered them up to our stables, barns and pigsty and they'll look right at home on your OO scale layouts. Order a pack for your farm scenes here.
- AX160-OO Rusty 55 Gallon Metal Drums / Barrels (Pack of 6) - OO/4mm/1:76
These are a bit like ZZ Top… they need no introduction and are some of the best in the business, finished with the most realistic rust finish we've ever seen! You can't get any more authentic than that. Supplied in packs of 6, they're ready to dump in a ditch, stack up behind a workshop or corner of a scrapyard straight from the pack! Hurry… these sell out really quickly! We had 20 packs arrive a few days ago and as I write this we have just 6 left! Order yours here. - AX155-OO Small Bishop Style Chimney Pots (Pack of 6) OO/4mm/1:76
Perfect for adding a little extra finishing touch to your houses and shops. Really easy to use… simply paint and weather with your favourite acrylic paints, then glue into place… Bob's yer uncle! Fancy a pack or two? They're here. - AX134-OO Red 19Kg Propane / LPG Gas Bottles (Pack of 10) - OO/4mm/1:76
These are great for detailing depots, workshops, garages and many more and make great partners for the LX261-OO Gas Bottle Cages. They're printed in red resin so you can use them straight from the pack, or paint and detail them as desired. Grab a pack or two here.
Right, that's about it for this edition of the weekly news. Elizabeth is off this weekend so we're having a normal weekend too… with plenty of walking, gardening and repairing the wingmirror on the van which I cleverly caught on the side of the house will backing off the drive the other day… I'll say the other day… more like a couple of weeks ago and it's been held in place with parcel tape ever since, much to Scott's amusement at work 🤣.
Have an amazing weekend folks… And of course…
Keep on shunting…
Justin, Tina, Elizabeth, Lola & The Team
P.S. This week, I just had to pick this photo for our header… Whether you're a fan of steam or not… and even if you're not a modeller, you've got to appreciate the shear attention to detail of this wonderful scene by Kevin over on the Railway Modellers Club.
P.P.S. Missed a newsletter? You can read all of our recent newsletters online here.
Really loved the tube train video clip. Left London area in 1973 so in reality most of the train stock is/was new to me but a very interesting video clip.
Yet another great newsletter (haven't yet looked at Sam's video choices but will do later)
Absolutely look forward to every Saturday's articles from you and young Sam (so informative yay).
Just about to get started in the hobby and I'm really looking forward to it. In anticipation I have already built a couple of your smaller buildings and looking forward to building more of them. Keep up the good work.
The Newsletters are always a great read. Have not started with my grandson's layout yet ( next year ) but have some fantastic ideas.