Modellers when building a layout are creating a world in miniature. Within those many amazing miniature worlds are scenes that tell a story. Cameo scenes are great fun to create and can really spark the imagination of the viewer of a layout. They give viewers of the layout a point of interest that tells a story of daily life in your miniature world. And with a little thought it's possible to create a back story… and the interpretation of the backstory will vary from viewer to viewer… each person will spot different details & subtle nuances within the scene and their mind will fill in the blanks to create a unique interpretation of the scene.
At many model shows, & permanent layouts we've seen over the years, we've had the pleasure of being told many a backstory of a layout & scenes on a layout. Some layout backstories & scenes are historically based on real-life events, others are fictitious but so good that they could quite easily have happened in real life. Some are indeed rather hilarious!
In this example, Derbytrainfan has created several intertwined scenes on his OO gauge model railway layout which gives viewers lots to look at. The scenes we've chosen to feature here are of what could be a typical Saturday in urban Britain; DIY. We've all spent many a Saturday in B&Q shopping for stuff for the house and garden, and through the clever use of a 4-photo series, he tells the story of a typical weekend.
Set the scene to start the story - The DIY Store
The story begins in the outdoor / garden section of the local DIY store. Little clues in the photo such as the colour scheme on the building & litter bin give you an idea that this could be a well-known DIY store! And with all the usual building products on display on high-level racking, you can imagine wandering around there choosing slabs for the patio, and a few potted plants. The focus of this particular story is actually a little more subtle… It's the fence panels and posts that become the main focus. Here Derbytrainfan, has used over on the left-hand side of this yard our LX155-OO Pre-Cut 6FT Fence Panels & the AX047-OO Concrete Fence Posts, as typical items that you would find for sale in a DIY store or builders yard. So could it be some form of a repair or building project taking place in this miniature world?
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The next photo in this story now sees us outside the store confirming that the clues we saw in the previous photo confirm that we're definitely at a well know UK DIY store. Here we now can see it must be a fence repair job that is taking place somewhere else on the layout, as the chap in the photo appears to have bought just one fence panel It's a scene I'm sure many of you have seen or been involved in at a DIY store with a purchase of a bulky item, then wondering how the heck you're going to get it in the car?!
In this scene though, the modeller has taken a comedic angle with his cameo scene with the new owner of the fence paneltrying to get it home on the bus. A rather unimpressed bus driver standing there with his arms folded really sets the scene… “If you think you're bringing that on here mate, you've got another thing coming!”
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Moving on with the story now we flick to another scene on the layout. Here it looks like we must be at the fence panel chap's home. So the first & second photo above suggests it could be a fence repair that is taking place. In the third photo, we can see it's actually an installation of the fencing around the miniature chaps garden. The fence panel is in the process is being slid into position.
Like the real thing, the LX155-OO Pre-Cut 6FT Fence Panels & the AX047-OO Concrete Fence Posts are installed the same way. The concrete posts are installed first by drilling holes for the posts. Glue is then applied to the holes & the posts are inserted in the holes. Once the glue has dried, the fence panels are then placed into the recessed slots & slide down into position. So the scene is made as realistic as possible with the construction of the model fence following the exact same method as the real-life one.
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The last part of this story now sees the fencing installed to complete the miniature garden. The post & panel fencing create some privacy in this garden scene and we like how the fence kit has been adapted to fit the change in direction, by cutting down one of the panels to fit the shorter distance between the two posts behind the lamp post. The addition of grass & weeds along the bottom of the fence adds a further natural look to this scene. Note the overgrowing bush at the far right-hand end of the fence helps soften the fence and blend it into this garden scene.
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If these photos have inspired you to have a go at creating a photo story on your layout, we'd love to see what you come up with. We'd love to see what stories & scenes you come up with for your layouts using our kits.
Kits Used:
Recommended Kits
- AX051-OO Concrete Bollards
- AX147-OO Bulk Bags
- LX080-OO Railway Sleepers
- LX018-OO Paving Slabs
- AX063-OO Wooden Pallets
- LX154-OO Garden Shed
Happy modelling