Moving on with a bit more work on the scenery side of things, I eventually got all the plaster in place and it was nice to have all that completed. It allowed me to get back on the track and run laps. During the next few weeks, I decided to add some paint to things. Perhaps you are thinking that I should coat everything with that fake grass that is so popular with the RR fans. Well, not only would I be using a LOT of it, the truth is that this stuff can easily get into the workings of the cars as it is insidious stuff. Getting some of it in between track connections could cause that portion to lose conductivity. Slot car tracks are a lot more fussy to things like that than train rails. Some even go so far as to put down new conductive strips using copper tape to be sure of a complete connection, but I'm not to that point!
Anyway, I bought some acrylic
Earth and Grass paint from the Woodland Scenics line. In order to get something
on all the plaster, I thinned the Earth and using a paint brush, coated
everything with it. One does need to keep the track covered when doing this as
paint will splatter. It is also important to get the paint in all the nooks and
crannies. I have found that it is very easy to miss stuff and when you think it
is all covered, after it dries, these white spots are quite noticeable. As the
paint is thinned, it isn't as dark as what it shows in the bottle.
I then did the same with the green color, sticking mostly to the 'flat' surfaces of things and leaving the more vertical parts in the Earth. Then more Earth, but this time not as thinned down and same with the Green. This doesn't cover the pink and blue foam board quite as well, but at least there is less blue and pink showing through.
I also picked up some tree armatures
(that is what they are called) and some foam to p
lunk
on them to flesh them out. I also got some special glue for them, all from
Woodland Scenics. It is a real mess to glue all the foam in place and I did
follow the instructions to the letter. I had to get the biggest tree armatures
they had (5-7 inches) as the small ones I got in a 'tree making' set are far too
small.
Woodland scenics makes a number of
different shades for the foliage and I got one of each so there would be a
variety of colors. Well, the glue they suggest is obviously not good enough as
after setting the trees up, they started shedding. It has been over a month
since I put up the initial batch of trees and they have lost about 2/3rds of the
greenery. You can see this in the image below. I have been scooping it up and
trying to reapply using regular white glue as recommended by several when I
asked about this. It works fairly well, but not great. The rest of the fallen
bits I've
been gluing around the
track borders and other areas from time to time.
As things stand now, nearly two
months since putting up the first foliage, there is a lot of space that still
needs filling, but I have time and this is something that can easily be a
constant project for when I get a fe
w
free moments. It is a 'low intensity' build process and by doing a bit at a
time, there is no burnout. I also glued a few trees down using an adhesive
called 'Shoe Glue' that was recommended as being very good. Well, it is good and
it also eats into the foam underneath the tree! Just a warning for others
thinking of using it on foam board.
So I guess that should do it for a while on the track construction and the scenery. I almost hate to say it, as the track has only been in its current configuration since late August, but I'm already looking at ways to add another 4x8 sheet and have already started clearing out a space for it. It is quite a demanding proposition, as I have to be able to reach deslotted cars, yet make it interesting enough. I've been playing with my track design software to come up with some ideas of what the extension will look like
I'd like to thank those who sent in their slot car experiences and I'll make a note of sharing those with readers at a bit of a later date. Meanwhile, I'd like to keep hearing from you on the subject so please e-mail me at mmreaders@aol.com.
Scott