This was one of the kits my family bought me for my 40th birthday this year, it’s great to be able to make and display a gift and get the satisfaction that I made it for many years to come!
It is quite a plain book nook as most of the building was in the train but me being me, I decided that I was going to paint every brick on the wall and floor with 3d paint, making this probably one of my longest builds!!
I think the 3d texture makes these walls though. I also decided I didn’t like the posters in the kit as they were very blurry, so out come my mini printer and found some new posters to print!
One of my favourite ideas with this build was one my SO had, and that was to use aquarium gravel for the gravel on the tracks, it really makes it look real!
I also experimented with using eye shadows to give weathering effects to the paint and I think this turned out really well! Will definitely use this technique more on other builds, even if the person in the shop thought I was crazy buying loads of crazy colour eye shadow pallets!!
Finally, the pictures above show a non painted train, I decided after I finished that I wanted to paint it up and give it some weathering. Here’s my finished train!
All in all it’s been a great kit to build and I’m really pleased with how it turned out. I got to try some new techniques which I can use with other kits! The roof was fiddly to get on, and work with as it was half built and attached early on, but the blue glass roof effect is brilliant!
I hope you enjoyed reading about my latest build and I look forward to my next build
@LilV wow such good technique to age the train!! That’s new to me. It looks so genuine. You did a great job with the gravel idea as well. Color me impressed and happy for you !
I used Vallejo Diorama FX in white stone which I applied with a brush (and the help of a cocktail stick to clean up the edges) then painted it with acrylic paints. I paint a base colour then use dry brushing/sponge to dob on different colours to give it a more realistic look. Finally I brushed bits of it with different eye shadows to give it a bit more depth.
The painting of the FX really did take forever and I did start to wonder if Id made a mistake doing it but I’m glad I did!
I haven’t decided yet, I’ve got a few to choose from! I’ve been thinking about doing the five storied pagoda after seeing someone else’s post on it but I’m also thinking about trying one of my non rolife kits as a comparison to rolife ones! So much choice
The only thing I did find is that it didn’t work on non painted parts, it just didn’t stick to the wood. Once I painted the piece with an acrylic pen it stuck really well to it. I often paint my pieces even if it’s just the same colour it originally was just so it hides the edge and any imperfections!
Wow your customizations look amazing! I really like it. The 3d paint on the walls make them stand out more and the gravel between the tracks just gives it a more realistic touch. Well done!
