Making a moody sky photographic backscene for my model railway layout - April 2021 Layout Update
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- Опубликовано: 4 авг 2024
- In this episode I show how I photographed the sky using my mobile phone and from that made a backscene for my N Gauge model railway city layout, Chandwell. The backscene is almost 5 metres long and is made of glum, moody clouds that really add atmosphere to the layout.
I photographed the sky myself and edited the pictures in Lightroom before stitching them together into a massive panorama in Inkscape. I printed them onto 34 A4 sticky labels which I stuck to 0.5mm card before tiling these onto the walls around the layout.
You can see the seams but the effect is still wonderful and really adds atmosphere to the layout.
I've wanted to add my backscene for ages but was never sure how to do it. I wanted to avoid the cost of professional printing and I wanted to photograph it myself. The backscene has to be subtle and not overpowering, and I think I have achieved that.
So join me as I show how I photographed, designed, printed, and mounted this moody, cloudy, photographic backscene to really add atmosphere to my N Gauge layout, Chandwell.
CHANDWELL N GAUGE MODEL RAILWAY LAYOUT UPDATE APRIL 2021
00:00 Introduction
01:00 Step 1 - Adjust the photographs
01:33 Step 2 - A gigantic panorama
02:43 Step 3 - Preparing the walls
03:13 Step 4 - A 34-piece jigsaw
03:56 Step 5 - Making the jigsaw pieces
04:22 Step 6 - Sticking to the wall
06:41 Step 7 - To varnish or not to varnish
07:15 What do I think - was it worth it?
#NGauge #LayoutUpdate #Backscene 
Развлечения
Great video, enjoyed that. The Winsor and Newton matt fixative works just fine for me.
Brilliant. I have heard good things. Thank you!
The backdrop has worked out very well indeed. It will provide a great backdrop from the town. Stephen
Thank you Stephen. I am really pleased with it. I work from home and my desk faces the layout, so it's something much nicer to look at now! :)
Looks really effective and kind of ties things together. . . . Looking forward to the next video
Thank you Stu!
Looks fantastic, really sets the railway off.👍
Many thanks! I think it looks much better like this!
Fantastic...I love the way you've increased the blue skies as you leave Chandwell, that's a very clever touch and works a treat. Great update as usual,
Andrew🙂👍
Thank you Andrew! It all adds to the backstory of Chandwell and helps focus my own mind when I am deciding how t model the town.
Great looking backdrop. Helpful hints aa well. Thanks for posting.
Glad it was helpful Michael. --Michael.
Looking great as usual and ready for next episode.
More to come! I hope! :)
That looks brilliant, Michael and proves the point that if you have the motivation and skill, it's always best to create your own - whatever that may be. Much as I like some of the colourful backdrops that are available to buy, yours looks absolutely perfect for Chandwell. Great tutorial as well. Well done and looking forward to your next video. Thanks very much for posting, take care, Ian
Thank you Ian. I’m really pleased with how it’s turned out. I look over my monitor at Chandwell while I am working all day and it is very nice to see the sky, even though it is grim and glum!
Looks fantastic that, it has given me the idea to do exactly the same with the actual backdrop of the GEML section I'm working on, lovely little layout that!!
Go for it! Good stuff.
The sky looks gorgeous and really adds impact to the layout!
Thank you Dave.
Fantastic sky effect. Very cleverly done. You don't notice the joins whilst focusing on the stock running. Finishes the layout off nicely. Another brilliant and informative video thank you.
Jeff
Thanks Jeff! I think it looks good in the flesh.
Awesome video again. That Inkscape tip will come in handy too. :)
Thank you!
The soft focus and muted colours are perfect for a background. Many of the commercial ones are too saturated and contain too many visual distractions from the layout they are supposed to enhance. I'm about to try sticking a backscene to primed 6mm ply using photo mounting tissue that is ironed on. But if it goes wrong then back to a pale grey/blue sky with indistinct grey clouds sponged on which works fairly well. Thanks for the video, really interesting.
Thank you very much indeed. Yes, I think the muted colours really work. I did some tests with more saturated colours and they were certainly "not Chandwell". :)
Like the video very much .Hope more to come .Take care
Thank you!
Not only is it useful, it’s inspirational!!
Thank you!
@@Chandwell Well, I’m the guy that calls a spade a spade and a shovel a shovel!! Your layout is absolutely inspirational. I can’t get on with building my layout until I’ve actually moved home. But yours has inspired me to look at getting the track plans drawn onto the baseboard that I shall be using for Ongar Station!!
That’s great to hear!
One thing that makes for a compelling backscene is a unified perspective. This is magnified when buildings are involved and are next to each other but shot from various perspectives, it just looks odd. I love the inkscape work though and your scratch-built buildings are exceptional.
Thank you Steven. I’m not sure if you’re saying the backscene as is looks odd, or that it doesn’t look odd. If you think it’s odd, I’d love to know more as I’ve not noticed much weirdness other than where the plumbing box is sticking out which is a pain but I’m not sure what else I could have done. I’m not being defensive; I’m genuinely interested to know what you’ve spotted so that I can learn from it next time. 👍 Cheers!
@@Chandwell I was watching your older vids: How to make a road vanish into the backscene of a model railway @41 and 51 seconds in there is a corner building in that scene that is photographed from fairly close with a wide angle lens from below. It does not fit with the rest of the scene. I did notice that same building made a brief appearance in this vid too. I hope this helps. You have done a good job with the sky, maybe a similar technique could be employed for the buildings and cityscape in general.
Aaah. Thank you. Yes that makes sense. Those buildings are still standing at the back of that road but are still just stuck to their stilts in a temporary position. I fully agree with you. I’ve not yet decided what to do with them yet. If I go for that kind of technique then it will only be if I can hide the building from everywhere other than straight-on down the road. I’ve already thrown away the 3D layered backscene that is discussed in that video too. My thinking now is to just leave the low-contrast clouds and just use normal low-relief buildings or even full relief ones in front. Not sure yet.
Fantastic backscene
Thank you!
I just found your channel whilst looking for a video on backscenes for my customers weekly newsletter. Its a great video, so well done.
Thank you very much, Stephen!
The backscene looks impressive. Not sure how you’d hide the joins, just one of those things I guess.
Ron
Thank you Ron. I agree... The joins are just there and I’ll live with them. They’re not distracting and the whole of Chandwell is a collection of compromises. I’m really, really pleased with the sky and it’s a great backdrop to the main event.
Excellent Michael - gives a real feel to the whole layout. I've used Windsor & Newton artists Matt varnish for my scratch build bridges and seems to work from my perspective. Cheers Euan
Thanks for the tip Euan. Is there a special one for acrylics or do you use the "removable" one which is for oil paintings? I can't seem to see if there are different ones. Thanks as ever for watching! --Michael
I think this is a quite incredible result. The thought process you went through to decide what you wanted, the visit to Ilkley to get the sky photos and the methods you used to get the finished scene just blew my mind. Really enjoy your videos, thanks for sharing. Roy.
Thank you Roy! It was a fun build. Thanks as ever for watching. Michael.
Looks awesome! adds a lot to your layout! Thanks for sharing. Dave
Thanks for watching!
That was a totally different take on backscenes Michael, thoroughly enjoyed it .
Very clever how you used inkscape and very effective.
Looking forward to the low relief buildings on the new backscene.
Regards Chris
Many thanks Chris! Hope all is well with you!
Greetings Michael and what a pleasure to see what Ilkley Moor Bar Tat is actually like 😲🌞 I used a Giclee matt varnish on my backscene from an Ink Jet ink supplier, might be worth investigating 🔎🤔 The poor people of Chadwell must dream of going somewhere sunny 🌞 like Manchester 😱🤣🤣🤣 Great show as always 👍Very best wishes from County Wicklow ☘☔
Ah yes! Ilkley Moor Bar Tat! Did you know that "baht' at" actually means "without a hat"? I decided to wear a hat after taking note of the poor "baht' at" man's woes. Thankfully as a result I didn't die of cold (Tha's bahn' to catch thy deeath o' cowd... Then us'll ha' to bury thee... Then t'worms'll come an' eyt thee oop) And no worms came to eat me up. Which is good, because I managed to get this video made! :)
Oh yes, what the residents of Chandwell wouldn't give to see a glimpse of a Manchester Summer :D :D
I'll have a look at Giclee matt lacquer... Looks promising. Thank you Paul, as ever, for your entertaining comments.
-- Michael.
Thanks Michael for the full back story and visualisation with worms 🪱🤣🤣🤣 Have a great day and no sneaking out to the Blaydon Races 😉
Hi Michael. Well, I’ve just spent an enjoyable Sunday catching up on all of your videos! I can only repeat what others say, absolutely stunning layout and modelling skills. It’s amazing that most of it is built from card. I’m a lazy modeller, I tend to buy buildings if funds allow and personalise them but yours are unique. I love the way the layout flows from the tunnels to the station and how you have captured the atmosphere of a town that only the residents would love! Should we ever be allowed to go to a show again I would have loved to have seen chandwell exhibited but it’s clearly a stay at home layout. All the best for the rest of it and I look forward to seeing it in a magazine at some point?
Cheers Phil
Wow. Thank you Phil. That is a very kind thing to say. I’m really pleased that you have enjoyed Chandwell up to now. There is lots more still to come, all being well. You are right that it is very much a stay at home layout, glued as it is to the cabinetry in the garage. I would love to have the layout feature in a magazine at some point. My aim is to get the layout to a state of completion before I’m 50... so I have 6 more years to go... 😂 All the best, and thank you for watching. -Michael
More great progress mate 👍🏻
Thank you!!
Great looking backdrop and I love your solution for the rounded corners to keep the paper from wrinkling. I've thought about the technique similar to this, but was concerned the seams between each section would show too much, but after watching your video, I think it will work just fine. Thanks for posting.
Thank you Mark!
Another great and informative video Michael! I found the cloud masking blending method particularly interesting and the overall effect was well worth the effort. Well done and I can’t wait for the next instalment be that Inkscape questions or station building..
Thanks Tim.
With the added features of your garage wall, I do see why you opted for the tiled effect rather than the larger print. It looks to have come out really well, and already makes a difference to the atmosphere of the layout!
Thank you! Yeah, it would have been a faff trying to get a long print wrapped around the corners, past the cable trunking, up and over the raised ground etc. I like how it’s turned out. And on the cheap too. That’s a win!
I see other comments about what I'm going to say. Take your completed digital file to a decent printer and have them print it on one continuous roll on heavier paper. It'll probably cost less than 100 pounds *wild guess* but it will look amazing. You can print on satin or matte paper. The paper will be much heavier and less prone to warping, especially in a damp environment.
Make sure it's printed on an inkjet printer.
I would also use a much heavier and smoother backer before you attach the print. Not sure about best glue, you probably have that covered. Looks so cool but the tiling effect would drive me bonkers, especially after you went to epic lengths on your other scenery and buildings.
But let me say if you have any doubts the effect is outstanding and you're definitely head and shoulders above 99 per cent of the other layouts I see on youtube!
Hahaha. Yeah. But no. Nothing on Chandwell other than the stock costs more than a fiver and I’m happy with that. I simply don’t have the skill to cut, unroll, paste, and mount a long professionally printed roll of anything. I tried to hang wallpaper once and got so annoyed with it that I threw it out and had to have a little lie down! 😂 I have six right angles to get it round, 2 cable trunks, and an undulating landscape that is stuck down. The benefit of my way is I did it all myself with nothing but a craft knife and some sticky labels. Chandwell is just that to me ... it’s my effort alone. It’s not perfect for certain, but I can look at it all and honestly say that “I did that”. And that makes me very happy indeed! I acknowledge of course that not everyone shares that outlook, and certainly the seams are more ugly than if they weren’t there. But I can live with it and be happy! 😁 Thanks as ever for your thoughtful comments. I really do appreciate them. 👍👍🤔
Sorry... forgot to add too. The garage is internal to my house so it’s not damp. My moisture concern was more around spraying of water when adding ballast and the like. So that’s still an issue I need to think about. -Michael.
Also realise I didn’t thank you for the incredibly kind comment in the last paragraph! That really means a lot - thank you!
@@Chandwell Haha pleasure , and since I am not one to blow smoke, you can be sure I mean it :) It's a real pleasure to watch your work progress, and how you solve problems and it's sure made covid more bearable, so thank you again for that!
It’s always sunny at Exehaven and the people from Chandwell are more than welcome! I love the way you went about it all Michael and they do look good and give that very grey impression. I’m seriously thinking about taking mine down and re-doing them. They never really glued properly and to be fair I only need the top quarter to look ok as the rest will be covered. Backscenes I’ve found and watched on RUclips over the past few years are often not the easiest of beasts to deal with!
Great video as usual Michael, cheers for now, John
Thanks John. I’ll stick a poster of Exehaven on Chandwell’s station somewhere. I think it’s only fair to the good people of Chandwell to be aware of some of the “nicer places” that they can visit. Michael.
Lol! Michael, excellent!
Right then John, if you watch my next video you may see a little something to make you smile. 👍😂
Don’t worry, I always watch, looking forward to seeing what you’ve done😁
Very clever!
Thank you! Cheers!
Cool nice video.
Best regards Gert
Thank you Gert! Always good to hear from you. Cheers!
Another fantastic video Michael! Really brings the layout to life! Regarding sealing the backscene, try cheap unfragranced hairspray, I use it on scalescenes buildings, works really well.
Thanks Chris! I have heard of using hairspray to stick down scenery, but not as a coat for printed things. Will it seal the print and prevent ink from running if I, say, accidentally spray ballast water on it do you think? --Michael.
@@Chandwell I had really good results after spraying a couple of coats on a Scalescenes bridge I’d built, and even after putting ballast down the colours didn’t run
It looks fantastic! Use a gradient to hide the seams? That's a great idea. Thank you so much for the video.
Yes! Thank you! It works really well. Thanks for watching as always! :)
Job well done. Very satisfying for you I'm sure :)
I enjoyed this one. It’s not perfect by any stretch but as with everything on Chandwell, it was cheap and cheerful!
@@Chandwell Then it was a WIN WIN :)
Good video keep posting videos up
Will do! 👍
Looks excellent. Reward for a lot of hard work and planning. I'd like to get to grips with inkscape but I'm wary that it may be beyond my technical capabilities.
Thank you Chris. You should give it a go... take it in small steps and you should be able to get somewhere.
Look really good and thanks for the great help on Inkscape. I have not tried it but Ronseal do an exterior varnish matt clear which Screwfix have for £9.99 for 750ml tin.
Thank you Bob. I have some Ronseal interior varnish but a quick test showed it to have quite a sheen despite being called “Matt”.
I love the look of your backdrop it’s a great idea I have messed everything together. You should be able to get a printer in the UK to print the whole thing for you and you could simply wallpaper paste it to the wall and that would illuminate the creases that’s my only constructive criticism. Keep up the videos please I think you’re a fantastic modeler
Thanks Russell. You are absolutely right. I considered getting a printer to do the job and gave it serious consideration. However... I didn’t want to spend any money (labels were a quid, I used about 2 quid of card, and maybe a quid in printer ink). And... I tried wallpapering once and made such a hash of it I knew I’d end up getting frustrated with the whole thing and throwing it in the bin! 😂😂😂 Thank you for watching and commenting. I really appreciate it. See you next time, I hope!
Ace I didn't know you could apply a gradient to a clipped graphic!!! That's gonna be very useful!
Masks are brilliant. A white object works the same as a clip: fully opaque. Black is fully transparent. Everything in between fades. 👍
@@Chandwell that's great thanks pal!❤️
@@Chandwell having trouble getting this to work
When I mask stuff to an object with a black / white
It fades but it's tinted black?
@@IronHorseRailways you’re definitely using mask instead of clip?
@@Chandwell yes I was mate, I've figured it out now though in the last half hour!
I had the fade set to black and transparent not white!!
Hi Michael, have you considered using automotive top coat clear? Not sure of the cost versus your usual method, but here in Australia you can buy these in spray cans and I think you should be able to buy them in spray cans were you are. Glad I found your channel and love watching your Inkscape scratch builds as it gives me hope that maybe I can do it to, Thanks
Great idea Ross - thank you. I will look into that. The room with the layout in is really small and it's also the office where I work, so I need to be mindful of spray can fumes, but it's a good idea regardless. Please ask if you have any Inkscape-related questions and I will gladly answer them. It can be a steep learning curve but you can definitely master it - good luck!
Lots of work but looks well worth it Michael. Why not make the trunking bulge into a 3D radio mast. They seem to go up forever and you can add support cables and microwave dishes.
Brian - Essex Thameside in N
Thank you Brian. That's a good idea but I think my next building will hide most of it. And if it doesn't, then a mast on the roof will be worth a lot of thought!
It looks very nice and you are correct, it makes a big difference! Very nice! Is it possible to make, say grayish tapes a few inches wide, without the card backing, glue them over the seams? Given everything is gray the tape seam may disappear because it is so thin and flat against the backdrop and therefore less intrusive then trying to make exact but joints that don,t show.
That's a good idea John. I did make a test where I cut a 2cm strip of the same part of the jigsaw and put it over the seam, but because of the angle of the lights above, it stood out more than the seams. They are not that noticeable in the flesh, so for now anyway, I think I will leave it. But then... Hmm... I can't decide! :) Thank you for your suggestion... I will mull it over some more.
Great tutorial and great result, congratulations. May I ask why you did not have it printed as a banner by a print shop?
Thanks Charlie! Two main reasons. The first was cost. I am trying to make Chandwell as cheaply as possible (cereal packet buildings, cocktail stick columns, etc.), partly as an experiment as to what can be achieved without spending much. I don't know how much a professionally-printed banner would cost, but I estimate that I used about £5 worth of materials making it this way.
The main reason though was that I don't think I have the skills to actually mount the banner. I had 5 right angles to get it round, two cable trunks, and the undulating landscape that is all glued down. I don't know how I would get it cut or level. I also once tried to hang wallpaper and I ended up tearing it, getting glue everywhere, there were bubbles... it was a nightmare. So I thought "stick to what you know"... and small tiles of card seemed far more manageable.
A well-mounted professional banner would have looked much better, probably, but overall I am still really happy with the approach I took, and the effect I achieved.
I must congratulate you on the accomplishment overall as I know many people would find what you did a daunting task.
In addition laurels to you for demonstrating methods of construction of your railway using economical materials and methods.
It is so important to encourage younger people to embrace the hobby just like what @budgetmodelrailways are doing .
I try to do short videos on materials I find at the dollar store or art store whenever I can get there and also the odd how to video.
Congratulations all round .
My wife worked as a sales rep with 3M specializing in wraps, banner materials etc so I know the challenges and have watched some guys wrap buses and might have thought of making a wrap fit my layout but will need to think it through first.
Cheers
It boggles my mind when I see people applying vinyl wraps to cars, trains, planes... Such skill! :)
Excellent as usual Michael. Co-incidentally, I am thinking about a backscene, and I was considering cloudy. How on earth did you come up with this idea...? Food for thought - BUT!!! are you sure they are N scale clouds...!!!? 😂🤣😂🤣😂 are they small clouds that are near - or are they big clouds that are far away... always the question...
Good question! I don't know if/how clouds scale. 😂🤣😂🤣😂They are massive clouds, that's for certain, but then the sky itself is quite large, isn't it!? Seriously though... if I stand on Ilkley Moor, where I was to take those pictures, I could see almost 20 miles in every direction, and the clouds stretched right the way across. My photo therefore, whilst looking big, contains about 40 miles of cloud. It makes no sense and I am not sure how it works. Thankfully, they are blurry enough to blend into the background... Your question made me laugh - reminds me of the Father Ted episode with the cows. Let's say they are small clouds very close up! 😂🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂 Thanks for watching as ever, Peter! :)
i use "FRISK" pastel fixative off amazon a lot cheaper than windsor and newton and just as good
Thanks Trev! I will check that out.
My comments about this episode may seem like a roller-coaster at Alton Towers. Please bare with me?
I find your use of computer Peel and Stick paper quite interesting. However I am an incompetent when it comes to puzzles. Here in the U.S. we have a national chain store who offers copy and printing services. So when I make a digital photo scape I take the file to them. They will print it on the same backed paper as wallpaper. Using the same home DIY skills to hang wall paper I hang the newly produced backscene. This is much less expensive, time consuming, or error laden as piecemealing a checkerboard horizontally.
Your chose of color filtrations maybe prototypical, but it maybe the cause of the visible creases and seam joints. A brighter hue should fool the eye. To look beyond the edges.
HOWEVER, I did like, A LOT, the brief look at your photo relief structures. I just reviewed you Video page playlist but can not find where you may have made these tiered standing flats. If you did make one or more of these episodes PLEASE reply, as I would love to adopt some to the techniques I saw. I just have to learn how.
Thank you for taking us through your process.
~Jim in the U.S.
Thank you Jim!
I tried wallpaper once and I was rubbish at it - torn edges, not straight, bubbles... It was horrific and I vowed "never again" ! (In terms of "home DIY skills", I have none. Can't even mount a shelf that is level).
I did consider getting this professionally printed, but I didn't think I'd manage to mount it around the 6 right angles, over two cable trunks, and across undulating landscape which is already stuck down. (And I also didn't want to spend any money! :) )
The photo relief structures are covered briefly in this video. I'm really pleased you like them. I've just thrown them out as it happens, as I plan to do a better job once the time comes, and they were too badly finished around the edges.
Please give it a watch and see what you think!
ruclips.net/video/le3cFE2EGHs/видео.html
All the best,
Michael.
@@Chandwell Michael,
Thank you for the referral link. The technique is brilliant . And I will be going over to John Warner's page for more details. But first off to dinner.
Jim in the U.S.A.
Are you gonna attempt to add lights to coache interior (needs to be very very very dull as most if not all too bright) needs the rear flashing lamp and directional lights as would give it a dull grey day with coach lights just bursting out as if it’s an aurtom dull day about 4-5 pm
No. That aspect of the hobby holds no interest for me.
@@Chandwell oh ok but would look amainng and for winter eve running
Doesn't your phone have a panoramic option? This would allow you to swing from one side to the other on a photo without having to stitch several together in inkscape, in essence you get one long photo done in the phone.
This was the panorama option! The iPhone seems to grab about 300 degrees of rotation rather than 360. The aspect ratio of my backscene (4.5 metres x 490cm) meant that I needed almost four panoramas side by side!
I dunno man, sometimes it's just worth it to take it to a print shop. A print job that size would cost little. Spray adhesive and a matte clear rattle-can varnish are super cheap. Sometimes a professional grade finish, or approach, trumps the cheap or free cereal box scraps concept. The gridlines detract, unnecessarily break the cohesion
What can I say… I’m a cheapskate! 😂
Sorry, I should have put my comment into context; I think you did a bang-up job.
I am notoriously cheap lol! I was more speaking from my own experience, my own work; I've been doing essentially this exact thing, or variations, since my first inkjet (and Photoshop LE 2.5 holy crap I'm old) in the 90s.And frequently, on absolutely massive scales. But after thousands (at this point) of grid'ed-out stitch-ups, I finally cracked.
Figured out how to get my local print shops to print huge, in decent quality, on the cheap. I still do rough and fast stitch-ups, in a pinch, but only for mock-ups. Frayed edges and grid patterns, especially in a visual field where it can't be disguised; causes my eye to twitch lol!
As an artist, I fix my drawings with hairspray... Would that work?
I may give that a try Richard. I’m most nervous about the tendency of the ink to run if it gets accidentally wet. Do you think hairspray would help with that?
@@Chandwell I'd test it first
Is there a particular RUclips channel that has great Inkscape tutorials?
Hi Mark, I’m completely self-taught, so I don’t know if there are any channels specifically for Inkscape. I do have seven tutorials on my own channel though which you may already have seen...? ruclips.net/p/PL_zJxqOqiTyefmgOeZnLtQ8kaNMMyGiQR
Yes, I've binge watched all your vids, lol. They're great! I'm just having a tough time getting things to work properly when dealing with scale scenes textures. It's like the textures are frozen so I can't manipulate them normally. Anyhow, I forge ahead with my work arounds! Keep up the good work, can't wait to see the clock tower!!!
Ah good stuff!! Keep going and you’ll sort it.
I do like most of what you do but I think you removed to much blue
Thank you really pleased you like most of my videos. I was surprised by how blue the backscene still is on the layout. If anything, I don’t think I removed ENOUGH blue for the effect I was after. But I am happy with it. Thanks for watching and commenting. All the best. Michael.
0:17 bar tat
😂
Hi loved the video, I wondered if you could help, I'd like to make a picture of a river that's going under a viaduct arch and make it look like it's going off in the background can you help ?. I could email you pictures of my viaduct, Thanks, Chris Uddin.
Hello Chris. Thank you for your comments. I have a river that goes under the viaduct and it really does look like it curves off into the distance. The trick I used was to curve it and pinch it into a point. I made a video of the technique at the time and it is surprising how well it works to trick the mind into thinking it goes into the distance. Have a look and see if it helps: ruclips.net/video/5OSOiH8lBBY/видео.html all the best. Michael.
Perhaps splash the cash and get a professional printers to do it on one roll
Hi David. Thanks for the suggestion. I did toy with that idea briefly but I discounted it for a few reasons. My layout is fixed into the room and most of the scenery and buildings are already glued down. There are five right angles on the back scene and two cable trunks. The thought of cutting and mounting a continuous roll just frightens me. I don’t think I have the skill or the correct number of hands to mount it. I tried hanging wallpaper once and made such a mess of it I vowed never again. Secondly, it’s become a bit of a personal mission statement to make Chandwell as cheaply as possible. I want to prove to myself that I can create a quality model using nothing but basic materials. Almost everything I have done so far uses cheap or free materials, and rubbish. There are many layouts on RUclips that show what money can buy - fancy back scenes, 3D printers, cutting machines, expensive kits etc. My back scene cost under £4 including printer ink and is one of the most expensive items on my layout. So it’s fitting to the “slightly naff” overall feel of Chandwell the town that the sky is also a little off from perfect! 😂