Page 22 - NMRA Roundhouse September October 2020

Let the model air dry and do not touch it with your bare fingers. I use a small turntable in my spray booth to paint the model from all sides. Many light coats are better than one thick one. Too much paint tends to run or build up at the bottom. This excess is difficult to remove and ruins your paint job right away. If you need more colours, start with the lighter shade and wait until completely dry and hardened before you mask it for the next colour. More colours add to the complexity of the finish. Watch for smooth and even coats, straight stripes and sharp colour separations.
The same counts for lettering. If your prototype only has simple lettering, it cannot get as many points as if it has complex lettering. Trim your decals as closely to the lettering as possible. Watch for trapped air and the straightness of the decal application. I always apply a glossy coat to ease the application of the decals. They slide better on a glossy surface and trapped air bubbles are easier to remove. After the decals have dried, I apply a matte finish, which will also makes the decal film disappear.
If you plan on weathering your car, do not overdo it. Bad weathering might ruin an otherwise good model.
Scratchbuilding (0-15 Points)
This category deals with all parts of the model which have been fabricated from basic wood, metal, plastic or other shapes and materials. Credit is given for QUANTITY only, QUALITY is judged elsewhere.
Scratch-building starts with basic shapes, which resemble to nothing else than a sheet of/or a bunch of wooden or plastic sticks. Some parts like trucks and wheels are exempt from scratch- building. Everything else may be built from basic shapes.
As with the other categories, the amount of effort needed to build a piece or model from scratch will get the most points. Bending a grab iron from brass wire is less difficult than soldering together piping or railings.
Drawing your own plans counts also for scratch-building.
If you use a kit, try to replace as many items with scratchbuilt parts, although there is not much you could do, because the manufacturer already supplied most parts. You could scrape away all the cast-on features like gab irons, ladders, tack boards etc. This usually involves repairing the siding underneath, which counts in other categories as well.
I challenged myself to go one step beyond and scratchbuild all my models. I would rather spend more time constructing the model than repairing scratch marks from removing cast-on details.
By doing this, you automatically gain points in all of the other categories as well. Believe me; your modelling skills also improve considerably. You get a better feeling for measurements and scale, because your scale ruler will be your best friend.
Although lettering is exempt, you could also create your own decals. Printing it out on plain decal paper is possible with every good printer. Seal the decal sheet with a coat of matte varnish to avoid running colours. Self-made decals are always thicker than commercial ones, so apply the varnish sparingly with a very light coat.
I created a new decal set from a vintage printed car side and a second one from a photograph. Logos are usually found on the internet and most lettering fonts are already installed on your computer or can be downloaded.
Conclusions
Some simple advice from what worked for me, might also work for you. I scratch-build almost all my models and also presented them ALL for evaluation. The only exception was the passenger car, because I had already five with Merit Awards, so I only documented what I did and sent in the paperwork. Build what you like and not what you need to. Every model I built for the AP actually sits in a showcase and is not running on the layout. I wanted to try different scales, gauges and time periods. My best scoring models were 0n3/30 narrow gauge cars from various prototypes, simply because I liked how they looked.
Provide as much good documentation as you can find. Don’t expect the judges to be familiar with every detail of your model.
Assist in AP or Contest evaluations. You will learn what the judges are looking for. This helps you to avoid errors. Ask them questions. Remember, you only compete against yourself, so don’t cheat.
For more information, please check my blog posts at: https://my-route-to-mmr.blogspot.com/
ROUNDHOUSE - September/October 2020 - 75th Anniversary Issue
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