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89K views 276 replies 50 participants last post by  jmswms 
#1 ·
... or Pretty Small, or Progress Slowly. Anyway, I thought it was about time I shared what has been going on in the basement. Here's the layout that I have come up with. With a few minor changes, this is what is currently on the table:

So, it's a tiny hill climb layout, and my probably far too ambitious scenery plans include three themes: A small pit and grandstand area, a small town or village area, and the hill climb section between them.
 
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#2 ·
The whole thing is supposed to be modular. Three 90cm x 150cm folding tables, with track and terrain on separate boards that can be stowed. The tables were constructed from folding work benches with the table top removed and replaced with 6mm MDF mounted with a frame and cross-bars. As the overhang is no more than 15cm, 6mm MDF was enough to make the tables quite solid.

This is what the empty tables looked like:

The triangular piece will be fixed to the two inside corner tables to support the under/overpass.
 
#3 ·
I've made three plywood boards to which the elevated track sections will be fixed:

The terrain will be made mainly from extruded styrene and PU expanding foam. The next photo shows the first basic structure. Actually, I might just leave it like this and have a perfect Minecraft snow theme terrain for my track:

More will follow when I've had time to re-size and upload a few more photos.
 
#4 ·
The modular boards are made from 5mm extruded PVC in the same size as the tables. PVC foam board does not warp, has very little memory, is lightweight, and relatively rigid. A clear instant-tack 'no-more-nails' type glue was used to bond the styrene to the PVC boards; PVA type glue (styrene stucco glue, wood glue, white glue) was used for styrene/styrene and styrene/wood bonds. The next thing for me to do was to glue the fitted track boards to the basic terrain. As you can see, I did use a bit of weight to make sure that it will all stay together nicely:

I left the weight in place while doing the 'stuffing', i.e. filling the large cavities with PU foam. This prevents the foam from lifting things and ripping things apart when expanding.
 
#5 ·
The last couple of evenings I've been working on the under/overpass. It has caused me quite a bit of grief to decide what to do about it: Mountain tunnel or bridge? Though the tunnel would actually be most in tune with my general Targa Florio ideas, I've opted for the bridge solution. Having a 40+ cm tunnel for deslotted cars to pile up inside just seemed less than practical, so eventually it should end up being a stone arch bridge (did anybody say, 'Monaco Style'? Well. Argh.)

Here's the start of it. The border sections have been built from two layers of PVC board, 5 and 3mm, which have been traced along the track edge and cut to fit. The thicker border pieces were notched to make room for track clips, and holes were drilled for screws:

Then the pieces were fixed to the plywood track board with screws, and in the meantime, i had primed, spray painted and varnished the top pieces to match the track:

This way, the track clips are held in place by the border without nails or pins. Finally, I put into place the top pieces using non-permanent spray mount glue:

This way I can remove borders and clips quite easily if the track must be taken apart for repairs or maintenance.

Of course, the border piece dimensions can be 4mm/4mm, 6mm/2mm, etc., as long you end up with an 8mm border (or 10mm for digital track pieces). Other materials will do as long as the bottom piece is able to hold the track clips in place firmly. Plywood and a foamboard or corrugated cardboard top might be one alternative. Further, if you don't want to mess with spray mount glue, double sided scotch tape is excellent.
 
#9 ·
While basic terraforming was in process, track management were discussing safety. 'Motor sport safety is very important to us,' they said in a statement. In harmony with this commitment, they have contracted with local farmers, and this morning Carlo 'il contadino' popped by on his MF 35 with a trailer loaded with hay bales. State of the art in PS. Nothing safer.

In fact, Britains Farm toy hay bales are excellent for track fencing purposes: They are 1:32, solid soft plastic, can be easily stacked, and pinned or glued into place. Admittedly, they do look very toyish, but a warm brown acrylic wash followed by multiple layers of yellow drybrush highlighting brings out the detail well enough for me. After a coat of matt spray varnish they are ready.

Suits the rural-environment-to-be much better than armco. Everybody is happy, and people's right feet tend to become heavy now that drivers feel much more comfortable in the corners with the new safety measures in place.
 
#10 ·
Ember, athrlyth,

Thanks for reading, and thanks for the encouragement.

Si,

Don't worry, there will be a lot of 917 racing going on here.

I'm glad you like the patchwork. As Bud is always busy in the skies above the MRW I have find other solutions, and that's where a spy sat comes in handy.

/Christian
 
#11 ·
Hi Christian

That Sicilian farmer's driving 'no-hands' !

I hope he's not had a liquid-lunch, of local red.

He might be getting collected by some of his own bales !

( all be it, at about 5 mph )

Cheers

Si.

1:32 spy-sat...
...well I've got a plastic bottle-top, wire & silver-foil...
...Mmmm...
...could be launched !
 
#13 ·
QUOTE (Mr. Olufsen @ 8 Mar 2012, 14:33) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Here's the start of it. The border sections have been built from two layers of PVC board, 5 and 3mm, which have been traced along the track edge and cut to fit. The thicker border pieces were notched to make room for track clips, and holes were drilled for screws.

Then the pieces were fixed to the plywood track board with screws, and in the meantime, i had primed, spray painted and varnished the top pieces to match the track:

This way, the track clips are held in place by the border without nails or pins. Finally, I put into place the top pieces using non-permanent spray mount glue.

This way I can remove borders and clips quite easily if the track must be taken apart for repairs or maintenance.
This is a wonderful development and thanks for sharing the details of your ongoing build.

However, I am a little confused by the 3 highlighted quotes above. I presume that the PVC is NOT the styrofoam type sheet/blocks but rather HARD plastic? I just can't figure out how you secure the track clips if they are not nailed/screwed into the plywood below.

Sorry for being thick on this but it may be just a terminology translation thing.
Are you using 2 layers of hard plastic or is this the lightweight white expanded foam product used by many for scenery?

Thanks.
Cheers!
 
#14 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hi Sealevel,

Thanks for reading. Don't be sorry, I'll do my best to clarify:

QUOTE (1) I presume that the PVC is NOT the styrofoam type sheet/blocks but rather HARD plastic?
Correct, it is PVC, not (poly)styrene. It has a smooth, hard plastic surface, which is integrated with the core. The core is extruded, but being PVC (like plastic drainpipes or plastic guttering) it is rather hard, stable, and rigid. There's a lot of brands out there; here is a link to what I have been able to find locally.
QUOTE (2) I just can't figure out how you secure the track clips if they are not nailed/screwed into the plywood below.
The bottom border piece is placed on top of the clip's bottom flange. When secured with screws, the bottom piece functions as a clamp holding the clip in place. Here's a rough cross section:

As regards the small notches, they go no deeper than 1mm into the side of the bottom pieces. As the clips protrude slightly from the track side, the notches are needed if you want the border pieces to fit snugly.

QUOTE (3) Are you using 2 layers of hard plastic or is this the lightweight white expanded foam product used by many for scenery?
Yes, I use two layers of foam PVC sheet. However, PVC can be replaced by other materials: For the bottom pieces use something hard, rigid, and stable. For the top use anything that will conceal the screws and give you a base for whatever finish you want, e.g. styrene foamboard. By the way, you can use standard Scalex borders for a similar solution as discussed in this post.

Hope this makes things clearer.

Br,
Christian
 
#17 ·
Hi Jens,
Thanks, I've always enjoyed following the creations of the Cellar Kid. I'm not quite at your level yet, glad that you like what you see.
Hi Lasp,
Thank you. Just north of Copenhagen.
Hi Si,
Hahaha, Christian Bale, why on earth didn't I come up with that one. That's what we call 'solid dad humour' at our place. Highly valued by me, but vastly underestimated by the kids (maybe I should start linking pocket money to poll results). Henceforth his name shall be 'Cristiano Balla'. I would have preferred to give him a Lamborghini tractor, but the Ferrari red MF 35 will have to do until he learns to keep his hands on the steering wheel.

Cheers,
Christian
 
#19 · (Edited by Moderator)
Not much construction work during the past week. I'm working on the stone arches that will be supporting the overpass. It's made from cardboard and Heki foam stone sheets (quarry-stone) that were intended for a large modeling project that never saw the light of day. 10x25mm buttresses are hidden inside the structure.

The first section is ready and has been test fitted.

As it appears from the photo, the x-acto blade was the only one left, and ended up being rather dull. However, when the whole thing is finished, the cut edges should be completely concealed. That's all for now, maybe I'll manage to do some work on the next sections over the week end.

/Christian
 
#20 ·
Hi Mr. Olufsen

Nice arches; they're going to look the biz.

Christiano Balla, YES !... much better !

Pocket money linked to the 'laugh-o-meter' sounds like the way forward !
( watch out for REVENGE though; if you wake up with a horses head next to you, that's not a good sign )

Yeah...I don't see John Deere as being a Sicilian favorite.
Wrong colours; kinda more Brazilian like.
Balla's MF should have a perforated hood with BIG pipes emerging I think !!!

Cheers

Si.

Keep up the good work Christiano.
Denmark needs it's micro Targa Florio !!!
 
#21 · (Edited by Moderator)
Zilpha,
I've used spray can acrylics for the home made PVC borders (PlastiKote). Primer + satin black + gloss varnish + matte varnish. The primer may be overkill, but safe is better than sorry. I'll be experimenting with other surfaces for some of the borders, but so far I've only made plain matte ones.
/Christian
 
#22 · (Edited by Moderator)
Just a quick update:

I'm almost done making all the parts for the half tunnel/bridge, and right now I'm working on the details, in particular the stones of the lower arch ribs (yeah, I know - the voussoirs) and the pier corners. A standard cereal box made of coated cardboard is just right for this: I simply cut small pieces into shape, fold them, and glue them onto the structure leaving a space of a mm or so between them to create the illusion of stones and gaps. When the glue has dried, I trace gaps along their outer edges too using a ballpoint pen or a dull pencil.



/Christian
 
#23 ·
I hope Graham Lane is not seeing this after the hundreds of styro blocks he made and attached individually....
I like your method ... simple, cheap supplies, and quick. I may follow your example!

Many thanks for sharing, Mr. Olufsen.
Cheers!
 
#24 · (Edited by Moderator)
QUOTE (Mr. Olufsen @ 26 Mar 2012, 22:00) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Zilpha,
I've used spray can acrylics for the home made PVC borders (PlastiKote). Primer + satin black + gloss varnish + matte varnish. The primer may be overkill, but safe is better than sorry. I'll be experimenting with other surfaces for some of the borders, but so far I've only made plain matte ones.
/Christian

Thanks.

I actually went out and bought some matt black PVC foam which is a very close match to the sport track in colour and has a slight texture to the finish.


I purchased a 3mm base and 5mm top (the only width's they had), I'm having a bit of difficulty getting a clean cut on the 5mm board......any tips? I've been using a standard craft knife.
 
#26 · (Edited by Moderator)
Zilpha,

Congratulations on the coloured PVC foamboard, good for you. I did find some here, but they would only sell them wholesale, 4w delivery, min. one pallet of 2.40m x 1.50m boards. Very tempting, but I declined.

I know, free hand cutting is pretty tricky. For fear of the post getting too long and boring I left out the how-to-cut part. A Stanley knife is good, and I actually used the track as my guide,* upside down. Here's what worked for me:**

(1) I put three or four small patches of thin, non-permanent double sided scotch tape on top of the track sections to be used as a template for the border. This kept the track from skidding. (2) I then put the track on the PVC board upside down and placed everything on the floor. (3) Holding the Stanley knife approx vertically, I then cut along the track edge applying almost no pressure. Not forcing the knife, I just guided it along the track edge. I repeated this process three to four times. (3) I then removed the template track, and repeatedly cut the board. By now, the groove or slit already cut guided the blade, and more pressure could be applied. Clean cut!

Greg,

I just had to try the scissor idea. Metal sheet scissors will cut 5 mm PVC foamboard, but they compress the board before the blades start biting and produce a messy cut.

/Christian

*: Weird. I normally use the slot as my guide for the guide.
**: No plastic track was harmed during this process.
 
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