Construction of one of the first buildings on the “Timesaver”

I started construction of one of the first buildings of the Timesaver. The construction will be entirely in modelling terms “scratchbuilt”. This will be a hybrid construction made of wood and cardboard. This is not a standard method used by majority of modellers, but once mastered you can get some amazing results. I am hoping in this series of articles will inspire you to try this simple yet effective method of construction.

First step you have to choose a model and create a drawing. Most of the time I do not go this route but it is a question of habit. I start with a photograph and do a simple drawing to see where I am going. If you are just starting out you need to work with a plan that you create or find in one of the modelling magazines.

The next step is to glue the slats of wood to the walls. Once that step is done, you will see the black that was painted previously through the cracks this give the perception of depth. You can use slats of wood that is commercially available but in this case, I cut them myself with an Xacto knife and inexpensive wood. Going this route keeps the cost low and the material is readily available, with one sheet, I can create dozens of buildings. The trick is to cut all the pieces lengthwise all at once using masking tape to hold them together. You transfer the pieces to your wall that have been pre glued with a thin cote of white glue, if you use to much glue it will run out between the boards. The final step is to put some heavy object on the wall while the glue dries. I normally leave it overnight.

Before proceeding to assembly, I cut out the openings for the windows and the doors; it is so much easier to do on a flat surface. We are now ready to assemble. There are no photos for this stage, but I hold the building together with masking tape while everything dries.