• 7:49

    Concrete Tunnel Portals

    Tunnel portals are present on almost every model railroad, so we need to know how to make them. MRA Contributing Editor Martin Tärnrot has previously covered how to scratch build stone tunnel portals, with bricks engraved into styrofoam. Now Martin shows how to make a concrete tunnel portal, which is very easy to cut, unlike…

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  • 13:14

    Transforming a Kit Warehouse

    Take a plastic kit model railroad warehouse and assemble it out of the box, spend 15 extra minutes and almost no money, and transform it into something that really pops on your layout. How can we do it? MRA Contributing Editor Martin Tärnrot demonstrates. PRELIMINARY WORK Starting with a plastic kit model railroad warehouse that’s…

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  • 8:49

    HVAC: Adding Realism to Background Buildings

    MRA Contributor Martin Tärnrot makes a flat background building look more realistic by adding weathering effects and a rooftop-mounted HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) system that he 3D prints. The building is a warehouse. FIRST STEPS Before tackling the HVAC system, Martin adds grout between the tiles on the lower half of the warehouse building…

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  • 5:42

    Super Detailing the Office Shed

    MRA Contributing Editor Martin Tärnrot adds details to a standardized office shed. This is standard kit that you can buy. Martin hopes to inspire you to take similar buildings on your layout and add realistic details to them, which can be done without adding much cost or significant time. Let’s look at a few potential…

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  • 7:08

    Weathering Plastic Buildings Easily

    Martin Tärnrot demonstrates how to enhance the appearance of ready-made plastic buildings. At swap meets, markets, and on eBay, you can buy pre-built plastic kits at a low cost compared to buying the kits and building them yourself. But many of these have two problems: too much glue, and they are not painted. With a…

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  • 6:36

    Paper Print Building

    Does your layout have some horizontal spaces that are too narrow to fit 3D buildings? Martin Tärnrot gives a tutorial on how to work with model railroad paper buildings to create depth in narrow spaces. Martin uses an area on his own layout where the rail line is very close to the backdrop, only two…

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  • 16:17

    Scratch Building Tunnel Portals with Martin Tarnrot

    In this video lesson, modeler Martin Tarnrot demonstrates how he scratch builds tunnel portals for model railroad layouts. Martin uses two inch thick styrofoam to create his portals. Thin styrofoam sheets are also a good alternative if you don’t want to cut the foam yourself. To cut the foam, he uses a styrofoam cutter he…

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  • 6:26

    Creating Nighttime Model Railroad Lighting

    Model railroad lighting is an important element of a layout and can help depict the movement from day to night during operation. In this video, learn some tips for enhancing your scenes with lighting featuring modeler Jim Eudaly. A lamppost is a great addition to nighttime model railroad lighting. To make a lamppost, start with…

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  • 14:10

    Scratch Building Real Wood Loading Docks

    National Model Railroad Association Master Model Railroader Gerry Leone notes that many plastic structure kits come with simulated wood loading docks, but it is difficult to make the plastic look like wood. In this video, Leone demonstrates how to scratch build a loading dock using real wood. First determine the size of the dock, docks…

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