Schönbach was the first kit to be constructed. The parts are milled Komatex and plasticard, and very crisply done, although on closer inspection they need a bit of cleaning up as there is some "swarf" in the milled channels. The half timbering on Schönbach is a tight fit into milled channels of the wall sections, and the Komatex underlay needs a little work to get it to fit. Some painting is also needed, although how much is up to the builder. The cement between the bricks really needs painting, and I used some dilute yellow in the traditional railway modellers’ approach; apply a yellow wash and then rub it off the bricks with a paper tissue. The milled channels are very absorbent, whereas the unmilled outside surface is slightly glossy and less absorbent, so this approach worked really well.
With the cement lines painted, the wooden overlays were applied, swarf from the milled channels was cleaned out and they were then painted brown to protect the plasticard. Window frames and the door were also painted and installed.
The next – major – stage was to build a four square building around the baseplate. To aid keeping things as square as possible, I made and glued some 90 degree angle pieces into the corners of the walls before sticking everything together, but I have to say that everything is very accurately cut and it fits together well.
The roof, as supplied, is two pieces of thick black Komatex, with the underside milled to the size of the building so that the thicker part fits inside the four walls and the thinner part overlaps. There's a brick built chimney to sit on top. The instructions suggest that the roof can be painted with "Dispersions- oder Steineffectfarbe", which sounds a bit like tartan paint to me. However, the outer surface could do with something more textured than the shiny smooth Komatex. If it was an indoors model, I'd stick very fine grade emery paper over it, but that wouldn't last outside. I opted for paint and sand, using black exterior masonry paint, with sand on top, then a second coat of masonry paint. I left an area clear so that I could stick the chimney onto a plain surface, and then it was on to the details.
The exterior light is an addition by the H&DLR management, and is a Beli-Beco lamp similar to those in use elsewhere along the line; otherwise everything needed is contained in the kit including telephone bell, door handle casting, the "F" telephone signs and cabin number signs. The design is spot on – everything fits exactly as it should.
The final decision was exactly where and how to install it. Being both small and plastic, it is quite light; I first placed it temporarily on the ground to assess the (fairly sheltered) location, but when I came back to it a few minutes later it had already blown over. I have put a ground spike to hold it in place, and it hasn’t moved since. Running in a cable for the lights was almost as big a job as building the kit, but that’s another story.
.JPG)