​​Back in 2013 I was looking for a hobby to satisfy my need to be artistic and creative, as a kid I used to build all sorts of models (mostly aircraft) but once I left school and entered the hunt for work all that got left behind.

It took over 10 years but once I found myself in a stable job and the family was settled I had plenty of spare time to fill… that’s when trains caught my attention. There’s something oddly satisfying about building a miniature scene and having an actual moving model drive through the scene.

Believe it or not the whole motivation for filming and uploading videos to YouTube was not to create a brand and a following but rather to create an archive of videos on different methods and techniques I used to create specific scenes. Not long after getting into the scenery creation side of model making I’d build this amazing scene using a range of different techniques and when I’d come back a few weeks later to try and replicate what I’d done I would completely forget what I did and how I did it! So now I could step back and clearly see how I achieved a particular result by watching my past videos.

Before I knew it I was seeing consistent growth on the channel and people were liking what was being uploaded, that’s when I decided to step up the game and start putting a lot more effort into the production and started using better editing programs and watching video editing tutorials on YouTube.

Now that brings me to where we are today, I never imagined the channel would attract such a following but one thing hasn’t changed… I still upload videos to remind myself how I achieve a particular method or technique!

So thank you for being here and supporting the channel.
​
Cheers
Luke

​Often the greatest model scenes are packed full of detail that often goes unnoticed! So you may be thinking what’s the point?

​The human mind is a very tough critique when it comes to spotting things that look out of place so when a person looks at a scene and all those fine details you spent hours perfecting appear to go unnoticed you should take that as a compliment. 

​Too often do I see some amazing model scenery only to notice a vehicle that has been randomly placed on the road straight from the box it came in and it looks totally out of place not to mention it’s in the middle of the road and driverless…

​In the tutorial I demonstrate some simple techniques for weathering and detailing the flatbed truck, the techniques can be applied to any vehicle. I also created a template for the crates I built which you can download and modify so you can build your very own details.

You can click on this link to download the MS word template and to modify the size simply click on the image and drag it to increase or decrease the size. Or you can download a PDF version however you may not be able to modify its size easily.

As you know I use a number of different modeling tools and the tool I use the most right now is the 'Chop-It' from Micro-Mark. To help you out... and lets not beat around the bush but it also helps me out... I have a unique code that you can use at Micro-Mark to get 10% off your shopping cart.
The promo code is BOULDER.
So feel free to go have a browse at ​http://www.micromark.com/

Thank you for getting this far, I hope you continue to enjoy the videos and tutorials.

It's a pleasure building with strip wood, it's very easy to work with and the end results come fast and look great!

So far today I've been experimenting and testing different processes for making a large factory full of these crates... that happen to be perfect for the pumpkins my wife bought for me nearly 6 months ago! They were just waiting for the perfect scene and now I've found it.

As I work on the video tutorial I've decided to provide you all with a short written tutorial on the process with a few pictures and as a 'Patron' bonus the template that I use will be able to be downloaded over on Patreon.com

But don't worry if you're not a patron because I'll add a link to download the template for these crates once I finish filming the video tutorial.

​First off you'll need some scale lumber, I used Midwest Products Scale Lumber for this project and the parts used were:

​Using a template makes it much easier, you can draw a template using pen and paper however for more accuracy you can also draw one using Photoshop or a similar program which is what I did.

Next it's just a matter of preparing the strip wood and laying it down over the template, if you wondering how to make laying the strips down much easier without them moving at the slightest bump or breeze then I suggest watching the pallets tutorial video, the spray adhesive is used in the same way here to add tackiness to the template.

I use super glue to attach the vertical beams, wood glue will work and most craft glues will work as well however you want to be sure they are water proof once dry because if you apply the wash over everything once the crate is assembled it may fall to bits!

Using a sharp knife I then cut at the spots shown in the image below to separate all four sides of the crate and trim away the excess wood from the very edges of the template.

This is easily done using the 'Chop-It', also if you aren't already aware... you can get 10% off your Micro-Mark order by using the promo code 'boulder'.

You should be left with four pieces like shown below and then it's just a matter of glutting them together to build up the main box structure.

The crate is then positioned and glued to the base section and again using the 'Chop-It' I carefully trim the excess overhang away.

As for painting, you have many options but what I've found easiest and yields the best results is to simply dip the entire crate into a heavily diluted cup of india ink and water. ​

I hope you managed to pick up a tip or two and be sure to stay tuned to my YouTube channel, I have just started filming the video for this tutorial so it should be released quite soon.

Working with styrene is something I haven't done a lot of over the past couple of years and after using strip styrene to create these awesome looking pallets I've found it to be a very forgiving material to work with and the end result can be very rewarding.

The most challenging part of making these pallets was getting the look of wood, it was actually much easier than I anticipated. Simply dragging the completed pallet across 120 grit sandpaper did the trick... However it's the process of painting and dry brushing the pallets that truly brings out all that amazing detail.

Now that I've done the pallets video I'm starting to look at doing some boxes and crates however instead of using styrene I'll show the process of using strip wood and the differences when working with that material as opposed to styrene.
They certainly both have their ups and downs!
Also in the not to distant future I'll be working with the Woodland Scenics Realistic Water to make a river scene, the diorama base is completed with rocks and all so now it's just a matter of filming the process of doing the water.

If you don't already know, I have a 'Patreon' site that enables fans and others who really enjoy watching my videos to donate to the channel and help finance the videos, more than anything it helps me stay motivated and focused on making videos.
As a reward I have some perks for those that donate, most recently I changed the $10 reward to include a set of three pallets that you see me make in the video. If you're interested in helping fund the YouTube channel and also would like your own home made pallets from me you might like to go and check it out?