As the title suggests Faller’s new 3 part farmstead is inspired by German timber frame construction, it is recognizable to all who have built model houses and buildings for German themed layouts thus there are many such kits in plastic and cardboard. This cardboard kit for Z scale by Faller contains the typical characteristics of Fallers laser-cut cardstock buildings including interior masking (introduced in their plastic kits years ago) and lightweight paper parts. Building the kits is fun but challenging particularly with the filigree paper ‘timber’ parts. So far I have built 16 Faller Laser-Cut Kits with no regrets or problems; they take good magnifying goggles, tweezers, small drops of good glue and PATIENCE. The finished builds are excellent, and I highly recommend them.
I divided this article into 3 sections mostly to show what the kit looks like built without alteration followed by 2 sections covering my attempts to add realistic color and texture. I am not a professional scenery modeler, and my steps taken should be considered as one way to do things not the only way to do things.
Section 1: How the Buildings Look Built with no Alterations
Note: end walls of barn were installed improperly, stucco wall should be installed other end so stucco wraps around building. Mistake is less noticeable further in build.Note: roofing materials used by Faller are heavily detailed which is a nice feature, but they fray easily when bent from their flat original state. I score along the seem with 3 light scores with razor blade which significantly helps make a good bend.Note: brick walls and fencing come with the kit to frame out the barnyard, there are numerous layout designs to consider along with Faller’s own suggestions.
Section 2: Attaching Buildings to a Light Birch Plywood for Later Layout Installation. Plus First Steps with Color and Scenery Construction.
Buildings glued to very thin birch plywood available from hobby stores which was first painted black.Note: application of pigment with an airbrush to establish a layer of aging.Note: dry-brush was used on roofing material to bring out texture, it was applied with inconsistent amounts of paint to mimic how roofs age with time.
Section 3: Fine-Tuning Paint and Textures. And Adding Cows and Shrubs
Note: fine brown ballast by Woodland Scenics was applied to ground surface.Note: very thin birch plywood is prone to warping even at time of purchase, but it will be flat when glued to layout board. Note: numerous dry-brush applications were used to enhance color and texture, I have gotten better results with my projects by not rushing things thus I came back to this model many times and tweeked this or that.Note: Dark brown paint was applied to ground to suggest the varying shades of earth, grass will later be applied in patches to further layer the visual detailing surrounding the farmstead buildings. Dairy cows by Preiser were added to the pen. When this small diorama is ready to install on layout more animals will be added, flower boxes installed on house, tractor or other equipment placed somewhere in scene, and a tree or 2 will be added for shade. I will also open a door and add a figure too!
Thank you for having a look and happy railroading!
One of the smallest locomotive types offered by Z-Modellbau is the Kof diesel who’s line-up includes this Swiss one plus German, Austrian and Norwegian variants. Painted and lettered for the private firm “Vanoli” this class Kof II features dark gray and yellow paint scheme.
Z-Modellbau Kof II “Vanoli (#3107) + Marklin 82484 + Administration Building from Marklin set 89982Z-Modellbau Kof II “Vanoli (#3107) + Marklin 82484 + Administration Building from Marklin set 89982
Locomotive features full metal construction and brush-less motor making this one of the smallest locomotives in Z with its own motive power. Unique coupler design interfaces with Marklin, it is otherwise unobtrusive. Non functioning headlamps are very precisely painted in. Fully glazed operator’s cabin plus separately applied parts include coupling hoses.
Z-Modellbau Kof II “Vanoli (#3107) + Marklin 82484 + Administration Building from Marklin set 89982Z-Modellbau Kof II “Vanoli (#3107) + Marklin 82484 + Administration Building from Marklin set 89982
Because of its short length the locomotive can potentially have difficulty thru turnouts otherwise the operation is smooth with very sensitive braking characteristics.
Z-Modellbau Kof II “Vanoli (#3107) + Marklin 82484 + Administration Building from Marklin set 89982
Paired with a funnel flow car the scale of this locomotive is truly impression considering it too can easily pull a line of freight cars through a yard. Unique in recent offerings by Marklin are second release freight cars which feature authentic ‘weathering’. The Swiss firm Wascosa has been featured numerous times in the Marklin mini-club line-up, but for the first time Wascosa’s paint and lettering scheme was applied to the newly produced funnel flow car type in set 82530 (2013) which included 4 blue Wascosa cars as part of the 20 car set, it was later released in ‘weathered’ variants (item #82482- 82485).
Z-Modellbau Kof II “Vanoli (#3107) + Marklin 82484 + Administration Building from Marklin set 89982
Administration building for the DB can be seen along the tracks, this laser cut building was included with Marklin turntable 89982.
Z-Modellbau Kof II “Vanoli (#3107) + Marklin 82484 + Administration Building from Marklin set 89982
Hohenberg House designed to be a multi-family dwelling or shop and dwelling with stucco construction and mansard roof further extends the MBZ rural offerings.
Kit was easy to assemble with the exception of the dormers which were challenging to seat in roof panels. Note: imperfections are part of the charm of MBZ kits and wonky dormers are part of that charm.
The large building kit 16071 includes 4 buildings including barns and farmhouse. This very interesting MBZ kit includes 4 buildings also available separately with open frame/stucco construction farmhouse, stucco barn and two random rubble stone foundation barns. Two barns: one small and one large stored hay, feed, equipment and the occasional member of this farm’s livestock community. Roof color was applied with dirty sponge and pigments. Stone foundation was painted using dry brush.
MBZ 16071 (farm house)
Multi-generational farmhouse with shuttered windows and flagstone open porch is at the center of this farm complex. Stucco was painted with white pigment mixed with yellow pigment followed by light dusting of dry gray pigment to weather and age stucco.
MBZ 16071 (barn 3)
The small storage barn or shed is comprised of stucco, its use was determined by what needed to be stored whether equipment, feed or ciders. This kit is less detailed than the other three so details could only be suggested by paint. Stucco treatment included few areas of repairs to show age, it would have been slightly less maintained than the main house structure thus keeping it water tight was enough maintenance. Presumably the first building erected on this farm perhaps starting out as a barn/farmhouse combination, it may have been used for numerous activities long before the large barns and farmhouse were built.
MBZ’s ‘rural’ structures include houses, barns, farmstead out-buildings and granary. It is an extensive line of rural structures based on German prototypes which in some cases can be adapted to fit an American themed layout. In some cases German prototypical barns moved to the United States with little variation from those found in Germany. The long history of European immigrants settling in the United States have expressed influence in many ways and combinations thus looking for interesting buildings for American layouts could thus be found within MBZ’s line-up.
An older design granary used for storing animal feed or grain is a striking example of a rural German structure used for the same purpose as American grain elevators, but this one based on a late 19th century structure stored bagged grains and feed versus silo storage featuring automatic chute feed. This granary was a centrally located storage facility located near a siding supporting numerous local farms.
Built using MBZ ‘Pigment Starter Set’ (R72217) and Noch Laser-cut glue.
Note: smokestack was not included with kit, I made it using polystyrene tubing. I did not install dormers, I liked how it looks without them.
Two buildings from MBZ’s large farmstead kit 16071 comprising farmhouse and 3 barns including one with an apiary.
MBZ building kits are German inspired architectural forms available in multi-scale kits including an extensive line-up in Z. Building and finishing a kit has unique challenges that are quickly overcome after constructing a kit or two. Included in this post are a few notes I hope are helpful for successful building.
MBZ kits are automatically age old buildings with history time-stamped into their design and fabrication. Giving a model building history through weathering and aging is easy with MBZ, each kit starts out with a baseline moment in time at least 50 years ago. Adding more use and age to the look of a building is up to the modeler: perfect kit buildings for Era I, II, and III.
Cardboard used in MBZ kits vary from other manufacturers, its natural color is gray/brown thus painting is required after the application of a solvent based primer.
Prepping the cardboard requires priming with MBZ Primer R72214 (pre-mixed) or R72211 (unmixed), I recommend the pre-mixed version. Priming is required due to future mold issues as suggested by manufacturer. Flattening parts after priming and before gluing is required: large parts including roof and sides warp heavily after priming, but rolling parts against the warp flattens them easily. Manufacturer suggests painting with pigments applied with sponge. MBZ pigments are water soluble, and they can be mixed together for custom colors. Consistency of paint should not be too wet or dry, it is applied with a wet sponge but avoid caking pigment. Air-brush masking tape should be used to isolate sections to be painted with sponge application. Dry-brush, air-brush and fine brushwork can be followed up later in construction for fine tuning. Pigment paints dry matte, and I recommend a light air-brushing of matte water based lacquer as a final protective coat.
The manufacturer suggests UHU ‘Hart’ glue which is fast setting but I find it messy to work with, I recommend Noch ‘Laser-cut’ glue which is fast setting and quick drying. Note: other fast setting white glues or wood glues should work well, but a fine applicator bottle available at craft stores should be considered. The few parts that are not always included in MBZ kits are ramps and steps which must be built by the modeler. No partition walls are designed in many of these kits thus requiring custom masking for interior lighting. I nice feature of these kits are stone-laid interior floors which can be exposed in a diorama through open doors with perhaps a wagon parked within the barn.
Note: barn buildings illustrated in this post used dry brush technique to highlight and paint stone foundations whereas sponge application of paint was used for uneven authentic weathering of paint. For glazed terracotta tile roofs I apply a light application of Renaissance Wax (micro crystalline acid free wax) which gives a gloss surface without being too glossy or too thick looking plus it is a non-yellowing museum quality wax available at library supply houses and fine art supply shops.
Three painting kits offered by MBZ will get you started, I recommend ‘Pigment Starter Set’ (R72217), it includes numerous pigments, primer (unmixed), and sponge for $55.49, it was more than enough for painting 13 kits. The kit includes a very high quality sponge, but other sponge shapes and sizes are available at art supply shops, they fall within the category of pastel sponges which are tight cellulose sponges which can be used wet or dry, pastel artists use this type of sponge dry only which readily allows mixing of charcoals and pastels.
Note: MBZ kit builds are best treated with a loose approach without worry of precise paint application: using a dirty sponge gives much more depth of color than a clean one between coats of paint.
Siding: Reynauld’s in Illinois is the exclusive USA dealer of MBZ, they have in store examples of finished kits as well as paint and accessories.
MBZ’s rectory is a sizable structure comprised of stucco and shingle roof, it features stalls for wagons.
Roof section arrived heavily warped which is straightened with triangular sections of cardboard found in the kit.
I was after a representation of aged tinted stucco which was achieved by layers of gouache watercolor. Dirt kicked up from the ground was applied with airbrush.
Parts with rough edges made during the laser process were smoothed over with glue and then painted.
Carriage stalls include open beam detailing plus cobble floor which I plan to allow viewing of after building is set on my layout.
Roof coloration involved much experimentation of layering various colors over a primer coat tinted with brown. Rubbing and dry brush supplemented heavier applications of paint. Roof was top coated using an airbrush of a protective finish of gloss varnish which noticeably popped the color. .
Stucco texture was accentuated by wet and dry brush applied to drying paint. Layers of colors were built up slowly and shading was added with a dark lavender color to suggest shadows around moldings.
Interior of building shows the simple and uncomplicated construction which owes to a less than precision kit with imperfect joints, but that could owe to the look of these buildings settling over time and age which is entirely subjective of course.
All and all an interesting kit but one you need to build without worry of perfection.
MBZ’s rather large 3 bay locomotive shed features an attached administration building. Entirely constructed of brick this kit is rather challenging to paint and assemble.
Very large siding parts in this kit arrived heavily warped which required a little patience but overall not a big deal, the curvature in the parts seem to curl due to the laser-cutting process owing to the nature of this kit. One part I was unable to correct, the long wall on the administration building was not designed with a second structural cardboard to laminate with, I would recommend fashioning a stiff cardboard and gluing it with this part before installation.
Roof sheathing for the whole kit was not included as depicted in the instructions thus raw cardboard was the only provided roof which on its own is hideous, I built the roof sheathing out of 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper that I sanded lightly and airbrushed gray/black. No roof ventilation was included so I used spare parts from the Archistories shed kit which is an area to improve on in the future.
Careful brushwork around windows and the added highlight in the bricks.
Wooden doors were painted out on back of administration building. This kit included brick overlay at corners, but my kit had damaged/frayed bricks so the result was okay.
The brick panels have a very interesting pattern brought out by applying color by brush in one direction (left/right) and another color angled up and down: crosshatch. I also applied a variety of colors to the window glazing.
You can only win at building MBZ kits by embracing color which has been layered.
I spent a considerable amount of time under-painting the front of the bays and doors with transparent paint gradually building up to more opaque applications. Doors are wood and accepted paint differently than the paper sections.
Doors feature common small brass hinges which in this kit are challenging to install, but the doors can be permanently glued in place as another solution, not many modelers need moving shed doors.
I airbrushed the glazing to give a hazy grimy look which will be nice to feature with interior lighting including a flickering red light to suggest welding.
Note: I glued a piece of gray paper to the underside after completing the kit, I found the structure to have a rather weak base, and I don’t plan to install it on a layout for awhile.
If you suffer through this kit like I did and complete the building perhaps you will find satisfaction for it on your layout, I like the end result, it’s unique with big scale suggested.
Siding: Reynauld’s in IL is the dealer for MBZ, they also sell everything you need to light this building too!
MBZ loco shed 16 103 features a single pair of doors thus this one bay locomotive shed is for the simple repair and storage of locomotives along a branch-line somewhere in Bavaria. It features timber construction and terracotta tile roof. Very attractive little shed with a workshop.
Foundation is cement outlining a long rectangle.
Here is a good MBZ kit to start with, but it too has it’s challenges namely with paint.
The sides of this building are heavily cut/engraved by laser leaving rather toothy edges in the paper stock, it is highly resistant to paint. Priming the parts as recommended for all kits is helpful, but airbrushing a color over the primer is what I recommend with this kit. If the paper fibers are course in an MBZ kit paint will be difficult with a brush, however smooth fibers such as the roof panels in this kit readily accept paint: persevere!
Building up layers of paint with a brush gives surface depth and depth of color versus superficial uniform paint: nobody wants to be superficial!
Window details with glazing attached are glued between framework side panels and outer detail side panels. Note: after the the initial structure is glued and standing on its own with glue dry and trusses in place but windows still at Home Depot spray paint interior black or graphite black by Krylon.
Doors are hinged in this model, but the solution is not that subtle: 2 small brass cabinet hinges glued in place between layers of card-stock. This is the first time I have encountered this type of hinge solution, initially I thought: UGH!, but after painting them they aren’t too bad; they are far more durable than other solutions and hardly noticeable with the doors open.
Using airbrush I applied a final acrylic varnish coat in matte finish to the sides and a semigloss finish to the foundation. Note: airbrush masking tape comes in a variety of widths, it is well suited to isolating areas to be painted either by brush or airbrush.
The roof is comprised of a chimney and 3 smokestacks made of wood, the kit included 3 printed paper caps for the stacks which I didn’t like and didn’t use. I built up layers of paint loosely mixed together to give a mossy and terracotta color. The protective coat on the roof is micro-crytstalline wax commonly referred to as “Renaissance Wax”, it was applied sparingly with my finger. Note: If using this product it is important to apply as sparingly as possible to avoid a waxy build up. Renaissance wax is a non-acidic/non-yellowing wax available at art supply stores.
Siding: Reynauld’s is the USA dealer for MBZ kits in numerous gauges and MBZ paints.
MBZ laser-cut building kits in Z are comprised of an extensive line-up with particular focus on Bavarian architecture including rural dwellings and railway buildings.
Based on real architectural prototypes the kits offer modelers an historical basis for layout design; they can be used generally for layouts with countryside scenes or inspiration for rigorously suggesting the topography and features of Bavaria and its branch line railways.
Included in this post is the Locomotive Shed Hofsteinach (MBZ Art.#16 057) Z gauge kit comprising two parts: administration building and attached 2 stall locomotive workshop. A late photograph I found for the prototype appears to show the building used late in life as a storage facility, evidence suggests it was not used with a turntable although a very simple one may have been employed at some point.
An introduction to these kits beyond historical perspective and including build quality leads to comparisons with other manufacturers of today’s laser-cut kits: Archistories and Faller. Each company has its own approach which is translated to each kit’s personality. Archistories kits are Prussian in basis and precision in nature from kit to completed building. Faller is rather more generic architecturally, and their kits sometimes could use a little more finishing, but the buildings are uniquely appointed with interior masking allowing nice details including curtains to be seen in buildings with interior lighting. MBZ kits have a personality uniquely their own, I have built close to 10 thus far, and each presented unique construction demands.
After opening an MBZ kit one will notice the uniform dark brown card-stock for the majority of parts, windows are separate fixtures on white cardboard. The card-stock is rather soft if compared with the card-stock used by Archistories, these parts also have carbon deposits left behind by the laser-cutting process: sometimes heavy. The kits also smell of burnt paper which is okay because it is rather subtle and one gets used to it. Large parts are also usually warped presumably due to the laser process. The downside to these kits are gluing, painting, and lightweight filigree parts such as trusses, but I hope to share my personal approach and help others build these kits satisfactorily because they are good kits.
Gluing: I use Noch 61104 glue because of its quick setting and flexible nature, it dries clear with a little gloss so don’t use it to fill gaps, gaps can be filled with brown tinted wood glue with better results. Before you glue to need to prep the parts to remove carbon deposits, manufacturer suggests sanding sponge or wire brush, but I use a paper towel and brush away the dust. Best use is made of gentle approach here. Note: youTube video posted by Reynaulds shows Thomas Oswald building one of his kits using UHU Hart glue which is an excellent glue but rather messy with strands that seem to pull away applicator after application.
Painting: MBZ kits are raw cardboard, they are not pre-tinted like Archistories and Faller thus painting is required. MBZ has a line of pigment paints which are applied with a sponge which are reasonably priced in kits, but I prefer using Gouache watercolor paints which I will ouline here. The first step is priming the parts before assembly and painting other parts before assembly. I use Gouache for several reasons: building up texture, quick drying, excellent color choices, and can be lightly sanded. Gouache is opaque watercolor which can be diluted with water for more transparency, it also mixes well with other colors. But as with certain other artist media Gouache needs to be protected by a final application of lacquer, I use acrylic lacquer applied with an airbrush. Lacquer comes in matte, semi-gloss and gloss, the choice for each is complicated by the fact that each will impart a different surface appearance but also and more importantly different levels of color saturation thus gloss will impart the colors with much more saturation than semi-gloss or matte. I also use the micro-crystalline wax by Renaissance which gives a waxy/gloss finish appropriate for textured surfaces, I don’t use it often but for those situations it is suitable there are no substitutes. Preparation for paint: first prime the parts thereby sealing the paper. Note: MBZ textured laser-cut parts for some reason resist paint, I found a drier paint (less water) was required, too much water in the paint pooled on top of the parts. I find MBZ kits to border on primitive, I embrace the soft edges of the paper parts and uneven color application therefore I have tended to use brush versus airbrush, it is a technique where I was able to control paint thickness and shading, but a combination of airbrush and brush should yield excellent results. With MBZ kits for me are about embracing buildings with age and years of history, I have found it better to push in the direction of defects than perfection with these kits thereby bringing to the surface years of use.
Very delicate filigree parts such as trusses are difficult to work with in MBZ kits, they are best to be glued to the roof panels before inserting into loco sheds as suggested by the manufacturers’ illustration which also serves as assembly instructions. Note: Instructions in the form of a short text accompanies a large illustration which I have found at times misleading and/or challenging to say the least, it is best practice to lay the parts out and try to understand fit and placement before gluing. Note: reread last note!
For each MBZ build kit I post now and later I will describe trouble spots with the kit in question and technique I used unique to that kit.
Loco Shed Hofsteinach: All in all a very good kit and equally nice building of medium size. Unique to the architecture of this building is scale, it looks much bigger than it really is which is a unique achievement praised in architecture. Construction of this prototype included brick infill siding with numerous windows framed in iron, stucco and shingle administration building. The kit included hinge design for the 4 large wood loco shed doors which involved super gluing a pin (nail) to the edge of each door panel, due to the thickness of the pin and securing the doors to it I chose to forgo working hinges and permanently glued the doors in place. Trusses are very nice in the kit, but they are very lightweight although prototypical in scale they are hard to work with, they should be glued to the roof panels before installing in building as suggested by the instruction’s illustration. Window panels are glued to the outside of the building’s framework and outer panels glued over top which is a little different from the other manufacturers.
I used the dry brush technique and build up color on the brick infill siding finishing with airbrushing a light spray of gray/black.
Door panels on loco shed were first stained with a brown stain followed by a wet brush of gouache with grimy black paint and finished with light airbrushing.
Roof panels were darkened with gray/black using airbrush. Note: manufacturer did not include smokestacks, but I will include those when the building goes to layout.
Adminstration building includes aged shingles and stucco. I came up with a color for the stucco I was happy with and added white charcoal powder for texture, this layer was followed by a slightly darker tone to suggest weathering, age and repairs.
Shingles were darkened with a light spray of gray/black. Foundations stones varied from one side to the next, I colored matched the administration building’s stone color for a uniform look around the building. Note: it is not uncommon for foundation stone color to vary depending on construction time-frame and changes made to original structure over time.
This very solid, designed and proportioned loco shed is a very good building for branch-line service.
Siding: only USA dealer for MBZ is Reynauld’s in Illinois.
