3D Printing for Modelers: Realistic Concrete in 2.5 Hours

Make realistic concrete hardstanding for an OO gauge model railway using an FDM 3D printer. This 1:76 miniature scenery tutorial covers custom-fit slabs, surface texture, painting and weathering for a railway yard. I turn an awkward corner of my layout into a concrete hardstanding area, starting with a paper template and a simple Fusion 360 design. The slabs are printed face down on a textured PEI plate, then finished with PVA, scenic scatter, primer, layered grey paint and weathering powders to create the appearance of concrete in miniature. In this video: • Designing the slab shape and recessed joints • Splitting the design to fit the printer bed • Printing on a textured PEI plate with gyroid infill • Adding surface texture and primer • Sponge painting, dry brushing and weathering You’ll need access to an FDM 3D printer for this method. The print shown used around 140 g of filament and took approximately 2½ hours. The roughly £1 estimate mentioned in the video is for filament only. What would you add to this corner of the layout? Subscribe to Charlie Junction for more OO gauge model railway projects, scenery techniques and practical 3D printing ideas. #OOGauge #ModelRailway #ModelRailwayScenery 00:00 OO gauge hardstanding and the printer you need 00:30 Designing custom concrete slabs in Fusion 360 01:56 Slicing and printing on a textured PEI plate 02:56 Adding surface texture and primer 03:49 Painting and weathering miniature concrete 05:05 Finished hardstanding on the layout