Just wondering if anyone who owns the Pola Kleinbach station could tell me if the Waiting Room building can be positioned on the left hand side of the main building? Some photos suggest that the baseplates were originally designed to be positioned like that.
Positioning the Pola Kleinbach waiting room on the left…
- Thread starter Big Trak
- Start date
if youve built the kit according to instructions, and provided the roof overhang on the lower of the two buildings is even (centered), it really only fits one side. on the "other" side, not so much. on this "other side" you can lift the taller building and tuck the roof under the taller building's roof overhang, but, because of a decorative point on the roof trim, and the tile cap on the ridge line of the roof, of the lower building, its close but not quite right. (if you can live with the two bases being off about 1/16" in level, no alteration is required. )
The above and the fact that the baseplates have a cobblestone pattern that runs from one edge to the edge of the other, this kinda makes one side a better fit.
otoh, imho, this cobblestone pattern, is a minor issue. On mine, i actually spray on adhesive, and add soil and a bit of ground cover, as well as inking the cobblestones to highlight, add interest and make them less plastic. Obviously, you could entirely cover the cobbles with something, tiny gravel, etc., , if this is an issue to you.
when the waiting room is on the "other" side, and provided you didnt want to alter the structures to allow for this to fit, there is about a 1" gap between the two baseplates. One could fashion a filler strip fairly easily for this gap. This imho, is the path of least brain damage.
HOWEVER, you could turn the whole dam thing around, putting the "platform" area away from the tracks, and create your own platform. This could be at ground level, although making it look integrated would be a bit of work, i think, or, the platform could be slightly raised to the level of the doors and cut to fit the walls of the two buildings.
Or , you could remove (or not glue) the roof on the lower of the two buildings (if feasible and practical) and allow it to shift to one side so it fits.....
ah the permutations ........
The above and the fact that the baseplates have a cobblestone pattern that runs from one edge to the edge of the other, this kinda makes one side a better fit.
otoh, imho, this cobblestone pattern, is a minor issue. On mine, i actually spray on adhesive, and add soil and a bit of ground cover, as well as inking the cobblestones to highlight, add interest and make them less plastic. Obviously, you could entirely cover the cobbles with something, tiny gravel, etc., , if this is an issue to you.
when the waiting room is on the "other" side, and provided you didnt want to alter the structures to allow for this to fit, there is about a 1" gap between the two baseplates. One could fashion a filler strip fairly easily for this gap. This imho, is the path of least brain damage.
HOWEVER, you could turn the whole dam thing around, putting the "platform" area away from the tracks, and create your own platform. This could be at ground level, although making it look integrated would be a bit of work, i think, or, the platform could be slightly raised to the level of the doors and cut to fit the walls of the two buildings.
Or , you could remove (or not glue) the roof on the lower of the two buildings (if feasible and practical) and allow it to shift to one side so it fits.....
ah the permutations ........
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All Pola kits have the possibility of changing how they should be built, just needs a little patience and off the wall thinking. At least knowing what you want in the first place is a good start as Big has.
Oh good question, mine been outside for a couple of years now and well tarnished so not shiny any more.
When new, definite plastic sheen. Even brick and tiles aren’t dead matte, possibly because the semi gloss is less prone to scratching in packing and shipping , tougher?
imho, one could paint to hide the plastic look.
i rarely re paint pola items, mostly to avoid additional maintenance. Here at altitude, uv is tough on paint and flat coating. And idont even leave my stuff out for long periods, and try to shade things, mostly ( some items can warp badly in hot mid summer sun).
But, i have painted partially and /or completely , as some models , mostly US, just have odd coloring/combinations, or, are just in need, such as contrasting wainscoting , bright white window mullions but not the window frames, etc. Not unlike many g scale figures. Careful painting changes everything.
more often i do use diluted true black permanent ink in 90% meths (dries more quickly) to emphasize cracks, wall and roof texture, and, often white for brick or roof tile mortar. Just enough to tone down certain features.
there is , for me, a pleasing, german toy train continuity to stock Pola buildings ( less so piko, imho). I think im enamored of the older lgb catalog photos and scenes.
but when i do paint, the change is substantial, subtle color and dead flat look being far more plausible. And, more work. Id estimate that when i repaint, it takes me 2-3 times the time of assembly alone, to prime, let dry, paint, and scrape clean gluing surfaces, etc.
Earth toned artist chalks , scraped to powder , applied with a soft brush and with spray fixative are an easy and effective compromise.
imho, one could paint to hide the plastic look.
i rarely re paint pola items, mostly to avoid additional maintenance. Here at altitude, uv is tough on paint and flat coating. And idont even leave my stuff out for long periods, and try to shade things, mostly ( some items can warp badly in hot mid summer sun).
But, i have painted partially and /or completely , as some models , mostly US, just have odd coloring/combinations, or, are just in need, such as contrasting wainscoting , bright white window mullions but not the window frames, etc. Not unlike many g scale figures. Careful painting changes everything.
more often i do use diluted true black permanent ink in 90% meths (dries more quickly) to emphasize cracks, wall and roof texture, and, often white for brick or roof tile mortar. Just enough to tone down certain features.
there is , for me, a pleasing, german toy train continuity to stock Pola buildings ( less so piko, imho). I think im enamored of the older lgb catalog photos and scenes.
but when i do paint, the change is substantial, subtle color and dead flat look being far more plausible. And, more work. Id estimate that when i repaint, it takes me 2-3 times the time of assembly alone, to prime, let dry, paint, and scrape clean gluing surfaces, etc.
Earth toned artist chalks , scraped to powder , applied with a soft brush and with spray fixative are an easy and effective compromise.
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