Modelzone Blog - Keeping you up to date with the world of collectibles

Modelzone At Goodwood Festival Of Speed

Come and see Modelzone at the 2008 Goodwood Festival Of Speed this July at the Goodwood Race Track, Just Outside Chichester.

This years event will take place over the 11th,12th and 13th July and with last years attendance of over 145.000 visitors, The Goodwood Festival Of Speed has become one of the must visit Motorsport Events.

Taking place outside Goodwood House, using the main road through the Park as the track, it’s the only occasion where you’ll see in action the greatest competition cars and star drivers from the entire history of motor sport.

Modelzone will be attending to bring you a massive selection of diecast and other related products all at show stopping prices.

You can find our stand oposite the Start Line Bar at STAND 167.

For ticket information you can call the Festival Hotline on +44 (0) 1243 755055 or visit www.goodwood.co.uk for further information. Gates open at 7.00am.

Modelzone Exclusives

After much talk and scratching heads, we are pleased to announce more great Modelzone Exclusives for 2008. These highly collectible items should hit the stores later this year. As with all our exclusives, once there gone, there gone…..

The first item announced is a CLASS 25 Diesel from Bachmann, made Exclusively for Modelzone. Limited to 504pcs, this is sure to move fast.

The next 3 items are part of a series of Hornby/Modelzone worked Limited Editions. Again, only available through Modelzone, these items are sure to prove popular. They are:

1.   Haymen 5 Plank Wagon - 1500pcs only!

2.   BR RTC Test Coach 1 - 1000pcs only!

3.   Thomas the Tank Engine - 500pcs only!

For more information on these and other great MZ exclusives, make sure you check out our Exclusives section at modelzone.co.uk.

How to Build a Model Railway

Once you have bought your first model train set, successfully set up the track and assembled all of the parts, it is hard not to get hooked on the idea of creating bigger and better things.

Building a model railway is easy and relatively cheap to do. Here is our guide to get you up and running:

1.     Engines and Rolling Stock

Perhaps the most exciting and important part of the whole enterprise is selecting your engines and rolling stock. Do you want to choose a classic steam loco with a 1950s themed diorama, or recreate the latest high speed railways with tilting trains and high tech signaling?

To help you decide, see the list of model trains we have available.

2.     Track

The next important part involved selecting the track to use for your model train set. Carefully planning the track layout is part of the fun as you decide the route you would like your trains to take: through a village, crisscrossing intersections or into sidings and stopping at stations. There are track planning aids available, like the R619 Scaled track peices which make designing a layout easier. See: model train track.

3.     Surface

In order to assemble your track and begin planning the other features of your model railway, you need to ensure you have an adequate surface and surface area to accommodate your scene.

Attics provide the perfect place to escape and immerse yourself in the whole process, and while a good sturdy table will work fine, you might consider custom making a frame to exactly accommodate the layout you’re going to create.

Chipboard makes a great surface, the ‘baseboard’ in model railway parlance, so get out your steel rule and head down your local hardware store.

4.     Scenery

Set the scene with rolling hills, gravel, trees and hedge rows, all helping to bring your model railway to life, and watch as your loco thunders through rolling hills and past the tree lined roads.

See: model train scenery.

5.     Buildings

Once you have chosen your time period and theme, populating your railway with buildings is the next stage.

See the full range of model train set buildings to help you decide what will work for you.

6.     Lighting & Signals

Lighting, signals and other model train accessories help further add to the realism of the diorama and are an essential part of the whole process.

7.     Figurines

Populate your model railway with figurines – station masters waiting on the platform for the train to arrive, a pedestrian waiting to catch the train, or for the level crossing to rise so they can continue on their journey – all adding to the feel of the whole scene.

Figurines can be found in the model train accessories section of the website.

8.      Vehicles

The only method of transport in your newly created world won’t just be the train. You will need Lorries, cars and other vehicles to help add that extra piece of realism. A full range of scaled vehicles can be found here.

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