Modified Lego Featured in Model Railroader November 2017

[xboxtravis7992]

I think some of you might get a kick out of this. On the cover of the Model Railroader November 2017 issue is a story about John Sethian's O Scale Pennsylvania RR layout, which features classic PRR equipment rolling through city scapes with many retaining walls and bridges. Well inside the issue John reveals his method for making those brick retaining walls...

"Block walls from Lego bricks: Someone at Lego must be a fan of the Pennsylvania RR, because the size of a standard Lego brick is pretty close to that of a standard Pennsylvania RR stone block in O scale. I use the following Lego brick technique for bridge abutments and tunnel portals as well as retaining walls. First I spread drywall joint compound on the face of each individual Lego brick that will be visible on the final model. Next I use my fingers or a small trowel or artist's palette knife to form an irregular "stone" surface while the joint compound is still wet. Once the joint compound dries, I paint the bricks with various shades of acrylic craft paint. To build the walls, I paint all the brick's mating edges with Folk Art Barn Wood craft paint. In addition to simulating the mortar between the bricks, the paint acts as an adhesive to help them stick together. After assembling the structure, I wipe away any excess paint and add weathering." -Sethian, John Model Railroader November 2017 p. 39

In total I count at least 3-4 different photos including the cover image where the "weathered spackled" Lego is visible. I honestly didn't notice they were Lego until I saw the article itself, but now the familiar shapes of 2x2, 4x2, 1x2 bricks are seen all over this guys layout... I know its not traditional Lego train modeling and isn't purist by any means... But if you ever have some scale modelers telling you the Lego hobby is not a part of scale modeling... well now you have an article to prove him wrong with! 

Edit: You can see the cover for the magazine issue here, see if you can spot the Lego bricks in the model: http://mrr.trains.com/issues/2017/november-2017

Edited October 3, 2017 by xboxtravis7992

[Trekkie99]

 

Bottom right? Can't even tell. 

[xboxtravis7992]

He didn't explain how he got the tops smooth and studless but I worry his answer would have been even more non-purist than the paint...