Making the little people stay put

[Richard Gude]

I am having an open house and even though my railroad is yet un-ballasted and needs a few more buildings, I would like to set out a few people. Problem is they won't stand alone and I am not yet ready to totally commit to their final positions. Do you use a little rubber cement on their feet? The additional problem is that I don't want to damage the area that I place them in as I can't re-paint many of these areas. What do you recommend?

Thanks, rhg

 

[60103]

I've been using Woodland Scenics Accent Glue for this. It's like rubber cement but supposed to bereusable. I have found that it's stronger than the paint and some of the scenery.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Try earthquake wax or putty. It is used to secure items, such as pottery, to shelves. It's available at a bunch of stores, Walmart, K-mart, Target, maybe Home Depot, drug stores, some grocery stores, etc. Works great and is easily removeable without residue.
Doc

 

[Jac's Lines]

Some of the older books suggest using beeswax (pull the figure across the wax so a bit sticks to the feet, then place on the layout). I've used this for short term placement for photos, and residue hasn't been a problem. I imagine it could be if you really smear the beeswax into a deeply textured surface (like deeply grained wood) or if you put it on a surface that will be repainted in the future. I've also used the WS product that David mentions, and it works well.

 

[oleirish]

I take the stands off the little people and then mske sure there feet are square,then a little drop of Vaseline on the feet It works for me,Look at the little people in this photo

JIM

 

[jim currie]

get a wax toilet ring from hardware store just a bit will stick the LPB's in place.

 

[green_elite_cab]

you know what i think? they should make a magnetic figures (magnetic feet atleast), and a clear, flat paint or something that has metal in it that you can paint where you want people. that way, the magnets will hold the feet down to the layout, and you can move them.

 

[kchronister]

I'm not sure how they could make a clear paint that had metal in it - metal not doing well on the transparency front...

Another suggestion is magician's wax. like the other waxes mentioned, it's sticky and leaves no residue. I mention it only because I know that, whatever the actual substance, it's designed specifically to adhere and hold well with just a pin-point size dot. Any real-world or online magic store should stock it.

 

[MasonJar]

If you have a foam base for your layout, you could cut the base (if any) off the figure, drill a small hole in the foot/leg, and insert a short piece of wire or a pin (minus the head). Then you can put the figure where you wnat, and only a tiny hole is left if you move them.

Andrew

 

[Will_annand]

One fellow at our club does not like to glue his people in place, instead, he glues a small pin to their feet and "sticks" them into his foam base.