Yup to look at the layout its 'Kinfreezing'!..........
As for how it was done ........... after hours of googling military modelling sites and like for ideas on how to do it and even more hours experimenting on a small test piece I made using various mixes in my airbrush of whites, pales greys and silvers I found the best way of creating it quite by accident when doing something completely different....... now isnt that always the way!
The frost effect as seen on this model is simply (and I mean simply no added anything) a good quality 'White Acrylic Automotive Primer' sprayed straight from the can.
Most areas and features you can see in the pictures have 3 or 4 light passes at 6 -8 inches or more distant (with as mentioned before a small sprinkling of the fine glittery Angel Dust added on the flat field areas (whilst wet - and sealed with a pass of hairspray when dry).
The couple of road vehicles with the effect (showing that they were parked overnight) were done off the layout and with 1 or perhaps 2 passes (I did have to replace one after overdoing it by thinking oh perhaps another......!
).
Acrylic Primer is literally small particles of paint in a very light suspension for spraying which from a near dry layer when applied lightly from a distance (whereas my thinned airbrush paint was too wet). My lightbulb moment came when noticing the effect of overspray on a cobweb when priming a model in my spraybooth.........
It takes practice to do but the hairy grass scenic base (1 or 2 plys of very fine hanging basket liner in this case) take the paint and show up well. I was quite pleased with the overall effect created which seems to match the look we often get on the fields and fencing down the lanes near our village on cold winter mornings.
In doing it I had to mask or be careful with buidings, walls etc as not all materials cover with frost in the same way (so obervation and thought to the most!)
So if one of the purveyors of Scenic wares suddenly come up with 'instant frost in a can' you already know the secret of how to buy it cheaper!
Note these later shots show the model with the addition of the scratch build GNoSR signal box (with point rodding) and goodshed which completed the station area. Though the starter signal is still absent.
Scenically the layouts was now more like the sort of layout we would have produced to start with had we been tasked with this kind of project from the start which was the whole idea as Martin had long been a fan of the models we build). Though I doubt that we would have build the layout as long and thin or simple as it was.
As for my experiment with the scenic presentation well ................... in the years prior to our getting our sweaty mits on the the layout had only attended 3 or 4 shows all of which were as a result of the owner knowing someone involved in the show concerned. It has never got any further 'cold' enquires for invites when at those events.............
First time out at the BRM Doncaster show start of 2013 (with us showing it and Martin as trainee........on his own layout) the layout received the grand total of 9 un-solicited invites over the two days (all 'wow like this can you give me details, come here with it etc etc).............. most pleasing as this is when we wanted for Martin (who we were sad to find had spent an awful lot of cash on the original professional build).
We were further please to hear that a few weeks later at BRM Ally Pally he gained a further 6 more and from then on the calls havent stopped.............. so much so he cant cope with number ............... still that part isnt our problem!