Welcome to the F section of the Model Scenery Glossary, where we explore modelling materials, tools, techniques and scenic features beginning with the letter F. This page includes useful terms such as fine turf, filler, foam, flock, fences, farmyards, footpaths, figures, foliage, fuel tanks and finishing techniques.
Whether you’re building a model railway layout, diorama, wargaming board or scale model display, these F terms will help you understand the products, features and methods that can add texture, realism and character to your miniature scenes.
Modelling Materials
- Fabric — cloth material used for tarpaulins, curtains, flags, awnings, tents, sacks and soft scenic details.
- Fascia board material — timber, MDF, hardboard, plywood or plastic sheet used to form the neat front edge of a layout or diorama.
- Felt — soft sheet material sometimes used for underlay, scenic bases, display protection, grass effects or storage padding.
- Fibre flock — fine coloured fibres used for grass, moss, foliage texture, animal fur, upholstery or soft scenic surfaces.
- Fine ballast — small-grade ballast used for narrow gauge, N gauge, yards, sidings, paths, road shoulders and fine ground texture.
- Fine sand — small-grain sand used for paths, beaches, concrete texture, yards, riverbanks, mortar colour and general ground cover.
- Fine turf — very fine foam scatter used for short grass, moss, soft vegetation, colour blending and natural ground transitions.
- Filler — paste or powder material used for filling gaps, shaping ground, smoothing joins, creating banks and blending scenic surfaces.
- Filler powder — dry powder mixed with water to create filler for terrain, walls, roads, gaps, embankments and surface repairs.
- Fixative spray — clear spray used to seal pastels, pigments, powders, chalks, printed papers or delicate scenic finishes.
- Flint chippings — small stone pieces used for gravel, paths, walls, rough ground, riverbeds, ballast variation and rural textures.
- Flock — fine coloured fibre or foam material used for grass, foliage, bushes, trees, moss and soft scenic texture.
- Flocking fibres — short fibres used to create grass, fur, upholstery, moss, vegetation and textured scenic surfaces.
- Floral foam — soft foam sometimes used for terrain shaping, rock texture experiments, tree bases and lightweight scenic forms.
- Flower scatter — coloured scenic scatter used to represent wildflowers, garden planting, meadow colour and decorative vegetation.
- Foam board — lightweight board with foam between paper faces, used for buildings, terrain formers, mock-ups and backscene structures.
- Foam core — another name for foam board, often used for quick structures, base layers, building shells and scenic formers.
- Foam latex — flexible foam material used in figure work, puppets, organic forms, flexible scenery and specialist scenic modelling.
- Foam sheet — thin craft foam used for roads, paving, roofs, walls, signs, terrain layers and simple scratchbuilt details.
- Foam underlay — soft underlay used beneath track or scenery to reduce noise, raise ground levels or form roadbeds.
- Foil — thin metal sheet used for tarpaulins, roofing, metal cladding, flashing, dents, embossed texture and surface detail.
- Foliage clusters — small clumps of scenic foliage used for bushes, shrubs, hedges, tree canopies and rough undergrowth.
- Foliage fibre — fine fibre used as a base for bushes, tree canopies, hedgerows, vines, brambles and layered vegetation.
- Foliage mat — pre-made sheet of scenic vegetation used for embankments, rough grass, hedges, bushes, walls and quick ground cover.
- Forming plaster — plaster used for shaping landforms, casting rocks, making terrain shells and creating hard scenic surfaces.
- French chalk — fine powder sometimes used as a release agent, surface dust, weathering material or to reduce tackiness.
- Furnace ash — dark gritty material used for industrial ground, cinders, ash ballast, burnt areas and grimy yard surfaces.
Tools
- Feathering brush — soft brush used to blend paint, powders, weathering, ground colours and scenic transitions.
- Files — shaping tools used for smoothing plastic, metal, resin, wood, filler and small scenic parts.
- Fine drill bits — small drill bits used for pilot holes, handrails, lamps, wiring, figures, signs and detail parts.
- Fine tweezers — precision gripping tool used for placing small parts, figures, foliage, decals, signs and delicate details.
- Finger sander — small sanding tool used for controlled sanding in tight spaces, corners and awkward areas.
- Flat brush — square-ended brush used for basecoating, dry brushing, weathering, road painting and scenic washes.
- Flock applicator — tool used to apply flocking fibres or static grass to glued areas for upright grass and textured vegetation.
- Foam cutter — tool used to cut, shape or carve foam for terrain, embankments, hills and scenic structures.
- Foam sanding block — flexible sanding block used for smoothing filler, foam, plaster, wood, plastic and curved surfaces.
- Forceps — locking tweezers used to grip small parts, hold wires, place details and handle delicate components.
- Fret saw — fine saw used for cutting curves and delicate shapes in wood, plastic, plywood and sheet materials.
- Funnel — simple tool used for pouring scatter, ballast, sand, pigments, resin or powders into containers or small areas.
Skills & Techniques
- Fading — lightening and dulling colours to make paint, signs, roofs, vehicles, fabrics and scenery look sun-bleached or aged.
- Feathering edges — softening the edge of paint, filler, ground cover, weathering or scenery so transitions look natural.
- Figure painting — painting miniature people, animals and characters to suit the scale, era and setting of a scene.
- Filling gaps — using filler, putty, caulk or glue to hide joins between kits, buildings, terrain, roads and scenic sections.
- Final detailing — adding the small finishing touches, such as signs, bins, figures, plants, stains and clutter, that make a scene feel alive.
- Fine weathering — subtle weathering using light washes, dry brushing, powders and small colour changes rather than heavy effects.
- Flocking — applying flock, fibres or scatter to glued surfaces to create grass, moss, foliage and soft scenic textures.
- Foam carving — cutting and shaping foam into hills, cuttings, embankments, cliffs, roads, riverbeds and terrain bases.
- Foliage layering — building vegetation in stages with turf, fibres, clumps, leaf scatter and tufts for a more natural appearance.
- Forced perspective — using smaller scales, reduced detail, faded colour or careful placement to make a scene appear deeper than it really is.
- Forming terrain — creating the basic shape of hills, valleys, embankments, cuttings and scenic landforms before applying surface texture.
- Frosting effects — creating the look of frost, cold surfaces, icy edges or winter scenery using pale paint, powders or snow products.
Infrastructure
- Factory buildings — industrial structures used for manufacturing scenes, goods yards, urban backdrops and railway-served industries.
- Farm gates — gates used at field entrances, farmyards, lanes, tracks and rural property boundaries.
- Farmhouses — rural homes used in countryside scenes, farm layouts, village edges and agricultural dioramas.
- Farmyards — working rural areas with barns, sheds, gates, livestock pens, mud, machinery and stored materials.
- Fascia boards — front boards fitted to layouts or dioramas to hide framing, wiring and rough edges while giving a clean presentation.
- Fences — boundaries used around fields, gardens, railways, yards, industrial sites, parks and roads.
- Field boundaries — hedges, fences, walls, ditches or tree lines used to divide fields and rural land.
- Field shelters — small open-fronted shelters for livestock, horses, farm equipment or rural storage.
- Fields — open land areas used for agriculture, pasture, crops, meadows and countryside scenery.
- Fire escapes — external metal staircases found on industrial buildings, flats, theatres, offices and older urban structures.
- Footbridges — raised pedestrian bridges used at stations, over roads, across tracks, canals or rivers.
- Footpaths — narrow walking routes through fields, villages, parks, station areas, towpaths and urban scenes.
- Ford crossings — shallow road crossings through streams or rivers, useful for rural scenes and country lanes.
- Freight platforms — raised loading areas used in goods yards, warehouses, factories and railway-served industries.
- Fuel depots — areas used for storing and distributing fuel, usually with tanks, pipes, hardstanding, signs and vehicle access.
- Fuel tanks — storage tanks used in depots, garages, farms, factories, rail facilities and industrial scenes.
Details & Accessories
- Farm animals — animal figures such as cows, sheep, pigs, horses, goats and chickens used in rural and farm scenes.
- Farm machinery — tractors, trailers, ploughs, harvesters and implements used to add realism to farms and fields.
- Fence posts — upright posts used to build fences, field boundaries, garden edges, railway fencing and livestock pens.
- Figures — miniature people used to add life, scale, story and activity to railway layouts, dioramas and model scenes.
- Fire hydrants — small street or industrial details used beside roads, factories, yards, depots and public buildings.
- Flags — small fabric, paper or printed details used on buildings, stations, vehicles, boats, events and street scenes.
- Flower beds — planted scenic areas used in gardens, parks, stations, town squares, houses and village scenes.
- Flower pots — small details used outside houses, shops, stations, pubs, cafés, patios and garden scenes.
- Footpath signs — small waymarkers or signs used in countryside, village, station and public path scenes.
- Forklifts — industrial vehicles used in warehouses, goods yards, builders’ yards, docks and factories.
- Fuel pumps — pumps used at petrol stations, depots, farms, garages and fuel storage areas.
- Funnels and vents — rooftop or industrial details used on factories, ships, workshops, engine sheds and service buildings.
- Furniture — interior or exterior details such as chairs, tables, benches, cabinets and beds used in buildings and outdoor scenes.