Welcome to the Model Scenery Glossary, a growing A to Z reference for model railway builders, diorama makers, wargamers and scale modellers of all kinds. Whether you’re completely new to scenic modelling or just trying to work out what a particular material, tool, technique or detail part is used for, this glossary is designed to give you clear, beginner-friendly explanations without unnecessary jargon.
Across these pages, you’ll find scenic materials, modelling tools, layout features, structures, accessories and practical techniques, all organised by letter to make browsing simple. From acrylic paints and ballast through to static grass, tunnel mouths, water effects and yard details, the aim is to build a useful reference you can return to whenever you’re planning, building or improving a miniature scene.
Use the links below to browse the glossary by letter.
Browse the Model Scenery Glossary A to Z
- A — Acrylic paints, air-drying clay, acetate sheet, armature wire, abutments, allotments and other essential A-list modelling terms.
- B — Ballast, balsa wood, baseboards, brass materials, brickwork, bridges, bushes and useful B terms for scenic modelling.
- C — Card, clay, cork, clump foliage, casting, canals, chimneys, cottages, culverts and other common C glossary entries.
- D — Dirt scatter, dry brushing, drainage, doors, ditches, docks, dry-stone walls, downpipes and diorama details.
- E — Epoxy resin, earthworks, embankments, engine sheds, etched parts, exterior details and everyday scenic essentials.
- F — Fine turf, filler, foam, fences, farmyards, footpaths, figures, foliage, fuel tanks and finishing techniques.
- G — Gravel, grass fibres, glue, ground cover, gates, goods sheds, gutters, garden details and greenery for model scenes.
- H — Hedges, hardstanding, handrails, hills, harbour walls, huts, hoardings, hydrants and helpful scenic features.
- I — Ivy, industrial buildings, inspection pits, interiors, iron railings, island platforms and interesting lineside details.
- J — Jetties, junction boxes, jib cranes, junk yards, jute fibres and small scenic details beginning with J.
- K — Kerbstones, kiosks, kilns, kissing gates, kitchen gardens and useful K terms for layouts and dioramas.
- L — Lighting, lampposts, leaf scatter, level crossings, loading docks, lock gates, lorries and lineside accessories.
- M — Modelling paste, manholes, mileposts, milk churns, mud, masonry walls, market stalls and miniature scene details.
- N — Natural twigs, nameboards, narrowboats, noticeboards, Nissen huts, netting fences and natural scenic features.
- O — Open-cell foam, oil drums, office buildings, orchards, outbuildings, overbridges and overgrown areas.
- P — PVA glue, pigments, plaster, platforms, paving, post boxes, ponds, pallets, pubs and practical modelling products.
- Q — Quarry dust, quarries, quays, quarry faces, quadrant signals and other specialist Q terms for scenic modelling.
- R — Rock moulds, resin, roads, retaining walls, rivers, railings, rubble, rust effects and realistic scenic textures.
- S — Static grass, scatter, sand, scenery glue, signals, station buildings, stone walls, sheds, streets and scenic structures.
- T — Trees, telephone boxes, tunnel mouths, trackside cabinets, tufts, telegraph poles, tractors and terrain techniques.
- U — Ultrafine turf, underbridges, underpasses, undergrowth, utility cabinets, unmade roads and urban scenic details.
- V — Vegetation mats, vehicles, viaducts, village greens, verges, vines, vents and vertical scenic details.
- W — Water effects, weathering powders, walls, warehouses, weeds, wire fencing, workshops, wells and wharves.
- X — XPS foam, X-braced gates, X-frame structures, crossing markings and a few useful X-related modelling terms.
- Y — Yard cinders, yard lamps, yard offices, yellow road markings, yews, yachts and goods yard scenery.
- Z — Zeolite granules, zebra crossings, zig-zag road markings, zinc roofs, zoo enclosures and the final Z-list scenic terms.