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Creating a scene for a model railroad layout is not unlike a film producer creating a realistic movie set. These days many of the scenes and props in movies are generated using computer technology so that the actors and actresses can perform near impossible feats in convincingly realistic settings. The eye often sees what it wants to see. This is something to keep in mind when creating a scene for a model railroad layout.

Back to the question – Is this VW Kombie van real, or is it a scale model? It is actually a scale model.

Is the road and paving real? It looks real, but again, it is part of a model railroad layout.

Is the sky backdrop real. No, it is a photographic backdrop glued to a wall.

What about the buildings? They too are scale models, and a part of a new series at https://www.modelbuildings.org/packa-background-shops-scale-models

Are the people real? A photograph of real people has been photoshopped into this layout scene, just to make the VW Kombi Van look even more real. The eye sees what it wants to see. The orginal plastic figurines of people (although they looked real) were photoshopped out for the purposes of this demonstration.

So, next time you are designing a scene for your layout, think of it like a movie set. Carefully build the scene one element at a time. Have fun!