This crane can be used in many spots on you layout, both outside or inside a building. I built two of these for one of my HO model railroad customers for his layout. The kits are relatively easy to assemble but you have to be careful. The finished model is delicate and easily snaps apart. I would recommend you affix it to your layout as soon as you can to avoid repairs! The operator's cab is empty so I added a figure and controls to each. The kit DOES NOT come with these so you must get purchase them separately. Two or more kits can be combined to make one longer crane, although you would have to scratch-build or duplicate the splice plates. The kit only comes with two and you would need two more for each additional kit you plan to combine. I made molds of them and cast them in resin for my customer so he could combine them in the future, if he wanted to. When finished, the crane makes a nice addition to any layout.