Weekend update - 10-21-2007

[womblenz]

Hi Guys

Not much being done on the modelling front due to a shift of my workroom.

I've been building a new workbench and getting ready to move the rest.

here's a couple of pics of new bench





Over the next coupla weeks hope to get rest of shift done


Cheers Warren

[central.vermont]

Not much from me but recently I dusted
off my airbrush and started working on a
PCM E-7.
Gonna make a MEC modeler on this group really
happy when I finish!!!!

It's not the best shot but I am trying to watch
the Sox game!!!!!
Jon

[SAH]

As for the placement on the diorama in the form you see. Well, the first placement left a lot to be desired. When I put several of my "shrubbs" together, I began to lose the "airyness". So I added some of the stems from the WS tree kits and then added some of the MiniNatur prairie tufts to mimic what I remember thickets of my youth looked like where I grew up. I also wanted more variety of texture and tone so I sprinkled a tiny bit of top soil into the mix after a spray of matte medium to finally tie it all together....

B

The following photo is not new work but relative to B's post I think.  I used hydrangia flower head parts to get the branch structure and the desired "airyness", but then I screwed it by up using coarse foliage.  I like the look you obtained.  What do you think you'd try next given this as a start.

Steve

[Day One]

I built some power poles. I think I'll paint/weather them a bit more before installation and I need to find some way of making a decent looking insulator some way.



I've spent the majority of my time working on V1 Propane. Custom walkways and rails on the tanks, scratch built pipes and footings, and a good amount of scratch built fencing. Still to do is making the unloading stands and their piping, painting, installing some barrier posts, and then everything will be glued down and more gravel added to make everything sit flat w/ no gaps between the ground and the footings/foundations.

[tom mann]

I weathered steam in 3 scales: Z, N, and On30.  Yes, I know it doesn't count without photos...

[bdeuster]

SAH

Hmmm, very interesting look and the opposite of what I discovered when I placed my first shrubs and lost my airyness. Way off on the left of the photo there looks to be some of the WS scenic grasses (the horse hair type) or something similar. I dont know what you are trying to get as a look but I have found that the variety of vegetation forms that exist in nature allow us a lot of range to work with to get a real sense of beautiful vegetation. Did I mention that I am an impressionistic modeler?  LOL

Anyway, if it was me, I would be less interested in getting a specific plant than achieving something that really made my eye say small to medium size shrubs, weeds (and new growth weed trees), undergrowth, etc.

So, I would add intermittent medium height grasses like on the left. Then I would stretch a very light, thin and irregular array of poly fiber (painted black first) to add a tiny bit of body. Then, depending on my season, I would carefully (masking off other areas) spray some hairspray (or matte medium) on the length of the hedge and sprinkle a light - in amount - mixture of ground foam (OH the horrors!!  ;D) over the sprayed area.

Now, I may have missed one or two step but both are optional. First, if you want the area to look a bit manicured - with mulch, for example - you might add a thin area around your "hedge" of topsoil to simulate mulch or just a perimeter where there is some bare topsoil. Second, again depending on season, you might want to drybrush (or airbrush??) some dark grey or black on the stalks (this must be done before adding the poly fiber) to give the final look of the vegetation a lot more depth than it otherwise would have....

Just some thoughts. Hope this gives you some ideas.

B

[engineshop]

Steve
Great job on the CP. Are the dots one decal piece or did you actually apply each one?

I am working on a model that has small yellow stripes between the rails and I am not quite sure if I should do one piece.

Day One
About the paint on your telephone poles: The paint is to perfect. Try to mess it up if you want the look of a weathered pole. Spray from far away with Polly Scale, so that the paint dries before it hits the poles which gives a rough surface.

[wm3798]

SO... are they burning corn syrup for heat where you are?  (I believe those Staley cars are for corn syrup service only....  could be wrong, been wrong before...)

Lee

[Pomperaugrr]

We need some nice modern LPG tank cars.  It would be nice if Atlas would produce some of these.  I couls use about 8 of them.

[cv_acr]

SO... are they burning corn syrup for heat where you are?  (I believe those Staley cars are for corn syrup service only....  could be wrong, been wrong before...)

Staley cars would definately be syrup (or at least food related liquids). Hard to tell from the photo if those are really syrup cars; looks to be a generic tank painted in Staley colours? Either way, they're really not propane cars. Atlas has a good late 1960s design ACF 33K LPG car, Walthers has a UTLX design LPG car in HO, probably not in N though. Beyond that, yes, I agree, we need more good LPG cars, in N and HO. We also need acid tank cars in HO and N. The only option for those right now is the RailYard Models UTLX kit in HO. How about some nice Trinity LPG and acid tank cars?

[nscalesteve]

Great job on the CP. Are the dots one decal piece or did you actually apply each one?

thank you...
4 decals (2 each side) - I did not even try to apply them one by one...   

[Day One]

aside from the one white tank car in the pic the Staley cars are on the only tank cars I have. And I've had them for a long time. I bought them well before I new what proper LPG cars were. Right now it's "good enough" for me but if a manufacturer would produce a good modern LPG tank car I would buy at least 10. Maybe some day that will happen.

This brings me to something I've been thinking about for quite a while. Why don't manufacturers sell more complete product lines? Walthers makes an LPG dealer kit, why not make LPG tank cars to go with it. Along with that it would be great to have LPG delivery trucks.

If a manufacturer could complete all the elements of a scene and sell the parts together or in seperate parts I'm sure they'd be able to sell the whole thing easily.

A bakery kit could contain the appropriate tank cars, covered hoppers, structures, and delivery vehicles. They all go together but you certainly can't buy them all together or at all some times.

[chuck geiger]

Day One:

Nice poles, what are the dimensions and what did you use, they look like the older SP poles along the UP right of way here in Fresno, CA.

[chuck geiger]

Also for insulators, use small green or white beads from the craft store, CA them
to the cross bars and you should be good to go.

[Iain]

So Steve, when are you going to do me an original NS low nose GP18?