Happy Halloween! Let's See Your Halloween Layout Details!

[Mark W]

Over the weekend I made some N Scale pumpkins to set around the layout at our Free-moN set up in Beatrice, NE.  There was an unsuccessful attempt at a Jack o'lantern, but I got a few recommendations and ideas, so here's attempt number two. 

Happy Halloween!


https://i.imgur.com/jVazINe.jpg



https://i.imgur.com/zD1XfmJ.jpg



https://i.imgur.com/c08LnhE.jpg



https://i.imgur.com/39IQajo.jpg

[C855B]

This is Glenn's @gkoproske Halloween layout for our N scale club: https://mvns.smugmug.com/Halloween-Layout . Spookiest, scariest thing about it... it's in HO. 

[learmoia]

This post spurred an interesting idea...

Modeling O scale 'Live Steam'
O SCALE scenery, buildings, vehicles ect..
N Scale trains.. In a layout designed as a private or club live stream layout.

~Ian

[peteski]

Over the weekend I made some N Scale pumpkins to set around the layout at our Free-moN set up in Beatrice, NE.  There was an unsuccessful attempt at a Jack o'lantern, but I got a few recommendations and ideas, so here's attempt number two. 

Happy Halloween!


https://i.imgur.com/jVazINe.jpg

Very nice Mark (but these lit ones have to  be Photoshopped, right?).
Good of you all to celebrate my birthday - thank you! 

[Mark W]

Very nice Mark (but these lit ones have to  be Photoshopped, right?).

No no, I was able to make it work!


https://i.imgur.com/zjMVF02.jpg

The problem I had on the first one was the clay was still too soft.  Even after air-drying it's still pretty soft, so I baked it for a little, then using a fresh xacto I carved out the bottom to insert the 0402 LED, and carved a face.  I had to turn the LED brightness way down otherwise it whole pumpkin acted like a bulb.  So yep, we have actual N Scale Jack O'Lanterns! 

_{Of course I did all this after the train show, so yes, the first photo is shopped. :p}

[peteski]

No no, I was able to make it work!


https://i.imgur.com/zjMVF02.jpg

The problem I had on the first one was the clay was still too soft.  Even after air-drying it's still pretty soft, so I baked it for a little, then using a fresh xacto I carved out the bottom to insert the 0402 LED, and carved a face.  I had to turn the LED brightness way down otherwise it whole pumpkin acted like a bulb.  So yep, we have actual N Scale Jack O'Lanterns! 

_{Of course I did all this after the train show, so yes, the first photo is shopped. :p}

That's awesome Mark!  Wow!
I don't even care that the photo was doctored. They really exist!

Now how about T-scale illuminated Jack o'Lantern? 

What do you use for magnification aids while you work on the small stuff?

[chicken45]

Yes!

[Mark W]

What do you use for magnification aids while you work on the small stuff?

I dont.  Never have been able to work behind magnifying glass or using an optivisor.  I'll probably go cross-eyed one day.   
Soft bright lighting is a must.

[peteski]

I dont.  Never have been able to work behind magnifying glass or using an optivisor.  I'll probably go cross-eyed one day.   
Soft bright lighting is a must.

Ah, I was like you too.  I bought my Optivisor decades ago and I even tried to use it for working on some really small tasks, but using it it felt awkward and uncomfortable.  So I mothballed it. But then, I think in my early 40s, I just couldn't focus my eyes close enough to what I was working on, so I dug up my Optivisor and started using it.  This time, instead of feeling awkward, I found it very in making me see things very clearly, so I found myself using it almost for every modeling task.  It now feels awkward trying to do anything without it!
Another decade past and I also started using inexpensive reading glasses.  I can still read books and newspapers without glasses, but I can't get my eyes to sharply focus closer than about 24".   Wearing reading glasses or Optivisor while modeling is pretty much mandatory for me (or I won't see the really fine details).

Our brain tends to adapt and think that something we are looking at is in decent focus, but then putting the glasses on shows just how many small details were not visible (blurred) without the glasses.

I do have some friends who have myopia. They actually remove their glasses for extreme closeup work as their eyes can focus just few inches away from their face.  But you probably have normal (uncorrected) vision?