by mike | Jan 29, 2023 | The Art of The Craft, The Modeling Conversation, The P48 Experience
As you can see, I have a clean slate again. The Mill Road cameo is in temporary storage until I decide its fate and the other sections have been dismantled for the materials. Although I was and still am happy with Mill Road, I’ve taken it as far as it wants to...
by mike | Jan 23, 2023 | The Art of The Craft, The Modeling Conversation, The P48 Experience |
To recreate the expansive space that we experience outside, we resort to tricks ranging from a plain blue color on the walls to large custom made photomurals. As I’ve progressed through the craft, I’ve reached the conclusion the backdrop is not as...
by mike | Jan 16, 2023 | OST Believes, The Art of The Craft, The Modeling Conversation, The P48 Experience |
As much as I’ve sung the praises of shadowbox construction, my tastes are moving toward simpler forms. Even though there is a lot to love about the shadowbox format, looking at Mill Road today the eight-foot long x 24 inch high modules seem clunky and overbuilt...
by mike | Jan 8, 2023 | The Art of The Craft, The Modeling Conversation, The P48 Experience
Our kitchen is small by any standard but it works for our needs. It’s just the two of us and our cooking and food prep are modest. We wanted more counter space but there wasn’t room to add any in the kitchen itself without creating an awkward bottleneck at...
by mike | Jan 3, 2023 | OST Believes, Storytelling, The Modeling Conversation, The P48 Experience |
One framework of contemporary railroading is the idea of MASSIVE . Gigantic locomotives and freight cars; huge facilities and heart pounding, in your face action. That’s not the whole story though. As seen in the following images, the modern scene also includes...
by mike | Dec 27, 2022 | General News |
A quick update:After a battery of eye tests I’ve been diagnosed with a twenty percent permanent vision loss in my right eye and told the condition may eventually also impact the left eye. Reading small text on paper or a screen is frustrating unless it’s the size of...
by mike | Dec 12, 2022 | The Modeling Conversation |
I haven ‘t had much bench time recently, and the time I have spent has been less productive. I’m dealing with a complication in one eye from the cataract surgery and it’s frustrating. My vision is blurred and that makes reading text or doing close...
by mike | Nov 28, 2022 | Modeling Techniques, The Modeling Conversation |
I’m a strong believer in looking to other crafts for inspiration and techniques. Taking time to get out of the model train echo chamber can greatly enrich our modeling. When I decided to pursue working in brass, I went looking for sources of information and...
by mike | Nov 23, 2022 | Modeling Techniques, The Modeling Conversation |
After a part is laid out and cut from the rough stock, the edges need to be trued up, and brought to finished dimensions. Straight and square are two fundamental aspects of any build. Our eyes can see very small errors in misalignment quite easily. Edges that...
by mike | Nov 20, 2022 | Modeling Techniques, The Modeling Conversation |
When I was actively drawing in pen & ink, I used to do practice exercises like the one above. The purpose was to train my eye and develop the control and muscle memory in my hands. Like the exercises music students do to train their ears and eye/hand coordination...