Category: Opinion

Prototype Modeling’s “Handcuffs”

The success of a layout, ultimately measured by the satisfaction we wring out of it, is usually determined before we even begin construction.  I’ll take it a step further, it even starts before we begin drawing a track plan.  It’s such a subtly complex topic because it may take years to ultimately know whether we […]

Stepping Outside The Sandbox

Model railroading is a hobby that allows it’s participants to dig in and participate as much or as little as they’d like.   On one end of the spectrum would be the casual recreationalist.  This is someone who wants to have a basic representational layout that he can unwind with now and then, perhaps entertain the […]

Hitting The Artistic Sweetspot

    Often, when I tell other modelers that I’ve just made a photography trip to Allapattah (Miami) or Vernon (LA), the immediate response is, “Wow, you’re brave.  Weren’t you afraid of being mugged?”.  Let’s get one thing straight up front, I’m not brave!  But no, I can’t say I’ve ever felt even remotely threatened.  […]

Figures

I’ve always felt that the old modeler’s adage of “no detail is better than a bad detail” made sense.  If we need a specific detailed part, and the only thing on the market is a crude soap carving, you’re better off omitting the detail as opposed to trying to represent it with an unsightly placeholder. […]