Model Railroad Blog

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.

Working with a figures is such a Catch 22 for us.  On one hand, representing human activity in our scenes can bring them to life.  Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, manufacturing  the human form in anything that is even remotely believable can be elusive and is quite possibly impossible.  The challenges are enormous.  How can you possibly sculpt in miniature the fineness of hair, the thinness of clothing, fingers, facial expressions, and the subtle, relaxed slouch we humans assume in the day to day.  I’m not sure you can. Even if a deep pocketed manufacturer threw a lot of resources into it, I think they’d fall short.  What we have now are representations of the human form with odd postures, creepy expressions, and overly thick details.  In many cases, era correct figures don’t exist.  Trying to sledge hammer a round peg in a square hole and include the figures anyway, has ruined many an otherwise well executed model scene.  For this reason, the world renowned modeler’s of the Thorne Rooms, the Kupjacks, refused to include figures in their work (and they were working in a much larger scale).  I can say with certainty that, in every published photo where I included a figure, I now regret doing so.

Still, I find it hard to let the subject drop entirely.  If there were a way to somehow work in at least the suggestion of humanity in our scenes it would add so much.  The 64 dollar question becomes, how do you do so without ruining a scene by trying to include a modeling detail that looks like somebody came up behind them and zapped them with a taser?

It becomes an exercise in finding a way to work around limitations that, in all liklihood, will always be there.  I haven’t come to any decisions but my thoughts are that “maybe” some things can be done if we:

  • Spend the time to look for those figures that have the most relaxed poses
  • Face them away from the viewer so facial expressions aren’t visible
  • Place them in less prominent locations
  • Perhaps paint them a muted gray and rely more on a silhouette look.

That’s the experiment in the photo above.  If you look carefully you can see the brakeman seated in a relaxed pose near the front steps of the switcher.

 

 

 

Number 3 Crossing District Blvd.

My immersion in model railroading is largely a selfish pursuit.  I like getting compliments as much as the next person but my drive is primarily internal, a desire to create images that give me pleasure to look at, to create scenes that I enjoy operating, experiencing,  and interacting with.   As modelers we have an advantage that commercial artists do not.  I call it the audience of one.  Our livelihoods and legacy aren’t dependent in the least on whether anybody else likes our work.  All we have to do is please ourselves and it’s a lot easier to satisfy one person than the world at large.  It’s pretty liberating when you think about it.  However, from time to time I do reflect upon why I publicly post my images and have yet to drill down into my self awareness enough to fully get a handle on it.  If I can’t fully explain it to myself it is certainly harder to articulate it to others.   As an internally wired person my needle isn’t moved that much either way by compliments or criticisms of the image postings.  The best I can come up with is that “putting the images out there”, making them public, part of the community, somehow gives them life.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my largest outside influences….  Hopper, Ted Rose, Vermeer.  I’m just so taken by the mood of serenity, lighting, and visual texture that typifies their work….how they can take the ordinary and create something that is considered some of the most influential art of the ages.  I’m fortunate to live where I do in that some of the best art museums in the world are either in town (Washington, DC) or in nearby Philadelphia and New York.  It’s hard to measure but I do get the sense that spending more and more times in those museums is improving my modeling, or perhaps more accurately, helping me get better at creating images that I like to look at.

Note: Full format versions of my images (which can now be downloaded) are stored on my Flickr page HERE.

 

August 7, 1961

Los Angeles Junction Number 3 idles in the street at District Blvd., Vernon, CA. August 6, 1961

 

Model railroading offers the choice of of experiencing our work through two lenses, the naked eye or the camera.  It’s the camera that opens up so many opportunities for interpretation, framing, and presentation.

The image above is of my recently completed Atlas Alco S-2 shot crossing District Blvd. on the LAJ layout.  I used my iPhone 6sPlus and a single photo flood about two feet behind my left shoulder.  Once in photoshop, I tightly cropped the photo and added a sepia tone effect.

41 Years Later……

I was 16 when I picked up the December 1976 issue of Railroad Modeler magazine from the local hobby store.  Inside was an article that would stay with me since.  Written in a unique style, was a piece on the Los Angeles Junction by Don Sims.  I was just riveted by the look of the zebra striped Alco’s and the description Don painted of the railroad.  I guess I’m a “slow worker” but eventually I circled around, buckled down, and built the model I always wanted.

Completed model of LAJ Alco S-2 number 3.

October 24, 2017

I’m starting to hit the home stretch with the Alco project.  Most of the weathering is done and about half of the gingerbread details are mounted.  Next up are the handrails and final details.  I use photographs such as this to look for areas that need weathering and color pattern touch ups (I see a few that need attention) as well as parts that weren’t installed with straight alignment.

Something seemed a little off yesterday so I let it sit for awhile while I tried to figure out what it was.  It occurred to me that originally the white striping was just too bright and I wanted a way to very subtly tone it down.  For this project I used a thinned Dullcote mix applied with an airbrush.  I poured some of the Dullcote in  the airbrush cup and then added a tiny drop of US Army helo drab to give a hint of color.  I tested it on a white card first which was good as the initial batch was too dark.  I mixed a second, weaker batch, re-tested it by spraying it on a white card, and then fogged that on to knock the edge off of the white.

When you apply alcohol on top of Dullcote it reacts to create a frosty haze.  This is something you can use to your advantage if you think things through.  I used the frosting effect on the trucks and to create the ratty sun bleaching on the top of the hood.  If you go this route you just have to make sure you don’t inadvertently hit it with Dullcote again or the frosting effect will disappear and the Dullcote will return to its totally clear state.