An Island of the Imagination

There have been plenty of fictitious islands, lands, and worlds created by fiction writers. Think of Dune, Middle Earth, and Kong Island, however how many of these islands made it to a real cartographic map? Or have been claimed my the British Crown. Frisland Island is one such island that was a figment of someones imagination that actually met both of these situations.

A Visit to George Selios Franklin and South Manchester Model Railroad

The Franklin and South Manchester model railroad by George Selios is one of those model railroads that all of us aspire to duplicate. Well at least in its details. This is the mother of all model railroads and a wunder to every model railroader.

Materials – Balsa Slabs

At the moment, I am not sure what I will be using these balsa slabs; perhaps for an O-gauge structure of some sort? I paid 3.26 USD for ten 4 x 5.75 x 1/8 inch thick.

Prester John a Host of Characters

Through a manuscript that was circulated during the Middle Ages Prester John was said to be the Emperor Byzantium. Whether he is a priest, king, or both, all is lost in history. However, some of what he is purported to have written to a response to a request from the Vatican is quite intriguing.

“I Prester John, who reigns supreme, I excel in riches, virtue, and I have power over all creatures that dwell under heaven. Seventy-two kings pay tribute to me. Honey flows in our land and milk everywhere abounds. In one of our territories no poison can do harm and there are no noisy frog croaks. There are no scorpions, and no serpents that creep through the grass. No venomous reptiles can exist there and use their deadly power.”

The Lost City of Z, David Grann

The Shack

The authors used foam core board for the sub-walls and some thinly sliced Styrofoam for individual boards. With some creative cutting, bending and breaking the author had the start of a rough and tumble shack. The author added a base coat, some weathering, and some small details to create a truly unique structure.