The Pump House

I used 1mm thick card stock for the sub-walls and embossed brick paper for the outer walls. The pump house is braced from within with box-wood strips and includes a diamond plate floor, also embossed paper. The roof is a piece of card stock with a square of industrial paper towel affixed with some black paint. While the paint was still wet I sprinkled a table spoon of baking soda on the surface. Once the paint had dried I knocked off the excess baking soda that had not been absorbed by the paint and touched up the areas that had not absorbed any paint. The two windows and door were scratch built. I tried my hand at representing a double-hung window.

The painting of the structure is where everything fell apart. I should have left well enough alone, but I went back with a brush too laden with paint. I see there isn’t too much you can do when too much paint has been applied to embossed paper. So, I switch to plan B and tried to rescue the structure by adding more paint and weathering to depict a building in the early stages of neglect.

Satisfaction Scale: 1 out of 5.

A Painstakingly Crafted Village Perches Atop a Wooden Tower

You really have to see this miniature scratch built scale model. Ognyan Stefanov created this utopic village, aptly named “Skyville". It is modeled in 1/87 scale and took two years to complete. The amount of detail is astounding.

Ghost in the Shell 2017-2

Major, is the first successful cybernetic being. She has full synthetic body with a functioning human brain. She is able to perform super-human maneuvers. She is assigned to section 9 to fight the anarchist who has targeted the scientists at Hanka Precision Instruments. But what happens when you are forced to fight the criminal element from within your own organization?

There have been other Cyberbogs like herself. All of the experiments did not go as planned. Major is controlled through the use of drugs and reprogramming. There is another who would not be controlled. He has since defected and as far as Hanka Robotics is concerned a renegade. As soon as he is located he will be terminated. And terminated he will be, but is any way to eliminate a consciousness?

Screenshots are from Ghost in the Shell, 2017

The Library of Hurtfew Abby

“The library of Hurtfew Abby was dearer to its possessor than all of his riches. Norrell constructed a beautiful jewel box to house his hearts treasure. The bookcases which lined the walls on the room were built of English woods and resembled Gothic arches laden with carvings. There were carvings of leaves (dried and twisted leaves, as if the season artist had intended to represent autumn,) carvings of intertwined roots and ivy-all wonderfully done. But the wonder was nothing to the wonder of the books.

The student of magic learns that there are books about magic and books of magic. Both are available, the former for two or three guineas from any reputable book seller. The later are extremely rare and can be had for above the price of rubies. At Hurtfew all the walls were lined with bookcases and all the shelves were filled with books; books of magic.”

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

This is my second reading of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. Although there are a couple subjects I am interested in, these subjects that I somehow over looked or gave them a very lite coverage, I am sure to find other nuggets along the way.

Two Sources for HO Scale Wall Sections

It takes time to layout window and door openings on wood and plastic siding.This process can be time consuming and tedious.

I am planning a new flag stop on my Bath River layout that will include several small one floor structures set side-by-side. I can do away with most of the materials for the side walls this way. I have been planning on doing some kit-bashing and have been looking around for ideas.

Sometimes you just want to grab a prefab wall section and go with it. Recently came across two sources of ecomonical prefab wall sections:

1. FOS Scale Models:
FO Scale Models offers a varied line of products, but what caught my eye was lazer-cut clapboard wall sections. These sections doors and window openings are deigned to fit Tichy windows and doors..

2. Rail Service Models
Look under the HO Injection Molded Kitbasher Parts link and you will find stone wall sections and some detail parts that should make the building process so much eaiser.

The Demise of Juan Ponce De Leon at the Fountain of Youth

JUAN PONCE DE LEON:

DREAMER AND SEARCHER FOR THE FOUNTAIN OF PERPETUAL YOUTH.

(1460-1521

"The tropic breeze fanned a fairy tale, a tale of the sheltering palms,
Where the grimy sea cow sunned herself, in the bay where the ground-swell calms.
It sang a song of a fountain clear in the depth of the tropic glade,
Where the bubbles sparkle clear and cool, o’er the rocks of brown and jade.
It spoke of the waters healing, which to bathe in meant joyous youth,
To the gray-haired and decrepit, with wrinkles and hollowed tooth.
And the breeze came to the ears of men, who believed it to be no lie.
So the agéd De Leon chimeras chased, in the land where he was to die."

“God’s will be done!” cried he. “Blessed be His holy name!”

"In sorrow and with downcast faces, the Spaniards turned about, and wearily, dejectedly, mournfully, wended their way back to the camp of the friendly Olatheta.

The good Knight Ponce de Leon traveled through much of this beautiful land of Florida, fought many a stiff fight with the native inhabitants, and finally sailed back to the isle of Porto Rico, bearing marvelous tales of this land of promise, but no water which would restore the aged to youth and beauty. He journeyed to Spain, was received right graciously by the King, and came back to his island home, expecting to remain there in peaceful pursuits, until his demise.

Yet, still hoping to find that mystical and fabled fountain, he finally fitted out two caravels, and, with a larger force than had followed his banner in the first expedition, resolved to again explore the western coast of beautiful Florida.

This journey was to be his undoing. At every point naked savage’s fought desperately against his mailed warriors. In one of these encounters he was attempting to rescue one of his comrades, when he was hit by an arrow in the thigh. The barb penetrated the protecting armor to the bone. He was rescued by his faithful followers and was carried to his ship, weak and fainting from the loss of blood. It is said by some, that, although the arrow was withdrawn, a part of the arrow-head, which was of flint, did not come wholly away.

Suffering and delirious, the brave old navigator was borne to the harbor of Matanzas in Cuba, where was a settlement which he, himself, had founded. His adventurous companions lifted the pallet upon which he lay on the upper deck, where the cooling breezes might alleviate his fever, lowered it into a boat, and, when the shore was reached, carried him tenderly into an unfinished house, which he was having constructed. They brought his suit of mail, his banner, and his sword, placing them around him so that he might feel at home. Delirium now seized the care-worn explorer, and thus he lay for days, as, in fancy he saw himself a boy again, climbing the bold rocks of the Sierras after young eagles, contending in the courtyard with his brothers, or chasing the brown deer in the leafy forests.

Then the camp and battle scenes passed before his eager vision; voyages over vast seas among beauteous islands; expeditions through palms and moss-grown mimosas; journeying to the villages of brown-skinned natives.

One night, peace came to the old warrior, and there was weeping and sorrow among his staunch and battle-scarred companions.

They carried the body of the good knight to the Isle of Porto Rico, where they first gave him a sepulcher within the castle, but eventually his ashes were deposited beneath the high altar of the Dominican church in San Juan de Puerto Rico, where they rested for more than three hundred years."

Famous Discoverers and Explores of America, Charles Haven Ladd Johnston, transcribed by Project Gutenberg

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Ponce de León and the Fountain of Youth, Men of the West

Creating Hydraulics using Styrene tubes

This is a short video describing the process of creating hydraulics using styrene tubes. Starts of explaining about the tools and the materails needed to create a hydraulic system.

A Treasure Trove of Works by John Allen

John Allen will go in the annals of history, with the likes of E. L. Moore and Earl Smallshaw as those master craftsmen who did their best to further the hobby of model railroading. The other day I uncovered a vast treasure trove of Allen’s articles where he went on to describe dozens of his projects.

Allen built and wrote for several decades for the HO Monthly, Model Railroader, Railroad Model Craftsman, NMRA Bulletin, Narrow Gauge & Short Line Gazette, TMS (Japanese magazine), and several other miscellaneous publications. His first recorded article was back in 1948 for the HO Monthly.

To say that he was a prolific writer would be an understatement. If he was gifted, there is no doubt. I would say John Allen was passionate about the craft and also getting the word out to his fellow model railroaders.

The Ghost in the Shell 2017

I watched the Ghost in the Shell, the 2017 movie staring Scarlett Johansson and I was struck with the similarities of scenes in the Ghost in the Shell.

There is an opening scene in West World, where they are pulling their replicants out of the vat. I don't know how they refer to this process in West World, but they refer to it as shelling in Ghost in the Shell. It is the process where the mechanincal unit recieves life like shell.

Holograms are employed in Blade Runner 2049 some being very provocative. In Ghost in the Shell holograms are all over the place. There are an over abundence of holograms. Pedestrians even display them above themselves. A walking bill board if you will. The holograms don't interact with pedesrions in the Ghost in the Shell like they do in Blade Runner 2049 though.

Plastics & Plastic Suppliers for the Hobbyist

Since I started working with plastic I have always been a bit curious about its properties and its many forms. The following two videos will enlighten you on the differnces and their uses. You will find a list of plastic supplers below.

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Plastic Suppliers

• Evergreen Scale Models
Evergreen Scale Models is usually the first stop for polystyrene products for the model hobbyist. Evergreen features an extensive line of products, plain and scribed sheet, plastic strips in multiple scales, and a verity architectural shapes.

• United States Plastic Corp
Although the prices here are lower than Professional Plastics and ePlastics their products are cut in slightly small dimensions. A 040" x 40" x 72" High Impact Styrene sheet will cost you $15.56.

• Plastruct
Plastruct is geared toward the hobbyist and architectural firms and carry a full line of products in a variety of plastic types. Since they do provide wide range of products you can expect to pay a little more for their products.

• Professional Plastics
For extra-large sheets of all types of plastic. .040" x 48 x 96 inch sheet of polystyrene can purchased for $27.47 plus postage.

• ePlastics
Another source for large projects. The prices are comparable to Professional Plastics.

Another source is the Siber Plastic Supply company, which supplies sheets of polystyrene. Polystyrene sheet and some strips can also be found on eBay. Some good deals can be found from time -to-time.

Speed Built Spaceship from Styrene

Womp Rat Creations scratch builds a space ship from polystyrene. In the last phases of construction greebles are added to the model adding the overall effect.

Miscellaneous Materials for Scale Modeling

The Spruce Crafts site has a page that describes different materials that can be used for modeling scales models. I have either heard or used most of the materials described on the page, however there is one product I have never heard of and another, although I have heard of it I never really gave it too much thought.

After reading the article two types of materials stuck out to me: Taskboard and Creative Paperclay, both sound like they might be fun to experiment with. I could use either for fashioning structures or terrain.

1. Taskboard:taskboardis a lightweight board made from non-aligned wood fibers that can be fashioned into 3d shapes just by adding water. The only draw back to taskboard is its cost. It will cost me $20 for 2- 1/32 x 10 x 20" sheets.
2. Creative Paperclay: a 8oz brick will cost me around $10. Paperclay has the conistancy of fine clay. The benefits of using Paperclay is that it can re-wetted faster than clay and there is less cracking or warping with Paperclay.
1. I don't know about its yield so I cannot do a proper cost analysis between the two products, however I am guessing I might get better yield from taskboard.

The Spring House (an update)

At the beginning of this month I posted the Plans for a Spring House. As you can see I have completed the structure.

I like building out-buildings. Whether it be an outhouse, a tool shed, a smoke house, a hobo shack, or a pump house. I feel these small structures add to overall scene especially when they are coupled with other small buildings. They are easy to build and are quickly constructed.

I made a few adjustments to my build. I had wanted to add the lintel above the door during construction. It would have been easy enough to cut away a little of sub-walling and add the lintel, however I got to thinking. I might not have enough head room for the plank door. So I added a smaller lintel above the door once I affixed the embossed paper to the sub-wall.

Instead of using the piece of styrene iron roofing material I decided to use corrugated material from the inner layer of a cardboard box lid. After doing the measurements for the roof, the plastic piece was a few scale inches short. The corrugation may not be to exact scale, but is close enough for me. So, what I have left is a structure built mostly from paper. This is what I had originally imagined for this structure in the first place.

I have been experiment with paper for some time and have had mixed results. Most of my other structures look okay, but there were errors during the construction process and even though you may not notice I know things didn’t go so well. This structure is square and well braced from within. With its sub-walling and roof it has a fair amount of bulk and feels sturdy.

Satisfaction Scale: 3 out of 5.

Luggabeast with its Teedo

A Teedo riding a Luggabeast, Star Wars: The Force Awakens

This hard plasic miniature measures 33 Long x 30 mm High and depicts a Luggabeast and a Teedo handler. Luggabeasts are the primary means of transportation for the Teedo on Jakku.

Luggabeast are a non-sentient quadruped species in which the Teedo have mechanically enhanced to make them more durable and functional for their purposes.

This particular specimen holds a lot of detail. After studying the piece it is hard to imagine that there is living creature in there somewhere.