Couple updates to the website

Gosh, I've been far behind in updating the web site... I have a quite a backlog of updates and just haven't had the computer time at home to work on it.

But - I did update a couple pages tonight:  Some great new photos by Jim K, linked from the Exploring the ROW page, and  updates to the Model Listing page for Campbell models, who finally have their own web presence.

At home, I'm still working on cabooses, this time having progressed to adding grab irons.  Boy, that's tricky work!  I've done grabs before, but not for some time, so this is a bit of re-learning for me.

Quick update

I know it's been forever since I've updated this, but we've been very busy w/ getting our oldest off to college, finding and starting a new job, and other beginning-of-school-year fun.   Oh yeah, and my studying for an ASQ exam for work.


But, I did nearly finish the outhouses, and have been busy (when I could) painting and decaling rolling stock, trying to get in the spraying work while the weather holds.  I've completed the decals and most of hte painting on 5 new cabooses, all lettered for the RGS, a couple of reefers, a couple of boxcars, and a couple of flat cars.  I will post photos if (when?) I finish all of those up w/ weathering powders.

I know it's crazy, but I'm still a little hesitant about attacking all of these new cars w/ the powders (and the outhouses too, actually), but I want to move on it so I can add any oversprays while it's still warm enough outside.  But life intervenes, so we'll see.

Enterprise is done! On to... er... outhouses. :-)

I've completed the Enterprise (see pics below), and I've moved on to what is actually my first laser-cut kits, a series of small outhouses from Banta.  I've built Campbell kits before (love 'em), but these are a slightly new variation and I'm having fun w/ them.

I'm following one of Darryl Huffman's weathering DVDs and staining wood for these kits using several variations of shoe dye in alcohol, and I really like the results.  And it's very simple and cheap.


So - I ended up painting a lot of the detail on the Enterprise's hull - great practice to get back into very fine painting.  I also used paint markers for the first time - an ultra-fine white for the lit windows.  And an ultra-fine Sharpie for the dark windows - both worked great.  I also used weathering powders for the first time, to add some battle damage, which also worked great and was really fun.

This model also has the fiber optic 'lighting', which was surprisingly challenging, but it turned out ok.  Here's a few 'night' shots.  The nacelles are also lit.

Still playing w/ the Enterprise

I've really gotta post some pictures... painting of all the detail on the ship is complete, and I'm finishing up w/ decals and then a final coat of dullcote or something similar.  The detail painint isn't perfect, but given the number of tiny details, it's been great practice.  There must be hundreds of the escape pods, and hundreds of windows as well.  I used an ultra fine point white paint marker for the 'lit' windows, which worked well, although even it was a little large.  I used an ultra fine point Sharpie marker for the 'dark' windows, which was really easy and worked great.

I will probably (at the urging of one of my teenagers), try a little weathering powders (I've got a set from Micro Mark) to simulate some battle damage.  Can't have this ship too clean, I guess.  But what does a phaser hit look like, exactly?  Dust, I can do.  Mud, yep.  But phaser hits?  Hmmmm.

On an RGS note, I've also dug out a set of 5 outhouses from Banta I received a while ago, and getting ready to start on those.  My preference for staining the wood is to create several variations of stain with 70% alcohol and brown and black shoe die.  Those are all purchased... more details to follow!

Not much layout work

I haven't been working directly on the layout lately; it's summer and we got busy w/ graduation season around our house (one from high school, one from middle, one from grade school, and a birthday - all within two weeks!).

However, I have been finishing up a model of the USS Enterprise-D, which my oldest son gave me a gift quite a few years ago, and which I thought I should probably finish up before he leaves for college (alarmingly soon, now...).  It's got fiber-optic lighting, and to properly paint it has hundreds of tiny windows, panels, etc.

It's not my greatest achievement, but it's been great to re-discover some painting skills long dormant, and learn new skills I haven't used in building the layout.  Perhaps I'll post a picture if it turns out ok.