Well, there has been a lull in the modeling here this week. Primarily down to things being up in the air over Ralex. Without a genuine deadline I just don't have any drive to actually get on and get the layout 1/2 finished even. I'm also not too sure about the look of my insta bush. more on this later.
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| 'Hmm, OK, it looks worse in real life' |
Followers of the scale will have noticed an increasing outpouring of
3d CAD models in the last few months, including a first steam loco top for the scale. I have a wide range of thoughts about this, mostly conflicting between my inner finescaler and his merrily bodging outer sibling. I must commend those working in this new medium for having a go at a wide range of topics, and I will be extremely interested in seeing them in the flesh to make a judgement on the printing process. I'll freely admit to a pang of jealousy as I do feel somewhat left behind, being the Luddite that I am. If this had been round 20 years ago We would have been running with this hard and fast I would imagine, sort of along the lines of a mad arms race with who could build what. It was bad enough back in those heady days when the weapons of necessity were paper, plasticard and superglue ( oh hang on, they still are to some extent).
One thought that I did have is that while its nice to get a 1 piece top (and for the majority of us that would do), It might be interesting to investigate the use of metal etching to form the thinner bits like cabs and grills etc. This is along the lines of
mixed media kits that are starting to appear in the UK at the moment. Maybe this is a better way forward in the short term until the printing process matures, or the prices for some items come down? Bing the short pockets type I would still 'shell' out for a loco top at those prices, but the wagons seem a bit steep to my mere scientist wage. Maybe I should have been a plumber,. The hours would have been better....
Right, the sun is out for the first time in 2 weeks (I keep forgetting that Schloss Dandruf is 'technically' on the west coast), so there is plenty of gardening to do. Then its off to get some more Scenic textures flock and have a go at the rest of the bush line once it starts raining.
5 comments:
'mixed media kit' is the way to go in my opinion as well. the details on the NZ120 shells look like details on todler toys. build the base shape on shapeways and ad an etch for all the grills, steps and fans and build the handrails and other details out of wire. just my opinion.
cheers
steve
and add an etch
It's looking really good. I notice the tops of trees crowd each other out on the bush clad hills the patches of different green and yellow colours smaller and closer together. Such views are close by while walking the Manawatu Gorge over at the Ballance end about 15 minutes in (or more correctly, up).
re stubborn adherence to scratchbuilding in this 3D printing era, and on plank by plank buildings in wood (none of your plasticard) in N, as befitting a NZ120 logging tram.. check out this lesson:
http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/9428
Quentin
I think the base form for the forest is OK. When adding foliage, though, it is necessary that each tree has a convex-upwards form. If there is a patch of "low gradient" between two trees, then that area needs to be a different colour as it will be a different tree - trying to peek through the canopy but very little showing. Any flock that drapes over more than one convex form will look like old man's beard creeper spreading out over the top of the forest. Some flock in your picture drapes over 3 or 4 forms - mainly one big form but also small small bits of other forms. The key here, I think, is that a wide range of flock colour is required to allow nearly all adjacent trees to be a different shade and therefore a different tree.
I am experimenting with forming small bowls using thinned out wisps of old carpet underfelt, held together with a bit of pva until they get sprayed with black paint and adhesive.
Since my scenery is 1:64, eye level and close I'm looking for a transparent veil effect raised above the dark glue/paper terrain below, that the ground foam is glued on to.
This idea could be useful if you decide you want to make some more trees stand above and contrast with the others off the foam surface after the colour foams have been applied, also saves sudden turning into winter scene with loss of precise valve function control of foam if the third weta appears crawling up your leg...
Quentin
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