Hobbytown USA Annual Model Contest

What does Bruce Lee have to do with trains?  Everything.  More of that in a minute...

Yesterday my Mill Pond diorama won it's class (dioramas) at our local Hobbytown USA. I am pretty happy about that. I got a nice plaque, for the low price of three dollars (entrance fee).  More importantly, I got to see an old friend, and I got a chance to see models that ran the spectrum of very good, to very, very, bad.  Before you get a bad taste in your mouth for me "gloating", hear me out.  Even those really crappy models were on display, and I didn't see any of YOU there.  The people who had the balls to come out and compete are all winners, because they took time out of their day to at least show up, with glue runs, finger prints, and duct tape shadowboxes in tow, to share their hobby with others.

 As Model Railroaders, we kind of hang out with the other weirdos like us.  My friend today said: "ever notice that model builders are strange?"  Well, of course I had noticed, look at the two of us here!  We tend to be basement, garage, or attic dwellers, total geeks. Getting out to a contest or show to socialize with the other socially retarded folks is good for you, and competition is healthy. It also gives you ideas, and a chance to get to know other people who share your interests. 

What did I gain from looking at bad models? I got some inspiration to maybe try other genres of modeling. There were good ideas, just maybe not executed the best way.  Unfortunately, I couldn't really hang out and talk with all of the modelers, because I would have liked to give some of those guys some tips or ideas, and maybe I could have gotten some tips on my own modeling, and maybe those guys could have pointed out things that I could have done better that I missed.

Enough of the lecture. Here are some photos of my diorama.

So... Bruce Lee?  Did you watch the video? If I told you I am good, you would say that I am gloating. If I told you I am no good, you know I'm lying.  Become like water, and flow.

Go build something awesome.

Devil in the details

I'm now at the point in the diorama build where the nits come out to pick. I placed the logs in the pond, and now I just need to detail the scene a little. Saturday is the contest, and I'm pretty happy with what I have been able to accomplish in just under 3 weeks (to date). 

I still have too many projects, and too little time, for example:

* half a dozen HOn30 freight car kits to assemble

* On30 shay conversion

* On30 Porter rebuild (two of those)

* On30 Davenport detailing

* finish an HOn30 Porter

* finish my Mining micro in On30

* Buzzards Cove HOn30 micro layout

* finish the masters for my flat car kit

And...

This little guy. An HOn30 Forney kit, from Five79. While that is a pretty straight forward build, just like everything I do, I am over-complicating it by adding Radio Control. At least, that is the plan anyway. It's going to require me to get over my electronics mental block. 

I should probably start RC with an easier project, like one of the Porters in On30, and I may still, because I should be able to get this bugger running well  with the addition of a flywheel, and a conductive rear truck. I'm going to head to the Mid Atlantic Narrow Gauge Guild's annual module meet in Kimberton, PA in a few weeks to talk to the RC gurus of On30 to get some help, and maybe go from there.  

I'm not going to let this stuff stop me though, I'll just do what Dad taught me on my way to the Fort Benning School for Wayward Boys: "Just put one foot in front of the other."

Go build something awesome.

Patton said

"A good plan now is better than a perfect plan too late". Okay, so I am paraphrasing a bit, but they are good words to live by. On the 29th of March, the local Hobby Town USA is hosting their spring model contest, and I am entering a Diorama.  I started it March 3rd, so I'm under a bit of a time crunch, and I hadn't planned a diorama to build! 

I could be freaking out that my plan isn't exactly what I wanted it to be, or that I don't have enough time to add in all the details I want. I have had to dump a portion of the diorama (a log dump coincidentally) in order to have enough time to build the background wall (pictured). I didn't even know what I wanted the wall to look like, or what it represents. That would have stopped me a year ago. I can't stress about it now. I am under a time hack, and I have too much else to worry about. 

I think many of us stress too much about making sure everything is perfect in out modeling, and perhaps in our lives. Modelers are detail oriented by nature, and are easily stopped when a detail isn't  exactly as we want them to be. 

Nothing is perfect, so quit kidding yourself.  

Being driven toward perfection is an admirable quality, only if you know when to accept imperfections and move forward, otherwise, you will never accomplish anything, or worse yet, you will never start toward anything. 

Now,

Go build something awesome.

Dead Rail?

Over the last few days, I have been contemplating some pretty deep stuff, like:

Why do we drive on parkways, and park on driveways?
When is it okay to tell a person they have a hanging booger?
What makes an "innie" into an "outie"?

But the biggest question I have is:

Why do I get so frustrated building layouts?

I have the answer: I hate wiring. Hate is a pretty strong word, and I don't just hate wiring, I hate everything electrical.  Loathe it.  It's probably because I don't understand it, and that pisses me off. I could dive into books and websites and teach myself everything about electrical engineering I could ever want to know, but that would take time away from what I love, which is building, detailing, and weathering models. I'm not willing to do that. My modeling time is limited as it is, and I couldn't care any less to waste energy on the flow of electrons, amps, watts, ohms, and volts. 

Enter a few guys on the internet.

"Convert those locos to battery powered RC, and never worry about electrical again!" they said.  No worrying about any of the garbage anymore.

Well, I'm thinking about it, and I'm trying to figure out whether or not I can shoehorn RC gear into HOn30 locomotives, or if I'll have to run cheater cars with them.  The current (and only) HOn30 locomotive on the roster is a Railway Recollections Porter, which will probably not have the room for gear, without a cheat car. (a cheat car is a piece of rolling stock that is permanently connected to the locomotive that hides all the RC gear, It used to be pretty common for N scale guys to run cheaters with small steam locomotives).  I'm waiting on an order from Parkside Dundas to ship of a Five79 2-4-4 Forney that will go over an old Bachmann 0-4-0 mech, that are notoriously bad runners, mostly because of poor electrical connections (sounds like a candidate for RC). The Forney might have enough room in the cab and bunker to house the receiver and batteries. Once I get the kit, I'll be scrutinizing it thoroughly.

In the mean time, my Porters and lone Davenport in On30 would be able to run RC with one of my gondolas set up as an auxiliary tender (cheat car).  From what I can see, it doesn't look like costs would be much different than converting to DCC. 

Never having to clean track? Now that would be Awesome.