Scratch Building Structures Volume 1 by Green Frog
Ok, if I watch it twice back to back and plant to watch it again tomorrow, its a good DVD. This is an older one but still very valid for today. I've seen John Koch's tremendous On3 layout in real life and it was amazing to say the least. Sadly it is gone now.
If you model in O scale this is perfect for you! In O we have a few more issues with size than do the HO or N guys. You have to dig the saws out and you run out of workbench fast due to the size. Green Frog shows you how to build some really massive structures and they don't spare the details.
They build several models from Blazek plans and the results are awesome. The depot, which I remember being about four feet long, is really incredible.
Buy this one!!!
Hey, wait a minute. What happened to Volume 2? It must not have been produced because I can't find it in their catalog.
Styrene: The Ideas, Tips and Technologies of Dean Freytag
Dean Freytag is a legend in model railroading and is most noted for revolutionizing the modeling of steel mills. His steel book is a proud edition on my shelf. Unfortunately Dean passed on recently.
I bought this book from Green Frog Video as an extra DVD so that I could get free shipping. I should have paid for shipping. The video is quite dated with some products being pitched that are long gone on the market. It was fun seeing some inside shots of Plastruct, though. Actually there are a lot of products pitched in this DVD.
However Dean does get around to showing us a few tips and tricks. However, for the price, there are few that I thought were really unique or revolutionary. This is not a video that I'd recommend.
Building Craftsman Structure Kits Vol 4 - Scratchbuilding Techniques with Brian Nolan
Brian Nolan's work is just breathtaking, so I had to buy this DVD. I've gotta say this is one of Scotty Mason's better efforts. There is a lot of meat in this one! Brian comes across great on the screen. What I really love is that he presents techniques so different than what I use today! I just feel like I have to sit at the workbench and play with them.
His shingle work is excellent and I intend to use it soon. Brian really masters the Dr. Ben's Pigments and his rust work makes me envious. He lays it all out step by step, and then shows you a finished model at the end of the DVD showing all the nice work put together in one structure
If you build structures or want to produce really nice competition models, you need this DVD. I've already asked my wife to head to the bead store for a beading tool. If for nothing else buy the DVD to watch the detail shots of some of his models at the end. You'll learn something from this one!
You can order from Darryl Huffman and it costs $30.00. Darryl is a much trusted supplier and you will always get your order quickly and painlessly. Four stars for this one.
Before I get into the technical parts of the review, let’s talk about value. Really, when we get down to it, the hobby is about entertainment. I always like to figure out what my entertainment value is from something I buy. Otherwise, we’d probably never buy a $300 locomotive with sound. One of the big reasons that I like Darryl Huffman’s products is that I get a lot of entertainment for my dollar. Seven hours and four DVD’s for $30 is a LOT of bang for the buck, especially when it’s full of great information. That equates to $4.29 per entertainment hour. A movie with a soda and popcorn at the theater is now $12.50 per hour. Huffman gives us our monies worth.
This video set is amazing. Darryl makes it look so easy that you want to turn it off and go do it! I like that kind of inspiration. Since I had a vasectomy earlier in the day and can’t do much I did watch it cover to cover. That I don’t recommend. It’s like trying to eat a whole pan of homemade lasagna in one sitting. It’s just to rich to digest that much that fast. You probably want to watch 30 minutes a day over a two week span. Keep a notebook handy and take notes. Actually, it is amazing how he gives that much information to the viewer.
A big key to the success of this video is that he doesn’t just use one technique. Constantly he changes the technique showing you different ways to achieve the same results. Yet, he does it so subtly that you don’t really know that he’s doing it. This way you learn several techniques at once and can tailor your style to the skill you like best or that achieves the results you want.
Darryl builds an O-scale mini-saloon right before your eyes using simple instructions. You can build this structure in any scale, so don’t let the O-scale nature of the product stop you from watching. He just does it in O because it is easy to see. You can use this structure on almost any layout just by changing the name of the business.
I’ve been building models for 30 years and still I learned many new things in the hours that I watched. No two modelers build anything the same way and it is rare that you can sit and watch a top modeler build an entire model. If you pick up a Model Railroader Magazine all you’ll see are a couple of paragraphs of instructions and a few photos. Darryl builds the building right before our eyes! Does he edit out his mistakes? NO. He shows you that he makes them all the time and how to work around them, just like you and I need to do.
As with other Huffman videos I have the same few complaints. The lighting and video work could use a little help. Darryl also needs to hire some Vanna White stunt hands to do the work. Other than those few comments, the video is fantastic.
I’ve got to recommend this video set to anyone that wants to scratchbuild!
