Sippin' Swamp Diorama - Part 3 - Base, The Final Frontier

Let's get to work on that diorama.  I may need it soon for a clinic. 

 The first thing is to get the design down on paper.  I've been playing with it in my head for weeks and have the general design.  So we'll bring out our new drawing pad and some HB/2H pencils and get to work.

 The problem is not the design so much as the space.  I get 144 square inches and no more.  So with the help of some of the guys on the NMRA AP Yahoo Group I got a rough idea (without doing calculus) of how to estimate the area of the diorama.  With knowing about what I had to work with I began sketching.

 Click on the design to enlarge.  It is a bit faint.  I curved the track to give it some interest to the eye and to make photographs more interesting.  The real swamp trackage was mostly straight as they just cut down anything in their way.  I put dense cypress trees on either end to keep the eye from wandering past the end of the diorama.  This gives me a picture box to work in.  Larger, more detailed cypress trees will frame the front view.  This gives us two scenes in the "play."  One is the loco taking on water and the other is the fireman getting in a tangle with a large gator.

 I am a firm believer in making mock ups.  Nothing works better than seeing what could be the real thing in 3-D.  Using a piece of foam board and a section of Micro Engineering On30 track, we'll start the mock up by putting in the piling trestle.

 Using my five year old as the photographer I start by drawing 1" apart vertical lines on the foam board.

 Next, I'll draw in the horizontal one inch lines to make a grid.  We'll use this grid to count how many one square inch boxes we use.

 There!  We have grid!  Probably could have used some large graph paper, but this was quick and easy, plus it gave me a solid surface to move around the room.

 I know that I want the track to gently curve.  This will be a trestle except for both ends which will be on dry land.  The rest is a piling trestle bridge.

 Green boxes!  I love green boxes full of On30 stuff! 

 First we'll yank out the to-be-converted 0-4-2T tank locomotive.  The Hebard Cypress Company used them to move logs in the Okefenokee swamp.  Really, the only non-prototypical thing we are going to do on this diorama is to make it narrow gauge, and that is only because we aren't really sure if it was standard or narrow. 

 I'll use a log car only because it is about the right length for a water car.  Plus I can use a log car if the tank doesn't come out right.

 I have a box full of old swamp scenery which includes cypress trees (cast from resin), stumps and knees.  The tree limbs have been broken off but you can still get the idea.  All of the trees that we'll use on this diorama will be scratch built.  So there will be two very large cypress trees (dwarfing the loco) in the front on the right and left.  We'll put the "crown" stump on the right.  I call it that because when the cypress decays after cutting the stump buttresses stay much longer than the center stump and thus it looks like a crown.

The trees will be shorter than the prototype because if they were to scale they would be more than 2.5 x higher than shown here.  It would make the loco even smaller.

 So the loco and the water car will be elevated about three feet from the surface of the water.  The Brakeman will be filling the water car with swamp water from the swamp by flexible hose.  Various swamp plants will be growing in and around the trestle and vines will be hanging down.  The loco will go through a MAJOR overhaul in that it will be painted and heavily weathered.

 The big tree will be on the right and I might fix and use some of these smaller trees.

 I will build the base out of 1" pine board.  The reason is that I might elevate the whole display on a mock cypress stump so that it is eye level.

Here in the overhead shot you can see the design.  It is common for the waterways to be open and free of trees, so not having them in the background is not a bad thing.  One idea is to make two or three trees and sit them individually in the background.

 I circled the trees so that I would know where to put them.

 The stumps and the train are marked as well.

 We might move the stump over to the left side to give it more character.

 Looks like we are ready to go!

 I cleared off the grid with all the markings and put away the trees, stumps and the rolling stock.

I cut out the template.  Some straight edges but not too many.  Very pleasing to the eye.  I like it!

I decided that the long flat back was not to my liking so I curved it as well.  Now I have a very nice warped dog bone!  The final count was 141 square inches.

I put a picture of my inspiration up in the office so that I can keep it in mind.  I tried to cut the board tonight but the kids jumped in bed just when I locked my self in the garage and I ran out of time.  Maybe tomorrow...

Product Review - Doctor Ben's Rectangular Steel Tanks #9002 - Part 1

Today we take a look at a new product from Doctor Ben's Scale Consortium.  This is part #9002 Rectangular Steel Tanks, priced at $10.85 for two.  These tanks are a separate release from their recent acquisition of Thomas A. Yorke's line of quality structures.  I love Tom's stuff so I look forward to installing these tanks on my new diorama.

 The tanks come packed in plastic.   These are riveted metal tanks and can be used in scales HO, S and O.  An HO tank is 300 gallons, S is 225 gals and O is 161 gals.  While I could not find a prototype for these (or anything that Tom has designed) they look similar to other oil and water tanks that I've seen mounted on logging skidders and narrow gauge flat cars.
 

 I removed the first tank from the plastic.  These are heavy cast lab stone.  The detail is very good but a bit spartan.  You may want to dress up the tank's opening a bit.  The model is 1 inch wide, 2 inches long and about an inch high.  The weight is nice for mounting on a flat car, which is what I'm thinking about doing.

 This photo is a bit blurry, but the rivet detail is clean and well spaced.

 If you click on this photo you can expand it to see more of the detail.  As we work on this we'll demonstrate the detail.

 The bottom of the casting (one piece mold) is very rough.  We'll have to take care of that.

 Using a sanding sponge I milled off the bottom leaving a flat surface.

 Be sure to brush off all the lab stone dust that will accumulate between the rivets on the tank.

Grabbing a new can of Testor's Flat Black, I thoroughly coated the tank with gentle/thin passes.  Normally I would not spray in the workshop like this, but my air brush cabinet is still not installed.  Anyway, nothing beats some good fumes!

 I've recently discovered Chuck Doan's Garage Project and want to experiment with his weathering technique vs my own that I've used for years.  The photos in The Modeller's Annual really jumped out at me, so I have to try it.  In this photo I'm making some scratches in the model to show where the tank was grazed by another car or tree.  I'll dig into the model with the back of a hobby knife.

 My sweet wife brought me a big cup of hot orange tea.  There was no gin in it.  You'd think she could read my mind.

 After making the scratches in the lab stone part, I brushed the scratches with a brass brush to make them less pronounced.

 This time I'll use my technique which is spraying the tank with a fine coat of Floquil Aerosol Rail Brown. 

 Using multiple passes and very thin coats I painted the tank, including the bottom. 

We'll set both tanks aside to dry thoroughly overnight.  This is a critical step as we are going to scratch off later coats of paint, so the base coat MUST be very very dry.  Once the paint was on the surface the detail really came to life.

Overall:  I like the tanks and think they are a great fit on a logging or narrow gauge railroad.  They could replace a wood burning loco's source of fuel for an oil source, or for water storage on a flat car.  You can even build a water tank for a short line out of them.  There are lots of uses for such a tank, and two for $10.95 is not bad.  My only complaint is that the opening is a little plain and needs some dressing up.  I'd buy them.

Stay tuned for part 2!

Product Review - Cutting Mat, Drawing Tablet, Testor's, Gouache, Stumps

A quick trip to the Hobby Lobby where you can't find anything, can't get help, and most importantly can't check out in a timely manner.  I hate the place, but it is close and I can get what I need there if I pack a lunch.

Today's pickings...

 Cutting mats are close to making my "mandatory" tool list.  They are handy for cutting almost anywhere and won't allow the work surface to be damaged.  The most popular use for them at my house is for cutting wallet size pictures apart with a razor blade.  They come in a wide variety of sizes, colors and shapes.  I keep a large 2'x2' and some smaller ones at the desk, mostly green, but I do have some black ones.  The lines for measuring are worthless.  I do wreck them quite often, mostly with paint, so I replace them every time I can and usually when Hobby Lobby provides a 40% of coupon.

 Planning means drawing.  I sketch a lot, usually in charcoal or pencil.  Drawing pads are a nicety as you can draw on printer paper.  But for key model design sketches (like my upcoming diorama) I want a good "keeper" drawing.  This pad was more expensive than I would normally buy.  Usually I wait for them to go on sale but I've lost my pads during the move and needed one.

 Who doesn't have some Testor's paint running around the shop!  It is mandatory to have a can of Dullcoat, one of the most useful paints in existence.  It is also very popular to have a can of Flat Black.  My local hobby shop was wiped out of paint during the holidays, so I picked up a can until they have more in stock.  I use a lot of it.  It is mainly needed for the two water tanks I'm about to start on.

 Gouache.  Ok, say it with me... gwäsh - very good! Gouache is a water color type paint that is used for weathering.  It has more pigment than watercolor and is thicker.  I got the idea from using it from legendary diorama builder Chuck Doan.  We'll test his technique on the water tanks.

Artist stumps and tortillons.  These are used mostly for charcoal and pencil drawings to make "smudges" and to blend colors.  We use them for weathering.  Mostly for blending and smudging colors such as rust.  The stump is the larger stick but is wrapped tighter.  The tortillon is smaller and loosely wrapped so each gives a different effect.  These, too, will be part of the tank project.

New Chairs for the Shop

The most important part of me is my butt.  When coworkers aren't riding it or chewing it out, it likes to sit at the workbench.  So the chair is a very important tool and requires some consideration.  My local Staples store send me a coupon for 20% of furniture on New Year's Day, so I thought it was time to take my butt to the store and buy it something it would be comfortable on.

I looked at a lot of chairs and really liked this one.  It was originally $89, but was on sale for $49.  Actually the sale price was supposed to have ended the day before but they gave me the good price anyone.  Then we took 20% off of that.  So for $79 I got two great chairs!

 What's up with this?  I go to cut open the box and it says don't use a knife.  But it is covered in tape!  What I'm I supposed to do?  Soak it in water?  Screw it...where's my #1 knife?

 I"m on baby duty today so I've got the baby monitor with me.  It is nothing but a nursery mounted camera and a remote hand held video monitor.  There has got to be a way to use this for trains!  I love that I can hear and see whatever is being monitored.  More thinking on this I must do.

 I unpacked all the parts, which weren't many.

 In about seven minutes I had a new chair.  So here are the reasons that I picked this particular one. 

1. I'm big.  6'2" and 280 lbs.  I need something that will hold me up.  The base has five castors and is very strong and stable.
2. Since I'm tall the chair has to stretch up.  You want your upper leg horizontal and parallel to floor for comfort.  Otherwise your feet will hurt.
3. The basement can get hot when Marie turns the fireplace on, so I wanted the back of the chair to be vented.  I like the mesh backed chairs for this reason.  Vinyl backs can get very hot.
4. No arms.  The arms just get in the way when you are working on models, so this "task chair" is arm free.
5. Padding.  I can sit at the desk for up to four hours on a weekend so I need booty comfort.  This is a cloth bottom (cooler) and very well padded.

 After fifteen minutes I have two chairs, one for each desk.  They are quite comfortable and spin nicely!

 Goodbye old chair!  This chair has been in the family for three generations.  I used it in my room to build my very first models.  It is strong and not very comfortable or adjustable.  I'll put it away for the children.