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Frederic Testard
Engineer
France
16524 Posts |
 Posted - 05/26/2011 : 05:53:52 AM
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I hate these snakes but they make a great detail for sure.
Larry, I'm sure Verne won't be the same naive guy as I was about the jackalopes... 
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Frederic Testard |
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MinerFortyNiner
Fireman
USA
2030 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2011 : 09:41:14 AM
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Thanks, Frederic! My first encounter with one of these was when hiking as an 8-year-old boy with a scouting group. I could hear the rattling, but couldn't see the snake (it was under a large boulder I was standing on). If I had moved his direction off the boulder I could have been bit. Friends directed me to climb down on the opposite side, and one of the leaders dispatched the 6-foot rattler with his pistol. I remind myself the desert is their home, while they may be unsavory creatures. We are the intruders! As for the jackalopes, every 'tourist trap' gift shop has postcards of them, it is a very old 'legend' formed before the days of Photoshop.
Larry, nice try! Frederic won't forget his lesson in desert fauna anytime soon, so the 'bobcat is out of the bag' on this gag! I will still attempt a jackalope at some point just as a conversation piece. |
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MinerFortyNiner
Fireman
USA
2030 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2011 : 02:54:36 AM
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I added a step by step for creating rusty, crusty finishes to my website...
EDIT - this website was removed 12/5/2011, I will try to republish the SBS in the future. |
Edited by - MinerFortyNiner on 12/04/2011 02:24:07 AM |
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milocomarty
Fireman
Netherlands
4971 Posts |
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andykins
Fireman
United Kingdom
3951 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2011 : 04:09:18 AM
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| very good verne, id have never thought about useing super glue like that before :D will have to make a note of that :D |
"Is it really "rivet counting" if it's regarding NBW castings?"
Unknown |
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Frederic Testard
Engineer
France
16524 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2011 : 5:17:50 PM
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An interesting technique, Verne. It makes me wonder what could be done with MEK like glues on styrene.
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Frederic Testard |
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MinerFortyNiner
Fireman
USA
2030 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2011 : 8:20:33 PM
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| That's an interesting question, Frederic. I stumbled upon the technique quite by accident while weathering an N scale boxcar after making a quick repair using the ACC. It was one of those 'happy accidents' that bring an unintended discovery. |
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MinerFortyNiner
Fireman
USA
2030 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2011 : 6:16:58 PM
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I returned this week to a project I had tried previously, to make some convincing saguaro cacti. My first attempt was somewhat lacking...a friend dubbed my majestic sentinel of the desert 'Gumby'. So, I got busy on Saguaro v2.0. Here are the pilot models:
There are many variations and details yet to add...the holes burrowed by cactus wrens and other creatures who live in the cactus, damaged sides showing the ribbed skeleton structure, weird arm variations, etc. I wanted to start with some fairly common, healthy specimens and work from there. The color isn't quite right, and the shape is perhaps too regular...I welcome your comments and criticism.
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Edited by - MinerFortyNiner on 12/04/2011 02:29:42 AM |
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railman28
Fireman
USA
1784 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2011 : 6:40:03 PM
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Verne,
Nice cacti!!! They need the details you talked about as the color is too uniformed. They need weathering and brown spots. I know these are just your first two but a lot of pine tree makers make the mistake of making their trees all the same height or the same three heights.
I love the high Sierras and evergreen forest in general but I find your scenery a refreshing change of pace.
Please keep sharing your excellent work with us. |
It's Only Make Believe
Bob Harris |
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dallas_m
Fireman
USA
3142 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2011 : 6:56:32 PM
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| Yeah, what Bob said ... and a very nice start! Always a treat to visit the Sonora Grande. |
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milocomarty
Fireman
Netherlands
4971 Posts |
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Frederic Testard
Engineer
France
16524 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2011 : 7:12:52 PM
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I like these cacti, Verne. Can you tell us more about the process?
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Frederic Testard |
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elminero67
Engine Wiper
USA
386 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2011 : 10:28:08 AM
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| Looking good vern-Ironically I sspent an hour surfing for realistic saguaros in O scale, and all of them looked like poorly drawn cartoons. Yours were by far the best looking saguaros Ive seen, if you dirty them up a little with a few cactus wren nests and have a subtle variation of color they will look great! As a former (really bad)amateur landscape painter, I found that green is by far the hardest color to reproduce as the eye can pick up far more shades of green than any other color. On the saguaros Ive seen the base of the trunk has the least green and is almost a dull yellowish rust color, while the tips are the brightest green. Good luck, looking forward to seeing the cactus forest grow |
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MinerFortyNiner
Fireman
USA
2030 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2011 : 12:57:42 PM
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| Thank you for your suggestions and comments, I have a new batch of six plants nearing completion and have weathered the ones in the photos above to look more realistic...will post photos when the second batch are finished and planted. I have worked on getting the proportions more typical...a slight taper to the top, and arms that are about 3/4 or less the diameter of the trunk. My first two plants don't taper much, and the arms are perhaps a bit big. I have also added little 'stubby' arms that are just starting to form on a few plants, and abundant holes in the older, taller plants made by various critters that make these high-rise condos in the desert. |
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MinerFortyNiner
Fireman
USA
2030 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2011 : 9:30:35 PM
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Here are some toned down colors, and several more plants added to the layout:
I drybrushed a grayish/tan color over the cacti, added gray at the bottoms of the larger/older plants, and highlighted the tips of the plants with lighter green.
I added a nest (a trimmed tuft of Silflor Buffalo Grass) to the saguaro on the right, and more critter holes...I think I need to make an actual nest, it looks like a clump of grass growing on the arm of the cactus!
These plants can get beyond 30' high, I am going for slightly smaller plants. I have built a few smaller plants for background scenes, and still want to make one with the wood-like skeleton partially exposed. I think I am getting closer to what I hoped to have on the layout. This is a signature scenery item for any layout located in Arizona or northern Mexico. Contrary to the movies and adversing, the only places saguaro cacti are found are in the Sonora desert. |
Edited by - MinerFortyNiner on 12/04/2011 02:37:01 AM |
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Building the Estrella & Sonora Grande RR
Topic Locked
