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[TRAINS1941]

Amazing!

Jerry

[turtle]

All I can say is - I'm awestruck.
Beautiful photography, absolutely stunning craftsmanship.

[marc_reusser]

jus, WOW! (as always )

[1-32]

hi chuck
i always think that you do the best concrete
regards kim

[Chuck Doan]

Thanks Guys!

Well another year and this still isn't finished. I really need to slow down and focus. But at least it's done except for the gas pump. And maybe some more leaves.

   

[marc_reusser]

So much beauty in the mundane.

[Ray Dunakin]

So much beauty in the mundane.

What he said!

One great thing about traditional building materials is that, even in ruins, they tend to age beautifully. Stucco, drywall and other modern materials are more likely to turn ugly.

[finescalerr]

I like it pretty much so far .... -- Russ

[Dave Fischer]

Hey, I think I've got the identity of the plants that contributed the scale leaves... looks like a variety of Filaree (Erodium is the botanical species), which is a fairly common weed in the Southwest. I saw a good one when out walking the dogs just today. One difference with our local variety seems to be the thickness of the stem (for water storage, here in the desert) which might shrink in the drying process. The plant grows flat on the ground, the stems radiating out from a central point, and has small five-petalled pinkish flowers and a very distinctive long spike on each batch of seeds when the flowers are gone.

Another source of scale leaves is grocery-store parsley (if the leaves are not too big). Take a close look, the next time you order the fish...

Also, the new growth small leaves on a Cape Honeysuckle look very convincing in a larger-scale application. I'll have to wait until Spring to get a picture of those!

Chuck-- I've heard of the water-glycerin treatment, but have never tried it. Would you mind going through the process?

[Chuck Doan]

Thanks!

Dave, that looks like it. My samples were several years old, so I don't know how they look when fresh. Google "preserving dried flowers glycerin" and you'll find several methods. Or, I suppose look up drying flowers for fresh samples. I just mixed the glycerin and water and soaked the leaves for several days. Dried them on a paper towel. Worked really well-they became completely docile. 

[TRAINS1941]

How can something so simple look so good!

Jerry

[Dave Fischer]

I forgot to mention just how much I have enjoyed watching this piece come together! Really, years mean nothing when creating at this level of authenticity. Several years ago, I was at a local IPMS meeting where a new member was blowing about having spent two years detailing a destroyer model. I was sitting next to a builder who was in his sixth year of work on a large-scale model of the Captain's barge he had piloted in the Navy, and I had just finished a large-scale tank that taken over 12 years. Our comment to the new guy-- "Well, you've got to learn some PATIENCE..." 

[Chuck Doan]

Thanks Jerry!

Thanks Dave! Great story. I'm still a rookie then  .

[BKLN]

C'mon Chuck, put the old penny into the shot already, so people can see it's a model!

[Sami]

Very beautiful Chuck !