I haven't been able to focus on modeling the past few months, and felt I needed to do something else for a while until I get out of this funk. So I've been going through my old slides and prints, and scanning them. Big job -- I have LOTS of large boxes full of photos, in various locations, some difficult to reach, and almost completely unorganized.
Anyway, I came across this photo of a model I built in 1975. It was my first scale model of a real structure. I didn't have an HO scale ruler so it was done in the scale of 1/8th inch to the foot. It's a replica of a small stone cabin incorporating a couple natural boulders, located in Rockhouse Canyon, in the Anza-Borrego desert. My brother and I had backpacked there. I only had a couple photos to work from (haven't found those yet, if I even still have them). I tried to duplicate the size, shape and position of all the rocks and boulders around the cabin.
It's really crude by my current standards, naturally, but kind of neat to see. BTW, my only previous structure models had been in 1/16th inch scale.
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.raydunakin.com%2FSite%2FArts_and_Crafts_files%2FMedia%2Fimg248cAug75%2Fimg248cAug75.jpg&hash=d0efbdb8a951eb018fc6f7ba0d1bab8e7ad0af39)
Ray, A neat find and a nice model. Thanks for showing it.
Nice find!
39 years on !!!! its lovely
Barney
After I did that stone cabin, my next model was a replica of a feed store/gas station that used to be in Bonita, CA. I actually had an HO scale ruler when I made this one, so it was my first model to true HO scale. It was built mostly out of balsa and card stock. I think the gas pumps may have been the only commercial details parts, everything else was scratch built.
First, here are two photos of of the prototype:
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.raydunakin.com%2FSite%2FArts_and_Crafts_files%2FMedia%2Fimg249Aug75%2Fimg249Aug75.jpg&hash=4c957f204ee3c47bf5a2164f282d6fae13ef1f19)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.raydunakin.com%2FSite%2FArts_and_Crafts_files%2FMedia%2Fimg250Aug75%2Fimg250Aug75.jpg&hash=8b8f8d1ab8d9ae2e41f956d3cec3353c9168c330)
Now here are a couple pics of the model. I built this in 1975, but the photos were taken in 1984. I scanned these from the original slides. This was the first time I had regular access to the structure I was modeling, so I was able to get lots of measurements, drawings, and photos to make the model as accurate as possible. Back in the day I thought this was a pretty decent model, but looking at the pics now I'm kind of appalled by how crude it is:
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.raydunakin.com%2FSite%2FArts_and_Crafts_files%2FMedia%2Fimg383c_1984%2Fimg383c_1984.jpg&hash=9fa27d9116c3467b0d8e0919eb55a079bb817913)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.raydunakin.com%2FSite%2FArts_and_Crafts_files%2FMedia%2Fimg385c_1984%2Fimg385c_1984.jpg&hash=b4290f7b102b33b4c82e0102bcdafe3341257193)
Somehow this diorama disappeared in 1989 when we did some remodeling on our house and had to put a lot of my stuff in storage.
BTW, the signs were all done by hand. I had no access to dry transfers or decals, and of course back then I could shoot a digital photo, edit it in the computer, and print it out to scale like I do now.
My next model was a freelanced, high-desert ranch house in HO scale. I built this sometime in 1982 and maybe early 1983. This was the first time I was able to used better quality materials, such as basswood scribed siding and scale stripwood. I also used some more commercial parts, such as windows, a Jordan Model T, cattle by Preiser, etc.
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.raydunakin.com%2FSite%2FArts_and_Crafts_files%2FMedia%2Fimg369c_1984%2Fimg369c_1984.jpg&hash=7a585ac577954f959acfb9c4fc51f5cf119feda9)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.raydunakin.com%2FSite%2FArts_and_Crafts_files%2FMedia%2Fimg380c_1984%2Fimg380c_1984.jpg&hash=7e44fae01ee40e60f02f34c2471f46122b177d19)
When I shot the above photos in 1984, I also experimented with some special effects "night" photography, using a backdrop sprayed with black and fluorescent blue paints, and speckled with fluorescent "stars":
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.raydunakin.com%2FSite%2FArts_and_Crafts_files%2FMedia%2Fimg378c_1984%2Fimg378c_1984.jpg&hash=588ef5ab82fa0d3151b38a3baae622b65d030791)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.raydunakin.com%2FSite%2FArts_and_Crafts_files%2FMedia%2Fimg377c_1984%2Fimg377c_1984.jpg&hash=ed086d237ab5170b00a1aa756e3e34f66502f3c3)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.raydunakin.com%2FSite%2FArts_and_Crafts_files%2FMedia%2Fimg371c_1984%2Fimg371c_1984.jpg&hash=3639937f3b2c38bbfa024adde0b1d2212cde9e06)
Unfortunately the diorama was never more than about 85-90% finished. After shooting these photos, I stored it in a cabinet for a long time and then later found that the cat had found a way in and had damaged the model by sleeping on it.
My next model project was a HOn30 layout. I got the benchwork done and hand laid a bit of track, but then had to tear it all out when we remodeled. I switched to doing rocket aerial photography, and never did any other scale modeling after that, until I started my current 1/24th scale railroad in 2006.
I don't think that HO gas station is "crude" if you judge it by the standards of its era. Maybe it wouldn't win a prize but, even now, you should be pretty pleased with it. -- Russ
Gee, Ray, I agree with Russ. The gas station doesn't look crude to me and the set up for the photo with real sky and long shadows is way ahead of its time. Same with the night sky for the ranch house.