Ghost Town

[Chuck Doan]

What he (Jerry and Russ) said.

[Ray Dunakin]

Those are some fairly large and complex kits you finished! Nice work.

I've always enjoyed your website. Your photos of great models from all over, have been a great source of inspiration!

[k27rgs]

A few more modeling ideas.

http://www.modvid.com.au/html/body_richard_grinyer_models.html

It's a pleasure to share my "Miniature World " web page

enjoy

Thankyou for your comments

cheers   "M"

[nalmeida]

Hi there Mario, great to see you back and wonderful projects you finished. Thanks for keeping the "Miniature World" accessible to us, it's a great resource I use frequently. Updates are always welcome.

Regarding one of the updates, the Richard Grinyer one: I love the trees and I'm building a home layout (H0/H0e) which will need a lot of Maritime Pine Trees (Pinus Pinaster). I think the material Richard used to represent his trees might work for me, do know what material did he use? Is it an australian only specie? Would it work in H0. Thanks a lot for your help.

[AlexG]

Hello Russ, hello guys,

I would like to tell you all some of my thoughta, even I'm a lousy outside modeller ...

First of all, I like to hear Russ saying "Most satisfactory" - and I think this is the salt & pepper of this forum.
For me, this forum is No. ONE across the (all) nation. Learned here a lot of tips & things and seen truly masterpieces. The level is so high,
the highest ever, but is the only way to learn good, useful things. Even most of time I was "green of envy", in the good way, of course.
I know most of you guys - your works of course, is impossible for me to know you in person, for many reasons.
Closing this forum will be a great loss for everyone, even maintaing it is difficult.

Now, about me: I use to live at country for some years, life is different here than in a city and there are a lot of things to do. My parents-in-low
are old and I have to give some hands of help. So, less time to do other things, like modelling.
No adequate space to work, but this is the smallest issue. I'm 58 now and I no longer have a good sight, I have my glasses and I use all the time
a magnifier to work.
But ... the mood is here, and I'll be back with some things.

Not long ago, in our romanian modelling forum, after an argue regarding a photo, a guy told me to go back to the ... Cloud Number Nine ... Universe.
And this because I started some sci-fi models and others, considered by "real modellers" not being the good old modelling. All in all, I think that's
my spirit right now, I wish to make experiments and do not common subjects. As I have seen here.
Hard to explain, hard to understand, even for me.

Why guys are not coming here?
I think that you have to be gifted with some talent to reach a good skill level. And some good hands, brain, eyes ... Young guys goes to the virtual
world, much easier to manage, to deal with.
Took the liberty to copy/paste what Mad Gerald had said, some good reasons

-modelling costs have increased
-to little (or none) spare time for modelling
-fed up with modelling (burn out)
-to little "old school modelling" with a manageable amount of tools
-being too old (or too young) for modelling
-too many modelling projects going on
-modelling (or any other creative, non digital activity) seems to get out of style (as an example I as well feel attracted by digital arts like concept art performed by Ian McQue and others)

Things nowadays are quite challenging. I like new technologies - like CNC, 3D printing or others, but ... When I see what can be done ... it comes to me
to throw away all my modelling stuff and start doing other things. Achieving machinery level is very difficult by hands and new modellers could be afraid
of doing and showing things.

Well, I hope not disturbing very much and being understood.

Cheers,
Alex

[k27rgs]

Hi there Mario, great to see you back and wonderful projects you finished. Thanks for keeping the "Miniature World" accessible to us, it's a great resource I use frequently. Updates are always welcome.

Regarding one of the updates, the Richard Grinyer one: I love the trees and I'm building a home layout (H0/H0e) which will need a lot of Maritime Pine Trees (Pinus Pinaster). I think the material Richard used to represent his trees might work for me, do know what material did he use? Is it an australian only specie? Would it work in H0. Thanks a lot for your help.

Hey Man.  Good to hear from you. 
I forget the name of the Australian weed that Aussies use for large scale trees.


http://www.modvid.com.au/html/body_australian_modelers.html

Alan Rockett started using the plant many years ago for his layout

http://www.modvid.com.au/html/body_alan_rockett.html


Dan Pickard has made many beautiful trees using this Aussie weed.

I think not suitable for HO scale

regards

Mario

[nalmeida]

Thanks Mario, I will investigate further!

[finescalerr]

Alex -- a most satisfactory post.

There is no such thing as "no time" for modeling, only "less time". Burnout lasts only for a while (like Marc and me; we'll be back).

Here's a thought about the "high" cost of modeling: It doesn't have to be. Remember Marc's great little brick shed on the cover the of the December 2013 Modelers' Annual? It was paper. The materials cost almost nothing. Paint doesn't have to be expensive, either. And his tools consisted of a knife, a straightedge, and some paintbrushes. Chuck builds his masterpieces from pretty much the same basic tool kit.

When people used to complain that model railroading is "expensive", I would laugh. I could build a top-notch switching diorama, including loco and cars, on a child's allowance.

It is true that working with your hands has gone "out of style" ... along with everything else of value. It also is true that at some point we'll be too old to model. But by then we'll also be too old to visit this forum! In the meantime, I think the reason people don't build things is that they are just plain lazy and uncreative.

Russ

[shropshire lad]

.

In the meantime, I think the reason people don't build things is that they are just plain lazy and uncreative.

Russ

Or too busy ogling bikini clad beauties on the promenade .

[danpickard]

Hi there Mario, great to see you back and wonderful projects you finished. Thanks for keeping the "Miniature World" accessible to us, it's a great resource I use frequently. Updates are always welcome.

Regarding one of the updates, the Richard Grinyer one: I love the trees and I'm building a home layout (H0/H0e) which will need a lot of Maritime Pine Trees (Pinus Pinaster). I think the material Richard used to represent his trees might work for me, do know what material did he use? Is it an australian only specie? Would it work in H0. Thanks a lot for your help.

The trees are essentially shaped and coloured dried "Sedum" flower heads, and fairly specifically the "Autumn Joy" variety (there are about 600 different types of Sedum plants available).  Its a succulent plant, fairly drought hardly.  Check a good garden supplier who might be able to order them for you.

Hope that helps,
Dan

[nalmeida]

Thanks for the additional info Dan.