getting ready for the Indy O scale show

I’m looking forward to getting back into show season. The Indy show was one of our first shows and we have been back every year. We wont be taking the layout this year it need a serious refurb but we will have a new “First street” display.

We have been doing this a long time now. we will go into our 8th year this Nov. We have learned a lot about cardstock engineering and i hope the newer kits reflect that. As we go forward I want to introduse new techniques to make our kits even more dimensional. new ways to brace models. New ways to splice and wrap. etc. etc. Brother dave has started working with thinner papers. wrapping them around cardboard and he’s getting great results. I want to go back and update a few textures and of course lots of new kits. I have a killer lighthouse, some north eastern style shop buildings a couple of new factories. The list keeps growing. (I havent forgotten about Chama)

More soon

Thom

Comments

[Matthew]

Can't wait to see the new factories! I'd love to see some larger ones that could legitimately receive rail service. Thanks for making model railroading affordable!

-Matt

[Jim Gore]

Thanks for keeping Chama in mind. I mentioned in my clinic at the National Narrow Gauge Convention that you had the Chama buildings in mind for the future. The eyes really lit up at that one, especially after seeing what can be done with good cardstock modeling.

Jim

[Thom]

Chama is a challenge due to all of the heavy lumber frame work involved. My brother has been experimenting with wrapping thinner paper around stack of cardboard. the results are fantastic. There is no way anyone could get the same results using wood. If we embrace this method it does represent a significant change in how we do things. I'm not quite sure how we would introduce or explain it clearly but i know we will find a way. even if you were building the frame in wood it will still be an advantage to use the wrapper technique for the look alone.

Thom

[marc witten]

Hi Thom,i was reading your post on Chama,and you mentioned,Dave was experimenting with wrapping around a stack of cardboard,i don't know if it helps but this technique is used by scalescenes models,for their buildings using upto 2mm thick core on their HO models,would you get the lightness and strength if you used Foamcore,for the posts,like i used on my building flat,just a thought.

regards Marc,

ps thank Dave for the response about printers,apologies for not replying,as internet is tempremental.Marc.

[Dave]

That's one of the reasons I was hesitant to do it. I'd hate people to think I'm "poaching" techniques. one of the key points of our kits is that you can build them "as is" without extra support (not that I disapprove of using any material available for extra strength.) As our models continue to get higher in quality I find I need to allow for any steps necessary to achieve a craftsman result.
For the record I think "Scale scenes" makes a fine kit.
Thom

[Dave Miecznikowski]

Hi everyone. About three hours ago I composed a rather lengthy comment in which I talked about the wrapping technique, to make up timbers.
Problem is it never posted. Don't know what happened to it. I will now attempt to duplicate my previous effort, although I'm sure I'll mess it up somehow. Here's what I think I said.

Yes I have had some pretty good success with the wrapping technique and yes, not only have I been to the Scalescene's site, I bought a couple of kits to try out. After toying around with them, I have to admit that their modeling technique is very effective. I really like their kits. They don't have the level of photographic realism that we have, but their stuff isn't bad.

I will admit that I was a card modeling snob, thinking that it wasn't a "real" card model unless you fabricated everything from card. Well, I've gotten off my high horse and admitted that if a technique gives you the result that you want, then use it.

The only issue I have with wrapping is that as a manufacturer, I want to give you techniques that are repeatable and doable. There are so many different kinds of "cardboard" it's hard to tell you what to use. I think they have it right in just specifying a thickness and leaving the rest up to your creativity. For instance, I have a source of cardboard that allows me to make O scale 12"x12" timber easily, but I have no idea how to tell you where to get it, as it is part of the packaging from a brand of desert food. I'm sure it's probably not available everywhere. I might go as far as suggesting Evergreen or Plastrut. We'll see.

I do still have to do a bit more work on "end graining" and how to really make the seam where the wrapper meets the end, go away. We will get there. It will just take a bit more time.