Hello, all!
I haven't had much time to look around your site yet, but finding this welcoming thread was a nice surprise.
You'll soon discover that my Forum name doesn't match my published articles... but I really am that person. I'm not trying to take credit for someone else's work! I'm just used to using my original (pre-adoption) name on Internet sites.
If you remember these (or want to look them up) my articles can be found here:
MAKING BRICKPAPER WITH COLORED PENCILS
Model Railroader magazine. July 1997. Pg 105
SCENERY BEFORE THE BENCHWORK: REBUILDING MY HOME LAYOUT INTO NMRA MODULES
Railroad Model Craftsman magazine, Sept. 1997. Pg 83
BRICKS AND SHINGLES
N Scale magazine, Sept/Oct 1997, Pg 33.
PICKET FENCES
N Scale magazine, Jan/Feb 2002, Pg. 43.
A common theme that runs through them is-- CHEAP AND EASY! Sure, I scratchbuild a lot, but my methods are just that; cheap and easy. I swear, if you can put together these craftsman kits, you can do a terrific job scratchbuilding.
Some people seem to go to such great lengths to avoid scratchbuilding that they actually work HARDER to get the same (or lesser) results!
Hopefully, I can encourage some of you to try. Be warned, though, you may find you'll have to give up buying expensive supplies... my best models have been made from cardboard and paper... even the brick ones!
I'll dig out some photos to post soon and I have some topics I'd like to discuss. But not to lecture-- Lord knows I've got my shortcomings... don't even ask me about electronics! I joined the modular group just to get out of wiring!
