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How realistic are your models? Photo challenge.


Pugsley
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23 hours ago, Waverley West said:

A few shots of 60009 Union of South Africa which I managed to snap a little while ago as it ran past light engine...

 

1387871603_UoSA7.jpg.f9c5ad1d1499b4f4cbe323a635da4c1f.jpg

 

I'm amazed it could run at all with it's middle drivers on the ground.... :rolleyes: :mosking:

 

The Thread title is.....??? :scratchhead:;)

Stick with the diesels - your photos of those are great! :good:

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1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

Who painted the backscene on pic 2, Van Gogh?

 

Er not quite, although if that is a subtle way of saying that the colours are too bright I would agree with you!

 

It was meant to evoke memories of Manosque in Provence, where we undertook a survey of the town when I was an undergrad.

It is somewhere else in France, however but I forget where, off hand.

 

I suppose that the fierce colourings could be justified but Altonia is a little schizophrenic about its location!

 

Ian T

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There’s a school of thought that says the backscenes colours shouldn’t distract from the models, and should be neutral. I disagree with this, and if bright colours are justified, they should be used, as it helps the layouts attractiveness. This is so in the AFKs case, it looks good, and it captures the ethos of what the Modeller is doing, so I feel they’re great pictures.

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5 hours ago, ianathompson said:

I came across this topic recently, whilst poking about in areas of the forum that I had not previously frequented. Having looked through the photos posted here I decided that my best efforts would not pass muster but then reconsidered.

 

The title is an open question, "How realistic are your models?" My honest reply would be, "Not very good!" Then I facetiously wondered whether that meant that I was barred from posting on this thread because it was based upon the assumption that only good modellers would post realistic photos. Are you allowed to post if you acknowledge that your models and pictures are not particularly good?! Interesting question, and I would bet that that was not behind the originator's perceived intentions! Anyway I have taken the plunge.

 

Anyone wishing to be critical of the realism of my train set could have a field day!. I've already taken a couple of pot shots! Feel free to do so yourself if so inclined.

 

49167560643_e91ecac2ca_z.jpg1 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

1. A Billard A 80D passes between two barns that bracket the track in the Altingablecaŭtoj. The trees certainly don't pass muster and the figure has been lifted straight out of a box. The windows on the railcar aren't too convincing either, although the model is over forty years old and was built in my youth. The whole scene is also a bit bright but I suspect that that is down my ineptitude with the photo editing package.(5 out of 10? It vaguely looks like a train running in the countryside.)

 

49168042086_974687f26a_z.jpg2 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

2. A Berliet railcar enters Jakarutu beneath a bastion of the ruined defences. The model is short of one compartment so it isn't the real McCoy. The stonework is a little bright and the backscene might as well have an arrow pointing out where it begins and the 3D scenery ends, the blending is so poor. The site was conceived as a deliberate attempt to see how far a painted backdrop would suffice as a quick and easy substitute for 3D modelling in a minor location on a large system. I suppose that the obvious answer is that it does not but I don't delude myself that I will ever produce anything much better! If I had really wanted to cheat I could have pulled the railcar forward an inch or two to hide the joint. (5 out of 10 in the realism stakes? If you half close your eyes you could possibly believe it was real. Alright totally close them then!)

 

49168270342_9c80c9889b_z.jpg3 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

3. The rack loco rolls to a halt high on the moors. The loco is generic and makes no provision for rack valve gear whilst the coach is a half baked attempt to represent a distressed vehicle. At least the tundra landscape wasn't too challenging to effect (it is all taken out of packets) and the photographer used a digital SLR so the exposure is quite good. He was a former colleague at the local High School and later told me that the kids thought this was a photo of the real thing! We must be breeding a half blind, credulous generation of children out here in the Fens! (Perhaps it hits the heights of 6 out of 10 based on a competent photographer wielding the camera and a simple scenic subject?)

 

49168270697_1144332cc8_z.jpg4 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

4. Another diorama aimed at creating a rural ambience, of a peasant woman shovelling manure onto the dung pile. The cheapo trees mar the picture again and the haystack also screams, "This is a model". I suppose the absence of anything mechanical (barring the die-cast Schuco tractor) helps with the illusion. (Perhaps, given this caveat, and that it is a favourite photo, it might reach the heights of 7 out of 10, or am I deluding myself? As I have remarked before, lunacy is such a wonderful palliative in perceiving the worth of one's own models.)

 

49168679377_d985246d84_z.jpg5 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

5. The loco from the local goods runs down to the toe of the loop at Boursson. The loco is the type of abomination that gives freelancing a bad name and probably should not be allowed near a serious layout. The point operating system is conspicuously based on the Bavarian Railways trapezium lock, because the cover is open.  The weighted local ground throw, based upon a French prototype is released by the Schlusselwerk (a German system of sequential key locking) but it is incongruously painted in standard Swedish colours. This gives us a combination of equipment and liveries from three different national systems to work one piece of equipment on this freelanced layout. To paraphrase the question, "How realistic is this?". I assume that most people will have given up reading this post by this point but, aside form the subsiding grain silo and lurid backscene, the main point is, to what extent should incongruities be airbrushed out of photos to increase realism? The top of the backscene and the point operating knob have been digitally removed to create this image. (I suppose that we are plumbing the depths  of any known realism here so the photo might score as low as 2/2½ on the scale.)

 

I have enjoyed creating this post and engaging with the thought processes concerning realism. The vast majority of ham fisted modellers, in which band I include myself, will never obtain an image of their modelling which could be passed off as the real thing. In some ways I suppose that it could be argued that I have ducked the issue by deliberately modelling a freelanced railway in the non-existent province of an imaginary country, although this creates its own problems in turn.

 

I look forward to seeing the reaction (hopefully, fearfully, from behind the settee?!)

 

Ian T

Hi Ian,

 

Thanks for posting. I always think model railways are a bit like paintings in a way. Some paint for perfection in a photorealistic kind of way, but other people paint like my wife and although she'd be the first to admit that the paintings she does are not photo like, they create an unmistakable atmosphere and give the viewer the feeling they might have had they been looking at the real thing. I hope you take it as the compliment it's intended to be when I say the same about your modeling. Full of atmosphere and character and I for one am glad you shared the photos. 

 

All the best

Dave. 

Edited by DavidMcKenzie
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2 hours ago, Waverley West said:

 

Yep, I saw that too, but only after I posted it. Doh.

At least you put something in your photos to show it's actually a model. Would have to accuse you of cheating and posting photos of the real things otherwise :P. Brilliant modelling.

 

All the best

Dave

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5 hours ago, Northroader said:

There’s a school of thought that says the backscenes colours shouldn’t distract from the models, and should be neutral. I disagree with this, and if bright colours are justified, they should be used, as it helps the layouts attractiveness. This is so in the AFKs case, it looks good, and it captures the ethos of what the Modeller is doing, so I feel they’re great pictures.

If you can have crocheted trees why not have a backscene in the style of the impressionists.

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8 hours ago, ianathompson said:

I came across this topic recently, whilst poking about in areas of the forum that I had not previously frequented. Having looked through the photos posted here I decided that my best efforts would not pass muster but then reconsidered.

 

The title is an open question, "How realistic are your models?" My honest reply would be, "Not very good!" Then I facetiously wondered whether that meant that I was barred from posting on this thread because it was based upon the assumption that only good modellers would post realistic photos. Are you allowed to post if you acknowledge that your models and pictures are not particularly good?! Interesting question, and I would bet that that was not behind the originator's perceived intentions! Anyway I have taken the plunge.

 

Anyone wishing to be critical of the realism of my train set could have a field day!. I've already taken a couple of pot shots! Feel free to do so yourself if so inclined.

 

49167560643_e91ecac2ca_z.jpg1 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

1. A Billard A 80D passes between two barns that bracket the track in the Altingablecaŭtoj. The trees certainly don't pass muster and the figure has been lifted straight out of a box. The windows on the railcar aren't too convincing either, although the model is over forty years old and was built in my youth. The whole scene is also a bit bright but I suspect that that is down my ineptitude with the photo editing package.(5 out of 10? It vaguely looks like a train running in the countryside.)

 

49168042086_974687f26a_z.jpg2 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

2. A Berliet railcar enters Jakarutu beneath a bastion of the ruined defences. The model is short of one compartment so it isn't the real McCoy. The stonework is a little bright and the backscene might as well have an arrow pointing out where it begins and the 3D scenery ends, the blending is so poor. The site was conceived as a deliberate attempt to see how far a painted backdrop would suffice as a quick and easy substitute for 3D modelling in a minor location on a large system. I suppose that the obvious answer is that it does not but I don't delude myself that I will ever produce anything much better! If I had really wanted to cheat I could have pulled the railcar forward an inch or two to hide the joint. (5 out of 10 in the realism stakes? If you half close your eyes you could possibly believe it was real. Alright totally close them then!)

 

49168270342_9c80c9889b_z.jpg3 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

3. The rack loco rolls to a halt high on the moors. The loco is generic and makes no provision for rack valve gear whilst the coach is a half baked attempt to represent a distressed vehicle. At least the tundra landscape wasn't too challenging to effect (it is all taken out of packets) and the photographer used a digital SLR so the exposure is quite good. He was a former colleague at the local High School and later told me that the kids thought this was a photo of the real thing! We must be breeding a half blind, credulous generation of children out here in the Fens! (Perhaps it hits the heights of 6 out of 10 based on a competent photographer wielding the camera and a simple scenic subject?)

 

49168270697_1144332cc8_z.jpg4 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

4. Another diorama aimed at creating a rural ambience, of a peasant woman shovelling manure onto the dung pile. The cheapo trees mar the picture again and the haystack also screams, "This is a model". I suppose the absence of anything mechanical (barring the die-cast Schuco tractor) helps with the illusion. (Perhaps, given this caveat, and that it is a favourite photo, it might reach the heights of 7 out of 10, or am I deluding myself? As I have remarked before, lunacy is such a wonderful palliative in perceiving the worth of one's own models.)

 

49168679377_d985246d84_z.jpg5 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

5. The loco from the local goods runs down to the toe of the loop at Boursson. The loco is the type of abomination that gives freelancing a bad name and probably should not be allowed near a serious layout. The point operating system is conspicuously based on the Bavarian Railways trapezium lock, because the cover is open.  The weighted local ground throw, based upon a French prototype is released by the Schlusselwerk (a German system of sequential key locking) but it is incongruously painted in standard Swedish colours. This gives us a combination of equipment and liveries from three different national systems to work one piece of equipment on this freelanced layout. To paraphrase the question, "How realistic is this?". I assume that most people will have given up reading this post by this point but, aside form the subsiding grain silo and lurid backscene, the main point is, to what extent should incongruities be airbrushed out of photos to increase realism? The top of the backscene and the point operating knob have been digitally removed to create this image. (I suppose that we are plumbing the depths  of any known realism here so the photo might score as low as 2/2½ on the scale.)

 

I have enjoyed creating this post and engaging with the thought processes concerning realism. The vast majority of ham fisted modellers, in which band I include myself, will never obtain an image of their modelling which could be passed off as the real thing. In some ways I suppose that it could be argued that I have ducked the issue by deliberately modelling a freelanced railway in the non-existent province of an imaginary country, although this creates its own problems in turn.

 

I look forward to seeing the reaction (hopefully, fearfully, from behind the settee?!)

 

Ian T

I'd say these are not half bad, especially as you haven't taken these sorts of photos before.  The xmas cake fir trees are a bit of a let down, but can easily be replaced with better ones, and the backscene sky join can be hidden with careful lighting.  The model in generally atmospheric and convincing; what part of the world is it representing?

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11 hours ago, The Johnster said:

what part of the world is it representing?

 

To quote from the website's intro:

 

The AFK is the Altonia Ferovojoj Komplementaj, or Complementary Railways of Altonia, to give the English translation. Altonia is a canton in Marronĝaco, the northernmost province of Thalnia, a country neighbouring fabled Ruritania and Narnia. Economically underdeveloped, immured in a 'sixties time warp and overshadowed by its more celebrated neighbours; the country was inexplicably overlooked by the great cartographers when they came to map Europe.

 

As you will doubtless have realised from the above preamble, the railway is that pariah of serious modern railway modelling, a freelanced layout set in an imaginary country. Those with long memories will remember the acrimonious debates, during the late 1960s, about railways set on the Danish/Yugoslav border with Spain, which is precisely the location of this layout! Prototype inspiration for the layout has been drawn from many European countries, blended to create a (hopefully!) credible railway set within these rather wide ranging geographical parameters.

 

As a kid I was always fascinated by the Railway Holiday in [Wherever] series, some of which were available in Batley library.

When it came to slightly more serious NG modelling in 009 during my late teens, and later 7mm NG, I ended up with an amalgam of European influences, probably reflecting my heritage as a geography undergrad.

The discovery of an Esperanto dictionary (the only on I have ever seen) in Lancaster University bookshop, whilst on a course there as a post grad in the early eighties, determined me to invent my own country as outlined above.

 

The public timetable gives a Germanic map of the system and includes connections for Beruna (Narnia) and Strelsau (Ruritania).

The Narnian  influence on the model is sometimes manifested by the magical hand that reaches down from the sky to prod recalcitrant equipment.

 

Ian T

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3 hours ago, ianathompson said:

 

To quote from the website's intro:

 

The AFK is the Altonia Ferovojoj Komplementaj, or Complementary Railways of Altonia, to give the English translation. Altonia is a canton in Marronĝaco, the northernmost province of Thalnia, a country neighbouring fabled Ruritania and Narnia. Economically underdeveloped, immured in a 'sixties time warp and overshadowed by its more celebrated neighbours; the country was inexplicably overlooked by the great cartographers when they came to map Europe.

 

As you will doubtless have realised from the above preamble, the railway is that pariah of serious modern railway modelling, a freelanced layout set in an imaginary country. Those with long memories will remember the acrimonious debates, during the late 1960s, about railways set on the Danish/Yugoslav border with Spain, which is precisely the location of this layout! Prototype inspiration for the layout has been drawn from many European countries, blended to create a (hopefully!) credible railway set within these rather wide ranging geographical parameters.

 

As a kid I was always fascinated by the Railway Holiday in [Wherever] series, some of which were available in Batley library.

When it came to slightly more serious NG modelling in 009 during my late teens, and later 7mm NG, I ended up with an amalgam of European influences, probably reflecting my heritage as a geography undergrad.

The discovery of an Esperanto dictionary (the only on I have ever seen) in Lancaster University bookshop, whilst on a course there as a post grad in the early eighties, determined me to invent my own country as outlined above.

 

The public timetable gives a Germanic map of the system and includes connections for Beruna (Narnia) and Strelsau (Ruritania).

The Narnian  influence on the model is sometimes manifested by the magical hand that reaches down from the sky to prod recalcitrant equipment.

 

Ian T

I've just checked my 1967 Daily Express Atlas of Imaginary Countries, and found Thalnia to the southeast of the mountain range separating it from Ruritania and southwest of Ruhnia; the position of the border with Narnia is unclear, but is probably behind a wardrobe.  All is now explained.  The mountains explain the climatic extremes that mean that the southern parts have a Mediterranean feel to them, while the Alpine pastures of the foothills to the north and northwest explain the Nordic/Slavonic feel to that area.  Altonia is a province on the western marches, and is basically the drainage basin of the River Alt.  The climate in the south is semi-arid as the prevailing winds are off-shore in direction over the Sea of Tranquilisers...

 

Is that about right?

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2 hours ago, The Johnster said:

I've just checked my 1967 Daily Express Atlas of Imaginary Countries, and found Thalnia to the southeast of the mountain range separating it from Ruritania and southwest of Ruhnia; the position of the border with Narnia is unclear, but is probably behind a wardrobe.  All is now explained.  The mountains explain the climatic extremes that mean that the southern parts have a Mediterranean feel to them, while the Alpine pastures of the foothills to the north and northwest explain the Nordic/Slavonic feel to that area.  Altonia is a province on the western marches, and is basically the drainage basin of the River Alt.  The climate in the south is semi-arid as the prevailing winds are off-shore in direction over the Sea of Tranquilisers...

 

Is that about right?

 

Brilliant! Not too far off, although some of the pages on the voluminous website give a slightly more accurate topography!

Never thought of calling the river the Alt, more is the pity!. It got the name Ero (a phonetic pronunciation of the Herault) decades ago.

I like the idea of Altonia being behind the back of a wardrobe, and will adopt that name immediately. The Dorsadelavestejo Mountains.

Connections from there are always unpredictable.

Their ruler, the Snow Queen is interfering a little too much in the current operating session, however!

 

A quick check through my photo collection shows one or two others that could possible be published if there is interest, although most have made it onto the rather large website somewhere or other.

Too much of the layout is simply sketched in and a couple of contemplated scenic development sessions have now been put on hold for technical developments.

 

Ian T

 

Edited by ianathompson
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On 04/12/2019 at 14:03, ianathompson said:

I came across this topic recently, whilst poking about in areas of the forum that I had not previously frequented. Having looked through the photos posted here I decided that my best efforts would not pass muster but then reconsidered.

 

The title is an open question, "How realistic are your models?" My honest reply would be, "Not very good!" Then I facetiously wondered whether that meant that I was barred from posting on this thread because it was based upon the assumption that only good modellers would post realistic photos. Are you allowed to post if you acknowledge that your models and pictures are not particularly good?! Interesting question, and I would bet that that was not behind the originator's perceived intentions! Anyway I have taken the plunge.

 

Anyone wishing to be critical of the realism of my train set could have a field day!. I've already taken a couple of pot shots! Feel free to do so yourself if so inclined.

 

49167560643_e91ecac2ca_z.jpg1 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

1. A Billard A 80D passes between two barns that bracket the track in the Altingablecaŭtoj. The trees certainly don't pass muster and the figure has been lifted straight out of a box. The windows on the railcar aren't too convincing either, although the model is over forty years old and was built in my youth. The whole scene is also a bit bright but I suspect that that is down my ineptitude with the photo editing package.(5 out of 10? It vaguely looks like a train running in the countryside.)

 

49168042086_974687f26a_z.jpg2 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

2. A Berliet railcar enters Jakarutu beneath a bastion of the ruined defences. The model is short of one compartment so it isn't the real McCoy. The stonework is a little bright and the backscene might as well have an arrow pointing out where it begins and the 3D scenery ends, the blending is so poor. The site was conceived as a deliberate attempt to see how far a painted backdrop would suffice as a quick and easy substitute for 3D modelling in a minor location on a large system. I suppose that the obvious answer is that it does not but I don't delude myself that I will ever produce anything much better! If I had really wanted to cheat I could have pulled the railcar forward an inch or two to hide the joint. (5 out of 10 in the realism stakes? If you half close your eyes you could possibly believe it was real. Alright totally close them then!)

 

49168270342_9c80c9889b_z.jpg3 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

3. The rack loco rolls to a halt high on the moors. The loco is generic and makes no provision for rack valve gear whilst the coach is a half baked attempt to represent a distressed vehicle. At least the tundra landscape wasn't too challenging to effect (it is all taken out of packets) and the photographer used a digital SLR so the exposure is quite good. He was a former colleague at the local High School and later told me that the kids thought this was a photo of the real thing! We must be breeding a half blind, credulous generation of children out here in the Fens! (Perhaps it hits the heights of 6 out of 10 based on a competent photographer wielding the camera and a simple scenic subject?)

 

49168270697_1144332cc8_z.jpg4 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

4. Another diorama aimed at creating a rural ambience, of a peasant woman shovelling manure onto the dung pile. The cheapo trees mar the picture again and the haystack also screams, "This is a model". I suppose the absence of anything mechanical (barring the die-cast Schuco tractor) helps with the illusion. (Perhaps, given this caveat, and that it is a favourite photo, it might reach the heights of 7 out of 10, or am I deluding myself? As I have remarked before, lunacy is such a wonderful palliative in perceiving the worth of one's own models.)

 

49168679377_d985246d84_z.jpg5 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

5. The loco from the local goods runs down to the toe of the loop at Boursson. The loco is the type of abomination that gives freelancing a bad name and probably should not be allowed near a serious layout. The point operating system is conspicuously based on the Bavarian Railways trapezium lock, because the cover is open.  The weighted local ground throw, based upon a French prototype is released by the Schlusselwerk (a German system of sequential key locking) but it is incongruously painted in standard Swedish colours. This gives us a combination of equipment and liveries from three different national systems to work one piece of equipment on this freelanced layout. To paraphrase the question, "How realistic is this?". I assume that most people will have given up reading this post by this point but, aside form the subsiding grain silo and lurid backscene, the main point is, to what extent should incongruities be airbrushed out of photos to increase realism? The top of the backscene and the point operating knob have been digitally removed to create this image. (I suppose that we are plumbing the depths  of any known realism here so the photo might score as low as 2/2½ on the scale.)

 

I have enjoyed creating this post and engaging with the thought processes concerning realism. The vast majority of ham fisted modellers, in which band I include myself, will never obtain an image of their modelling which could be passed off as the real thing. In some ways I suppose that it could be argued that I have ducked the issue by deliberately modelling a freelanced railway in the non-existent province of an imaginary country, although this creates its own problems in turn.

 

I look forward to seeing the reaction (hopefully, fearfully, from behind the settee?!)

 

Ian T

I've known about this layout for a while and looked at the website. It has a delight quirkiness about it quite different from mainstream modelling, well worth a look in my opinion.

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Seeing as Ian has had the courage to post up photos of his layout, here's one that I took last week:

 

Moorland track in the setting sunP1010316.JPG.1b9476a107bf8c7755c5fe1894faa301.JPG

 

I was trying out some flocking on my grandson's layout (the one I re-started last Christmas and trying to get done for this one :whistle:).

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

 

(Well, I liked it as the sun just popped out for a few moments - it looked better in the flesh!)

 

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