Modelling Inspiration 3

[Poggy1165]

Well, 'tis a broad church as has been said. And I will add that 'inspiration' is a subjective thing. In my time I've had it from something as simple as a line of text, or, in the modelling world, a single dodgy photo of a particularly interesting wagon.

 

My problem is that I have a (leisure) life away from railway modelling. So even if I could devote my entire waking hours for the rest of my life to (whatever) it would not all go to railway modelling. Like Larry above, there are also aspects of modelling I enjoy much more than others and if I had the opportunity I would use my modelling time to focus entirely on them. Some people seem to have the attitude of a Carthusian monk - it must be 100% devotion or nothing. Fine, I respect that world view, even admire it in a way. It's just that I don't share it. And as far as modelling is concerned, I am as likely to be inspired by something created for a very rich man as by something made by someone entirely from their own sweat and effort. I agree the latter does have more 'status' - for want of a better word - and the owner has more right to be proud of it. But even just ordering the various bits from others to create a total picture is still a creative process. If I commissioned an outstanding house and garden, to my detailed specification, would it be any less outstanding because I hadn't laid the bricks, plastered the walls and wired up the electrics?

[colin penfold]

I really enjoyed MI3

 

I dont care whether good modelling was paid for or amateur - it's good modelling and worthy of the title "inspiring"

 

I play 5 a side football and watch my son-in-law play on the park in his pub team sometimes, but I still watch Chelsea on Sky and don't worry that Mr Abramovich paid for that team and doesn't play in the back 4 himself!

 

Yep, if I won the lottery I'd buy in certain elements of modelling (fitting of DCC chips to locos for starters), buy a big house and a porsche 911. I'd no more feel guilty about buying in the modelling expertise than I would about employing an electrician or not building the car from a kit!

[DaveArkley]

Congrats Andy,

 

MI3 is well worth the longer lead time (and we know just how much other 'stuff' was going on). It's outstanding quality, very inspirational and puts some of the subscription based mags to shame. I think the photographic quality is very high, a couple of mates we have not visited RM-Web have started to do so on the back of MI3 alone.

[MarkSG]

I don't have any problem with what might be loosely termed "chequebook modelling" at all. To a certain extent, we all (or almost all) engage in it; every RTR loco or RTP building is exactly the same principle. It's just that most of us don't have the money to apply it to bespoke scenic modelling on a grand scale.

 

I'm currently building a shunting plank based in 1950s Stoke-on-Trent. To effectively convey the right sense of place, there is one building that is absolutely essential in that setting: A bottle kiln. I looked at all sorts of possibilities for scratchbuilding one, including wrapping modelling clay round a wine bottle and then scribing it with brickwork. But eventually I concluded that, for something which had to be a key feature of the layout, I'm really not skilled enough to do it justice.

 

So I did something I've never done before; not because I've never wanted to but because I've never been able to afford it until recently: I commissioned one (by David Wright of Dovedale Models, who many of you will have seen demonstrating at various shows).

 

I now have the opposite problem. Instead of worrying about having a wonky and shoddy bottle kiln as the centrepiece of my layout, I now need to make sure that it doesn't put everything else in the shade. Which is a big ask. This is my first real project after returning to the hobby following a near twenty year break, and I've found that a lot of the skills I used to have are now very rusty indeed.

 

Part of the solution, of course, is to throw a bit more money at it. I've bought some RTP buildings which, with judicious weathering and a bit of modification, will pass muster. But I'm still having to do a fair amount of kitbuilding for other large buildings and possibly some scratchbuilding to fill a few gaps.

 

So what's actually happened is that spending the money has inspired me to raise my own game. I doubt I'll ever be able to fully match David's modelling skills, but I can realistically aspire to create models that can stand alongside his without being too obviously inferior.

 

What people like John Ryan and Pete Waterman are doing isn't significantly different to what I'm doing. They're just doing it with more money and more space. If I had their money I might do something similar. It wouldn't stop me doing any modelling myself, it would just mean that my plans wouldn't be limited by my own skills and time. If I ever win the lottery, I'll hire a bunch of RMweb members to build it for me...

[BlackRat]

What people like John Ryan and Pete Waterman are doing isn't significantly different to what I'm doing. They're just doing it with more money and more space. If I had their money I might do something similar. It wouldn't stop me doing any modelling myself, it would just mean that my plans wouldn't be limited by my own skills and time. If I ever win the lottery, I'll hire a bunch of RMweb members to build it for me...

 

I think its what we would all do (yes we would!) if we were in a position to do so.

 

Old school pal of mine is a very wealthy geezer indeed (he is a director of a bank in Singapore) and is into his cars and has quite a few nice ones!

 

The restoration jobs, although more than capable of doing it himself, he farms out.

 

I asked him why a few years ago when we last got together.

 

He is far to busy earning the money to buy them to do anything other than get his hands occasionaly dirty. That doesnt make him a bad person does it.

 

Theres a lot of b/s talked about 'cheque book modelling', and its somehow looked down on.

 

I like doing lots of things but if I want a washing machine, I buy one, tho I am sure I could probably build one out of bits if needed, I fix ours often enough!

 

Its just I chose not to, as my time is better spent on other things!

[fursty]

Hi All

Just wanted to say thanks to all involved in MI3. Particularly liked Stu Hilton's article, maybe it would be possible to do some kind of step by step comic book style 'how to' article in the future. Also liked the track weathering article.

Having read some of the previous posts, I have to say that I don't understand why some feel they have to directly compare their own work to those published. I remember in one of the dvds I watched that Ian Rice states, you determine the standard for your layout, whether you run stuff out of the box with just a touch of weathering, or are detailing to the enth degree, just try to maintain consistency and this will make your layout much more acceptable to the eye. My other point on the matter is, I have noticed that the performance of the average British Touring Car appears to be some what superior to my own car. This however has not stopped me driving.

 

ATB Fursty.

[Jason T]

Personally, I find the content of all the MI's and a lot of the threads on RMWeb inspire me to try harder and am slightly surprised that others don't feel the same. To me, seeing the levels that others have achieved (be they professionals or not) has made me put more effort into my modelling. For instance, Gravy Train's stunning buildings; since seeing them on here, I have put much more effort in and whilst they aren't in the same ballpark, I hope that with time and practice that they one day will be. Much the same with Gordon's track work on Eastwood Town.

 

Keep up the good work with MI Andy, and everyone who posts your modelling on RMWeb as regardless of the self-perceived level of modelling, it is all inspirational.

[Stubby47]

... Particularly liked Stu Hilton's article, maybe it would be possible to do some kind of step by step comic book style 'how to' article in the future.

Glad you liked it

This building was deliberately kept from being an online exercise to heighten the impact in MI3 (than Andy goes & adds those flippin' layouts...), so is perhaps one of the few models I've not done a 'show & tell' thread on. My two entries in the 2012 Scratchbuild Challenge (that's 2 so far, chaps !) will be photographed at each stage, not only to show how I do things, but to garner feedback from those few who watch which helps me point out where I've got it wrong.

[SHMD]

but to garner feedback from those few who watch which helps me point out where I've got it wrong.

 

Exactly!

It’s better to know as early as possible that you’re heading for an iceberg!

Either a polite, “er can you see what’s up ahead Sir?â€, to the more direct “For gods’ sake man SLOW DOWN!â€, will do!

It’s all information exchange – just like MI. Inspirational…

 

Kev.

[Dukedog]

Yet another fantastic issue.

I've only just got round to finish reading it so waited until now before making comments.

 

Like the other previous issues it does exactly what it says on the cover "inspirational"

Every article was truly inspirational including stuff that is normally outside my own area of interest.

My personal thanks to Andy Y and the authors of the contributing features of this issue.

 

Looking forward to issue 4!

 

Cheers!

Frank

[45156]

As I said when I PMd Andy, I decided to wait until I had some time on my hands before going onto MI3 in any depth at all, and I just skimmed it before I went into hospital.

 

I'm out now, and before I did my download, I read this thread to see what others thought about the issue, and lo and behold, the arguments are here, as one might expect. So with other RMWebbers' comments ringing in my ears, I opened the Adobe file, and my first thought was that the production itself does exactly what Andy planned - it gives us something to aspire to - and gives us ideas about how the others do it. I have always been in two minds about the more wealthy of our modelling brothers (Pete Waterman and Rod Stewart to name but two) but in the end, I feel that these wealthier modellers DO give is something to aspire to, and in all honesty, their models (and Over Peover) reflect what I would do had I the money - I'd use it to get the bits that I don't like out of the way, and let me get on with what I do like - I'm not a great lover of trackbuilding, ballasting, or wiring - I do that because I have to - I do like weathering, and modifcation but most of all, I like operating - for me, that is the ultimate aim. Now I know that for many the journey is the important thing, and for others it's the destination. Well in MI3, we have examples of both - we have a destination layout in Little Peover, and a journey layout in Retford.

 

BUT more to the point, we've got our very own take on these layouts, their owners, and their motivations - not one that anybody can get via spending a few quid in Smiffs, but one which is exclusive to us here - and that in itself is well worthy of shouting from the rooftops. There is no doubt at all that MI3 gives a new slant on out hobby - not an easy thing to achieve, and nobody can doubt that it does what was planned. It has inspired me, and it has motivated me. I know that my modelling will never in ten centuries match that featured, but that doesn't stop me from looking, aspiring to a higher standard, and using what I am seeing to improve my own technique - and that's really for me what MI is all about. In terms of what I can (or can't) achieve, there is much in the blogs and threads here that I will never reach, (Eastwood Town, Waverley West Birmingham NS to name but three ) and to find layouts that inspire MORE than what it already featured elsewhere on RMWeb is always going to be a tall order, and there is bound to be an element of "chequebook modelling" there. Andy has a lot of good material to choose from here already, but to some extent that will be old hat, as we've all seen it already, so the finding of new material that we've not seen elsewhere is difficult.

 

So thanks Andy - for me, this presses all the right buttons, and gives me something more to look at, drool over

[Guest oldlugger]

Easily the best yet; great looking layouts and excellent photography. I particularly liked the Retford article as it is the first time I've come across this fine looking layout. Lots of inspiring stuff throughout...

 

10/10

 

Cheers

Simon

[ghisere andy]

Just fabulous Andy. But to give us Retford, Over Peover, and the musings of Gilbert on Peterborough North?

 

...Heaven...I'm in Heaven...

Couldn't agree more! The trouble is these all raise the bar for the LNER modeller to heights that mere mortals, such as I, can only marvel at!

[67A]

What a fantastic journal, inspiration indeed

 

well done

Mike