Hi Guys,
hopefully Russ won't mind me giving you a preview of some of my new 1:32 (3/8" = 1'0" models here.
Still working on the website but should go live tomorrow as long as I can get a couple of hours at the computer tonight. I'll post the website when it is up and running.
Plan is to produce kits for locomotives, rolling stock, figures, structures and scratchbuilding supplies all in 1:32 up to 2 foot gauge. So just for you guys here is a pic of my first figure based on George Batty of the Sand Hutton Light Railway and the ad artwork for my first structure- an engine shed kit.
...more to follow...
James
Shed pic...
Finally- here is the ad that will be out in the UK next month- hopefully you can all see what the kit features are.
As usual comments/ suggestions etc welcome
James
Looks nice, James! Are you the first to offer real glass windows in a kit? I have never heard of that before.
Chuck,
thanks! Re. the glass windows- I hope I am the first. Since discovering microscope cover glass I'll never go back- as you know once you've learned to cut it there is no more work than using plastic and much better results. In fact I'll have to look at adding the glass and TCT scribers to the scratchbuilding section when I get it going.
James
Looks great, James. Best of luck with this an your other products.
Jerry
Quote from: james_coldicott on July 28, 2010, 12:46:34 PM
Hi Guys,
.... So just for you guys here is a pic of my first figure based on George Batty of the Sand Hutton Light Railway ....
James
That is a fine looking figure. Excellent work.
Looks great James, glad to see you taking the plunge... best of luck with the kit. I'm interested to know how it goes for you. This could be the year for craftsman kits. I'm working on an updated limited re-release of our Clyde's Place 1:48 structure kit from 1995 to come out this fall in time for the christmas shopping season... ;) I'm sure Russ will think I'm nuts, but... I know I'm nuts, so no worries there. Craftsman kits, parts and components will indeed go the route of the dodo bird unless people like us and others on the forum don't step up to do something about it.
Paul
Wow, great stuff! Really beautiful work on that figure.
Thanks all for the comments.
I agree with you Paul that it seems contra-indicated in todays market come out with craftsman kits. I'm hoping to vary the range- next structure is a water tank on brick pillars- one piece tank, 2 pillars and filling hose- much simpler. Rolling stock will be very easy to constuct/ ready to run and I'll offer prepainted and/or weathered as an option. Loco's same and I'm looking into diecast for the loco's but that is a big gamble for much later if the scale/ gauge takes off a bit more than is historically the case. Will definitely let you know how the shed goes- if you want to contact me off forum feel free. Have decided to stick with this for a while and see how the market stands in different areas so will offer a spread of products and see how it goes.
Good luck with the Clyde's Place kit, Paul. I really hope it is a success for you. Lets see how we get on!
James
James --
Looks like you're off to a good start! Please let us know as the items become available on your web site.
Thanks!
Dallas
We need to have a 1:32 summit. I remain absolutely convinced that this is the BEST scale for both indoors and garden.
Oh, and BTW, I think we should collaborate on a 1:32 Shay. I suggest something from the Gilpin Tram. Any of the five will do! (Although No. 1 and No. 2 may be better choices because of their diminutive size.)
No. 1:
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gilpintram.com%2Fimages%2FShay%25201-01m.jpg&hash=6e9dd5a885e085f6cd45b6859427aa5a4641df8a)
No. 2:
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gilpintram.com%2Fimages%2FShay%25202-01m.jpg&hash=1941cefc78fb01e524ed78c47c787cb8d01065f3)
No. 3:
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gilpintram.com%2Fimages%2FShay%25203-01m.jpg&hash=347f039147f620d4a1d44d0fcf8775223bf06ae6)
No. 4:
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gilpintram.com%2Fimages%2FShay%25204-01m.jpg&hash=10631bc60e4910750020db308e224f6d23dc502d)
No. 5:
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gilpintram.com%2Fimages%2Fshay-no-5-01.jpg&hash=45570a42375446f20a532dcaf83ff744d856c654)
Fred,
...great minds think alike! Was already planning Gilpin Shay 1 for the range after doing this painting of it last year.
Also would like to do one of the Arizona Copper Company 0-4-4 Porters if things take off.
James
James -
Aw-right!!! Finally a realistic person and a kit for my chosen scale of 1:32. I'm looking forward to seeing your website.
Mark Layton
That figure would look good next to my 1:32 Corliss (If I ever grow the onions to disassemble it and paint it!)
Any other "dudes" planned in the scale?
p.s.
Good thing you started this while Marc is away!
-Marty
Marty,
planning lots of figures in 1:32- mainly industrial workers and civilians. They won't come too quickly as my time is spread pretty thinly already. Next is a seated driver for my Planet 10hp 4wpm which is the first locomotive. Mostly will be 1890's to 1950's era people and probably linked in era/ continent to whatever loco or rolling stock is coming out at the time.
Process for mastering figures is quite time consuming- Soldered brass armature quick enough but then successive layers of milliput are added and carved until I'm happy with the result. Photo's don't really show just how small the detail is- a challenge but very rewarding.
Am happy to receive photo's as inspiration for future figures if there's anything you guys would like. Good photo's of people in fairly static poses with good detail in the face and clothing are really useful.
Would love to see the corliss painted up- a shame to cover up all that craftsmanship but good paint only ever adds to a great model. :)
James
Figure suggestions: (1) Uncle Russ the Fireman = bemused "knowing" look on his face, shaking his head, eyes rolling. (2) Marc the 1930s Vagabond = titanium bike thrown over his shoulder, sourpuss face as if someone just shouted: "Colorado narrow gauge!"
Guys,
thanks for all the comments and suggestions.
QuoteFigure suggestions: (1) Uncle Russ the Fireman = bemused "knowing" look on his face, shaking his head, eyes rolling.
The only issue with a figure of Russ seems to be that it would be a '3 for the price of 1' deal- Russ with his permanently affixed bikini clad babes- one on each arm! :)
The website is all updated so please stop by and take a look. Obviously it is early days yet but have sourced some more glass and TCT scribers and written a guide for cutting- I've tried lots of different tools for cutting the 0.13mm Borosilicate Glass in my store but most times I can cut an intact 1mm x 50mm strip off the long edge of a piece of glass with this cutter.
Still waiting for prices from casters for the figures but the shed is in stock and available now.
www.james-art.com (http://www.james-art.com)
Select '1:32 Models' from the product section.
Cheers!
James
Attractive and elegant little website. Nice job. -- Russ
Quote from: finescalerr on July 31, 2010, 12:20:30 PM
Attractive and elegant little website. Nice job. -- Russ
Agreed... nicely done James.
Paul
Greatly detailed figure James! Best yet!
Philip
Quotehere is a pic of my first figure based on George Batty
Look forward to Mr Batty becoming available. Will you be doing Norah Batty and Compo to keep him company?
Quote from: Krusty on August 01, 2010, 04:42:14 AM
Quotehere is a pic of my first figure based on George Batty
Look forward to Mr Batty becoming available. Will you be doing Norah Batty and Compo to keep him company?
Good suggestion , Mr. Krusty . I'll go for them . In fact ,I admire Compo's sartorial elegance so much that I try to emulate it whenever I can .
Well , if you can get Dad's Army figures in 1/35th scale why not characters from Last of the Summer Wine ?
( If you don't know what we are talking about , you must be American ! )
Nick
Nick,
Quote,I admire Compo's sartorial elegance so much that I try to emulate it whenever I can .
...and I thought the piece of string holding up your trousers was a subtle homage to Tom Ford's 1999 collection for Gucci!
Actually Compo would fit right in. Did some internet searches for Nora Batty's trademark attire and came up with some very interesting websites! :-\
Actually wondering what you guys actually buy when it comes to figures? I always go for static poses either at rest or in quiet conversation. Always seems incongruous to see a figure frozen in time, mid activity while a train rumbles past behind them. I'm relatively new here- has there been much discussion on populating layouts? Not something I've often seen done well in the railroad world as compared to the military market where the figures are often really central to a scene.
James
As some of you may either know or remember, I am a major advocate of 1:32 narrow gauge and got into it around 1993 when I saw Richard Christ's 1:32n40 swamp logging diorama. A small switching diorama in that scale/gauge combination will be my retirement project and I'm currently working on a CAD drawing for an 8 ton Plymouth I hope to build. (Bob Poli recently sent me a ton of information on the little West Side Plymouth including a drawing somebody scaled from the actual loco -- the first such drawing of that kind of engine I know of.)
I was part of an NMRA committee to develop "AAR" standards for 1:32 (and then quit the NMRA), have built some structures in that scale, and have a small 0-4-0T Glover. See below.
Any of you guys who want to do projects in 1:32 or 1:35 have my enthusiastic support.
Russ
So I do 1:13.7 outside and 1:48 inside. Rats. George is very nice, realistic but certainly not goofy- nothing to detract from the natural appearance.
The website is nice, functional and worth exploring. Best of luck with the modeling part of the business!
John
Just a quick update on progress with the shed kit... I've been rather taken by surprise by the response. My ad came out on Saturday, by Tuesday the first batch had sold out so I stayed up late Tuesday and Wednesday night casting parts for a second batch, half of which is sold out now so I'll make up another batch to make sure I have at least a few for the Narrow Gauge Convention next month.
If anyone wants one for collection in St.Louis can you let me know? Contact me privately and I'll let you know the dollar price.
By the way I decided the downpipe arrangement was a bit weak (very simple plastic rod with a fabrication template) so mastered one and included it in resin in the kit. I'll develop the system a little more and include guttering and downpipes as a stand alone item in the scratchbuilding section but that will be after the convention. Also coming are brick and stone sheets in plaster and resin plus roofing sheets in resin- corrugated aluminium will be on the site plus a resin sheet of scale corrugated with fixings and guttering attached to the lower edge for a quick and easy way of doing tin roofs. Also tiled roof sheets in resin when I can find a suitable prototype- Nick, any suggestions for a pan Europe/ UK roofing tile?
Thanks again for all your suggestions and support.
James
ps- awful photo, sorry- look at the left bracket and you'll best see the cast socket/ attachment lug mastering- squares are 10mm each.
Quote from: james_coldicott on August 06, 2010, 01:18:15 AM
- Nick, any suggestions for a pan Europe/ UK roofing tile?
Thanks again for all your suggestions and support.
James
James ,
The answer is in your question . Pantiles . Either single or double roman . Clay or concrete ?
Plain tiles are also used on the Continent . Either square ended or shaped .
I have been looking at European roofs quite a bit myself recently as I will need to tile a large roof for myself . Maybe if I wait long enough you'll come out with a suitable tile sheet that I can use in 1/35th . Not this Micky Mouse scale of 1/32nd !
Here you go , three different tiles/slates on one building . Taken in Goslar in the Harz Mountains (that's in Germany ) last month .Not necessarily typical throughout Europe .
How about doing some slate dormers like these?
Nick
Can't beat the number of tile variations but if you want dormer windows how's this
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi232.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fee275%2Fgfadvance%2FPub1.jpg&hash=6c68d7722877e9517dfb6a01fa5cfc5bb0464b63)
Well done James on the success of your new venture, currently trying to stay clear of yet another scale.
James --
Congrats on the initial reception ... no doubt I'll order some goodies from you as funds allow. Appears that the 1/32 vs 1/35 debate will result in various forms of entrenchment ... but that's how it goes.
I'm dabbling in 1/35n2 here ... couple other local guys are getting started as well ... one in the same scale/gauge ... the other in 3/8n40 (1:32). He's planning on including some 2-foot gauge track to his 1:32 layout, so all three of us will be mixing some equipment together ...
Again, please keep us updated as new items are added ... you've got a very interesting range of items planned.
Cheers,
Dallas
That's great James.... very encouraging.
Paul
Hi All,
just thought I'd sign in and say 'hello'. Progress is a bit slow on the 1:32 project in the run-up to the Narrow Gauge convention in St Louis- been busy with the 'day job' finishing and shipping paintings and prints for the show. Attached a quick pic of one of my paintings... WSLC #12 Oil on canvas 30" x 40"... enjoy!
James
Show off! -- Russ
All,
so, work and family stuff has impeded progress here for a while but thought I'd post pics of some Wrightlines 1:32 tippers I've just painted- these are marketed as 7mm/O scale but were actually mastered as a smaller 1:32 tipper and have white metal frames and etched brass bodies- I built and primed them maybe 10 years ago but resurrected and repainted them for my planned 20 inch gauge quarry layout.
I haven't given up on the figures and kits previewed here- it's just been a bit of an intense time with family responsibilities!
Enjoy...
James
Couple more...
and the last for now.
I still have to polish up and blacken the wheel tyres on these and may make some of the oil gloop on the axle boxes a little more shiny but basically I'm calling these done.
J
Really nice work on the weathering! Looks authentic.
Nicely done James...
Pual
At last! A new producer of 1/32nd scale bits in Britain. I hope you won't be as expensive as one or two of the others.
I have a few bits that could be used as masters if you are interested.
E-mail sent.
Martin
I don't believe that I will get involved in a "35 vs 32" battle...I use both scales on my layout. I have purchased 1:32 and 1:35 figures and find very few physical differences..except for some expensive Preiser figures. While the females and a couple of the males scale nicely in 1:35, they produce several that would do well on a basketball court-one measured 6'7" and another a little over 7' in 1:32 scale! Outside of some nice 1:35 military truck models which work for me, I love the nice 1:32 die cast autos and trucks that are available for far less dinero than anything in 1:48 (my previous scale). Figures may be placed together normally, but there really is a big difference between a 35 scale Model T and one in 32 scale. I began my adventure calling my layout 1:32n20, but since my tastes run to Shays and Beyer Garratts, the 20 incher seemed too wimpy, so I began to call the line 1:35n2 and feel much better (mentally). I know that my scratchbuilding attitude will never make any manufacturer rich, but it is nice to see more interest in "larger than 1:48 but smaller than 1:24"...as the young blonde lady said "this is just right!".
Woodie
As a lover of all things Imperial measured, Woodie, I am an unreconstructed avid 32nder. I also am NOT a fan of soppy scales that ain't on my steel rule or belong to the warmongers. But that's me. I don't care what others do as long as they are plausible even if they're mixing 35th and 32nd as long as the work is good, like yours, mate, that's what matters.
My layout, such as it is, was to be 32nd scale, 3/8ths "-1ft., 18" gauge, whatever that is in scale. Haven't built any track yet. As an agricultural/fisheries line, 18" was perfectly plausible and allowed tighter curves and took up less space. My son is bringing the stuff I already made back at the weekend. It's been living in his loft for a while.
And yes, it will be R/C, then I can have rusty rail and grass overgrowing everywhere and appallingly laid and sunken trackwork!
Of course, having spent a working life making models for clients in that dumb as it comes British O scale of 7mm-1FT ::) I do have a mini layout in that scale to show off my model vehicles, but anything new in that area I would make in 1/4" to a foot scale. Far more sensible AND it's on my steel rule.
Martin
Just as an aside, did you know that CTT has scale rules in most modeling scales..from Z to 1:20.3..including 32 and 35 scale. I have one of each, just so I can measure other folks' work. But I ain't any "pickuer de nits" by a long shot.
Woodie
Woodie, yes, I guessed you could find most scales as a scale rule, but I have my selection of ordinaries and they'll do me.
When I have to do anything in 7mm-1ft. I make a scale rule out of plasticard, use it and lose it start again next time!
I tend to make everything anyway, because I'm tight! Even my figures are hand carved to fit a particular scene.
Like that one of yours inspecting a horse's ar**? I love that one!
Martin
Martin-while I have these scale rulers, I only ever use the 32 and 35 jobs. I am always on the look out for figures that I can use, for instance..I found some very nice "cowboys & indians" which scale just right! They are surely different than the ones I had as a kid, these have nice faces and are very detailed. And many of the "ladies" on my layout are...gulp..converted nazi soldiers. I found some that are wearing long coats (like dresses) and with a little moto tool grinding, some body putty, and a little "imagination", and since the figures are wearing boots-all the better. Everyone in the area I model needs to wear boots due to snakes, scorpions, Gila monsters, cactus, and other critters. I have a large box of "body parts" which come in very handy for those "special" figures like the rube trying to push the mule. I suppose that figures are a hobby within a hobby anyway.
I will send some more photos when I get a chance to take them. I will go to the layout with camera in hand and decide to run a train..well, after a few hours, I have run a lot but no photos taken. Maybe if my trains didn't run then I would be able to take lots of photos. Hmmmm..
Woodie
Woodie, get 'em where you can, mate, why not?
Russ likes a bird in a thong. Got any? ;D
Martin