1/2" Scale project still in progress (somehow)

[lab-dad]

Chuck,
First off good stuff, but you knew that. Thanks for sharing everything!

Now, about the background shots.
If you get a piece of lime green poster board (like kids use for science fairs)
Use that as the background to take the picture.
Then send that image and the background you want to me I can use my "green screen" program to merge the images.
I did this at my daughters sock hop.
Took pictures of all the girls and their dads and made it look like they were in a 50's diner.
Also used it on the tool shed pictures you saw recently.

-Marty

[Malachi Constant]

Chuck --

The diorama's been looking good from the start ... and now it's way beyond, um, my capacity for appropriate superlatives.  ("Crazy cool" isn't very clever, but I like that!)  Thanks for all the progress shots and tips & techniques along the way ... extremely inspiring and much appreciated.

Cheers,
Dallas

[finescalerr]

These guys keep beating around the bush, Chuck. What they're really trying to say, in a very polite and roundabout way, is that you really should try to polish up your modeling skills. -- ssuR

[Malachi Constant]

You mean it wasn't obvious? 

[Craig_H]

Chuck,   Here's a picture of a mobil sign hanging showing the brackets and the way it was back then. Im sure you have this info if not.... this might help. That is if your still going to hang the flying red horse off the sign bracket

[Chuck Doan]

Thanks for the offer Marty. I'll look into a green backdrop when I get closer to doing the finished shots.

Thanks Dallas!

Thanks for that Craig! Great old ad too. I'm still planning to do that sign if the decals cooperate.

[finescalerr]

Chuck, would it be possible to do the sign without using decals? Maybe by printing on two sides of some kind of card or paper, then sealing it and adding stiffness with a clear coat? Seems as though you have used that approach in the past with excellent results. -- Russ

[Chuck Doan]

That may be an option, but since this is a two sided sign, the thickness will be visible plus aligning both sides. Will have to see....


I spent a bit of time playing with some artsy crops...should have been building but didn't didn't feel like it. Who needs to model when you have Photoshop?

[Craig_H]

Chuck,   Just picked up Adobe Photoshop Elements 8  is this a good one?? Havent installed it yet. Or should i get something else.  Craig

[Chuck Doan]

I've got Elements version 7. So far it is enough for me, but I am sure there are others with more expertise who could weigh in on benefits, etc..

[Ray Dunakin]

One option for the sign would be to print it on adhesive vinyl. Put one on each side of a thin base material such as sheet brass, then weather it to look like an enameled metal sign.

[Malachi Constant]

Well, I haven't done an update here yet, but I did a tin sign for the 1/35 garage by printing it on .0025" thick paper and smearing the back with ACC a couple of times to stiffen it up.  Finished thickness is no more than .005" -- still "too thick" if someone uses calipers and a calculator while viewing the thing, but looks about right! 

Anyway ... point is, even with some "stiffening" of the very thin paper, it still has a tendency to CURL a bit (see photo below) ... and I think that would be incredibly extremely annoying on a hanging sign ... and my gut feeling is that the curl would worsen over time.  (Mine is glued flat on end of building, so no worries in that case.)

Might be tricky and annoying to cut ultra-thin sheet metal to the desired shape, but seems like that would be the best bet for a sign that's thin enough AND hangs properly.

Also, I just did a quick search out of curiosity and quickly found one place that lists ultra-thin plastic shim stock all the way down to .0005" (yes, triple-0-five ... 1/10 the thickness of the thinnest Evergreen stuff if that's true):
http://www.artuscorp.com/shim_stock.htm

They also list aluminum at .002" thick, brass at .001" thick, stainless steel at .001" thick.  Think you can probably get similar size aluminum by cutting up a soda or beer can!

So, if the thin metal doesn't work out, you might want to see what you can do with thin plastic ... maybe somewhere between .001" and .005" would be "adequate" to achieve the desired look and still have some rigidity.

Look forward to seeing your actual solution! 

[Malachi Constant]

How 'bout lead foil?

Further thought, I have a pack of Verlinden Lead Foil set aside:
http://www.scalehobbyist.com/catagories/Paint_and_Construction/VER00000050/product.php?kw=VER00000050

Seems to measure about .0065" thick ... perhaps thicker than you'd like, but lead foil would win a "hanging contest" by a mile (yeah, I'll head for the corner) ...

Also, some crappy extreme close-ups below ... sorry, I didn't have the patience to work out extreme close-up focus on shiny metal surface ... BUT ... there's a lot of potential here if you want creased metal or mangled edges.  The bare lead foil has a nice aged metal look to it.  Also, think this might be available at hardware stores as lead flashing ... probably somewhere to find it even thinner ... or you might be able to roll it out thinner in a pasta press (and then get lead poisoning when you use that to make pasta, but that's how these things go!) 

PS -- After posting this, I can see that the thumbnails actually look better than the enlargements as far as showing the crinkled edges and creasing possibilities.  So ... no clicking required!

[Chuck Doan]

Thanks for the ideas! I haven't done a two-sided sign before, so there are new things to try. I have some .002 steel shim stock, but cutting the shape could get tricky as you say, Dallas. Last resort, an empty sign bracket and the footprints of a collector!

[Craig_H]

Empty sign bracket.....and footprints of a collector yes...I like that one.   Craig