Bits, Pieces, & Clutter

[shropshire lad]

Marc ,

   Your little car frame has turned out looking pretty good . I look forward to the aging and weathering process . If you get around to it .
   It has been in my mind for some time to build something like this and seeing yours may just spur me on to get cracking on one .
   My only comment is this . Not knowing how you intend finishing this car off my comment may be off the mark here but if I was doing it I would be inclined to have had the two outside "Z" beams closer to the ends of the car . Or even turned the other way around so that the timbers you are yet to put on would have maximum support .
  Am I just being pedantic ?

  Still it is better than the one I haven't built !

  Nick

[finescalerr]

Actually, Nick, the cars you haven't built are a little better in every way, including the yet to be conceived weathering. While Marc's attempt is by no means feeble, it does take second place to your nonexistent masterpiece. -- ssuR

[marc_reusser]

Nick,

I had considered the reversal of the 'z'....but for several random reasons I didn't:

• The primary one being visual, I did't like seeing the undercut instead of the face of the 'z' when looking at the car in 3/4 view fron the end.
• I liked the visual spacing, weight and proportion, especially since I was more concerned with how it would look as and amongst discarded clutter in a scene.
• I liked the way the 'z' laps over the wheel protrusion above the frame, and thus places the load bearing more in line over the wheel bearings.
• I felt by moving the 'z' bar any closer to, the car end, and/or reversing it, visually crowded the coupler/pin area.
• I was also for some reason thinking of this somewhat "architecturaly" for some odd reason.....I was envisioning a wooden caboose box structure on this (only temp for Russ's challenge) being built directly on the timbers on the 'z' tops....this would give me an aooprximate 24" 'joist' spacing onto which I could nail the the 2" floor boards, and not have too much deflection. I could then also cantilever the floor boards 6-9 inches past the 'joists' at the end, which would allow acces to bolting the wall sills, and still provide enough rigidity/support. When all this was tadded in length, including wall sheathing, the box would be just so long as to still allow unfettered acces to the pin/coupling area.

So there you have my non scientific, convoluted thoughts that passed through my mind as I cobbled this together.....

...basically I just sit down at my bench with some photos, or catalog cuts, pull out the plastic and start building.


Russ:  You just want to consider anything "unbuilt" as superior....it helps you assuage your own guilt and lack of production


M

[marc_reusser]

So I am thinking of building this (or something really close) as one of the pieces of clutter. Should look great standing out in the weeds. It kind of reminds me of some kind of bug or sci-fi thing.

Does anyone have or know where I can find additional pics of this? I found this one on the web some time ago (can't remember where, but as I recall it was the only image.)

M

[danpickard]

Marc,
I think I'm coming to realise that its your subject choice that always captures my attention with your modelling.  This thread for example, just bits and pieces.  The sort of things that the average modeller would build as a secondary piece, to fill in a space on a diorama say, but you've treated each item built here as a detailed piece.  That shows a good modelling focus, concentrated small sections as opposed to a grand vision.  I'd be interested to see a collection of how many of these small incidental pieces you have built over the years.  Certainly it would make it easy to experiment with building up diorama's having a handy collection of misc parts to play with.

Dan

[shropshire lad]

Marc,

  I knew you would have a logical reason for making the car as you have . I was just trying to bring you out of your shell a bit to explain your thinking .
   I love the crane photo . The beauty of making a model of  something that might have been " shopbuilt" is that after a few basic principles have been observed you can just about build anything you want .
So you are talking about a crane like this being " one of the pieces of clutter" . On what ? A diorama you might build or perhaps your new 1/35th scale industrial narrow gauge layout ( with working loco) you have in planning? Please tell .

Russ ,

  Is it to early to enter my " concept caboose complete with imaginary weathering " into the competition ?  If not ,all I have to do is find a way of downloading the images in my head onto your computer and I'm done .


   Nick

[Ray Dunakin]

That little crane is too cool -- an excellent subject for modeling!

[marc_reusser]

Dan,

Thanks for the kind words.   And quite insightful as to some of my reasoning behind the bits and pieces approach.

I that I think I am pretty good at research, deducing function and reasoning behind things, and observing things around me, and "seeing" them.......then at least trying to implement these on my models in a technical aspect (IE paint, finish, weathering)......but I have fand ound and come to accept, that I lack the ability to transform the many different scene/diorama visions and ideas in my head, into a creative, interesting and well functioning scene....I tend to be far too pragmatic, stiff, and "basic". I am no Per Olav Lund or such, by any stretch of the imagination.

I also felt that I suffered from what you mention...the creating of a central scene/element, then crowding in whatever stock details were readily on hand to fill/fit in around it. This always makes things appear posed or forced.

.....SO....

for this thread and hopefully eventual subject/scene, I came up with the idea of "reverse engineering" the process; which benefits me greatly in many ways.

Building small weird things allows me to actually get something done in a limited amount of time. It also allows me to build some of the weird odds and ends that I see in photos, catalogs or life...things that grab my interest and work with my short attention span. It also lets me do stuff that is a bit off the beaten track of modeling subject matter.

It allows me to keep on top of and hopefully grow my modeling skills, and always try something new or slightly different, in a quick and easy manner....without being bogged down under a lengthy and complicated build (which I already have plenty of sitting in drawers).

...and going back to the details comment....hopefully approach a scene in a more realistic manner, of rather than building or finding details to place around a central object/theme...just build details and then have (or force/crowd them) to fit them into a scene.....sort of the way stuff happens in real life...especially, say, an old industrial Ry yard that is weeding over....the kind of place where the owner over time just ended up with all kinds of stuff just laying and stacked about...we've all seen the kind of place, where you just look and wonder what all the crap was, and what it was for, or how and why some of it got there......the kind of place where the surroundings are more, or just as interesting as the focal object....heck...maybe there isn't even a focal object....just an empty center surrounded by all sorts of stuff.

One last benefit of doing these small bits is that when I get around to starting to paint them, they should give me a lot of opportunities to try different approaches, and do different finishes.

I used to have a fair number of these in 1/48...but many have gone away to the rubbish bin...some I saved just because I might still have a use for them, or I have some kind of an attachment to them (because I want to try them again, or want to experiment further with them, or they remind me of the work effort they took).....but now that I am getting into 1/35, I am pretty much starting from ground zero.

A couple of things that are rattling around in my head at the moment really holding my fancy, are the crane above (though that is a bit more involved), a small portable cement mixer, and an abandoned set of clothes lockers (the old metal type like you see in schools or factories)....though I may have to digress to also do some kind of a wood caboose.

I have also been itching to build a couple of really cool O&K skeleton cane cars.......but, what the hell I would do with then when done I have no idea.

M

[marc_reusser]

Nick,

I hope your happy with yourself....forcing poor old me into opening up, and showing my vulnerable side.

M

[Marc988]

Hi Marc,

there is a supplier in Germany called Wenz who has a locker in 1:43 scale (and a lot of other nice stuff too  ). http://wenz-modellbau.eshop.t-online.de/epages/Store_Shop00671.sf/de_DE/?ViewAction=View&ObjectID=1181823&Page=2

As far as I understand he etches his stuff himself so he might be willing to etch some of them in 1:35 ?! A friend of mine has bought several items from him and found him to be very supportive.

The portable cement mixer does make me curious though   

Good luck,
Marc

[marc_reusser]

Marc,

Thanks for the link, that is the type of cabinet I am thinking of........I will probably still build it from scratch though , as that is part of the fun for me whenever possible  .


M

[Gordon Ferguson]

Marc,

love this thread and really enjoyed reading the thought process 

Thought these may be of interest re "cement mixer"






There are few more detailed shots here http://s232.photobucket.com/albums/ee275/gfadvance/cement%20mixer/

These were supplied by Trevor Coburn and were taken in Nigeria


As for your crane, can't help with the one you have shown but this is one has some similar traits i.e movable water ballast





Again there are a few more detailed shots here http://s232.photobucket.com/albums/ee275/gfadvance/Heatherslaw%20Light%20Railway/ 

Crane shots are on page 5 , all taken by myself earlier this year.

[marc_reusser]

Gordon,

Great info/photos on both subjects. Thanks! Much appreciated.

The boom on that crane is wild!....I have never seen one like that. Had I seen that on someones model I would have thought they were mental. 

M

[Marc988]

Cool picture on the crane. I especially like the movable water ballast tank !

I hope I can resist this but am afraid this adds another project to the list   

[danpickard]

Marc,
I always appreciate the time you put into your postings, thankyou.  Just with the few details you have started, and then the ones you have also mentioned for other "bits" ideas, I can see the final picture.

"we've all seen the kind of place, where you just look and wonder what all the crap was, and what it was for, or how and why some of it got there..."

Just a fence line, the rear boundry of a small industry, a nicely aged timber fence at that, and the history of that industry gathering rust and dust in amongst the long grass.  The beauty in such a display is letting your eyes wander through the remains and discovering how it came to be.  That long grass will be a bitch to model though...one blade at a time!  I love the story behind a good junk pile.

Gordon,
I can see Marc's paint finish all over that cement mixer...hairspary technique, washes, filters, pigments, dangerous chemical reactions, its all there in one unit.  Even the flat tyre, just for an excuse to get some plastic on the heat and squash it around a bit...that got me inspired.  Thanks...

Cheers,
Dan