Oddmunn Brother’s Mill has officially sold out! Kind of. It was always a risk to produce a “hot and heavy” kit right out of the gate. New business + expensive product isn’t for everyone, and I knew I’d be limiting my reach. But I also knew I wanted to set the bar high for my […]
by on April 10, 2023, filed: Ramblings
It’s official, folks. I am going to my first trade show, here in the UK. I will be at the Warley National 2022 at the NEC Birmingham on Saturday 26th & 27th November. Look out for a big double decker bus and you’ll see me, too! With me will be the ODDMUNN BROTHER’S MILL diorama […]
by on November 10, 2022, filed: Ramblings
3D printing in the winter months can be troublesome, especially if you live in a cold country. The UK is warmer in the winter than our previous house in Minnesota, USA, but it still gets cold here. Certainly cold enough to see prints fail due to low temperatures. Here’s the thing, my workshop isn’t heated. […]
by on October 1, 2022, filed: Reviews
Hey everyone, it’s been a minute since my last update here on the website, as I’m finding myself posting shorter posts/teasers at my Facebook page, which can be found right here: www.facebook.com/keepitrusty1 Development on what is now titled ODDMUNN BROTHERS MILL is coming along very well. All of the structures have been completed and I […]
by on September 29, 2022, filed: Ramblings
Putting a model kit together isn’t for the faint hearted. There’s A LOT to do (and buy), especially true when getting off the ground. Machines, materials, suppliers, shipping, packaging… it’s a lot, but it’s also a lot of fun. With my entire workshop (and the rest of the house) moving across the Atlantic, I’ve been […]
by on February 3, 2022, filed: Ramblings
I’ve been quiet, but for a good reason — I’ve been working on something exciting. And we’ve been packing the house to move back to the UK. So, what’s exciting? Well, I’ve been buying… investing, I should say… drum roll please… I’m officially making craftsman kits! Starting this summer (all being well), I will be […]
by on January 6, 2022, filed: Ramblings
It’s no secret that I’m working on some O-scale builds (which, for the record, doesn’t mean I am switching scales. HO is still my bread and butter). In working with a larger scale, though, one thing becomes even more important than ever… making things perfect. There’s no hiding in a scale like 1/48 like you […]
by on November 27, 2021, filed: Reviews
There are many techniques to achieve a peeling paint effect and I’m still learning. Let that be known now! My most recent efforts, however, yielded my best results to date, so I thought I’d share to save some of your sweat and tears by sharing them. First things first, I used a few techniques in […]
by on October 14, 2021, filed: How to's
Over the weekend, during a trip to the East Coast, I got a chance to visit George Sellios’ open house for his wonderful layout, the Franklin and South Manchester. I spent a little more than the 3 hours George was open (15 minutes or so) and he was a gracious host. Seeing the layout was […]
by on September 21, 2021, filed: Ramblings
I am very excited to announce the FLUX Mill is now a kit! KC Workshop and I paired up to produce this LIMITED EDITION run — and once it’s gone, it really is gone. You see, we pulled out all the stops to make sure you can build your own Mill as close as possible […]
by on September 4, 2021, filed: Ramblings
Making “The Flux Mill” I’ve always wanted to try laser cutting. Especially when it comes to HO scale structures. So I jumped at the chance when FLUX (www.flux3dp.com) offered me the opportunity to try out their Beambox – their middle of the road offering (they make one smaller and one bigger than the Beambox). For […]
by on August 1, 2021, filed: Ramblings
Per the new image at the top of this post, my blog has a new name: Keep it Rusty. I decided to go with a new name as I no longer just produce sci-fi military works in 1/35 scale, but also HO-scale structures/dioramas. Rusty Robot has been with me for many, many years but the […]
by on March 6, 2021, filed: Ramblings
Finding good casts of HO scale (or O scale) brick walls is like finding hen’s teeth. Once upon a time a company called “Trains of Texas” were putting out really nice castings. Nowadays, they are next to impossible to find and, if you do, expect to sell a kidney to buy ‘em. Downtown Deco have […]
by on February 10, 2021, filed: Ramblings
Decided to open a new section here on the blog, one dedicated to solo builds as opposed to full dioramas. I have recently started enjoying creating structures without a full accompanying scene, purely for the speed if nothing else. I don’t have a layout, and I will forever remain a guy more interested in the […]
by on January 17, 2021, filed: scratch & bash
Every time I look at George Sellios’ F&SM I sit there and just wonder how he did it — especially his signs. They are always so thin you can literally see through them to the wall underneath, making them appear genuinely painted on, just like the real thing. So I set out to test a […]
by on January 16, 2021, filed: Ramblings
It’s no secret that doing windows can be more than a little repetitive — especially if you have a large building with many, many of them. I always like to add curtains and shades to my windows to give depth and realism, but it can be a very time consuming part of any given build. […]
by on December 30, 2020, filed: How to's
These little lamps can be difficult. In many FSM instructions, George states the small bends are the hardest part to get right — and he’s not wrong. However, with the right tool, they don’t have to be difficult — or even a chore. I typically make my gooseneck’s in 30 seconds or so. And I […]
by on December 29, 2020, filed: How to's
New technology. Two words scary enough on their own but even more terrifying when combined — at least for some. Everyday there’s something new, something more affordable. For instance, right now, I’m debating between an Ultrasonic Knife or a Laser Cutter. Read that sentence again and tell me it doesn’t read like it’s been lifted […]
by on December 17, 2020, filed: How to's
You may notice a rather large HO related hole – or just a general gap between this post and the last. A database corrupted recently, deleting a lot of recent posts, all of which detailed my venture into HO scale territory for diorama making.I’m working hard to restore this beloved content, but in the meantime […]
by on October 10, 2020, filed: Ramblings
Making scale windows from scratch is a task that even the most enthusiastic modellers loath – especially when you have to build a bunch of them. It’s fiddly, long and requires lots of precision. Making windows in a jig, then, transforms the process into an enjoyable one. Here’s mine: This is all based on Ken […]
by on February 4, 2017, filed: How to's, OUT OF HOURS (wip)
Part of the diorama focuses around an open fire escape, in which a main character stands, so I know I have to build and populate part of a corridor that leads to said door. There will be two details, a fire extinguisher and a radiator. The latter of which I’m scratchbuilding. I built it with […]
by on January 8, 2017, filed: How to's, OUT OF HOURS (wip)
I’ve started on many details of “Closing Time” already, putting the cart somewhat before the horse. I say that because I’m still skirting around constructing the buildings for the alley itself. I’m still working out various plans of where things will go and how… so it’s fruitless building major components if things are only going […]
by on January 5, 2017, filed: How to's, OUT OF HOURS (wip)
With the recent completion of my third diorama, “Who Goes There?” one of the more consistent comments in feedback was about the photography and how it pulled people into the diorama, “kicking it up a notch”. So it got me thinking about making a blog post about it. The following is mostly in regard to […]
by on June 24, 2014, filed: How to's
This post will probably have no *single* meaning. Glean from it what you can. I’ve tried to help by putting important stuff in bold. There are many airbrush for beginner videos available. There are many forum posts about it, too. Deciding on an airbrush can be tricky and expensive, so understandably you want to make the right […]
by on June 11, 2014, filed: Ramblings
I was fortunate to stumble across the IndieGoGo page to get this book off the ground but unfortunate in that I was a year too late. Luckily, The Cursed Monkeys deemed it worthwhile to do one more run of the book. So I jumped at the chance. Upon first impressions the book has been made […]
by on May 28, 2014, filed: Reviews
I thought I’d write this little post, whilst I’m waiting for things to dry. The first of which is, ironically enough, about that very thing. Waiting. For me, it truly is one of the hardest parts of the hobby. May sound silly to some, but oh my God the waiting… but it’s so important, especially when […]
by on May 23, 2014, filed: Ramblings
For my diorama I am still making, “I Am Two Bullets”, the two-man sniper team are sipping on a couple Cokes. I decided, after the initial dry test, that it would be nice to have one of the cans to be crushed and discarded. Given that the one I already have is resin, I knew […]
by on May 10, 2014, filed: How to's
Review: GSI’s Tentacle Maker V2 There’s always lump in my throat when I’m mixing green stuff. Not in a romantic way; the opposite, actually. I demand so much from myself that I’m almost always dissapointed. Especially with sculpting. But it’s a journey, right? Anyway, any tool that takes away some of that inherent GS pressure […]
by on May 2, 2014, filed: Reviews
This is going to be short and sweet because, well… it’s still just superglue. BuyPainted over on YouTube uses this glue, in fact it’s through him that I found it. What separates this glue from the rest then? (no pun intended) Well, for me, it’s the brush. You don’t see many superglues with one – and you […]
by on , filed: Reviews
Earlier this week I discovered a set of tools that have changed the way I approach and tackle any given model. Yes, they have become that important. Ever had that issue where you’ve filed something and been satisfied, yet when you prime it reveals a still rough surface? Well, it’s happened to me. And I’ve found […]
by on May 1, 2014, filed: Reviews
One of the many design obstacles (which are great as they breed creativity) was creating some corrugated steel sheeting to line the trench walls. There is plenty of corrugated Evergreen and Plastruct styrene out there that you can buy – and I was ready to, despite it being, as always, ridiculously expensive in most places. […]
by on April 18, 2014, filed: How to's
A recent change in job and home has meant a helluva long break in spending any time in the hobby in the past eight months. For a time I was wondering if I would ever get back into it at all… but then I saw all my (rather expensive!) equipment just gathering dust in the […]
by on January 5, 2013, filed: scratch & bash
So, when I was searching some forums late at night I came across a post where someone had fashioned their own sculpting tool. The handle and the tool itself had been hand made. I wanted one. The article credited the design to a guy named Gene VanHorne. I googled the name but didn’t come up […]
by on January 30, 2012, filed: Reviews
