Not bad, just rusty




Peeling Paint

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 Craig on October 14, 2021, filed: How to's

HO Curtains & Shades — The Easy Way!

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 Craig on December 30, 2020, filed: How to's

Making HO Gooseneck Lamps

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 Craig on December 29, 2020, filed: How to's

3D printing for scale modeling

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 Craig on December 17, 2020, filed: How to's

How to make 1/35 sach windows

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 Craig on February 4, 2017, filed: How to's, OUT OF HOURS (wip)

How to make 1/35 radiators

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 Craig on January 8, 2017, filed: How to's, OUT OF HOURS (wip)

How to make 1/35 ducting

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 Craig on January 5, 2017, filed: How to's, OUT OF HOURS (wip)

How to Photograph Dioramas

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 Craig on June 24, 2014, filed: How to's

How to make 1/35 crushable coke cans

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 Craig on May 10, 2014, filed: How to's

How to make 1/35 corrugated steel

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 Craig on April 18, 2014, filed: How to's