WOOHOO! Good weather = time to build

[Gary S]

I bet the rest of the layout will more than 'distract from the shortcomings', if your previous modeling is anything to go by!

Galen, I very much appreciate your confidence, but I consider myself to be a neophyte when it comes to modeling. I have never ever actually glued ground foam onto a layout! The closest thing I have done to having a finished scene is the Texas Division of GERN Industries - and that is only a weathered structure with bascially no details, ground cover, or trees. The good news is, most likely I have many years ahead of me to perfect the techniques needed to make a great scene. And with your help, and the rest of the Big Blue Gang, well, I'm sure y'all will get me to where i need to be.

I'm already thinking about these scenarios on my layout, even though no track has been laid yet. There's one scene already I know I'll either be using a photo or painting from a photo, but this is a creek, not a street. Fortunately it's hemmed in by a hillside on on bank, but a field on the other...so I'm not sure how it'll be blended in. But the height of the layout will make all the difference, I hope, in pulling off the illusion of traveling into the distance. I'm always impressed when that is pulled off effectively.

When you get around to that, please take photos of the process so I can copy your technique. I will also have some creeks (bayous) intersecting the backdrop, so I'll need to know how to do them. One of the bayous will have the bridge about 7" from the backdrop, so that will help hide the intersection, but some of the others will be alot tougher.

On that note, I have not discounted the possibility of hiring an artist to help me out. I know that is somewhat sacrilegious, and rather repulsive, but hey.... ya gotta do what ya gotta do.