July 24, 2008 | A Year In The Life...
July 24, 2008
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s not the headlight of an oncoming train! Instead, it’s the end of the road for the diorama I’m building to display my first-ever craftsman structure kit.
I’m working from a punch list now. I’m painting detail castings, touching up scenery, and gluing little people to the ground. I need to add a few signs, finish some roof details and set up the camera and lights. I’m on schedule to have everything posted by August 1st.
Stay tuned.
Scott
July 22, 2008 | A Year In The Life...
July 22, 2008
Things are moving quickly here. The diorama for me new kit is almost done. I’ll be photographing it in three or four days, and begin taking orders on it on August 1st. This is a multi-building kit, with one very large structure, one medium-sized structure, two smaller buildings, and a host of details. That’s as much as I want to tell you for now, but the mystery will be unveiled on 8/1!
In the meantime, I’m waiting for the truck to arrive with the new DVD, “Painting and Weathering Detail Castings with Dave Revelia”. It left the factory in CA on Friday, so I expect it to arrive any day. I had anticipated shipping to begin on August 1st, but all 200 or so advanced orders will be in the mail before then. If you haven’t ordered yet, now’s the time to do so. Dave is an incredible artist and teacher.
Jimmy informs me that I need to write a newsletter, having not sent one out in a while. He’s also waiting fore me to write the Podcast index so he can get it online. I better get after it!
Scott
July 16, 2008 | A Year In The Life...
Sorry.
My intentions for keeping up with this diary were genuine, but, there never seems to be enough hours in the day…these days especially.
Those of you who listen to the Podcast know what I’ve been up to, and hopefully you folks understand my absence from posting here. With that, I thought I’d bring everyone else up to date.
May and June were incredibly busy months, both from a personal and professional perspective. My oldest daughter, Kelly, graduated from high school in May. The festivities leading up to, and including graduation itself, kept her busy and, and my wife and I on our toes. Despite missing 60 days of school due to mononucleosis, Kelly still managed to make the honor roll in all but one term, and only one grade kept her off.
Her graduation present was a week-long trip to England with me. I had won a pair of tickets to see Paul McCartney perform in a concert in Liverpool, his hometown, and the hometown of the Beatles. So the day after graduation, Kelly and I got on a plane and flew all night to Manchester, England. From there, we took a train to Liverpool over the roadbed of the first railroad in the world.
To quote my friend, Tony Sissons, “Liverpool is a f’n s-hole”, but it’s the best f’n s-hole you’ll ever visit”. He was right. What a fascinating city.
Nick Ogden came up from his home to spend the afternoon with us, one of the days. It was great to spend some time with him on his turf.
We spent two days there, then took another train to London for the remainder of the trip. London is one of the greatest cities I’ve ever visited, and I can’t wait to go back.
I was home for two and a half days before getting in the truck and heading west to California. Dave Frary, Bob Hayden and I convened to build scenery for a client. We spent a week recreating the Sierra Nevada mountains in HO scale. It was quite an endeavor. I was glad when the week was over, My knees, back and legs were pretty sore.
Now I’m working around the clock to get my first craftsman structure kit ready for release. I’ll be posting photos and taking orders starting in August. stay tuned.
Also, in case you didn’t know, I have also released two new DVD’s this summer. Check them out!
Scott
June 7, 2008 | A Year In The Life...
Have you ever been in a situation where you get home from one trip, and don’t even bother to unpack your clothes because you’re leaving again? Well, that’s my life these days.
I just got back from a week in England with my daughter Kelly, who graduate from high school last week. I won two tickets (unfortunately, only two so the whole family couldn’t go) to see Paul McCartney play a concert in Liverpool. We hung out in Liverpool for a few days, did the whole Beatles thing, then took the train to London, where we spent three days seeing the sites. It was a wonderful trip, but the weakened dollar made it a very expensive trip.
Now it’s off to California on Monday morning. The two brick roundhouses are finished. You can see them here: http://www.kitforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=434
I’m pleased with the way they cam out, but am not anxious to tackle another project that large…of course, that doesn’t mean I won’t!
Well, Dave Frary, Bob Hayden and I will be building scenery on my clients layout for a week or so, so I’ll have some updates for you while I’m in California.
May 4, 2008 | A Year In The Life...
I’ve missed you. Really!
I know many of you have probably given up on this diary, but I haven’t. I’ve just been incredibly busy, and about to get even more incredibly busy. So I thought I’d check in.
It’s 10:55 p.m. on Sunday night as I’m writing this, and I’m working. I’m roofing the two brick roundhouses that have to be done by the end of the month, and delivered to California on June 9th. Every step of this process is an exercise in tedium. I’m cutting and gluing the little wood trim pieces for the roofs. There are 112 pieces of scale 2″x8″ and 112 pieces of scale 2″x4″ that have to be cut and installed. Not a whole lot of fun, but on the other hand, that’s why I’m being paid to do this.
What else have I been up to?
Well, two weeks ago, I was in south Bend, IN for the Model Railroad Symposium hosted by the St. Joe’s Valley Model Railroad Club…a real nice bunch of guys. Talk about an intense immersion in the hobby? This is an annual event, you should go.
Of course, I was as sick as a dog while I was there, and for the entire week after I got back. My whole family has had the plague, but we seem to be feeling better.
My new kit is coming along nicely. Doug Foscale and I got together last week to tweak the plans, and make sure that everything goes together the way it’s supposed to. I’ve already built one pilot model, and will be building another for the display diorama. I’m not ready to let the cat out of the bag, but I’m very pleased with the design of the main building, and the secondary structures. I’ll write the instructions at night while I’m in California next month, and I’ll announce what the kit is in July. I expect to begin taking orders in August with an October 15th ship date.
The editing of the new DVD’s is about halfway done. The first DVD, “Building Craftsman Structure Kits, Volume 4, Scratchbuilding Techniques with Brian Nolan” is off to the factory,a nd can be pre-ordered on the website. Delivery will be around May 30th. “Painting and Weathering Detail Castings with Dave Revelia” will be ready for pre-order in a couple of weeks.
Well, time for a little sleep, then back at it in the a.m. BTW…the May Podcast will be out in a few days. We’re starting a new feature this month; “The Brass Market Report with Bob Leonard”. Check it out. We’ll also be playin the final installment of our three-part interview with Tony Koester, and will talk with structure builder extraordinaire Karl Osolinski. Please tune in!
Scott
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