VOLUME #1 - ISSUE #9
SCOTTYMASON.COM
UPCOMING EVENTS:
I’ll be in Portland, OR from September 9 th through the 14 th fro the 28 th annual National Narrow Gauge Convention. This year, I’ll be with the folks displaying the Fn3 Sundance Central modular layout. The layout will be on display in the Show hotel. I’ll be offering my two new DVD’s for sale throughout the Show. Please stop by and say hello!
I’m traveling to South Florida in October to give a clinic at the NMRA Sunshine Region Fall Convention in Deerfield Beach. The Convention dates are October 17 th through the 19 th. I’ll be presenting my clinic on weathering freight cars. I’ll also have a table. Roundhouse kits and DVD’s will be available for purchase. I hope to see you there.
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Welcome to my newsletter for August 2008! In each issue you'll find helpful information designed for model railroaders who build and collect craftsman structure kits. I'll try to keep you up to date on the latest kit releases, availability, tips, tricks and techniques. |
Summer is half over by the calendar...
but the kids will be returning to school in a few short weeks, so by their standards, the party’s just about over.
It’s just about over at the Mason house as well. We’ve got some big changes coming up this fall. In a few short weeks, we’ll be taking my oldest daughter out west to attend college. That will be the culmination of a very hectic few months.
We started in May when she graduated from high school. The day after graduation, she and I were on a 747 headed for England. I won a pair of tickets to see Sir Paul McCartney perform in a concert in Liverpool, the hometown of the Beatles. That was a trip I couldn’t pass up, and made a great graduation present to her.
So we spent two days following in the footsteps of the Fab Four, saw an incredible concert with 60,000 of our new British friends, and had lunch with Sir Nick Ogden, who came up from Shropshire to spend the afternoon with us.
Then we took the train to London, where we spent three days seeing the sites. What a great city! I can’t wait to go back.
We got back on a Friday, and on Monday morning at 4:00, I was in the truck headed for California.
Those of you who have followed along, know I had been working on two large South River Modelworks’ brick roundhouses for a client in the Sacramento area. I finished them, and packed them in a rental, and off I drove.
Dave Frary and Bob Hayden met me there, and we spent the next week building scenery on the client’s layout, which is based on the Southern Pacific Donner Pass Sub Division. I was away from home three weeks in June. When it came time to get on the plane to come home, I was a very happy camper. I was even happier when I found out that my wife hadn’t replaced me.
Unfortunately, the hard work had just begun. I had a DVD to edit, and a diorama to design and build to display my first craftsman structure kit. (Don’t worry; you’ll hear more about both a little further down the page!)
I had the month of July to get everything wrapped up. The DVD went together quickly. I got it sent out to the factory in record time. The diorama required a little more work than that.
About four weeks of 16-hour work days later, it was finished. Building something for yourself is one thing, but building something that not only is going to be seen by thousands of people, but hopefully purchased by several hundred, is completely different. There were many sleepless nights as I went through the process. I’m very happy with end result. Doug Foscale of Fos Scale Limited worked with me on the technical aspects. Jimmy Deignan worked behind the scenes to create the sales pieces and web pages, and Dave Frary photographed it.
Of course, the work isn’t over. I’ve got to finish writing the instruction book. It will probably check in at around 80-90 pages when all is said and done. Then in two weeks, I’ll be producing a companion DVD to go with the kit.
I’ll be heading out west again in September, followed by a business trip to Florida in October, and then the Craftsman Structure Show in November. Christmas can’t come fast enough right now!
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- A free kit from the forum, made by FOS
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- A great first contest. Everyone who entered got a T-shirt, and the winner got a numbered, signed & dated Fine Scale Miniatures kit
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The Rutland Railroad to be Featured at 2009 NMRA National Convention Layout Tour:
Those of you who know me, or listen to the Scotty Mason Show Podcast, or have been to one of my clinics, or been to an open house to see my model railroad, know that the layout is on the bottom of the list of things I work on, at least on a regular basis. But all that has to change now.
I got an e-mail from a fellow who wanted to know if I would agree to have my layout on the Layout Tour for the 2009 NMRA Convention in Hartford, CT.
At first, I thought this was some kind of a joke played on me by one of my friends. Who’d want to get in a bus, travel all the way to my house from Hartford, and see the beautiful plywood vistas in my basement?
But then I got to thinking about it. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea after all. There’s no way I want a bunch of strangers from all over the country to see the little amount of work I’ve done on my layout, so if they’re coming, I need to get some work done and show some progress. Ah, incentive!
So I wrote the gentleman back, and told him I was in. I explained what percentage of the layout was complete, and what percentage I thought would be complete by next July. Now the pressure is on, but I’m really looking forward to it, and looking forward to getting a good chunk of scenery built. So, stay tuned!
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New Kits Being Announced for the Fall
Several craftsman structure manufacturers have announced their new offerings for the fall. Among them are new kits from Fine Scale Miniatures, South River Modelworks, Fos Scale Limited, Sierra West Scale Models, Rail Scale Miniatures and of course, me.
Fine Scale Miniatures & George Sellios’s new kit is called Butchers Way. This is a multi-structure kit much like his street series that concluded two years ago. The kit price is $280.00 plus $12.00 shipping. Pictures haven't been released, but the lucky few who've seen it, say it's a winner! www.finescaleminiatures.com
Fos Scale Limited announces the release of its latest kit, “The Mudflap Café”. This roadside structure is reminiscent of many such buildings located all over the United States. It features a set of gas pumps. www.foslimited.com
Sierra West Scale Models has released an O-scale version of the “Logging and Tractor Repair Shop”. This is an extensive kit. Filled with high-quality detail castings, and a fantastic instruction book. www.sierrawestscalemodels.com
Rail Scale Miniatures’ next kit will be called “The Vogue Furniture Company”. This kit features a large furniture store and furniture making company and several smaller buildings. No release date has been announced. The price of the kit is $325.00 Canadian. www.railscaleminiatures.com
Bob Van Gelder of South River Modelworks announced his latest release; Spencer Box. This is also a multi-structure kit, featuring a mill, a bar, and a convenience store. The price of the kit has not been released. www.southrivermodelworks.com
New England Brownstone Announces New Releases
New England Brownstone (www.nebrownstone.com) will be unveiling some new kits and additions to its growing line of model stone product line, just in time for the CSS08 show. First in the line-up are the highly requested interlocking Dry Stacked Stone wall castings. Included in this series will be an interlocking corner module that will eliminate the dreaded “butted corner” look.
Along with the new wall system they will also be expanding their Standard Wall series with more useful components to help make those urban areas look just like the prototype.
New to the scene will be a small hydroelectric powerhouse similar to the ones found throughout the USA. This kit will be made of cast Hydrocal plaster and will include a concrete base that can be turned around to depict a masonry base with a nice arched tail water discharge if so desired by the modeler. There will be a concrete gate section, including castings for gate hoists and a short section of dam to complete the kit. If the dam section is too short for the modeler’s requirements, they’ll also be offering a new kit for a diversion dam that will tame any river on any layout.
They will be including a signed and numbered pen & ink print of the prototype building that was used for inspiration for this kit to all of those who purchase it at the CSS08 show.
SCOTTYMASON.COM Releases it’s first Craftsman Structure Kit: The Branchline/Backwoods Roundhouse
I told you you’d hear more about the kit!
The Branchline/Backwoods Roundhouse is a three-stall, medium–sized wooden roundhouse with three ancillary structures. The design of the roundhouse is based on a common plan used by many railroads throughout the United States and Canada. The roundhouse will fit nicely along a wall, or on a peninsula, and will hold medium-sized locomotives. One stall has a maintenance pit, and there is an attached machine shop for light repairs.
The other buildings include a storage warehouse, a brick boiler house, and a coal storage bunker. There’s also a Hydrocal cast plaster ash pit. Materials and plans are also included to build a coal trestle.
Included with the kit will be a full-length DVD, “Building the Branchline/Backwoods Roundhouse”
You can see more here: www.scottymason.com
The price of the kit is $310.00 plus $15.00 domestic shipping. International shipping is available and will be quoted after your kit is ordered. The kit will be ready to ship on October 15 th, but I’m taking reservations now. To sweeten the deal a little, everyone who pre-orders a kit up til October 1 st, can choose a free DVD from my web catalog. If you already have a complete set, just make note on your order, and you’ll receive the next release, “Painting Figures” with Dave Revelia” as soon as it’s available.
New DVD, “Building Craftsman Structures, Volume 4 with Brian Nolan is on the Shelves
Award-winning craftsman structure builder, Brian Nolan demonstrates many of the techniques that have earned him fame in “Building Craftsman Structure Kits, Volume 4”. In this 1-hour DVD, Brian demonstrates his techniques for weathering wood, achieving pealing paint, painting and weathering brick and stone, working with wood and corrugated roofing, and much, much more.
As a bonus feature, the DVD includes an exclusive interview with Brian, who discusses the motivation behind his work. Brian has won many modeling awards including the prestigious “Best in Show” at the National Narrow Gauge Convention.
“Building Craftsman Structure Kits, Volume 4 with Brian Nolan is available to purchase through my website. The price is $29.95 plus shipping.
Dave Revelia Shows His Award-Winning Techniques for Painting and Weathering Detail Castings on New DVD
“Painting and Weathering Detail Castings, with Dave Revelia” is a new 1-hour DVD that features Dave’s techniques for working with resin and metal detail castings. Like Brian Nolan, Dave is a multi-award winning structure builder. His work with detail castings, most recently, on the Fn3 Sundance Central layout, have re-affirmed his spot at the top of the hobby.
Dave will show you how to work with wood, barrels, drums, workbenches, and much more.
A new feature, “How They Did That” is included. Dave will show you his method for painting detailing and weathering a cobblestone road.
“Painting and Weathering Detail Castings with Dave Revelia” is available to purchase through my website. The price is $29.95 plus shipping.
The Scotty Mason Show Celebrates its First Anniversary
April 2008 marked the one-year anniversary of the first Scotty Mason Show Podcast. The Show has gone through some changes in that time, and we’ve interviewed many well-known modelers and manufacturers in our hobby.
Each month, the Podcast is downloaded over 17,000 times. When we thought the Show was running too long, we asked the listeners who told us to make it longer! On behalf of Doug, Jimmy and Dave, I’d like to thank everyone who has listened in the last year. We look forward to many more years of the Scotty Mason Show.
The CSS08 kit is available! Shipping 10/08 CSS08 attendies only, limited to approx 150 HO scale kits. Order now!
CSS: Plans are Finalizing for CSS08
The 2008 Craftsman Structure Show will take place November 13-15 at the Holiday Inn and Conference Center in Mansfield, MA. Final plans are being made for the three-day event.
Clinics, contests, a dealer and manufacturer show, panel discussions and an awards dinner with Craftsman Structure Hall of Fame inductions are all part of the festivities.
Clinics will be conducted by many of the hobbies most notable modelers including: Dave Frary, Dave Revelia, Brian Nolan, Tony Koester, Lou Sassi, Bob Van Gelder, Brett Gallant, Bob Mitchell, Mike Tylick, Russ Greene, Doug Foscale, and more!
Contests include: Diorama, Structure, Square Foot, Peanut Butter Lid, Photo of a Model and Photo of a Prototype.
This years’ Hall of Fame inductees include: Leo Campbell. Bob Mitchell, Bob Van Gelder, Bob Hayden, Karl Osolinski and Carl Laskey.
Dealers and manufactures that will be represented include: Fine Scale Miniatures, South River Modelworks, Sierra West Scale Models, Blue Ribbon Models, Banta Modelworks, Fos Scale Limited, CRAFTSMANKITS.COM. SCOTTYMASON.COM, Ed Fulasz Models, BEST Trains, Northeastern Scale Lumber, Crow River Models, Train and Trooper, Full Steam Ahead, Crusader Rails, and many, many more.
On Wednesday, November 12 th, George Sellios will be playing host to an open house at the Franklin & South Manchester Railroad. If you are registered for the Show, and you would like to attend this open house, you must sign up. You can do so by sending an e-mail to info@css08.com. Please select a time frame: 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.; 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.; 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. or 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. we will do our best to accommodate your time request. Attendance in on a first come, first served basis, and the total number of attendees is limited to 160. Unfortunately, due to limited space in the layout room. No exceptions will be made. There is no charge to attend the open house, but you must be registered for the Show.
The 2008 Craftsman Structure Show is shaping up to be the model railroading event of the year. Make your plans now to attend by signing up at www.css08.com. We look forward to seeing you there!
HOTEL ROOMS ARE GOING FAST! LESS THEN 10 ROOMS REMAIN AT OUR SPECIAL RATE!
The Show is sponsored by Fos Scale Limited, craftsmankits.com, and scottymason.com. For more details concerning the show, please go to the Show website: www.css08.com for all the information and registration forms. We look forward to seeing you in November!
Want to submit a column or article? email Scott.
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Published every once in a while by Scott Mason ©www.scottymason.com - EMAIL SCOTT - Visit www.scottymason.com Volume 1 Issue 10 Summer 2008
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