How about a scale model trailer build?...or build off?

[Sam I am]

Cliff, those are beautiful models! I would think soda can metal would be hard to work with, being so thin, but that guy must have some real skill! I'm guessing that the models are made of blocks of wood or foam with the aluminum skin glued on it. Very nice work!

[Sam I am]

I just finished my 1/12 scale campground diorama, and shot some pics outside in front of a shrub for a woodsy looking background. Here's the 57 Chevy and tear backed into the camp site.


Here's Bubba calling home on his cell phone to say he arrived at the campground safely.

He took a cold soda out of the cooler, and he has a box of firewood for a campfire later tonight.
Here's a shot of the teardrop from the other side. The trees are branches cut from a real shrub (Juniper, I think). The gravel is cat litter, and the grass is model train layout grass.

This was a fun project. I hope you like it!
Sam

[SIXTOTWO]

I just finished my 1/12 scale campground diorama, and shot some pics outside in front of a shrub for a woodsy looking background. Here's the 57 Chevy and tear backed into the camp site.


This was a fun project. I hope you like it!
Sam

FABULOUS!!! Wish I could see it in person!

[High Desert]

That is just AMAZING! Sam, you are an Artist. Thanks for sharing this with us. Bubba has it made

[bve]

Fantastic detail, what did you make the fire pit out of? It's very realistic looking.

[Sam I am]

Wow, folks! I'm flattered by your responses. Thanks so much!
Burke, the fire ring is a piece of aluminum flashing rolled into a circle with the ends folded to make a hem joint. A paper punch made the vent holes. The grill on top is balsa sticks and wire. I sprayed it all with flat black paint, then a few shots of red oxide primer. While the primer was wet, I sprinkled on some real rust from a rusted Brillo pad to give it a well used and rusted look. I put some ashes from my pipe inside and on the ground around the ring for a bit more realism. I enjoy making things like this from ordinary materials instead of expensive "hobby" items.

[cuyeda]

And the winner is Sam I Am! Excellent!

[cuyeda]

Sam I am... I just came across this website full of scale model builders. Perhaps you already know of this group? Check this site out for lots of model examples.

http://www.cincinnatiautoreplicas.org

[BILLYL]

Wow, folks! I'm flattered by your responses. Thanks so much!
Burke, the fire ring is a piece of aluminum flashing rolled into a circle with the ends folded to make a hem joint. A paper punch made the vent holes. The grill on top is balsa sticks and wire. I sprayed it all with flat black paint, then a few shots of red oxide primer. While the primer was wet, I sprinkled on some real rust from a rusted Brillo pad to give it a well used and rusted look. I put some ashes from my pipe inside and on the ground around the ring for a bit more realism. I enjoy making things like this from ordinary materials instead of expensive "hobby" items.

SamIAm

This is simple amazing. I could have used your skills a couple of years ago when I was "trying" to make a railroad setup for my sons.

Thank you for sharing..............

Bill

[Sam I am]

Cuyeda, thanks for the link. There's some cool stuff there. The model in your photo is really well done, much more detailed than mine! I think it's in 1/25 scale, which matches most model cars. The galley is great!

Bill, thanks for the nice compliment. I made a couple model train layouts years ago, one in HO (1/87) scale, and one in N (1/160) scale. It's a lot harder to make good scenery and details in those scales compared to the 1/12 scale of my teardrop campground diorama!

[Micro469]

I read this thread with interest, but have one very important question......
How do you build something to scale? I guess what I want to know is the equation you use... for example ... if something is 2" high, and you want to make it 1/12 the size...2*12=.166. how would I convert .166 to inches or part thereof???

[toypusher]

I read this thread with interest, but have one very important question......
How do you build something to scale? I guess what I want to know is the equation you use... for example ... if something is 2" high, and you want to make it 1/12 the size...2*12=.166. how would I convert .166 to inches or part thereof???

You could just get an architect's ruler.

[Sam I am]

John, you've got it - just divide the full size dimension by the scale factor (12 for 1/12. 24 for 1/24, etc.). The .166 you got is in inches, somewhere between 1/8 and 3/16. I use a metal scale calibrated in tenths and hundredths of an inch, since many dimensions don't come out to nice fractional sizes. I also fudge a lot. If that .166 was to be a wood thickness, for example, I would use either 1/8" or 3/16" thick sheet and say "close enough"!

[doug hodder]

Congrats on a very well done diorama! That is so cool! A far cry from those shoe box dioramas that I had done back in 5th grade, you know the ones, with the tissue paper tops...or am I just old? At any rate...it's top notch! Doug

[Roly Nelson]

In my spare time, now that I have the 1/2 Nelson Woody and the 1/4 Nelson Stacker, I am now in the middle of constructing the 1/8th Nelson, which is a 1 1/2 inch to the foot, scale model of the original one. Yes, it is an easier build, goes together much faster and only costs a fraction of a big one. Putting in those 600 wooden plugs gets to be a real task. Whew.
Roly, 1/2, 1/4 and 1/8 builder. I wonder if a pair of 1/16 woody teardrops would work for ear rings. Naw, that's just TOO small.