Category: video

Painting Foam Rock Scenery | Bandit Canyon Railway

 

Here’s a follow up to my video on carving foam rocks! Many people asked for a more in-depth look at the painting and finishing techniques I use for foam rock scenery, so this time out I finish up “Six Gun Butte” on the On18 Bandit Canyon Railway layout – with an emphasis on the scenic painting techniques I use most often. This is BCRy Part IX.
Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

Workbench Wednesday | The Art of Dry Brushing

 

Welcome to Workbench Wednesday at Thunder Mesa Studio! This week, it’s a model making tip on the subtle but indispensable art of dry brushing. I show you my preferred brushes, paints and techniques, then demonstrate them by dry brushing a weathered finish on a stock Bachmann On30 ore car.

Thanks for watching!
Dave

Cordelia’s Cafe | Modeling with Printed Paper Textures

 

Calico Boomtown Part 9

As promised, here's a video on modeling with printed paper textures. Follow along as I take Cordelia's Cafe from rough mock-up to finished model, with an emphasis on the digital tools I use to model realistic looking signs, walls, and structures using cg textures on printed paper. I use Adobe Photoshop and realistic cg textures to model the intricate graphics on the front wall of Cordelia's Cafe - a structure inspired by Cordelia Knott's famous fried chicken dinners and Boysenberry pies! Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

Designing Laser Cut Structures with Adobe Illustrator: https://youtu.be/5pZWQwMsZPY
CG Textures: https://www.textures.com/

On18 Boxcar | Bandit Canyon Railway

 

BCRy Part VIII. Let's build an On18 boxcar! One of the fun things about On18 is the ability to use N scale parts, mechanisms and frames as a starting point for these fun O scale narrow gauge models. This time, I use a 50' N scale car as a starting point for a freelanced 12' On18 boxcar with loads of character. This a start-to-finish build with all steps of construction detailed. The finished car measures about 3" long x 1 1/8" wide x 2" high.

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

3 Methods for Making Foam Rocks

 

Today I want to share with you my 3 favorite methods for making rocks out of foam. The Thunder Mesa, Gruesome Gulch, and Bandit Canyon layouts all have a TON of hand carved rockwork so I've developed, adopted, modified or our right stolen just about every rock making technique under the sun! My three favorites make the best use of polyurethane and polystyrene foams, and I'll take you through all of the materials, tools and techniques that I use to model the canyon country scenery on my layouts.

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

Polyurethane carving foam: https://www.dickblick.com/products/sculpture-block/
Sculptamold: https://www.dickblick.com/products/amaco-sculptamold/
Hotwire foam cutter: https://a.co/d/5qz9Evp

Thunder Mesa Featured on Toy Man Television

 

Dale and Karyn Angell from the well known YouTube channel Toy Man Television paid a visit to Thunder Mesa Studio in mid-June and have now featured the layouts in one of their excellent videos. It was wonderful to have them here and a real treat to see the layout through the eyes of others, especially folks with such a real appreciation for the craft and artistry of model trains.  If you love model trains – and real trains! – you should definitely be subscribed to Toy Man TV.

Model Making Quick Tip | Layout Lighting

 

Let’s go behind the scenes to see how the lighting is set up on the On30 Thunder Mesa layout. I use a combination of directional track lighting and LED strip lighting to keep the layout looking its best for both photos and in person! This video is more of a “why-to” than a “how-to,” with thoughts on lighting for dramatic and thematic effect and why it’s so important to pick a light direction and time of day for your scenes.

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

RGB Tape Light: https://a.co/d/a2ELNsJ

Rainbow Ridge General Store | Building a Structure from Disneyland!

 

It's back to the Little Mining Town of Rainbow Ridge once again to build the old adobe General Store. This is a structure from the old Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland attraction that still stands today as part of the wildest ride in the wilderness - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! My version is a blending of the old and new, with some details taken from the old Mine Train version, and others from Big Thunder. Kind of like the entire Thunder Mesa model railroad, huh? This video has tips on modeling old adobe walls, adding details, signs, and even a painted backdrop interior.

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

Acrylic Modeling Paste for stucco: https://a.co/d/6S65feH

Basic Wiring for Lighting and Accessories | Bandit Canyon Railway

 

BCRy Part VII. As promised, heres a how-to on the 9 volt wiring system I use for lighting and animated accessories on the On18 Bandit Canyon Railway. In this episode, I build a second animated balancing rock with a different technique, then show how I set up the 9v wiring bus step by step.

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

9 volt ac/dc transformer: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00191WVF6?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1
DC power bus: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DW2C4ZB?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Animated Teetering Boulder! | Bandit Canyon Railway

 

BCRy Part VI. It's time to add some animation to the On18 Bandit Canyon Railway in the form a a teetering boulder - straight out of the old Disneyland Mine Train Ride! I use a 3RPM DC motor and a simple linkage to make the carved foam rock "teeter" back and forth as the trains pass below. It takes a little trial and error, but the final effect makes for a very fun effect. Follow along as I building the animation mechanism, tweak it 'till it works reliably, then carve and color the polyurethane foam rocks.

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave