Men At Work: an animated diorama

[davefoxx]

Funny you should mention this. Each animation or animated scene is a stand-alone device, so the underside is pretty orderly and compact.

Knowing DKS, I wouldn’t expect it any other way.

DFF

[DKS]

Knowing DKS, I wouldn’t expect it any other way.

DFF

As it looks right now:



Left to right: dump truck #1 mech, excavator mech, dump truck #2 mech.

[LIRR]

this may be easier than you think....anytime I drive by a road construction site, 2/3 of them are apparently standing around doing nothing ....

[DKS]

Just finished scratchbuilding a pair of portable light towers.



These are among the little details that are common around work sites, but that aren't commercially available, to my knowledge, and not often modeled. So I made a couple of my own. And as with many of my efforts lately, I did it twice. The first time, I made the armature out of brass, and it was nothing but trouble. For the second go-round, I started with double-sided PC board that I cut into square strips with a jeweler's saw for the masts (below left). This solved the problem I had the first time around with wiring.

   

I made the reflectors from Tichy HO Scale lamp shades. I simply drilled out the center and then threaded pre-wired cool white 0402 SMD LEDs into them. Next, I made brackets for pairs of the lamps by drilling two holes in styrene strip stock to accept the necks of the reflectors (above right). A dab of CA locked everything in place. The next step was the toughest: cutting, stripping and soldering all eight leads, and soldering the two bundles to either side of the mast. The big bunches of wires didn't bother me, since the lights would all be oriented to face the viewer, obscuring the wires. I completed the light assembly by bonding a bit of wire to the top of the mast (with a bit of insulation to keep from shorting out the mast), and then the light pairs to the wire.

   

I made the generators from solid blocks of styrene; I eyeballed their size and shape based on reference photos. Then I attached fenders, outriggers and hitches made from bits of strip styrene, and wheels from the scrap box. Paint and some random decals finished them off.

[amato1969]

So good!  I love your writing style that outlines these builds.

  Frank

[DKS]

So good!  I love your writing style that outlines these builds.

Thank you, Frank!

[Pomperaugrr]

DKS, your work never ceases to amaze me.  The level of complexity and detail you achieve are far above my abilities.

[DKS]

The level of complexity and detail you achieve are far above my abilities.

I've heard a lot of people say things like that. And I have to answer with, "Why not give it a try?" When someone says "I could never do that," to me that's a self-fulfilling prophecy. You don't know until you try, and if you fail on the first attempt, keep trying. It took me 60 years of practice to get where I am, so you're not going to catch up overnight. But, I'll bet you can surprise yourself if you start trying.

[DKS]

As a footnote to the above, my increasing physical limitations of the last few years brought me to the point of quitting the hobby a short time back. Ultimately, however, I got quite cross with myself for giving up like that, so I set about starting over, and finding new ways of doing old things that had become quite difficult. I've reinvented many of my modeling techniques in order to compensate for my "handicaps," and while I may never again do some of the things I once did, I'm doing new and different things that are just as exciting.

All of which is to say that there's no telling what you can accomplish when you really put your mind to it.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I've heard a lot of people say things like that. And I have to answer with, "Why not give it a try?" When someone says "I could never do that," to me that's a self-fulfilling prophecy. You don't know until you try, and if you fail on the first attempt, keep trying. It took me 60 years of practice to get where I am, so you're not going to catch up overnight. But, I'll bet you can surprise yourself if you start trying.

Here's one reason that I will admit... your "scrap bin"!
How do you keep your stockpile organized? I know I've had many times when I'm like "I know I have xyz part somewhere..." but it could be in one of a dozen places. You seem to be able to deal with that easily. What's the trick?

[DKS]

Here's one reason that I will admit... your "scrap bin"!
How do you keep your stockpile organized? I know I've had many times when I'm like "I know I have xyz part somewhere..." but it could be in one of a dozen places. You seem to be able to deal with that easily. What's the trick?

No "trick." Just places dedicated to certain stuff. Tiny things go in these:



Medium-sized things go in here:



And big stuff here:



Been doing it this way for decades. This is from 1999 or thereabouts:



Compare that to this:

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Compare that to this:

Hey now! I must defend my honor.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]
I actually know what's in most of those boxes. But not in that level of detail.
Most of them generally hold big stuff (either equipment) or scenery materials.

[DKS]

Hey now! I must defend my honor.

I actually know what's in most of those boxes. But not in that level of detail.
Most of them generally hold big stuff (either equipment) or scenery materials.

I know, I know, just bustin' ya.

But in all seriousness, the thing to start stockpiling now is parts cabinets. They're not expensive, and you'll be thankful once you start actually using them. Oh, and put your label maker to use, too. It helps--a lot! Over the years, I've found that only a very few things can be easily identified through clear drawers. Like brass tubing scraps and such. Labels also help keep you from just tossing a bunch of random stuff into a drawer... kinda like the "junk drawers" most everyone has in their kitchen...

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I know, I know, just bustin' ya.

But in all seriousness, the thing to start stockpiling now is parts cabinets. They're not expensive, and you'll be thankful once you start actually using them. Oh, and put your label maker to use, too. It helps--a lot! Over the years, I've found that only a very few things can be easily identified through clear drawers. Like brass tubing scraps and such. Labels also help keep you from just tossing a bunch of random stuff into a drawer... kinda like the "junk drawers" most everyone has in their kitchen...

I've actually started doing that. Not so much the parts drawers, but I've got a number of individual bins for different types of parts:
1. Layout details
2. Structure details
3. Equipment details
4. Trucks, Wheels & Couplers

And then in each of those I have bagged like stuff together like "horns", "pilot details", etc...
THAT part of things is working pretty well, at least.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Thinking about it, I think your secret is: discipline.

Exercising discipline in cleaning up and storing your stuff pays long term benefits.