I love hearing the answers to this question, especially from fellow model railroaders. You may have gotten something I've never heard of and it's neat to hear about all the cool stuff (and get ideas for future shopping lists!).
Santa was good to me this year - not quite sure why since I thought I might be on the Naughty List - but I'm blessed to have a very loving and generous family. And since this is a model railroad blog, I thought it'd be cool to show you what I got...
Looking top to bottom:
- Building software: Making mockups this past fall turned me on to a cool process for making buildings quickly, and I'm hoping this software helps in that effort.
- Resin Casting How-To DVD: I'm hoping that I'll be getting to details soon and populating a layout with hundreds of details (pallets, barrels, etc) can get very expensive if you buy them all commercially. And I'll likely have to scratchbuild the supports for the Rt. 15 bridge over the north end of Wethersfield - and scratchbuilding just one and then casting/copying it will be much better than having to scratchbuild a dozen (and I'm hoping casting them will give me more consistent results).
- Corner punch: for cutting out window & door openings
- "Scenery Tips & Techniques" book: self-explanatory
- "Trackside in Search of Northern New England Steam" : not my specific modeling locale, but still New England and will provide LOTS of great photo reference material for modeling and weathering (all the photos are in color!)
- Resin casting starter kit from MicroMark: all the stuff I need to get started.
Also, not pictured, I got a New Haven gondola kit from F&C (I got one last year too that I haven't built yet, so I'm hitting critical mass for another assembly-line build - soon!), and an animated Ballantine sign (video in yesterday's post - if all you saw yesterday was a big black square, click here to see it). Finally, I used a gift card & money I got to order a distressing brush, another Dremel and drill press vise - both to be used in/on the Dremel workstation (drill press) I got last Christmas. Should come in handy for drilling all the grab iron holes I expect are in my future(!)
So what cool model railroad stuff did you get? Share in the comments below!
An assortment of sanding sticks, and a couple silicone glue brushes - mostly a carpenter's tool, since wood glue (or any pva) comes right off the bristles, but I'll use it on the layout and perhaps on wood models. Also bought myself a few more details, couplers and wheels for my 2015 challenge - to spend nothing on the trains and work solely from my Home Hobby Shop.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your "haul" Galen! And that 2015 Challenge of yours sounds like a really great New Year's Resolution. I suspect a lot of us have "home hobby shops" that continue to grow, while we don't get to build as much.
DeleteOh - almost forgot the nicest gift - a set of Wiha screwdrivers, which will replace the ragtag collection of screwdrivers currently in my tool drawer. The set came with a bonus pair of needlenose pliers, but they won't replace anything, just add to what's there. I love my current needlenose pliers too much to set them aside. I have no such love for the odd collection of weak, bent, off-sized screwdrivers I have amassed over the years.
ReplyDeleteQuality tools are always a great investment and those screwdrivers sound great. Wiha brand? I'll google them, but definitely would like to learn more about them. And what kind of needlenose pliers do you use?
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