Quote Originally Posted by Ian7633 View Post
Thanks Russell, it's great therapy for me both physically and mentally. I quite fancy the idea of model trains but I don't really have the space for a good layout. I like your idea for a setting for photos, I will have a play with some settings.
Very glad to hear you're on the mend Russell, I hope it's not too long before you're in rude health again.
I’m getting there. A friend came around today and we played a few songs on guitar! So, I’m slowly on the mend.

I was confined to my room due to illness for 6 years or so, that was over 6 years ago now. But the model trains and the art of modeling helped keep my sanity. I got into it because of the computer control, you’d be shocked at all the circuits made for trains these days. But, once I got into it, I found I enjoyed the modeling the most. Another small thing you may want to add to your motorcycle models is weathering. To add realism, there are many methods to “weather”, your projects, a bit of dirt, a touch of rust, making the rubber on the tires look worn. It takes a delicate touch to make it realistic.

And I’m sure there are YouTube videos on the art of photographing models, to make them look real. I had a digital camera with a macro setting, that made my small scenes look realistic, I read an article in a magazine about this man who took a board with a length of track with fake dirt and grass, setting on saw horses, and he set it up so the train appeared to be setting on a hill in the distance. And it was so real! He was actually getting paid by the model companies to make these photos, to advertise their products.

The trick to model railroading is not how much space you have, just get a smaller gauge to fit your space. I chose N scale, which I could turn around in 24”, an HO takes 48”, and a Z scale only takes 13” to turn around. You could literally put a Z scale town and track on the coffee table.

Russell