jeff train: Editorial

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föstudagur, 7. nóvember 2014

Putting trolls in their place

Several times I've started typing, deleted, and re-started a post expressing my reaction to an email I received via the Model Rail Radio mailing list from Jim Gore earlier this week.
I can't begin to describe how angry this email made me - (posted as I received it):

Dear All,
First, I want to thank so many of you who have said nice things about my layout feature in Model Railroader. Never intended that to be one of my goals in model railroading � it just happened because a friend of a friend talked with Lou Sassi who needed some place to visit in Florida during the winter.
I have always believed that this hobby of ours is exactly that � a hobby. It is something that gives us individual satisfaction and a certain amount of contentment. Ultimately, there is only one person that has to be satisfied, the owner of the model railroad; the rest being �gravy�.
It seems that my fictionalized railroad, as a branch-line of the Chili Lines, has sparked outright hatred and animosity among a group of prototype modelers, presumably who are strict Chili Line adherents. If you know any of these persons, can you tell them to stop sending me nasty emails and phone calls. Good gravy � it�s a hobby !!!!
Jim

As I blogged in my post on Clinic Etiquette, most model railroaders - the overwhelming majority - are well adjusted people who appreciate good modeling and a good story. They also know to appreciate a layout - I still remember some sage words I first heard years ago "Learn something from every layout you see - every modeler has a story to tell, and it's worthwhile even if it's not the layout you'd build."
Sadly there area few (thankfully only a few) "model railroaders" for whom the hobby is more about badgering others than any worthwhile efforts -
My friend Trevor Marshall has expressed it better than I could, so I'll simply provide a link to his excellent post -
http://themodelrailwayshow.com/cn1950s/?p=5428

As far as the Trolls go - I've decided I'm not going to tolerate them any more.

föstudagur, 24. október 2014

"Ours is not to reason why, but instead to do �."

The type of thing one reflects on during really long commutes

It's been a long journey to get here - and the road has never been this wide open!

Model railroading is many things, but one thing it's not is some sort of epic struggle for the hearts and minds of men. But you might think that's the case after reading some chat lists, blogs, and forums. Allow me to summarize:
"How much detail is enough for any one particular model on the layout?...Does every element have to be "hyper" detailed, or is "super detailed" sufficient?...If we're not approaching all this as true artists then we're just wasting time...Every project should somehow advance the state of the art�Oh, and while you're at it�.Get more kids involved in the hobby."
You'd think we were splitting the atom or creating the next Mona Lisa �.

I get the model-building aspect of model railroading, I really do. And I even enjoy the challenge of working a local freight or switching the yard during formal (or even informal) operating sessions.
But I am puzzled by those who believe we need to duplicate every nuance of the prototype, including work rules, with the same fidelity we once reserved for locomotives. The latest buzzword seems to capsulize this approach as "recreating jobs." Frankly, I'm not sure I fully understand it. And please, don't bother trying to explain it to me.
Of course, that's fine, if that's your game, but frankly I think there are many equally valid reasons for building a model railroad that have nothing to do with "recreating jobs."

My goal that drives the considerable investment in time, energy, and money I've made in this hobby is to recreate, in three dimensions, several key scenes and the equipment from my prototype. Every time I've gotten further away from that goal - even a little bit - I ended up spending (wasting?) resources.

There was a point where I was getting advice from some very seasoned modelers/operators to do things that simply didn't sit well with me - but even when the advice started to seem at odd with my goals and I could sense things were going astray, I kept with it - for a while. I did it since I figured this was my first large home layout and they'd built successful railroads - so they must know "truth."

This advice ranged from considering another prototype to model

- since that would offer more operating interest to the operating crew -

to focusing on a different era

- which is "easier" to get RTR equipment for than the one I chose -

to adding more infrastructure and additional trains

- to support a larger operating "crew" that may or not ever show up -

to the aforementioned focus on recreating jobs

- since that's what the "serious" modelers are doing �.

Notice a trend here?

All of this advice was well-meaning, but inherently wrong since it was predicated on what others thought I should be doing. And it was grounded in their goals and motivations, not mine. And the further down this path I went the less and less I liked my layout.

In the end I decided to make whatever changes were needed to create the layout I wanted. Getting from there to here has required lots of thinking, planning, demolition, rebuilding, and tweaking - most of which I've shared through this blog. Think of it as "layout design with plywood and plaster" instead of pencil and paper.

The process is starting to pay dividends. Although it certainly has not been "fun" I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and this post represents a turning point in that I've at last finished the last of the major "rebuild" efforts that started close to three years ago.
That means there will hopefully be a lot more countryside and less raw plywood and styrofoam in the coming months.

So, what's next?

There's a lot of prototype research I'd like to do, and a lot of modeling projects that have been on hold way too long while I've been screwing around building a layout designed to please a whole bunch of someones other than me.
As for everyone else? If they enjoy the layout enough to come look at it and/or operate it, that's fine. If they don't, well, that's okay too. I'm not building it for anyone but myself. For me it's not high art - nor is it an attempt to "recreate jobs." Frankly, it's something between a craft/art project and a giant game board. Really, it's my own time machine, giving me a window into the past colored with my point of view of what I think it was like "back then."

And I'm at long last content with how things are shaping up.

It's taken me a LONG time to get to this point. - Marty

Told you it was a long commute �.

föstudagur, 14. mars 2014

Useful addition to the shop....or paperweight?

I suspect that like many readers of this blog I'm somewhat of a tool-a-holic. I really try to limit my excursions through things like the Micro-Mark catalog (and a bunch of other tool catalogs) to things I'll really use. And,I like to have tools that are of a decent "hobby" quality. (I know enough about milling machines, CNCs, and the like from my time at Intermountain to know I don't need a $20,000 Bridgeport...)
As the layout moves away from the "woodworking" stage I'm looking seriously at a few true modeling projects that are very high on my "bucket" list - building a CV Ten Wheeler is one that leaps to mind, as well as a few other scratchbulding projects.
As I was flipping through the Micro-Mark catalog last night I mentioned to Christine that I'd might, perhaps, maybe, like to get a milling machine someday....
Usually she just rolls her eyes and asks what I'm going to with that, besides hurting myself or perhaps blowing up the house.*
This time she said, "Well, if you really want one and think you'll use it go ahead." In fairness, she's a little bit of the tool-a-holic as well since the next words out of her mouth were "I wonder if I can use it for any jewelry projects????"
So, the questions I pose to you, gentle reader, are simple -
1. Should I pull the trigger and realize the decade plus goal of getting this thing?
2. Any advice on what accessories/bits etc... to get with it?

*In all honesty, I can't conceive a situation where I could blow something up with a milling machine...but where there's a will there's a way... I think she was remembering the cut on Bernie's forehead from his then-new lathe...or the blood stain on our garage floor from the time Bernie dropped a drill on his foot....

miðvikudagur, 15. janúar 2014

Clinic Etiquette

I usually don't delve into editorializing on this blog, but this subject is near and dear to my heart. Clinics are a large part of many model railroad conventions and meetings. The overwhelming majority of people I've met through model railroading have been polite, well adjusted folks who have always offered me their sincere thanks for taking the time to prepare and present a clinic. And, whether you agree or disagree with what a clinician is saying, I think it's important to remember a little common courtesy will go a long way towards making the event a more pleasant experience for everyone.
An ongoing discussion on the Steam Era Freight Cars Yahoo Group centers on clinic etiquette, specifically the tendency of some individuals to, for lack of a better term, "hijack" another presenter's clinic. Apparently several attendees noticed this during the recently concluded Cocoa Beach RPM meet.
I wasn't at Cocoa this year but it is a phenomenon I've noticed at numerous NMRA and RPM events. I've given, and attended, my share of clinics over the years - some I think have been pretty good, others, well, let's say anyone can have a bad day and leave it at that. I certainly do not make, and have never made, claims of perfection (just ask anyone who knows me....) but I've learned a lot since I stood trembling at the front of the room to give my very first clinic back in 1985 or so.

I'm basically a reserved person who does not relish speaking to large groups. I�ll do clinics when invited but I have never actively sought out speaking engagements of any type. Over the years I've had some wonderful feedback after and even during my clinics and I'd like to think my presentations have been better for it. And I have no issue whatsoever with someone asking a question during a clinic. I find questions are usually easily dealt with in real time without unduly impacting the flow of the clinic.
It�s important to be sensitive to the fact that attendees at any clinic range from those who know more than the clinician, to those with a passing interest in the topic (such as the area served by the railroad, the time period etc...), up to and including those who fell asleep during the previous presentation!

Let�s face it, over time in some subsets of the hobby (such as steam era freight cars) we�ve learned "more and more about less and less." Trying to judge where to draw the line on information presented during a clinic is a tightrope - how much is too much, or too little information? You can't assume the same level of interest or prior knowledge of the subject matter.
You have to consider the audience. While the nuances of New England geography may be obvious to you, or me, you have to remember that's not the case for everyone. I'll never forget getting through an entire talk on Essex Junction only to have someone ask "Now, where exactly is Vermont? Somewhere around Pennsylvania, right?" So now every CV-related clinic I give includes a slide showing a map of New England in context with the rest of the country. "The six little states in the upper right-hand corner..." is how I typically introduce this slide. Is such a slide redundant at the New England Prototype Meet? I hope so. But it certainly isn't when I'm giving that same clinic in Santa Fe, N.M.
A number of years ago I attended a clinic on SP&S freight cars (a topic I know less than a little about). The clinician had done a good job outlining the various types of cars, paint schemes, etc� stuff a non-modeler of the SP&S might want to know but he failed to get through all his slides thanks in no small part to the stream of drivel, factoids, and other minutia from one buffoon who felt the need to share everything he�d ever heard, read, or otherwise could regurgitate on the subject.
In other words, a clinic hijacker.
I believe that's what the fellow on the Steam Era Freight Car list was referring to � loud mouths who, in my experience, fit one of three broad categories:
(1) Those who feel the need to comment and joke on everything. Usually they think they�re being funny. Mostly they're not. Stand-up comedy is a profession. Leave it to the professionals.
(2) Those who feel they are having a one-on-one conversation with the clinician; and
(3) Those who seem to feel they should be giving the clinic, but they weren�t asked � so they simply try to give the clinic �ad hoc� (such as with the aforementioned SP&S clinic).
I've found the easiest way to deal with all of these characters as a clinician is to politely tell them "We have a lot to cover, and we haven't gotten through the information yet. Please hold your comments to the end.�
This seems to placate the vast majority of them. On only one occasion that I can recall that didn�t work. This was back in my early clinic giving career, before I'd learned some other ways of dealing with disruptive audience members. This individual was fairly belligerent � an unfriendly tone with extensive comments on what he felt was important about each slide - and his constant interruption caused me to lose my train of thought completely. Not knowing what else to do, I turned off the projector, sat down in the front of the room, and asked him to let me know when he was finished talking. Some other audience members took over at that point and that individual wasn�t a problem after that.

miðvikudagur, 6. nóvember 2013

"Hoarding," "Collecting" or Savvy Buying?

The following is a little unusual for this blog, since I tend not to engage in "opinion" pieces. It's also fairly long for a blog post, but I thought with the colder months arriving all too soon (for some of you they're already here!) and the associated "Train Show" season this might be a good topic for this time of year. I promise, I'll be back with a layout/modeling update shortly!

I haven�t posted in a couple of weeks since frankly autumn yard chores, medical issues (nothing serious), and acting on a promise to at long last get my wife�s dollhouse wired, have taken most of my attention.

I'm heading to the Fine Scale Expo in Pittsfield, Mass., at the end of the week. Don�t know what I�ll buy at the show, but it will likely not be too much. About three years ago, when I started the layout rework, I came to the conclusion that I had too much model railroad stuff. I have less now than I did then but that�s because I�ve been on a focused, long term (seemingly endless) effort to downsize. Like most model railroaders, I found it way too easy to end up with lots of stuff. Some of the causes of this were:

1. The manufacturers themselves. The limited run approach to producing model trains means if you don�t buy it now, it may not be available when you do want it. This leads to the idea that you �need� 10 or 15 of the latest freight car when it comes out � even if there�s no layout to run them on. The result seems to be a version of a well-stocked hobbyshop in every model railroader�s basement. Of course, this is really a form of �Checkbook� modeling (�Chequebook Modelling� to my Canadian friends�..) and can lead directly to that tendency to over accumulate.

2. Model railroading is somewhat unique in the sheer volume of published hobby material. At one time I subscribed to 5 or 6 monthly model railroad and prototype magazines � and had literally a hundred or more railroad books. Want a Railroad Model Craftsman from 1974? Or Model Railroader? Or Narrow Gauge Gazette? Or Trains? I had them all, and more. And every issue published. All stored in magazine sleeves or stacked in very, very heavy boxes.

3. The tendency of model railroaders to find a variety of scales/gauges/prototypes/eras etc�. appealing. In other words, �Rubber gauging� � known in our house as the �shiny object syndrome.� A neat article would appear on an On30 layout, and I�d figure �I�d like to build one of those someday� � (see #1 above).
4. Model trains are (mostly) plastic and/or metal � and they have an almost infinite shelf life, meaning they don�t go bad. They just sit there.
5. For the decade or so I worked in the model train industry a trip to shows or visits to manufacturers would produce all kinds of �samples� � and like a kid in a candy store I found it hard to say �no.� So, I ended up with lots of stuff, most of which I�ve never opened.

You'd think modeling a somewhat obscure prototype like the Central Vermont would make finding something to buy almost impossible. You'd be wrong. Most model railroaders I know, myself included, have enough items stashed aside under the layout and in closets that we rival a well-stocked hobby shop. Is this hoarding? Or is it simply being a knowledgeable collector who knows what he/she needs for the layout, and is buying it now for future use?
What brought this to mind was an ongoing discussion on the Model Rail Radio podcast, hosted by Tom Barbalet. As an aside, if you�ve never listened to the show I encourage you to give it a try.
The question of what to do with no longer wanted/needed model railroad �stuff� comes up from time to time on the show.
Hoarding has been publicized in recent times thanks to reality television programs featured on A&E, TLC and Animal Planet. Perhaps more in common with model railroading is a show on SyFy called �Collection Intervention� (http://www.syfy.com/collectionintervention/about) that features collectors (usually comic book or toy collectors) whose collections have come to completely dominate their homes and their lives.
Without sounding like Dr. Phil I will offer the following. From everything I�ve read Hoarding and Collecting are two different things. Hoarding IS A DISEASE, and not a very fun one at that. It is a form of obsessive compulsive disorder where the person assigns a value to everything that passes through their hands. There are very excessive forms of hoarding � where everything, including what any sane person would consider refuse � is saved.
To me, a hoarder is someone who doesn't know what they have, never intends on selling anything, and is actually damaging what they do have with neglect, improper storage, etc.
So I would say no, model railroaders are not �Hoarders,� at least not in the clinical sense.
True collectors tend to buy and sell things to get to their definition of the best collection of their chosen field. They tend to be focused The buying and selling keeps things moving around, and they eventually end up in the 'right ' hands.
But wait � while there is certainly a valid part of the model railroading hobby that is �Collecting� � be it Hornby, LGB, Lionel, or even vintage HO rolling stock - that�s not what most scale model railroaders envision themselves doing. We�re not trying to build a �collection,� we�re trying to recreate a vision of the world. Which means we�re all about using the stuff we acquire � albeit at some point in the future! And while using it does provide us with enjoyment and satisfaction it also, by definition, �ruins� the collector�s value.

A Long Road

So, secure in the knowledge that I�m NOT a hoarder I set about �right sizing� the assortment of model railroad stuff residing in our basement. This has been an ongoing process � taking close to three years of effort. In my case, focus became the key. Focus on one scale, one prototype railroad, and one era.

First, I completely cut out purchasing new model railroad items until I�d finished my inventory/purge process. eBay and swap meets mean the stuff will be there if and when I want it at some point in the future. I did make an exception for specific Central Vermont items that I know were needed for the railroad and I knew to be rare.

Second, I ditched the paper � almost completely. I did keep most of the books - for now. As far as the magazines go, Prototype Modeler, Model Railroading, and Rail Model Journal are all available for free on line. So they were the first to go. Kalmbach released a complete set of Model Railroader on DVD � so all the MRs went to the recycling center next (I kept the bound volumes for the years I was on the staff). The Narrow Gauge Gazette is a wonderful magazine with inspirational photography � but I�m not a narrow gauger, and frankly while the pictures are inspiring I can�t recall the last time I used a modeling tip or technique from the Gazette that required me to save boxes of these things. So, off they went. N Scale Railroading and N Scale are very nice magazines, that aren�t applicable to my current modeling. They went to a friend who is into N scale � along with a couple of large boxes of N scale stuff. I also reduced the number of Mainline Modeler magazines from virtually all of them to a small selection of issues that had drawings of structures, cars, and locomotives I might want to build someday.

Where did these magazines go? Our local library has a magazine drop off system where you can bring old copies of magazines for other patrons to pick up and read at their leisure. At some point, I�m not sure when, the older materials are cleared out and taken to the recycling center. I�d like to think that most of the model train magazines went to someone who was interested in trains and has either created, or rekindled the once latent interest, of another model railroader or two.
Third � a real commitment to focus on one scale and gauge meant that all the extraneous stuff � including HO stuff for other eras and prototypes, and all that oddball stuff of different scales and gauges � went up for sale. The $ generated from the sales actually financed the purchase of a few specific CV pieces. eBay, several model train �Yard Sale� Yahoo Groups, and the like became the best ways to move the items. I found the key is to realize that the vast majority of this stuff doesn�t �hold its value� � and you better be prepared to take pennies on the dollars in most cases. The goal is to get the layout room cleared out, not beat the S&P Index�..but take solace in the fact that it will be out from under foot.
At train meets when I was selling this stuff if a young person seemed interested in a particular item I �significantly� discounted it. You might think this was �cutting into my profits.� There are no profits, remember?
And finally, what of all that stuff that I had been given over the years? Most of it has found its way to new homes � I try to give it to friends based on their specific interest. When my friends got tired of seeing me coming with more stuff (remember, most of them had their own boxes of stuff!) I�ve been known to give it away at swap meets. My goal with going to a swap meet is not to bring anything home.
I�m finally at the point where I have so little �extra� left that I don�t need to go sell at swap meets anymore. I still have plenty of stuff left � more than enough for a few modeling lifetimes, but my checkbook modeling days are at an end.

fimmtudagur, 17. janúar 2013

A glimpse into my modeling past

I stumbled across this photo (actually, a 35mm slide that I scanned) the other day when searching for some other images. The two cars in the foreground are nothing to write home about except they represent several �firsts� in my modeling and writing careers.

As a rule I don't get emotionally attached to models that no longer meet my needs or those I feel don�t live up to my current standards. Years of frequent moves have made me pretty brutal when it comes to deciding whether to keep, sell, or even pitch old models. But for some reason I�ve kept both the NH boxcar and the milkcar. I doubt I�ll run them on the layout in regular service, but I couldn't resist taking them out of the display case and posing them on the current layout.

About those "firsts." The New Haven boxcar, most likely a New Haven Historical Society kit made by Funaro & Camerlengo, was the first resin house car kit I�d built. Interestingly, F&C has just recently re-released these cars, this time with one-piece bodies. When I built this one I didn�t realize you should always verify the lengths of the two sides are the same, and sand them if necessary � so the car is somewhat out of kilter. Also, I didn�t quite get the grab irons on straight. Finally, since I didn�t brace the inside of the car over time one of the side walls has developed a slight bow along its length.

The Central Vermont milkcar is also a first. It�s the first piece of rolling stock I ever scratchbuilt. I�m not positive, but I believe I built this model when home for the summer between my sophomore and junior years in college. I based the model on measurements I took of a car sitting outside Barre, Vermont. The underframe is from a cut-down Athearn express reefer that I shortened by cutting 10 or so feet out of the center and gluing back together. The car body is constructed entirely of styrene. The roof is tissue paper held in place using a heavy coat of Floquil paint. It melted the paper into the plastic. I�m not sure, but I believe the hardware came from a Grandt Line � likely a narrow gauge reefer set. The car was brush-painted using SMP Accu-paint since I didn't have an airbrush at the time. Accu-paint was as thin as printers ink, so it probably took 10 coats to get decent coverage, although there are still some "holidays" visible in the paint finish.

The trickiest part of the milk car was the lettering � I used a New England Rail Service steam locomotive and milk car decal set for most of the car, although the �Milk� lettering in the NERS decal sheet didn�t match the prototype photo I followed. So I pieced the �Milk� lettering together from an alphabet set of dry transfers.

Both models in the lead photo are posed on the layout I had in my parent�s basement. This is also the only picture I have of that layout, which remained in my folks basement for many years after I moved out. The backdrop was hand-painted, and the trees (I was modeling autumn even then!) were made using several types of weeds with ground foam applied and colored using some of the tips and techniques in an RMC article by Les Jordan that appeared in the October 1979 issue of RMC.

About that publishing first� I wrote an article on how I built the milkcar and submitted it to RMC. Editor Bill Schamburg, a good friend to this day, expressed an interest in it, but said I needed better photos. Believe it or not, the photo at the top of this post represented my best effort at the time. Bill looked it over and sent it,and the article, back to me. My old camera and equipment weren't up to the task of taking publishable model photos.

In looking at the old photo, I�d give the technical aspects of the picture a D-. However, the scenery, although crude, wasn�t that bad. Say a C+. I won�t attempt to grade my efforts at the two cars, but it sure was fun finding this photo.

þriðjudagur, 9. október 2012

Model Railroad Influences

What model railroad articles or authors influenced you as an aspiring young/beginning model railroader?
Although I find inspiration nearly everywhere I look on the internet and in the magazines today, my earliest influences, like most modelers, were in the pages of the model railroad magazines. And despite the fact that I would later be on the staff of Model Railroader, the majority of my early influences were found in the pages of Railroad Model Craftsman. Some of my model railroad heroes shared their work with us through the pages of this magazine at that time - names like Dave Frary, Bob Hayden, and Art Curren. Little did I know I'd get to know the three of them as friends and co-workers when I joined the MR staff - at the time they were model railroad giants to me.

For the generation of modelers that came before me, John Allen is often heralded as the greatest inspiration. And though I admired (and still admire) his creation, I never really considered him one of my direct inspirations. To this day if you ask my generation of model railroaders who their greatest inspiration was I think Allen McClelland would win hands down. His Virginian & Ohio series ran in RMC about the time I was in high school � and was a real shift in the way model railroaders considered everything from design to operation. In many ways, the V&O and its creator defined the �modern� model railroad layout. I devoured every word of that series. Allen�s fictional railroad was so well thought out that I remember searching (in vain) through a railroad atlas in the local library for the V&O.

Another modeler, who�s work we didn�t see anywhere near enough of at the time, was Dick Elwell. His Hoosac Valley Railroad remains a favorite � and unlike the V&O it still exists today (although in a different house than when I first encountered it in the pages of RMC). See this post for some photos of the current version of Dick's masterpiece.

Two other modelers who were an influence on me are not as well remembered as Dick and Allen today � but they still provided me with a significant amount of inspiration. Interestingly, they both modeled 19^th century railroads. I'm not sure what that means, if anything, except perhaps their work was unusual enough that it really made an impression on me. Or maybe because my first HO set was an AHM 4-4-0 "Reno" I thought their articles applied to me more directly. In any event, their modeling and articles made quite an impression since I remember it clearly more than 30 (yikes!) years later.

I don�t think either is active in the hobby anymore. (I believe one may have passed away a number of years ago.) (NOTE - See the comment section below)

The first of these two was Lester Jordan. He modeled a little-known Pennsylvania narrow gauge shortline called the BB&K that interchanged with the Shawmut (RMC, February 1978). His article, Trees of Autumn (RMC, October 1979) showed me that modeling realistic autumn scenery was possible, and the key was to have the overall tone of the coloration reflect the way trees actually changed color. His article on �Painting Russia Iron� appeared in the March 1978 RMC �and remains the best treatment of that subject I�ve ever seen. I remember referencing it when I was answering a question for MR�s Paint Shop some 20 years later.

The last big influence I remember from my formative years was Russell Griffin. Perhaps it was because he modeled New England (like Elwell), which was home to me, at a time when it seemed like no one modeled standard gauge New England railroads, that I found his articles so appealing. I still recall them after all these years �

November 1978 � �The Stone Fence� � a how-to showing how to build a true New England signature item.

July 1980 � �A New England Enginehouse� � At a time when it seemed every kit on the market was either over weathered to the point of stretching plausibility or was some fanciful version of reality this was a well-worn structure with the simple, basic lines that are a hallmark of New England vernacular architecture.

June 1979 RMC � �An American from a Mogul� � this was my first attempt at kitbashing � and my model came out pretty well. A neat project converting a Roundhouse (now Model Die Casting) �Old Timer� 2-6-0 into a �beefy� 4-4-0. Lots of neat detailing tips (as a bonus he also built and detailed one 2-6-0 �stock.�

December 1977 � �Personalize Your People� � Russ started out as a military wargamer who learned how to convert figures. He applied those lessons to create model citizens who looked right in his 19^th century world. I still use the tips in this article.

There were others of course, but these four gentlemen really inspired me �way back when� to try different materials and techniques. For that I�m thankful since they really opened up a lifetime of challenge and fun.
So, who were/are your well-known, and perhaps not-so-well-known modeling inspirations?