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As my layout is very niche, I need some special features (gimmicks!) to make sure I get exhibition invites!!

2975 Views 10 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  linka
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My layout is set in China in the Spring of 2001, a time when I and my friends made many visits to photograph the very last of 'normal' steam operation.

Now, I realise that China is a somewhat (very!) niche market and so I have tried to add some features (gimmicks!) to make it popular to a wider audience.

I had myself and my friends scanned and 3D printed by Modelu

Outerwear Sleeve Standing Gesture Leather jacket
Outerwear Sleeve Gesture Denim Jacket




In this video I hear a train approaching and jump out of the parked taxi to grab a photo, then get back in once I've taken it. It looks a bit odd in this test/demo video as it's a light loco,but try to imagine it with a long train behind it - I get back in the taxi because I don't want to photograph freight cars.

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1. Well a China model could have a flood, they seem quite popular in the south whilst the north has desertification going on hence the huge canals built to carry water from the south the the north.
2. Police, there are lots about so a few of them would be appropriate.
3. A sink hole, nice feature I liked the one where a lady waits for husband and son and a sink hole opens up and swallows the car, the authorities turn up and start filling in the hole even whilst dad and son may still be alive! makes an interesting cameo.
4. Collapsing bridge and wobbling buildings, called Tofu cement crumbles to the touch, very common all over china
5. Incomplete skyscraper like the 600metre tall one, might be hard to scale in 1 in 72 as it will have to be 9metres tall about but would be easy to make wobble appropriately.
6. Coal trains as they open a new coal fired power station each week they must move a lot of coal but not seen pics of this probably illegal to report on it. (climate change activists ignore China - wonder why?)
7. A re-education camp, few of those about, 1930's Germans had another name for them.
8. A house being demolished, as the land is owned by the state the authorities can turn up and demolish your house and then the land is used in property speculation - in one case the house owner turned and killed several local officials but he was destitute as a result anyway.

Plenty more ideas on You Tube - just go to 'China in Focus' be horrified and get ready for the next big one!
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Andy standing in front of a tank while he decides on the shutter speed?
Outerwear Beard Sleeve Gesture Grey

from ModelU of course…..
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A major multi-lane road with a house in the middle and a 2-lane diversion around the house. There have been a few instances of house owners refusing to sell to allow the road to be built through.
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To be topical about 1,000 chinese citizens protesting outside an Evergrande office asking for their money (you have to admire optimists)
How about a virus unit offering vaccines along with 200 RMB as a bribe with a lot of shoppers ignoring this.
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This is a very useful post. Thank you!
Move on topically and have a major city lockdown with the authorities welding doors shut to ensure compliance, bet party gate by officials gets no coverage!
The problem here is that it's all negative, I'd like to say there are positives but I cannot think of any but I can go on in this vein ad nauseam - ah I think of one, celebrations by North Koreans as they have escaped that country to China!
People dressed for Covid, and tents and maybe doors with wood braces - gimmick yes but might be a bit far for some people, the little bicycle taxis, street food sellers
I understand that it often rains 4 ish and has humidity if correct then chinese umbrellas

bamboo scaffolding

Chinese lettered banners,grab the pictures work out how to print to size

check out chinese model car suppliers. If you can’t source try a print of a street scene with a t junction and set it so people can look down and see the chine detail
What scale is it? Ad this will likely effect possible projects
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