***Dave, I think you should get over having a "hissy fit" about the comments... Read them and accept or read them and ignore, but don't read more into them than others do...
But most importantly, don't expect exclusively polite claps when they may not, to all readers, be warranted. This forum would have no value if that approach was the rule, and nobody would learn more or evolve in their modeling.
Personally I'd prefer honesty every time - patronising efforts when praise isn't warranted in the opinion of the poster is as fair and valid as praise when its due. To do otherwise is to lie, and is no help and does no service to anyone.
I read all of the comments at the original time and again each time its reared its head and while I might have said some things differently, there was some fair and positive advice there too. Even the negatives read gently in fact. Nothing to twist knickers over.
To the core reason I wrote this: Your image that led this thread was a very neat idea... and unique. I thought it a very good idea.
Yes it may have also needed a little more operational ability via a wee bit more track but you clearly have all the basic skills and so needed only the courage of your convictions to make a unique micro layout.
What you then did with detail and realism would have only needed a "want to do it better" attitude.... and a few hours hands on effort.
If you had pursued it with the track maintenance gear and seriously tried to reproduce the worn and couldn't care less about it look of the original track and scenery it'd have been a great model.
I don't think that simply using a plank because its there will ever really lead to a real "layout" though. A simple purpose built board framed tidily costs almost nothing and would allow you a much better potential... as does a sensibly tall backscene or nicely framed viewing area with any micro layout.
There is nothing technically wrong with any of your layouts but I do agree that in all cases a little more attention to some light weathering and a little refinement in the areas of ballasting etc would be a positive evolution....
The new purchase:
I'd have to say that your new purchase underwhelms me massively. Its a pretty average bit of modeling with a single length of track with a poor backscene and has absolutely zero operating potential OR diorama quality. It will go nowhere... your own previous efforts leave it in the shade, at least they had two bits of rail!
Go back to the core of your original idea and prove everyone wrong... it'll be a great wee model!
Richard
But most importantly, don't expect exclusively polite claps when they may not, to all readers, be warranted. This forum would have no value if that approach was the rule, and nobody would learn more or evolve in their modeling.
Personally I'd prefer honesty every time - patronising efforts when praise isn't warranted in the opinion of the poster is as fair and valid as praise when its due. To do otherwise is to lie, and is no help and does no service to anyone.
I read all of the comments at the original time and again each time its reared its head and while I might have said some things differently, there was some fair and positive advice there too. Even the negatives read gently in fact. Nothing to twist knickers over.
To the core reason I wrote this: Your image that led this thread was a very neat idea... and unique. I thought it a very good idea.
Yes it may have also needed a little more operational ability via a wee bit more track but you clearly have all the basic skills and so needed only the courage of your convictions to make a unique micro layout.
What you then did with detail and realism would have only needed a "want to do it better" attitude.... and a few hours hands on effort.
If you had pursued it with the track maintenance gear and seriously tried to reproduce the worn and couldn't care less about it look of the original track and scenery it'd have been a great model.
I don't think that simply using a plank because its there will ever really lead to a real "layout" though. A simple purpose built board framed tidily costs almost nothing and would allow you a much better potential... as does a sensibly tall backscene or nicely framed viewing area with any micro layout.
There is nothing technically wrong with any of your layouts but I do agree that in all cases a little more attention to some light weathering and a little refinement in the areas of ballasting etc would be a positive evolution....
The new purchase:
I'd have to say that your new purchase underwhelms me massively. Its a pretty average bit of modeling with a single length of track with a poor backscene and has absolutely zero operating potential OR diorama quality. It will go nowhere... your own previous efforts leave it in the shade, at least they had two bits of rail!
Go back to the core of your original idea and prove everyone wrong... it'll be a great wee model!
Richard
