How fussy are you?

[Anonymous]

How far do you go with realism? The question is not for rivet counters, but for us simple mortals who want our models to look good.
I'm no rivet counter, but I can go quite far when detailing my layout. I usually check the scenes from the POV of an HO scale person... this sometimes leads me to remove hair (?) from the scenery and add calendars to the interiors of structures... what about you folks?

[Anonymous]

When I look at a scene on my railroad, I want it to look as convincing as if I were looking at a real scene from a hill, say a quarter mile of so away. At this distance the hairs-caught-in-the-paint disappear, but the overall impression is important. Colors should be subdued; in real life everything fades to bluish-grey in the distance, especially here in the humid South. You shouldn't see any big cracks between your building foundations and the surrounding earth. Interior lighting in your buildings should not be too bright. I like to use 12 v grain of wheat bulbs running at 8 volts. Not only are the bulbs not too bright at this lower voltage, but they will last forever.

[Anonymous]

Scot:

I fall on the detail end of the scale. With locomotives I superdetail to an individual example where possible. Same with rollingstock. I scratchbuild nearly all my structures to my own designs, based on historical examples if possible. My chosen period is 1900-1915 so the research is both a challenge and an additional reward.

I tend to add details such as: birds nesting in the tiles of the roof, fiber optic lit lamps in the station masters office, papers on the desk, doors and windows ajar, litter and puddles on the ground, cracks in the cement, wheel marks in the gravel, individually laidup and glazed windows to mention several.

You know you are detail oriented when you have an automotive inspection mirror in your tool kit ;)

Randy

[Anonymous]

I am no where near a rivet counter... I prefer to have everything consistent. I enjoy very much to hide small moments from "Life" in the scene for example a Moonshine Still in a wooded hill above the police station. Or a small gathering of railroad tophats around a derailed wrecker. That sort of thing.

[Anonymous]

I really enjoy detailing my scenery and buildings. I try to include references to my family, town, and things I hold dear. I also like the uncommon and controversial.

My industries includes a Campbell Soup plant ( formerly Geo. Roberts Printing Co.) with a Soup Can water tower on the roof. Another factory is named after the company my brother manages in Missouri and there's the Gator Ceiling Fan Co. (with "The Best Fan is a Gator Fan" billboard on the roof).

Modeling Florida necessitates a "Swamp" complete with cattails, lily pads, cypress trees, a discarded tire and "Albert" the Gator crawling out of the water and an orange grove to supply the local Tropicana company.

Dogwood PNC (Politically Not Correct) Park in town includes a Confederate War Memorial and an interracial couple. Across the street on the hillside are 3 wooden crosses. I've also included a "dead skunk in the middle of the road stinking to high heaven". And of course what would a rural Florida highway be without the FHP hiding behind a billboard.

[Hawks05]

when i saw this i thought it was about food. if it was that i'm really fussy. i won't eat any seafood.

anyways...

for me i don't think i'll really care about all the little details. i just want something that gives me a stress reliever and looks good to me. i don't care what others say because this will be my first layout so i'm bound to make mistakes and i know stuff won't look perfect to some people. as long as i think it looks good thats all that matters. i'd like to put snow plows on my locomotives but i don't want to because i know that would take a lot of time and patience, something i don't have a lot of.

until i get going and finally start knowing what i'm doing and how things are supposed to look i'll be happy with something that runs and looks the least bit real.

[BRAKIE]

Speaking as a former rivet counter I have found for me modeling close enough/good enough is far better then worrying about every little detail or the lack there of..I do want my locomotives to have that C&O look and correct numbers and paint scheme.I have a C&O GP9 number 6128 the real C&O did not have this number as it has been reportedly sold off in the 50s for some reason..I just liked the number 6128 and used it..I also have found that under normal operating conditions one does not pay that much attention to the minute details on locomotives and cars..So one day I ask myself does it really matter? I could not find the correct answer to that question for myself until I had a light heart attack at the age of 50 then I realize all is folly and nothing is worth worrying over including life worries so,in that regard I found the correct answer to my question.Enjoy life to the fullest and don't sweat the details as life is to short..

[Jetrock]

I tend to like a lot of detail in my models--to me, I'd rather have a realistically weathered model that isn't totally accurate than a dead-on blueprint model with a flat, uninteresting paintjob. Lots of little widgets that make a model (building or rolling stock, etc.) interesting have a visual appeal I enjoy--they give the piece character and make it come alive.

I don't want my kits to look like everyone else's. If I can find ways to make my mdels unique that is prototypical, I try to follow it, since I enjoy the combination of realism and character. But I at least try to put on multiple layers of grime and a few personal touches.

[Anonymous]

I am currently having an internal debate as how to properly detail the following:

SP SW1200 Gyralight and warning beacon reversed on casting
Strength of the casting won over complete accuracy here. I will still be soldering up some accurate handrails.

SP GP40-2 Left side handrail "bend" between 7th and 8th handrail is too far forward (SP had extended walkway ducts on GP40 and GP40-2 units)
This is an important spotting feature that "must" be modeled and I will count it a "must have" for the several models I am building. This is in addition to the various upgrades necessary for all SP models.

UP DDA40X, Bachmann model has several "challenges
Ordered every step etching/casting known to determine the best to use.
Already milled the frame to lower the deck, matching Kato SD40-2s walkways. This will require a complete revamp of the handrails.

Did I mention that this is being done in Nscale? I was far more retentive in my HO days...

[Anonymous]

oh oh!! i used to be the worst i mean if a grab iron was even the little tiniest crooked i would get so worked up and then it was no fun!! so i have learn to relax and it has saved my me and my hobby!! i to am on my first layout and i think it looks good i compare oit to the detail on my clubs layout and its pretty even, so now all i do to my athearn RTR is add M.U. hoses air hoses, and cut bars and im fine so i have learn to relax but still go all out on competition nights for locomotives i pull out my fully prtotypicall U.P. wings and flag version AC44CTE'S i detailed from athearn undec. kits very very nice have won 2 years straight! but yeah big things i pay attention to deatil but have learn to relax on little things.

[dharmon]

I usually proceed with a project until I can look at it and say "cool, that looks nice" to my self and be ready for it to go on the rails without a problem. If making something exactly prototype gets into the too hard or too expensive category, I usually strive for the best reasonable representation I can achieve and leave it at that. I do like adding the small details though, just for fun....graffitti, weathering, debris in empty gondolas, little shipping lables on exposed loads....stuff like that. I do try for standardization on the home road equipment...similiar equipment on locos, same class of boxcars, etc.....

[Anonymous]

This would depend on whom you’re talking to. Please don't ask my wife and don't ask the crew. I thought about this one hard because detail does matter to me as much as enjoyment does. In other words if it's not fun why am I doing it! It's the Challenge!! This is one of my hobbies and I do it to relax, dream and have fun and get personal satisfaction, not frustration.

I could say I have the two-foot rule, the three-foot rule and both foot rule. If the detail looks good at two feet I'm happy if it looks bad beyond three feet start over again and if I'm using both feet, I walk away and cool down, it's a hobby!

If you’re looking for detail in side of the buildings you’re too close, so back away from the building and keep your hands where I can see them.

I have been accused of being a perfectionist but time is at a premium and as in every aspect of life, what level is it acceptable? I believe my benchmarks will change as I change and as long as I'm satisfied with my achievements I should be happy. Why take it to the Nth degree when it has no impact or will go unnoticed?

On a final note, I use to make model ships; I worked on one for about six years going to painful ends to make it perfect. I had one appraiser tell me at the level of workmanship I was putting into it, when finished it would be worth several thousand dollars. Well guess where it is now?........


In a box collecting dust. Does this bother me? No, it's better off in the box, then in a thousand pieces.

If I can't make two steps forward for every step back then I'm doing something wrong and it’s time to re think the process.
![:I]

[vsmith]

Well, I like to add as much detail as I can to each loco or car that I'm working on, but that doesn't mean I'm measuring a prototype and replicating every last bolt head on it. I like my stuff to look believable, not super accurate. Otherwise I would probaby get angry and burnout. So I am keeping a certain perspective to my detailing. I'm more worried about screwing up a model with a bad weathering job than with adding too much detail.

[Anonymous]

I really enjoy detail, but I also go by the two foot rule. I like to be able to sit back and look at my creations and almost believe it's real...from an adequate distance ;) Judging it from too close up would drive me insane :P

Warren

[CP5415]

I'm not fussy. Not at all. If it looks good, I'll run it (locomotive, rolling stock) or build the structure.
I do plan on adding details to the scenery when I get to that stage.
Cats, dogs, litter on the ground etc...
If it's something I see everyday, I'm going to try & incorporate it somehow.

Gordon

[FJ and G]

Here's my view. Get the darned layout built with mountains and terrain, then add trees, then add structures, then continue to keep adding tinier and tinier details. Your layout should never be completely finished. There's always something to improve on.

But minute detailing can be done over the long run.

----------------------------

So to answer your question. No and yes.

Not fussy when putting it up. Fussy in putting in detailing over time.

[lupo]

Moddelling with super-detailing can look awfull if it has the wrong colors!
lots of people forget that.

[Anonymous]

I am not a rivit counter. I follow the Robert Schliecler "Attainable Excellence" philospohy. I add enough detail to make the scene look convincing.

[leighant]

I like to do SOMETHING inside my buildings (and locomotives and passenger cars and cabooses) to make them look lived in and worked in, but not so much that it is necessary to take off the roof of everything to show off, because we don't take the roof off real locomotives and buildings to look inside. (Unless we are some @#$%&* government busybody agency.)
My peanut butter factory has a few blocks of wood and scrap parts to more or less outline the shapes of a 2000 pound/hour batch peanut butter mill diagram I found in a book on the peanut industry. I know it there and I think it makes me feel right about it. Nothing to brag about.
A few things just inside the window.
I once built an N scale building that would have everything a nit-picker could ask for, I think. 2x4 stud framing, individual board siding and floor, individual cedar shingles on the roof over framed trusses, double-hung windows, meter and fuse box and elextrical conduit, restroom with the lid left off the commode (bowl carved from a crafter's bead) so you could see the ball and float mechanism. And a hand littered/lettered sign on the front that read "United Farm Workers, Nit Pickers Union Hall".
I cheated and put this building near the front edge of the layout so that viewers can guess ALL the buildings are detailed this way. (Only they aren't.)

[Anonymous]

you pose a very interesting question. i believe that every individual has to assess what they desire from the hobby, and measure that against the restraints of time and money. i see it as a personal thing. the answer is different for each one of us.

tom

[JLLentner]

I probably qualify as a 'rivet counter' because I like to detail my diesels to match specific units. Currently, I am detailing 5 Atlas C30-7's based on photographs of BNSF units. One of the most enjoyable parts of 'rivet counting' is doing the research. I probably prolong this more than necessary. I started this project as a result of a picture of a ATSF "Kodachrome" C30-7 with a BNSF patch. Prior to that I had no interest in any GE diesel. By the time I finished the research, the project had grown from one to five models.

The first unit is the easiest to complete since it is a phase 1, which the Atlas C30-7 comes the closest to representing. My model is of a green & black BN with a BNSF patch. Two months ago the unit was 'good enough'. Now I have decided to: change the road number, replace the steps with A-Line brass steps, replace the cab with a High Tech Details cab, and rebuild the truck sideframes to more closely match the pictures I have obtained. Then it will be 'good enough'.

Units 2-4 will require a little more work as they are phase 2s. These three require all of the kinds of changes made on the first unit. In addition, they require replacing the rear numberboards and headlights. Since two of them are ex ATSF C30-7s, they require adding the dynamic brake access doors. I plan to use parts from RPP C30-7 shells.

The last unit will be the most difficult as it is a phase 3. It will require all of the kinds of changes of the first four units. The most difficult part will be replacing the electrical cabinet doors under the left side of the cab. I have not worked out how to do this model yet, but it will be the last of the five. This is an ex ATSF "Kodachrome" C30-7 and it has some interesting roof details that are not on any of the first four.

BNSF fan,
Jerry

[Anonymous]

i dont get too obsessed with details but i do add some. recently, i switxhed to modeling the SP and got into adding the proper light packages to the nose and rear. now when i add details i try to match them up to photos of the prototype. when i start off on a new model i make sure the brake wheel/lever is in the right place, make sure that it has the correct brake cylander placement (upper or lower) and then add the proper lights and numbers and decals and roof details. things like exact engine door location doesnt really matter to me. but i try to make sure it is close.

then i throw tons of weathering on (like any good SP diesel needs).[:D]

[eastcoast]

Can't really call it fussy, but PICKY.
I want to make sure that if I were a HO
person, "does it look real" and
"would I want to live there?"
I have spent entire evenings just staring at a blank
area or mock up to get a feel for what I want it to portray
to me and then begin further planning or building.
For the record, I do not count rivets,
I AM A PERFECTIONIST, AND EXTREMELY CRITICAL OF MY OWN WORK.
I manage to have fun when my work is done.

[tutaenui]

Less fussy than I used to be. Life is to short! Current layout is about 98% scratch built and my practice is if it looks good at 2 ft then its OK. However I am fussy that the level of detail is consistant over the whole of the layout and what detail there is, is that it is to scale and neatly and squarely applied.

<<Brad>>

[sparkingbolt]

I like what looks good, at the distance it will be veiwed from. The closer items to the edge of the layout get more attention. There are always exceptions. As stated by others, everything should blend with a pleasing consistancy.
One pet peeve, is a detail that is so poorly done compared with its surroundings that it is a distraction. (say a really good scene with a hokey-lump-supposed-to-be -a- vehicle molded all in one color, really kills the effect.) Dan

[Anonymous]

I have no consistency whatever, sometimes it's fun to detail something meticulously other times it's fun to download a paper cut out from the internet. Here is a paper house which took a fraction of the time that the interior of the passenger coach took to put together.

[willy6]

my wife tells me i spend too much time in detailing like wallpaper on buildings you cant see the interiors........it's part of the hobby

[Anonymous]

i think one big factor concerning detail, would be the level of operation you subject your equipment to. my layout is operated on a regular basis. this means that your rolling stock and engines are subjected to more "hands on" treatment than the average model. i think we all have our favorite individual models that we may put more detail into or add sound to ,for more realism, that is a personal choice. overall the amount detail on rolling stock and scenery depends on the individual.

[emdgp92]

I have no problem at all with people who like to add every last detail. I subscribe to the "good enough" school of modeling. If something can't be seen, I don't bother with it.

For example, my bus company building doesn't have a rear wall. Since you can't see it, that wall is just a piece of cardboard. In fact, i didn't even bother to *paint* it!

Building interiors are another story. If they have large windows (such as the Walthers White Tower restaurant) then I'll add a little detail, such as a counter, some tables, etc. to make them look "lived in." Smaller windows, such as those in the DPM townhouses just get some paper blinds.

Right now, I'm more concerned with getting things running. Eventually, I'll go back and add the smaller details.

[Anonymous]

The more I think about it, the more I realize I worry about detail in stages from Macro to Micro. Get all the major stuff done first, then go back and detail it all, then go back with the fine tooth comb when it's already working right and looking pretty good.

Since I'm such a perfectionist, I do my best to stick with the two foot rule of detail; otherwise, I would spend my whole life putting keys on a 1/87 scale working piano that went inside an house where you couldn't see it..... [#dots]

Warren