FriedClams

Beautiful work Dan, wonderful paint work - so clean and yet authentic in appearance. Nice. Gary

Just catching up OC and very nice progress indeed. I've always been in awe of your figure painting skills and what impresses me so much is that it is consistently great, no matter how many are painted. I think it would be easy to try and rush through the process knowing that many more still need to be done. Your latest renderings are every bit as perfect as your first figures. Great stuff. Gary

Hello EG - I've been away for a bit and just catching up. Great progress on this model and it's looking beautiful. Your "Rub & Buff" results look fantastic and worth all the time you spend nailing down the technique. And thanks for heads-up on the HD Preval sprayer - interesting. Gary

Been away for a while, so I just had the pleasure of reading through a few pages of your wonderful log. Glad to hear you are well and your work (as always) is beyond fantastic. So inspirational. I particularly like the steam boats and your process in creating them. Such a shame that they are forgotten, as they produce remarkably fine results and have a rich and authentic presence. Very, very nice Valeriy. Gary

Just catching up Keith and you have been busy. Beautiful work as always - every bit of it. That photo of the cabin is really cool. It has a nostalgic feel to it, especially with the out of focus foreground. That’s a keeper. Gary

Catching up after some time away and pleased to hear that you’re moving forward in life Keith, as difficult as that process may be. It’s all anyone can do after personal tragedy strikes. Life is short and so fragile, but it needs to be lived and enjoyed as best we can. Glad to see you were able to acquire that nameplate. Great score and it will be a really nice addition to your finished model display. Gary

Considering its small size, I think your boat looks quite good. I’ve had decent results using emptied out tea bags for fine canvas-like material in small scale. They drape nicely when wet, hold together and don’t shred. And there is always one in the cupboard. Paint is brutal and I feel the most difficult finish to get right. Some folks seem to think that paint covers inconsistencies, but oh contraire. I have always found paint to exaggerate anything that isn’t just so. Nice progress. Gary

Great update Marc! I really like the horse carving and the nautilus looking device below it. You have a steady hand - well done. The photos taken in natural light shows the true colors of the model - more muted and harmonious than under artificial light. Beautiful. Gary

Nice progress on the inflatable Keith. Looking good. Gary

Beautiful grills - and they even flip up. Nice. Gary

Beautiful work EG, thanks for walking us through the process. Very interesting log. Gary

Thanks to all for the wonderful comments. You are so kind, and I truly appreciate it. And thanks for the "likes" and to those who have followed along quietly. Hello Kev - great observation and yes, you are correct– it is too short. In full disclosure, it was several scale feet longer before I snapped the end off. The rod is made from birch and is considerably thinner than a toothpick, even at the rods thickest end. The tip was long and absurdly fine and my intent was to put a slight tension on the line and arc the rod tip gracefully downward. It looked great for about 10 seconds, then . . . click. I may give it another go using a different material at some future point, but the lazy slug in me says to replace the fly reel with a spinning reel instead. Thanks Eric and Wefalck. Yes, it is a fine rock and actually the model began with it. I sat there staring at the rock and thinking, “it needs something more, it needs something on top of it” - like a pulled ashore open boat or . . . Kidding, of course. Thanks for looking in. Be safe and stay well Gary

You are probably right Keith, I forget that many folks have a far greater discretionary income than I. But I'm guessing that Baldwin Locomotive also has a much larger pool of potential buyers than Madawaska does. Anyway, it wouldn't hurt to watch it. Gary

Hello Keith. That is a cool name plate for sure, but the seller is dreaming and notice that it hasn't sold. I would keep an eye on it. When it doesn't sell, he may put it up for auction. Never know. Gary

Nice progress Roger. Very nice metal work. Oh, and I am officially stealing your ladder making jig - great idea. Gary

Catching up after some time away and I see you have been busy and doing some amazing 3D modeling. Excellent work! So glad to hear your medical procedure went well. Even when the say the procedure is routine, it’s still stressful. It’s routine for them - not for the patient. Looking forward to future modeling updates. Gary

Just catching up OC. Very nice progress. Really like the cart and as usual, your figure painting is superb. Gary

Nice tutorial on the painting Dan - it looks terrific. Gary

It is good to hear you are well Valeriy. Your work is simply exquisite. Looking at images like the one above, I have to remind myself of the small scale that I'm looking at. Every detail is just so perfectly executed, clean and precise. Inspirational. Gary

Just catching up after some time away, and dang it Tom that is some beautiful craftsmanship and a great display to go along with your other ship component projects. Congratulations on its completion. I really like the whole concept of building a series of detailed ship components in a larger scale. It's such a great idea and I'm going to go back and read your previous two projects. Wonderful work - so crisp, detailed and precisely done. Gary

Just catching up on this build and I see more amazing modeling as I knew I would. I look forward to watching your progress on the sub-atomic ship’s boat. Gary

Beautiful work on the launch Keith. She is looking really sharp and the brass on mahogany is very rich and elegant. Clever process in creating the wheel, and what a great result. Gary

Greetings fellow modelers. A belated thank you to Keith, Kev, Andy and Ron, for your comments. How has an entire month gone by unnoticed? I am sure you are correct on this point Kev. It wouldn't take more than one or two complaints from clients about a sore bottom for the guide operators to fix that. Thanks for checking out my log and for the nice words. Hello Ron. Thanks, I didn't know about these epoxy rivet decal sheets, but I can think of many possible future uses. Finished I've been working on this Rangeley model in fits and starts between outdoor projects and other activities. But it is finally complete. A couple of minor details have been added. A fly rod and reel made of wood, brass and paper. And a tackle box of wood, styrene and brass. Exposed rock ledge is visible everywhere in Maine and I reasoned it would make an appropriate base for the model. Both ends of the boat got stern/bow lines. I chipped high points off the rock until it sat flat without rocking and then attached felt feet to keep it from destroying our furniture. Also, I epoxied a label to the underside. The hull received a final coat of paint and everything was epoxied to the rock. Thanks to all for stopping to take a look and for the “likes”. And I especially want to thank everyone who has left comments. Your thoughts, suggestions and support are always greatly appreciated and I thank you so much. Be safe and stay well. Gary

Keith, this is such heartbreaking news. I am so sorry for your loss. My heart goes out to you and your family. Gary

How small and intricate! Beautiful work indeed. Gary