What did you do on your layout today? (N scale)

[Cat]

On 5/26/2021 at 7:07 AM, RMB said:

I've started to slowly add some small people to my layout. These are all from TomyTec's Human Series. I'm surprised how melancholy they are, now that I've started to place them.

Hmm.  With little bits of putty, you could have their hair blowing in the wind for the more hopeful look of an anime opening sequence.
: 3

[maihama eki]

On 5/26/2021 at 5:07 AM, RMB said:

I've started to slowly add some small people to my layout. These are all from TomyTec's Human Series. I'm surprised how melancholy they are, now that I've started to place them.

They only look melancholy because they are alone.

 

Given the cost of figures - melancholy makes fiscal sense. 🙂 

[cteno4]

I think the melancholic look also comes in part from them having no faces. Something sort of twilight zone in up close pictures with the blank, almost featureless faces but body language and situation setting up all the story. Also being stationary but in action tweaks the brain some (why mannequins creep some people out big time).
 

I’ve often wondered about the philosophy of how to place figures. Start with individuals in individual scenes and then fill in life around them or more grand schemes. It is nice with fewer well placed figures in very good little story scenes as its easy to find them and focus in, but then again it can look sparse and melancholy or sort of deserted. When doing busier scenes, like a platform or busy street, it gets increasingly tough past a point when adding figures in to get them their own scene or path in relationship to others and not screw up the previous mini scenes/paths. I know it makes a difference when I’ve done a platform slowly vs put down 500 figures in a couple of hours (which we’ve done before). Busy sidewalks are really tough to get to look right. I think next time I do some I’ll try to dig up photos to get an idea of the spacing and positioning as just plopping them to a particular density it’s hard to be random. From a distance it’s ok but as you go in closet it can fall apart.

 

jeff

[gavino200]

On 5/26/2021 at 7:07 AM, RMB said:

I've started to slowly add some small people to my layout. These are all from TomyTec's Human Series. I'm surprised how melancholy they are, now that I've started to place them.

 

Well, you've created quite an odd scene here. What's going on? Why is the schoolgirl just standing there like that on the edge of a hill overlooking the station? Who is the man? Is she seeing her father off at the station? It's shadowy but he looks older. Is this an infatuation? Is she just a railfan waiting for a glimpse of a beautiful train? The other scenes could be melancholy. But this one is downright mysterious!

[cteno4]

My my Gavin is quite the dramaturge! Yes yes inquiring minds and such…

 

All the layout is a stage, err or something like that.

 

jeff

[RMB]

8 hours ago, gavino200 said:

Who is the man? Is she seeing her father off at the station? It's shadowy but he looks older. Is this an infatuation? Is she just a railfan waiting for a glimpse of a beautiful train? The other scenes could be melancholy. But this one is downright mysterious!

 

Definitely open to interpretation, although to be clear, both these figures are from Tomytec's set of Students so there shouldn't be anything questionable going on beyond maybe some youthful unrequited love. He does seem to be tall for his age, though. Must be the genes and too many burgers.

[inobu]

47 minutes ago, RMB said:

 

Definitely open to interpretation, although to be clear, both these figures are from Tomytec's set of Students so there shouldn't be anything questionable going on beyond maybe some youthful unrequited love. He does seem to be tall for his age, though. Must be the genes and too many burgers.

Man: Little girl what are you doing over there.

School girI:  "I was picking plants for my science project and may have discovered the world ends here. The earth's crust is paint and the mantle is just plaster!? 

[Tom C]

@RMB

I try and think of a personality for my figures. Once I imagine who character is and what they are doing, they find their right place on my layout 🙂

[Sheffie]

Problem is, now I have the lyrics for “Strange Little Girl” by The Stranglers running through my head. 
 

Best not to go there

[RMB]

Finally done with my shelf layout! Took it outside in the sunshine yesterday to take a video before putting it on my bookshelf to gather dust.

I'm slowly writing up a build diary if you want more details.

 

 

[Szdfan]

 

 

On 5/26/2021 at 5:07 AM, RMB said:

I've started to slowly add some small people to my layout. These are all from TomyTec's Human Series. I'm surprised how melancholy they are, now that I've started to place them.

 

I started looking at the Tomytec line…um…how many of you have figures going to the bathroom (i.e. the “pee break” set)?

[cteno4]

Those are the noch line of figures and they have a number of more obscure/x rated figure sets. Tomytecs are much more placid… I think they worst they have are the drunk salarymen kind of propping each other up…

 

jeff

[gavino200]

A little something that I totally don't need. But what I love about this and what pushed over the edge to buy it is that it comes with little drivers. 🙂

 

[Szdfan]

2 hours ago, cteno4 said:

Those are the noch line of figures and they have a number of more obscure/x rated figure sets. Tomytecs are much more placid… I think they worst they have are the drunk salarymen kind of propping each other up…

 

jeff

Yeah, I’ve seen those Noch sex figures advertised. It seems like a really niche market. I prefer my model railroading to be something I can share with my kids.

[Sheffie]

Filed down some rails to prevent a derailment at the bottom of the 4% slope. 
Not very dramatic but quite effective 

Edited June 15, 2021 by Sheffie

[gavino200]

4 minutes ago, Sheffie said:

Filed down some rails to prevent a derailment at the bottom of the 4% slope. 
Not very dramatic but quite effective 

 

How much did you file?

 

[Sheffie]

23 hours ago, gavino200 said:

 

How much did you file?

 

A bit more than I thought I needed. This has been an issue for a while now and I made a second attempt to fix it here. 
 

 

The left hand track is the one that goes up hill. You can see a cut from the razor saw — I made one every three sleepers along its length, to allow it to flex, and pinned it down with 3/4” pins to get the bottom end as flat as possible. But try as I might, the right hand track remains higher than the left, and that little step up (combined with the start of a turn) was causing derailments. 
 

The initial filing attempt was just enough metal to match the height of the left hand track, at about 45°… but that wasn’t enough. So I took off more material and at a shallower angle. 
 

No more derailments yet. Fingers crossed. 

[cteno4]

Maybe put a strip of stryene under the roadbed like 2” long and epoxy the two pieces together clamped down so they are even at the rail heads. Unfortunately it’s hard with floating tracks not to get a kink in the joint right at the grade start like this.

 

jeff

[bill937ca]

I set up another small tram layout on the garage unit.  It is four Tomix Wide Tram ovals with an R103, then R103, R140 and R177 inside each other. Waiting for the arrival of my Kato My Red Tram this month. This configuration reminds me of some European tram terminals. It should be fun watchin the trams go around.

 

 

Edited July 3, 2021 by bill937ca

[cteno4]

Cool bill I don’t think I’ve seen all the wide trams radii in one concentric layout like this!

 

jeff

[bill937ca]

35 minutes ago, cteno4 said:

Cool bill I don’t think I’ve seen all the wide trams radii in one concentric layout like this!

 

jeff

I've only seen it in Tomix promo materials.  Now just if I had an Union Station type structure.

[Drunkenclam]

Time for an update. 

So for some reason the hole I made for access was a little to small. So I enlarged it to make access easier. I also put a little edge wall round it. In an attempt that clothing will not get snagged on anything. Also started to work out building positioning for here and in the village at the end of the line. After coming with the problem of "oh! I like that" and buying it with no thought of where to put it. 

At the end of the village I want to put an external onsen bath. But the two onsen buildings I have don't really have the right door positioning for access. 

 

 

[maihama eki]

For the first time in my life, I have completed a layout. I can't think of a single thing that I need to add to it. Well, maybe a few trains.

 

It is an n-scale layout, in n-scale, for a combined scale of 1 : 22500.

 

 

 

You can buy one of your own here. Some painting required.

https://www.shapeways.com/product/A334W2QNN/n-gauge-micro-model-railway-diorama

 

 

 

[MeTheSwede]

Nice layout!

What's the curve radius?
Is it DC or DCC?

[JR 500系]

Holy cow! My n gauge people can now engage in the same hobby! Guess i'll need to erect some n scale model train supply shop in my town soon to make them happy