Sand

[quinntopia]

As Jeff suggests, I think a lot depends on what you are trying to achieve.  When viewed from a few feet away the right color of paint on slight rough plaster looks fine. For me it is good enough even from reasonably close photography, especially next to buildings or larger items.  But in extreme close up just about any size of particle next to a figure is going to look like a fist-sized rock. 

Wow! Well, your picture certainly proves that point! Nice work! 

[cteno4]

Curt,

 

I agree with your son, they need some beach towels. no weaving them yourself now! curt is the guy who put scale documents out on the conference table he put in his kato office building!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[cteno4]

in some poking around it looks like some 400 grit aluminum oxide might do the trick to add some texture to paint. now the trick is to find a small amount of it! usually sold by 20lb tub for sand blasting.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Guest Closed Account 1]

Ask at the Auto Finish supply shop. They may get you 20lbs Silica sand or ask a local independent body shop.

 

Really nice pics everyone!  Yeah Tamiya has always produced fine detailed models.

 

To better understand the detail of N Scale I am using Google Earth (app) to view my prototype scene at various altitudes.

 

From a human eye, how high do you have to be to grasp the scene?  160 feet up per inch right?

 

Just comparing the N Scale track to the Amtrak Station on the monitor, I'm up to 1 inch = 57 feet (rounded up from 56.25) to make the prototype track look 9mm. :)

 

Am I doing this correctly?

 

Attached is a pic comparing Kato Unitrack to my ol 45. Not quite 9mm.

[KenS]

I don't think that's what they mean by "bullet train". 

 

Sorry, had to say it.

[KenS]

To better understand the detail of N Scale I am using Google Earth (app) to view my prototype scene at various altitudes.

 

From a human eye, how high do you have to be to grasp the scene?  160 feet up per inch right?

 

Just comparing the N Scale track to the Amtrak Station on the monitor, I'm up to 1 inch = 57 feet (rounded up from 56.25) to make the prototype track look 9mm. :)

 

Am I doing this correctly?

 

My approach to that would be to hold up the track to the screen, and make the rail-to-rail spacing match.  Using Google Earth, I need to be at an "eye height" of 145 feet to make unitrack match a Japanese 3' 6" line  (GE doesn't give me a foot/inch scale; how do you get that?).  However, it may depend on the specific camera used to image a location, as on another line I need to be around 160-foot "eye height".

 

But the answer is going to vary depending on your monitor (pixel spacing, which does vary somewhat) and computer (dpi setting separate from hardware).  For the above, I was using a 23" 1920x1200 display on a Mac.  Moving the same window sideways to my laptop screen (I've got screen-spanning on) the resolution changes, and instead of 160 feet, I need to be at around 110 feet eye altitude (1440x900 15" macbook pro screen).

 

Update: using GE on my iphone, even at maximum zoom (eye height 56 feet) track rail spacing is only about 5 mm.  And I have the older iPhone.

[Guest Closed Account 1]

I used Google Earth application on the iMac. Didn't bother with using the iPhone4 GE app. Have that installed though.

 

In the lower left is a legend. 1 inch equals whatever you zoom to.

 

To turn on that feature, from the top bar go to View -> Scale legend. In preferences, I turned down the mouse speed to 1 for fine movements.

 

According to an N scale equivalent chart 0.057=9.12 (urbaneagle.com/data/NconvC.txt)

 

Type in Amtrak Tucson to see what I am viewing. Click enter. Zoom to 56 or 57 feet. Now pan and tilt the camera till you are are looking straight down over the 2 diesel locomotives long hood to long hood and some track. Looks like N scale now?

[Mudkip Orange]

I don't think that's what they mean by "bullet train". 

 

Sorry, had to say it.

 

 

LOLOLOLOLOLOL

[Guest Closed Account 1]

Woodland scenics has a ready grass that looks like desert. Well at least pretty good.

 

Anyone know if it comes in rolls?

 

Just small sheets are listed. I'd like enough to do a 4x8.

[KenS]

Do you mean the Summer Grass version, or another one?  That one is listed as being available in a 50x100 inch roll, as well as 33x50 and 25x33 inch sizes.

 

On their website, the mats are under Terrain & Landscape / Landscape / Ready to go Landscape / Ready Grass

 

and that has to be the hardest-to-use "well organized" website on the planet.  Nothing is ever quite where I look for it the first time.

[cteno4]

just saw the summer grass 50" x 100" roll at our LHS here in rockville md. was like $24, not bad for the size. looked a lot like sort of rough desert dirt/rock/sand/bits of scrub. its not beach sand, but a rougher texture and more mixed colors of an arid landscape.

 

one other thing that occurred to me is to try zip texturing using tempra powders and plaster powder. it usually leaves a bit of textured finish. you brush on your mixed dry stuff then spritz water onto it to set it up. going to have to experiment some with this! perhaps this mixed with the fine silica sand blasting powder. nice thing is that the zip technique gives a bit of mottled patterning to the final thing, not uniform like paint.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Guest Closed Account 1]

It's the Ready grass in Desert Color I was after. I don't want a sandy layout that will get destroyed in a move.

 

Using Google Earth's history function and zooming to 57 feet (N Scale), the Summer Grass Mat really does a great job of matching areas of AZ with vegetation during the month of January.

 

I really like the red/pink color of the Sonoran Desert. Then again, some air brushing in areas will add that effect to the Summer mat. 

 

Summer grass is the winner!