Join us this week for some layout updates and some stories from our reenacting past!

How grateful are we to have been able to record 200 complete episodes of the Bench Time Podcast together as Father and Son? We can’t even begin to explain how much we’ve learned by sharing our journey together in the model railroading and fine scale modeling community with all of you! Over the past six years we’ve been able to meet so many great people and with our new plans and slight changes to this podcast, we plan to meet many more! 

We thought it would be fitting to check in on a few of our friends and bring on a new guest to the show for the 200th episode. So what better way to share the episode with 4 great individuals in the hobby!

First up is Wayman Humphrey of Pro Scale Models! Check out his great work and YouTube at these links (non-affiliate links): 

• Pro Scale Models on YouTube

Second on the list are Ryan and Tom from White Rose Hobbies, the local Hobby Shop in York, PA (non-affiliate links):

• WhiteRoseHobbies.com 

Also, since he was mentioned check out Fred Eisen’s grat YouTube videos, including the store tour! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnRYfX7Cwq_obGLyIuPGGHA/videos?view=0&sort=dd&shelf_id=0

We had a blast with Ryan and Tom and we hope that we can focus on other aspects of the scale modeling and general hobby world in the future on the podcast! Thanks for joining guys!

Last but definitely not least was return guest Ron Klaiss of Mine Mount Models, LLC! Ron has a great line of fine scale models across a variety of scales! Check out all of the great stuff that Mine Mount Models has on their site, including the Mine Mount Minutes for tips & tricks: (non-affiliate links)

• MineMountModels.com

It’s been such a great time, and we appreciate that there are a few people that tune in and listen to us ramble… Here’s to 200 more!

We're one away from 200! And Todd's busting out the 1:87 scale again on his workbench as we are looking to make some major progress in the coming weeks on the layout. We've got a lot planned for the next episode, but enjoy this week's as we ramble on in our typical fashion!

This week we chat about some architectural history after Brett's recent visit to Harper's Ferry and todd explains the history of the small town in France that he is building his diorama from, Narbonne, FR. 

In addition to the brief history lessons, we give some model building updates and discuss our recent projects which include:

• Adding realistic scale barnacles to piers for a waterfront building

Well, where do we start? This week we had an explosive mix of topics... From Brett's new Temu tools that he picked up, nipples, things that anger us at the workbench and items that you wouldn't want to accidentally sit on from your toolkit or workbench.

Can you believe we're almost at 200 episodes? We're working on some ideas for episode 200, but want some input from you guys too! Drop us a message on our FB page to suggest something fun for us to do or a new topic to cover!

The new Roast My Build Facebook group which is already at 46 member. Join now for some model build roasting!

Brett gives his update on the new Coke Zero Oreo Limited Edition - it’s awful

Todd talks about applying paper signs to his 1/35 scale diorama and how the paper edges look unless you work to sand down those visible edges, so to avoid them he took the step to paint them on the side of his building!

Brett will also be going live this week on Facebook and YouTube for some of his wharf buildout on the layout! Stay tuned for details on live workshop sessions later this week!

In this episode of the Bench Time Podcast, Todd and Brett dive into another week of modeling, griping, and a few laughs along the way. Here's what we cover:

Westboro Sandhouse Progress: Brett shares his latest updates on the ongoing Westboro Sandhouse project. What’s coming together? What’s been a challenge? Get the latest scoop on this long-term build.

Reference Photos for Old Models: We discuss the importance of using reference photos when building older models. How do you find the right photos? And how do you use them to bring your models to life? We share our tips and tricks.

Shelf Queens: Let’s be honest – do you have any shelf queens? We talk about those half-finished, long-neglected projects collecting dust on our shelves. Why do we abandon them, and will they ever see the light of day again?

Todd’s UV Resin/Light Gripe: Todd is back with another rant – this time about UV resin and lights. What’s grinding his gears? Tune in to find out.

Restoring the Original Craftsman Kit: Todd takes us down memory lane as he works on restoring an old original craftsman kit that he built years ago. What’s it like to breathe new life into a project from the past?

Did You Ever Lose Your Shit?: We get real about those frustrating moments when things don’t go as planned. What’s the most aggravating experience you’ve had while modeling? We share our stories – the good, the bad, and the downright ugly.

The Most Overrated Aspect of This Hobby: What part of modeling is overhyped? We each share what we think is the most overrated aspect of the hobby, and we’re not holding back.

Temu - HOrrible or HOt?: Finally, we delve into the world of Temu. Is it a treasure trove of HO scale goodies, or just a pile of junk? We sift through the offerings and give our honest opinions on whether Temu is worth your time and money.

Join us for another week of modeling madness, and don’t forget to share your thoughts on this week’s topics in the comments!

Bench Time #194

This week on the Bench Time Podcast, Todd answers a listener question about how he sets up his work area to help him work better and setting up his work area for his impatient personality.

The we both talk about unpacking the boxes of all of our buildings that we had packed up over a year ago, and the laying of the track roadbed.

Does anyone know about the shortage of cork or cork board? Apparently there is no current cork shortage after in-show research but why is it so hard for the hobby stores (at least around here) to stock the cork roadbed? Or are they just not ordering as much inventory anymore? We’ll get to the bottom of this…

Welcome back to the Bench Time Podcast, this week we have Matthew Hankins back on the show for his second appearance! The last time we had Matt on the show, it was for Episode 127 when we talked about his work with the Four County Society of Model Engineers as well as some of his modeling work.

This week talked with Matt about his diorama work, working with the different scratch builds, shadow box builds and how keeping the variety of work changing allows him to keep his attention span fresh.

Then he goes into his scratchbuilding process for all the different wood sections he builds on his structures. From some sections being the modular wall sections from FOS Scale Models to using strip wood to layer on all of the different features on more unique buildings.

We also talk a lot about the different styles and the different things that drive each of us as modelers… It’s not the destination, it’s the journey!

Watch Matt’s videos on his Patapsco Falls Division YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@patapscofallsdivision2579 

Check out his Patapsco Falls Division facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064555072590 

The Patapsco Falls Division website at: https://patapscofallsdivision.net 

Feature photo credit: Matthew Hankins - Patapsco Falls Division

Todd gives us a bunch of updates, gripes, and tips as Brett works to kickstart working again after a long vacation the past 10 days. In addition to Todd's updates on the French Cafe diorama, he also talks about a creative and innovative modeling technique that he used to turn an error or mis-casting on a diorama figure into a really awesome looking hat for the lady outside the cafe! This ties into what we talk about with getting creative and being true modelers!

Brett is also currently working on editing up two new YouTube videos, so keep an eye out for them on our Wiley's Scale Modeling YouTube Channel!