Welcome to the weekend Fine Scale Modelers!

We’re diving into holiday trains this week and talking about some of the memories we have had with holiday set-ups, train sets and what we do (or did) for the holidays. Brett talks about his Bachman Big Hauler which he’ll set-up soon under the christmas tree. Do you have any holiday train memories you’d like to share? Put those stories up on our Facebook page!

Our workbenches have a lot of projects piling up and we go through what’s on our lineup of work coming up this winter. So as it gets cold, we plan to lock in and crank out some really cool builds. We’re also doing a lot of scenery work right now and we’re expecting a lot of Black Water Cove (our layout) to be wayyyy “sexier” soon with some scenery photos coming.

We also have a lot of fun this week going over:

• The use of fennel seeds to create oysters on a fishing boat that Todd made

Welcome to the weekend our fine scale modeling freaks!  And with this weekend’s episode # 49 brings us to December and we talk about how we both loathe the cold Winter months ahead, and how to survive it through modeling and all that can be accomplished on our benches.  With Winter also brings us to the Holiday season and a time of year for many where we buy, and receive gifts and wouldn’t it be great to have a list of ideas on what to get for modeling instead of that ugly pair of socks and yet another ice scraper for your vehicle?  What are some good places to get those small stocking stuffers, items every modelers would love to have, many of which are inexpensive and things our families would never think to give.  What constitutes good directions and a few other topics are answered from Listeners questions!

Happy Thanksgiving weekend modelers!  This week our guest for episode 48 of the Bench Time Podcast is Edz Camila, an extremely talented fine scale model artist from Singapore!  Her work can be found all over Instagram and Facebook representing Singapore Miniatures, D.T. Railways,  and she has an amazing following of admirers in both, including us here at HO Scale Customs.

It was our long awaited pleasure to speak with her on the podcast and find out a bit more about her and her talents.  She specializes in painting figures, small detail parts, natural scenery, and structures.  And she excels in them all and she does so with incredible artistry and we think, amazing speed!   She tells us all about Singapore Miniature World and the work she does for them, a bit about what she enjoys working  with most, and we travel down a few other rabbit holes along the way.

So join us for this extra special holiday interview with someone we have admired and appreciated for quite some time. You won't be sorry and Happy Thanksgiving!

You can see her work and more about Singapore Miniature World on Facebook at the link below or find her beautiful and stunning visual art in HO scale on Instagram by searching SingaporeMiniature. 

Facebook Page: Singapore Miniature World

TGIF fellow fine scale freaks!!  This week on episode 47 of The Bench Time Podcast, Brett shares his techniques for painting structures with a sea sponge to give an aging, peeling paint, weathered effect.  Then Todd and Brett discuss how they scenic out a structure once it is placed on the layout and how to focus on just that small area of concentration to create a scene.  It is one thing to just build the structure and add details directly to it, but it is an entirely different and at times more or equally fun to create the scene separate from the building in its immediate area to tell a story about the structure.  It’s definition of purpose.  That structure isn’t done unitl you fill in the region around it!

We return to the workbenches again this week following another awesome time at the Fine Scale Expo, and we introduce a up and comer on the kit manufacturer scene; Ron Klaiss of Mine Mount Models.  Ron gives us the nitty gritty, down low on his structure kits and laser cut building material available, the thought processes and what is involved in starting a business in the kit designing world, and he helps us chime in on answering some of our weekly questions from our listeners and patrons.

• Mine Mount Models

Today on Bench Time Podcast #45 we are on location in downtown Albany NY, at the Albany Hilton for the 2018 Fine Scale Model Railroad Expo!  This week is a shorter podcast because everyone here was busy setting up for the big show, but we bring on Special Guests, the Expo Organizers, Jimmy Deignan, Robert Seckler, Hal Reynolds and Doug Foscale to talk some more about the big show happening this weekend, Thursday November 1 throught Saturday November 3.  We discuss what you will see when you attend the Expo, from the Contests, the Vendor Room, the awesome Clinics, and how you can attend and enjoy the only show dedicated to fine scale model railroad, structures, scenery, and details and learning from some of the best model clinicians in the hobby from all over the country!  

Welcome to the weekend modelers!  Our episode 44 this week features returning special guest and amazing modeler Jason Jensen of Jason Jensen Trains!   As always with Jason we get so caught up, gabbing about modeling ideas, tips, tricks that lose track of time.  This episode is no exception and is a long one (partly because we lost power on the first night recording and had to continue the following evening) !  But WOW it is just packed full of info and modeling content!

• Jason Jensen Trains

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For the 43rd Episode of the Bench Time Podcast, this week Brett and Todd Wiley discuss scenery involving trees, static grass, bushes, and all the other necessary vegetation associated with making a layout go from boards and white plaster to simulated mother earth.  They also cover how they apply it in a city/urban layout that involves a lot of concrete sidewalks and roads and all of the unusual places people don’t think of but it commonly appears, plus all the many different types of available scenery product today on the market that no one has an excuse not to recreate the exact look they are going for no matter what region of the world you are in. 

This week we’ve been crazy busy on the layout and some family things, but we’ve managed time to get episode 42 done a little early (recorded monday). Brett’s been working on his waterfront as usual and though it seems like it’s been forever that he’s been working on this thing, he is actually making progress, but it’s just a TON of layers. It should be photographable later this weekend for all to see. 

Todd is wrapping up the Danby Saw Mill and if you’ve been on our Facebook live videos lately, you can see how tedious this building has been to build. IT’S VERY DETAILED. Unfortunately we don’t have a link to this kit if you’re interested in getting one because it’s out of production. You may be able to find some on eBay or other marketplace sites. Photos of Todd’s work on this and the FOS Scale Models Grove Woodcrafters kit can be found over on our Facebook page.

We finally talk about how much fun it was having my daughter in the basement with me and my dad as we worked on the layout. She was so excited to get to painting just like dad and pappy, that was a really cool moment and my wife captured the moment in an awesome photo of all 3 generations of Wiley’s painting and working at once! Plus we got some cool wall art to hang on the workbench.

We’re also going to be adding some videos to our Patreon page, for MORE content of our modeling available to our Patrons. Don’t worry, we’re still going to do a weekly (or more) live video on Facebook, that’s not going away, but we’re going to keep doing a little extra for our Patrons. To become a patron visit patreon.com/hoscalecustoms and gain access to these future videos, and past patron-only content. 

Is your workbench and surrounding area complete mayhem or an OCD design studio?  This week on the “Bench Time” podcast, hosts Brett and Todd Wiley of HO Scale Customs explore and discuss the many ways the manage their work area when they model.  From the types of workbenches the the way they organize and store their spare parts, paints, glues, tools, supplies, details, and unfinished kits, You will hear how each have contrasting styles and ideas with unique reasons that allow them to work efficiently.  They also talk about how to store and organize with containers and gadgets that can be had on the cheap around the house or in discount stores that can turn your turmoiled nightmare into a bench that helps you get some work done and make you feel good inside when you work.  Aesthetics can play a big role in productivity!