Wiley's Bench Time - Model Railroading Podcast

Bench Time #60 - Two Schmucks & Their Mics, Live Build, Special Gift, Storing Mixed Paints, Hunterline Stains, Custom Billboards & More!

It’s Friday fellow fine scale freaks!  

So that means another episode of the Bench Time Podcast!  Number 60 to be exact! And this weekend we give you a mish-mash of everything!  We start by answering questions from our listeners on a host of different fine-scale subjects, and we go off on a tangent of everything else from there!  

Yep! Being kept up inside for the Winter has about taken its toll on these two schmucks and their mics (which we talk about too!). But we discuss the great results we have had from using the Hunterline Stains and Pigment products, A new scratch-built rooftop billboard that Todd has designed for his latest structure featuring a photo of the actress during WWII Hedy Lamar.  

We then get into the AK Interactive products that Brett has been working with for his new ho-two and review videos on our HO Scale Customs YouTube channel.

He shares a little with us about the Dry and Wet Crackle Mud Terrain Series effects and his awesome results with the AK Asphalt Terrain Series mediums for making Asphalt roads!

We then move on to using medicine bottles for storing stains and pigments and how we will be reviewing many new or  “new to us” products and materials to help create scenery and structure building.

Of course, we can’t forget our discussions of the first week of our Live Facebook Group build together a project that started this past week and how much fun it has been if not a bit hectic for us, keeping us on our toes!  

Another awesome week is in the books folks! And you can listen at your workbench or around the layout as you work! (Is it really even work?? Really?)

Keep on building and Spring is right around the bend!!

Important Show Links: 

Youtube Video of Brett's Road Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfDMgGCgsZg&t=5s

Medicine Bottles Brett Discussed: https://amzn.to/2EchVim 

HO Scale Custom FB Video Library: https://www.facebook.com/pg/hoscalecustoms/videos/  

Bench Time #59: How we create roads, sidewalks, and we discuss our love of collecting paints!

It's time for another Bench Time Model Railroading podcast with Todd & Brett, and this week we spend a good deal of time talking about how we make our roads and sidewalks.

Recently we featured two live videos on Facebook that covered both of these topics and you can find them here: 

• HO Scale Customs LIVE video on roads
• Model Railroading sidewalk how-to tutorial

You can thank Brock, an Instagram follower of ours for the suggestion of this week's main topic! Our roads & sidewalk techniques aren't ones that we can take credit for, we actually took much of what we do for roads from FOS Scale Models & Jason Jensen. We just added our spin on it and made it into a live video for our Facebook fans. 

Here's a couple quick pictures of Todd's Sidewalks:

We also talk about our schedule for next week's upcoming live builds of Pop's General Store. You can check out Jason's illustration of Pop's here.

The LIVE build schedule is as follows: 

• Monday, February 11th @ 8:00pm EST (5pm PT) - Todd Wiley
• Tuesday, February 12th @ 8:00pm EST (5pm PT) - Brett Wiley
• Wednesday, February 13th @ 8:00pm EST (5pm PT) - Jason Jensen

Finally, we talk about Todd's monstrous stock of acrylic paints. I mean, he's got so many paints he ran out of storage space in his paint racks, shelves, and it's practically impossible to walk through his modeling room without stepping over paint! Okay, well it's not that bad... But we like to pick up a lot of colors and types of paints! It's kind of similar to the paint pallet fetish.

Have an awesome weekend everyone! 

Join in on the fun over on our Patreon page!

Bench Time #58: Kenny Crump & Jason Jensen - Discussing the Pop's General Store Live Build

We’re about a week away from starting the live build of Pop’s General Store, so what better timing than now to talk to Kenny Crump of KC’s Workshop and Jason Jensen about the kit that we’ll all be building together over the next several weeks?!?!

We start out this week’s episode by answering some questions from our Patrons of the Overtime at the Bench - HO Scale Customs group, and out patrons threw a ton of great questions at our guests including:

• Choosing colors for KC’s Workshop’s Kits
• The inspiration for KC’s Kits
• Cracking & Peeling Paints
• Our Favorite Coffee’s
• And More awesome & fun topics

Next we go over the live build details for the Pop’s General Store build with Todd, Brett & Jason which include a rotating schedule of who will be building on which night. So starting on February 11th, we will all be live on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night, rotating each week. So if the first week Todd is live on Monday, Jason on Tuesday, and Brett on Wednesday, then on week two, Brett will be live on Monday, Todd on Tuesday and Jason on Wednesday. We’ll rotate through this schedule until the live builds are complete.

 

IMPORTANT: If you want to get the Pop’s General Store kit to build with us, you should make sure your orders are in for it before the end of the weekend, as Kenny said, here: https://kcworkshop.com/products/pops-general-store-ho-scale

 

Also, to join our awesome group of Patrons and to help us create a better show each and every week you can join our Patreon Page here: https://patreon.com/hoscalecustoms

Bench Time #57: Glue Bottle Nightmares, and we love laser cut windows, doors & parts!

This late January episode of The Bench Time Podcast we spend some time answering our listener's questions and from two of them, we get into the subject of glues and the nightmares associated with some of the glue bottles we use when we do our model building.

Get your hands on Pop's General Store to build with us for the LIVE Build! Link: KC's Workshop - Pop's General Store - ENTER CODE: HOCUSTOMS

Also, here's the link to the tools list for the Live build: Supplies, Paints and Tools for the “Live Build Along”

The feature topic this week Todd and Brett discuss laser cut doors, windows and parts for structures and how more and more manufacturers are turning to their use in their kits. How we enjoy working with these parts because of their versatility and acceptance with different art mediums, plus they really can be made to look so much more realistic than plastic parts which we also frequently use.  With laser cut parts it also offers the kit manufacturer a license to create pretty much any structural material they may want to reproduce and give us the consumer more variety!

So get to the workbench, turn up the volume and listen while you work this weekend!

Join our awesome Patrons and become part of the show!

Call us and leave the show a voicemail: 717-601-2348

Bench Time #56: Brian and Jill Bollinger of BEST Trains, kits, detail castings, roofing

What’s up fine scale fam!  This cold and nasty weekend brings us to Episode 56 of the Bench Time Podcast: and we have joining us as guests Brian and Jill Bollinger of BEST Trains and besttrains.com .  Our shows first ever husband and wife team and they tell us all about their wide variety of some outstanding pewter castings for detailing our dioramas, structures and layout scenes and bring them to a different level of realism.  There are over 500 of them and they are unique and ones we often wish we could find one of…..likely they make it.  The unique and comical Skanky Yankee scale figures are a favorite of ours and we talk about how they came about.

We then discuss the many gorgeous craftsman kit structures they produce.  These are prototype buildings from all over the country and different regions, and we talk about the inspirations for them.

Brett and Todd are huge into roofing and weathering roofs on structures.  One of our favorite parts of a build, and Jill shares with us the huge selection of roofing materials, shingles, etc, that they have and how easy they are to work with.
So settle into the workshop, crank up the heat, and listen in on this week’s Bench Time podcast!

Become a Patron and unlock some cool extras!

 

Bench Time #55: Doug Foscale; Techniques and Concepts as we chill in the workshop!

What is better to kick off with the first guest of 2019 then to be joined again by Doug Foscale of FOS Scale Models for The Bench Time Podcast episode 55?   How about a whole show filled with tips, ideas and techniques on modeling from one of the best in the biz!  We start off with some questions from the listeners for Doug on how to pack a diorama or model for travel to a show or event to prevent damage to your work, his ideas and concept of color theory and how to choose the colors for the models he builds, and how he gets inspiration on designing his kits.

Brett, Todd, and Doug discuss what is on their workbenches for their own personal building, and Doug tells them about his new layout he is building when he has a free moment.  He then shares the details of his new program at FOS with the “Kit of the Month” and how you can sign up to have one of his unique one off designs sent to you each month to build and keep you busy throughout the year building quality structures!

Then we get into the nitty gritty techniques of modeling roads and sidewalks and he has some amazing and effective ways to create realism to your thoroughfares and bring a town to life.  He touches on building vehicles, working and coloring with hydrocal castings, and he tells us all about some of his upcoming structures that we all can’t wait to get our hands on!  There is a lot to this show that we couldn’t even list or remember all of it, so get cozy warm, get to work on your bench and listen in to this power-packed episode!

Links:
Models by Ed Fulasz: http://edfulasz.com/main.htm

Bench Time #54: Beyond a structures walls, you can do so much more!

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TGIF fine scale modeling friends!  This week on Episode 54 of the Bench Time Podcast we explore the things we can do to a structure beyond the walls and windows, things such as fire escapes, duct and pipe work, billboards, stairwells, etc.  And we discuss how very easy and cheap it can be done with realistic results!  But these are things we often forget to add when we think the model is complete, it often isn’t!  

We also talk about the nightmares associated with using rattle spray cans and why using the cheap brands can be a mess as Todd experienced that very evening before recording the cast.

And then we take on the listeners questions and there are some good ones, like squaring up wall sections on assembly and using a gluing jig and other tricks to get them as perfect as possible….or is that necessary? Some structures benefit from being just a bit off or dilapidated!

MSDS on weathering products, paints, and other chemical products….where the hell are they??  Why don’t many manufacturers include them on the bottles and containers or at least on their websites?  What are in these chemicals?  How would a doctor or hospital quickly find the answers? And why the heck were you not wearing hand and eye protection anyhow??!!  

All this and a whole lot more and a few laughs along the way!  Join us and listen in!  We have some awesome guests in the next upcoming few weeks and months too!

Bench Time #53: Wall and window details and how non-modelers view model railroaders

Episode 53 of the Bench Time Podcast by HO Scale Customs brings us to the end of the year and the last episode of 2018!

This week we discuss what is on our workbenches, Todd’s new build of KC’s Workshop’s Cameron Street Apartments and how he has detailed some of the multi-diverse materials of walls with some pretty neat tricks to create ivy vines, vintage wall signs, and window blinds, creating layers of depth to achieve great realism in ho scale. Also how these techniques will be demonstrated on Facebook Live builds happening this weekend which will be available to view on our HO Scale Customs Facebook page for those that don’t catch it live and long after this podcast airs.

We then talk about the human side of model railroading and how the non-model railroader or non-fine scale modeler views us, the model railroader and fine scale artists, and what some often think about us.  How we are perceived at times by a lot of people.  How some admire our work, many may find it silly, others ask WHY?  And some may snicker. How we may want to avoid telling certain circles to avoid the stereotypes at times associated, and how it is healthy to not over-talk about model railroading and modeling with our loved ones, family and close friends to the point where it is all we talk about and we bore them to tears. 

We wrap up with some new details of the upcoming live facebook build-a kit program, some new capabilities with video on youtube and a big upcoming 2019 with lots of surprises and special guests. Also some of the cool model railroad Christmas gifts we received.

Bench Time #52: Todd & Brett's Favorite Top Models and Modelers of 2018

This busy weekend and upcoming Holidays on tepisode #52 of the Bench Time Podcast by HO Scale Customs we list and review some of the best non-professional modelers works from 2018!  In no particular order, we pick ten or so of our favorite structures, dioramas and sections of layouts base on our own personal opinions and there were so many many more we simply could not have fit in a single episode.  This year was BIG!  The year modelers turned up the volume!  Mammoth Structures and dioramas filled with tons of tiny details peppered the facebook groups and instagram photos! We saw creativity not just step outside the box but shred the border outlines of that box!  Modelers taking bold steps to try new material, multiple techniques, some old, some new, and giving the viewer unique design and perspectives, and we talk about our personal favorites!  Many of them were even guests of ours this year, and some of them supporters and listeners of our show!

We also talk about the styles and types of paintbrushes we use.  How they feel, the applications we put them through, and what each design offers.  They are the cornerstone tool of artistry and what delivers and transfers what the artist sees onto their pieces. 

Finally on this jam packed episode, we tell you all about a special Facebook Live with HO Scale Customs modeling project where everyone can participate in, be it the new to craftsman kit starter or the experienced old hand!  A craftsman kit structure soon to be released and announced that each viewer can purchase and follow along weekly step by step with Brett and Todd Wiley and an extra special modeling guest who will each give their own hints and tips each week until the completion of a uniquely designed with multiple building materials to teach a little bit about everything, and the modeler can stand back and say, “I did that!”  It is going to be a fun winter working on this for everyone! 

We want to wish everyone a safe and happy Holiday season, and remember to take a break from the bench and enjoy time with family and friends! 

Become a Patron! 

Bench Time #51: Jake Johnson - Professional Model Builder & Model Railroader

Our new Bench Time Voicemail # is 717-601-2348

Call us and leave a friendly message, question, or comment and hear it on the roundup at the end of next week's show!

This weekend on The Bench Time Podcast Episode 51 we have an extra special treat for you with special guest and patron Jake Johnson!  Jake is a professional model maker with Train Shack, and he has worked as a dimensional designer and model maker with Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment, Shadow Machine, and Mattel!  You name it, we think this guy has built it!  He has built projects for Mattel Toys, Stop Motion Animation models for Robot Chicken Star Wars, ¼ Big Thunder Model on display and other projects at Disneyland, such as Shanghai Pirates of the Caribbean, Avatar Land Models, and along with all of his impressive professional resume, a long list of  private clients we can’t mention.  To top it off?  He does boat loads of model railroad projects both personally and for clients with Train Shack in Burbank California! 

And since it is right before Christmas and the Holidays and everything is a magical time for us all, this is the perfect and unique interview!  Jake’s models are insanely, knock your socks off great!  We discuss with him what all he has done and he gives us some insight into how he has built some of the projects mentioned above, gives us a few pointers and a couple of products he uses to get effects.  He is upbeat, energetic and a great guest to have with us, so we plan to bring him back soon to share some more pointers and ideas he has for our own model railroad projects!  He even answers some questions from our Patrons!!

Jake does about every type of scale and every type of modeling you can think of.  This show isn’t just for the model railroader!  It is for lovers of all modeling, be it military, transportation, structural, engineering, or wargaming, there is a little something fascinating for us all to take from this fella!  So put a yule log in the fireplace, grab your eggnog or favorite holiday beverage, sit back, turn up the volume, and tune into the podcast!  

Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/HOScaleCustoms