Check out my guest spot on the Plastic Posse Podcast
I was lucky enough to be invited to be a guest on the Plastic Posse Podcast. It was a great time and a deeply interesting conversation with the guys. Check it out! Episode 102
LEGO, dreams, and full circles
As a wee lad, I had dreams of the perfect future career. Like we all do. But where other kids wanted to be astronauts, firemen, policemen, I wanted to be a LEGO Designer. I wanted to work for LEGO designing kits. I still remember clearly sitting on my floor in 3rd grade and talking to my Mom about what kinds of kits I wanted to design and asking if she thought that was a job that I could get. (She emphatically said "yes!") Flash forward many years and I was in Denmark a few months into my employment at LEGO as a Senior Web Designer. My boss sat across a conference room table where I presenting about how we were building programs to engage adult LEGO fans. Next to him sat Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, the third generation family owner of the LEGO Company. I can't tell you how full circle life [...]
When tweezers try to get the better of you
Over on the Scale Modelers Critique Group (SMCG) on Facebook, one of my favorite spots on the web, a conversation came up about getting older, hands getting shakier, and how demotivating that can be. As Jeff posted: Despite being only 51, my hands regularly get the shakes. I've been building the Tamiya 1/48 Spitfire, and after shooting a part off into the ether this morning I just want to get a win. I replied with many words and figured I'd share that ramble as a blog post. Here's what I told Jeff: 1. Getting older SUCKS. I find myself having to compensate for eyes and hands more than ever before as I rush up on 50 in September. 2. No matter your skills, there are good modeling days and bad. Last night, I sat down at the bench to decompress a tough week and immediately dropped a (large) resin part and [...]
PSA: Traveling with models and asking for a hand check
I'm going to put this right up front in this post: If you're flying with fragile items (like a scale model) and have to pass through a TSA checkpoint ASK FOR A HAND CHECK. Do not, I repeat, do not try to put it through the metal detector. I learned this lesson the (very) hard way on my way to the Rocky Mountain Hobby Expo. After telling 3 different TSA agents that the box I had with me (marked with multiple "fragile" red stickers) was incredibly fragile, not one offered for me to get this "hand check", wherein the TSA agent wouldn't put my box through the metal detector and would inspect it by hand. Instead, they all grumpily pushed me to stick the box in a bin and shove it through the xray. My spidey sense was tingling, but I pushed ahead. I waited on the other side of the [...]
Guest Interview: Plastic Model Mojo Podcast
I'm excited to share that I was the guest interview on the Plastic Model Mojo podcast, Episode 116! I had a wonderful time with Mike and Dave talking about scope creep and my Cylon Raider diorama build. Check it out!
An Ode to the OG Gangsters
This week we heard that the Sprue Cutters Union podcast would be indefinitely halted after a number of years, a bunch of episodes, and some truly remarkable insights, ideas, and interviews. I posted a few "I'm sad" comments of support on the various social channels, but I had a deeper sense of loss (and joy) that I wanted to express in a few more words. So here we go. Community and Connection SCU was more than just a podcast. I listen to plenty of podcasts, effectively none of them have prompted as much action and connection as SCU did. Listening to Will Pattison, Tracy Hancock, and Chris Meddings ramble, rant, joke, and support reminded me of one of the core reasons I love scale modeling: community. I was inspired by their camaraderie to reach out to people I wanted to be friends with and learn from. I felt a sense of [...]
Final Cylon Raider Shots
Since the base is effectively done, I wanted to share a few photos I've taken. (Figures not yet included)
Making springs
As part of the Cylon Raider Diorama, I needed springs.... those kind that the Mak. guys add to their armored suits to look like power cables. I'm running electrical wires across the deck and wanted to hide them in a "big ass power cable" and springs was the easiest way to get there. The problem was... the way I wanted to run electrical wires required a spring bigger than I could find easily. (Read more about this on the Cylon Raider project page) I had previously purchased a bunch of beautiful springs from HobbyLink Japan. They were relatively inexpensive, long enough for my needs, and arrived quickly. But... there was no way they were big enough to fit the large wire I was using. I search Grainger, McMaster-Carr, and a variety of spring selling online businesses. I even ordered a few off Amazon and realized I'd gone way wrong. I did [...]
Challenge coins and alternate recognition
At the IPMS Nationals 2023, I was lucky enough to receive an incredible award. It wasn't an official medal from the IPMS judges. Nope. I got a couple of those and they were cool, but not as cool as the real award. A poker chip. This chip was from one of the members of the Las Vegas club. They put a few of them down on their favorite creations as a way to say "good work". These are "challenge coins" as people commonly call them. Receiving one of these was a fantastic feeling. It wasn't an award that comes from rules and judges and comparison and some level of randomness that comes from a particular group of judges. It was a single person saying "Damn, this is cool". The day that coin showed up next to my diorama, Matt McDougall and I were at lunch talking about how cool it would [...]
LED lighting basics
Thanks to a wonderfully helpful call with Barry Biediger recently, I now understand some of the fundamental basics of LED lighting. It's funny how the LED tech has made it so damn easy to wire up basic lighting that works well and lasts a long time. Because Barry is awesome, he followed up our call with some details that he was cool with me sharing with y'all. I'm also adding a few tidbits I've learned from Barry and others along the way that may help you. Wiring tips and tricks My current supplier of choice for LED lights and related accessories has been Evan Designs. They provide reasonably priced, high quality products, are quick to respond to questions, and ship fast. Recently, I picked up several different types of LEDs: Pico, Nano, Chip. I asked them how much different the amount of light each one kicks off vs. the other. They [...]