Little Steps

Sometimes in model railroading, progress is measured in little steps. Such is the case with the track bumpers seen at the right.The bumpers started as a four-part Walthers kit. After they were put together, I spray painted them with Tamiya brand yellow (a bright color). Next, in a learning process, I worked for the first time with Pan Pastels, a makeup-like powder product highly recommended by well-known modeler Tony Koester. Using Burnt Sienna Extra Dark (nearly black) and Burnt Sienna (rust) from their Rust & Earth palette, I experimented with using first one and then the other first, with "wiping" and "dabbing" the colors on with makeup sponges, and finally, decided the best result -- for me, at least -- was wiping on the rust color and then dabbing on the dark color. I finished by lightly spraying with Dullcoat. Sharing the experience with Tony, he assured me that I really didn't need to use the dulling spray at the end. The thing I especially  like about the powders is the ease in wiping them off and starting over, plus the fact that I do not airbrush. These little detail items add a lot to the P&LE. It should be noted I have not yet done anything about ground cover, so this scene is far from finished.