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The Moment You're All Not Waiting For


Ember

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On the bright side. Vandals are less trouble than Visigoths. Ever tried cleaning up after those guys? Spare body parts everywhere. Very messy.

hey leave us goths alone :lol: lol

'Sok Obsidith. Believe me. They're all relatives. 8 years on and I still scare people around here. And I've made a conceerted effort to tone down or rather colour up. :lol: Leather, lace and velvet do stand out a little in a town of flanno, moleskin and more flanno.

Computers. They'll never catch on.

 

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Tiny Tyers Targa - The build saga continues - Aging wood - A recipe for staining wood - Don't take a fence - Step by step paling fence - An old shed for my new cars - Wooden garage under construction

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:lol: Yup. Know those looks.only took me 18 months to convert form Melbourne to Country. Mind you, I still get "why don't you wear a little colour dear". I do occasionally return to natural state for special occasions, ust for reaction.

 

Best thing I ever heard was in the local Coles. I was working on blending and standing behind a granny in the queue. In front of here were a visiting couple. She a crusty with full dreads. He Goth with full length leather coat and numerous pierceings. Granny was heard to murmur to nanna beside her "You'd think shed brush her hair efore going out". Not a word about him. Ahh... a world full of equality. Hence I try to offer a 'normal' face during weekdays. I do run a business afterall.

 

Yes, there are frequently things I miss about the city.

Computers. They'll never catch on.

 

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Tiny Tyers Targa - The build saga continues - Aging wood - A recipe for staining wood - Don't take a fence - Step by step paling fence - An old shed for my new cars - Wooden garage under construction

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I do miss the annual Deviate's ball, but its 10 years since I've been to that. (ok. starting to show age now :lol: )

Current partner is rock'n'roll and jazz buff. Ex-husband was a hippy. And Halloween was wedding anniversary. Ain't life grand and colourful. And one of the local social events is the Rock'n'roll club Halloween Ball. Ah well... The old wardrobe gets dusted off which usually guarantees some raised eyebrows. But for some reason I've never managed to win the 'costume prize'. Go figure.

Times change. People grow older. Just don't ask me to grow up!

Computers. They'll never catch on.

 

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Tiny Tyers Targa - The build saga continues - Aging wood - A recipe for staining wood - Don't take a fence - Step by step paling fence - An old shed for my new cars - Wooden garage under construction

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  • 2 weeks later...

Time for another update, although there's not a great deal to show.

About time I started to work on the other end of the table, not as easy as all that.

Some have asked about my frock cliffs. The original details for FRocks can be found here which I posted earlier, but I've adjusted things slightly to fit my situation.

 

As the FRocks that I need are for a cliff situation rather than individual free standing rocks, I have torn them from a long piece of upholstery foam. I think its previous life was as the back of a sofa. Basically I've torn it in two lengthwise. Not exactly carefully, but trying to keep the strip as long as possible. Sorry, no matter how I juggled I couldn't get a photo of the tearing process, but well, you tear it that's about it. From there I actually trim as much bulk off the back as I can. Without this step I've discovered how easy it is to encroach on the road surface too much (note, I've only discovered the need to do this since I've started to experiment sans-magnet :lol: )

 

Ok... To the pictures....

windowendcliff1.jpg

This is the strip of foam pinned in place. From this you can see how thin I've trimmed the foam. Dressmaking pins are helpful. With the cliff pinned in place I usually find the excuse to run a few laps (or get HL to do so) so that I can check to see that the cars will clear it ok. From here I've glued it in place using styrofoam friendly liquid nails. Pins are again used to hold things in place until the glue dries.

 

mixingfrockcoat.jpg

Mixing and tinting the frock coat. I've discovered tinting helps in the painting later.

 

windowendcliff2.jpg

Application of first coat. The consistancy of the jointing compound needs to be fairly thin for the first coat, about the consistancy of thickened cream. I use a flat bristle brush for application. A cheap one in this instance, cause it takes some abuse. It's important to try to get the coating to soak as deep into the foam as possible, hence the need for this coat to be thinned with water. I just use a bit of a scrubbing motion with the brush to try to work it in beyond just the surface.

 

windowendcliff3.jpg

First coat completed to the end of the cliff.

 

windowendcliff4.jpg

Drying. In this weather I've had at times to wait days for the first coat to dry. But I want to get things moving, so out comes the heater.

 

windowendcliff5.jpg

Second coat and third coats. Not a great deal of water added to this batch. Trial and error will get the consistency right. While not exactly slopped on, it can be applied thicker. Use a cross hatch motion to spread it out. Again with the drying. I like to apply a third coat particularly in places where the foam is thicker.

 

windowendcliff5apaint.jpg

Painting is the next step. I've used yellow ochre, raw sienna, gold oxide and burnt sienna. As I mentioned before, I find the tinting of the coating helps me here. I paint the cliff in patches of wash, wet in wet technique for anyone that's played water colour painting at all. Basically the idea is to not let the edge of the patch you're working on dry before you add the next colour. Hard to discribe really, and I intended to try to take a few photos, but I zone out with a paint brush in hand. It becomes a bit of a meditation thing. Anyway... Start with a stronger mix of colour and add water to it on the cliff face to help spread it around. Move along and do the same thing. No science or planning to it, or in the choice of what colour where. Other than I tend to use deeper colours in the recesses of the rock. Where the wash blends out to little more than dirty water the tinting of the coating comes through.

 

windowendcliff6.jpg

The sandstone that I'm trying to represent here goes from a very pale cream (as cut for Parliament House) through yellows and red ochres.

 

Haven't decided if I need to progress to the next step which would be a very thin wash with blends of deeper warm browns, burnt sienna. raw and burnt umber.

 

Because of the size of the table, the fact that it's fixed to a wall and my lack of verticality means that I haven't necessarily made my life easy.

innerfrockcliff1.jpg

This is the corner of the left end of the table, this cliff undercuts beneath the top straight. From the front of the table I can't reach it. So I work from the side, leaning over and pretty much hanging upside down... And this is how I see what I'm doing.

innerfrockcliff2.jpg

 

Thanks for sharing the experiment anyway. If it helps anyone else out its a bonus.

 

Cheers

Embs

Edited by Ember

Computers. They'll never catch on.

 

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Tiny Tyers Targa - The build saga continues - Aging wood - A recipe for staining wood - Don't take a fence - Step by step paling fence - An old shed for my new cars - Wooden garage under construction

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Embs,

 

The track is looking good and you have done a fantastic job of the graffiti. Cheers for the step by step info...pity I have 99.9% finished my scenery now! I found the hardest part in terms of trying to get inspired is where your at now with all the base modelling but you seem to be moving just nicely. Keep up the good work!

 

Dave

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Thanks Dave.

I've been a little frustrated that the base build is taking so long. But I've managed to plaster over most of the polystyrene on the left end of the table and the front of the right end (where I could reach) tonight.

 

The biggest problem that I still haven't worked out is how I'm going to resolve/decorate the underpass/tunnel bit in the back right corner (the area is shown in Pic 5 of previous post). The bit in the forground of that photo will be a concrete-type construction to match in with the area with the graffitti. Might get HL's kids to tag some paper for me while they're here for the weekend so I can transfer it to the concrete retaining walls under this part of the track.

 

Its not necessarily easy to come up with feasible visual explanations as to why the road follows the route that it does, but I'm getting there, I think... maybe.

 

Cheers

Embs

Computers. They'll never catch on.

 

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Tiny Tyers Targa - The build saga continues - Aging wood - A recipe for staining wood - Don't take a fence - Step by step paling fence - An old shed for my new cars - Wooden garage under construction

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Thanks Knoath.

Unfortunately the rapid progress will probably slow again. Most of the forward leap was made during a week of holidays. But I'm eager to get the basics finshed so I can get on to the good bits.

Computers. They'll never catch on.

 

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Tiny Tyers Targa - The build saga continues - Aging wood - A recipe for staining wood - Don't take a fence - Step by step paling fence - An old shed for my new cars - Wooden garage under construction

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  • 2 weeks later...

Update time again. But not much in the way to show.

Have covered 95% of styrofoam base in cheapskate's 'plastercloth' (chux and plaster) and applied a top coat of joint compound. I haven't tinted the joint compound this time so the track is all a bit bright and white. Never did like white. Have also filled some gaps below frock cliffs where things finished up sitting a little above the track. All applied with trusty palette knife. Just a preference for me, I find it easier to manipulate a painter's palette knife than anything more industrial, and its good for getting into some of the finer cracks.

 

Some may have noticed in recent photos a bit of colour on the wall behind the track. I've printed up two background murals that I threw together in trusty Photoshop, 3.5m long and 400mm high. Both are complete fakes. The skies are created with Kai's Power Tools and the mountain dropped over the top was from an old photo from so long ago I can't remember where it came from. Somewhere in NT I think. Having trouble deciding which one works best.

 

Sunrise/Sunset....

panoramabackdrop2.jpg

 

or Daytime....

panoramabackdrop1.jpg

 

At the moment I'm leaning toward the sunrise. The colour seems to blend into the track colours better while standing out from the wall. At the moment the mural is only taped to the wall, but it's printed on vinyl so I will apply it direct to the wall once I decide which one I want.

 

That's all for now. Time to go back out and play.

 

Cheers

Embs

Computers. They'll never catch on.

 

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Tiny Tyers Targa - The build saga continues - Aging wood - A recipe for staining wood - Don't take a fence - Step by step paling fence - An old shed for my new cars - Wooden garage under construction

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  • 1 month later...

Embs,

 

Personnaly, I would go with the sunrise too. I think the colours in the sky will contrast against the rocks better I like both though and you should be able to blend the back drop in nicely with the use of small rocks/frocks etc....more imporatantly, your last update was over a month a go...time for some more pics of progress!!

 

Dave

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Gosh time runs away, doesn't it? Didn't realise it was that long since last post.

 

Have been doing a little bit here and there. Had an enforced 2 week break from it over school holidays. Been mainly playing with plaster filling in to the edge of the track. And painting. And crushing rocks. Will have a photo session over the weekend.

 

Spent Bathurst Sunday sitting in front of portable telly out in bungalow carving bricks in a plaster tunnel. Oooh now that's fun... NOT!

Computers. They'll never catch on.

 

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Tiny Tyers Targa - The build saga continues - Aging wood - A recipe for staining wood - Don't take a fence - Step by step paling fence - An old shed for my new cars - Wooden garage under construction

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Well folks. It's update time as promised. Haven't really got a lot to show for the last month. But here goes.

 

Always been trying to work out how to do the tunnel. Eventually decided to give it a whirl. If it works, bonus, if not... well.

tunnel.jpg

Glued together a large block of polystyrene, shaped to fit under the track at the back right. Marked the corner on the base of it and carved a tunnel through. Messy but successful(?). Chucked a few coats of joint compound on it. Marked lines on it roughly with a pencil to work out where to carve. It's still a work in progress...

bricking_tunnel.jpg

At the moment it looks like an igloo.

 

Working on ground level. Gave the plaster a sand. Got in trouble with HL for clogging the vacuum cleaner with plaster dust. Slapped some paint on it, the same way as I did the cliffs. Gave it a coat of sealant. Then attacked it with some 'dirt'. Was going to use grout, but couldn't get it here in the right colours. Limited colour range available here. Terracotta isn't a problem, but I also wanted some yellow ochre and cream. Best I could do was beige, and it didn't look good. So... Solution? Get some rocks and break 'em.

 

rock_dust.jpg

This is a selection of the colours achieved from a couple of small lumps of Gramps sandstone. Being sandstone its fairly soft, anyway, and the bits I picked up (outside the National Park boundaries, of course) had been sitting by the roadside for quite sometime. Tap with a hammer to break it into smaller pieces, then into a cheap stone mortar and pestle from the thrift shop. What better way to get ochre colours than the real thing.

 

Applied to surface with good ol' PVA and we have...

ground_base.jpg

Would still like some more creams in it, but I'll work on that for the other side.

 

Looking down from top of cliffs...

 

drive_thru.jpg

Track was commenced when cars had magnets. And it shows. But it's a road rally track and one must drive for the conditions.

 

mini_cliff.jpg

 

Other additions. Local Aboriginal (Gundijmara) belief is that people who die become red gums. Easy to believe when you see how much personality old red gums have. Wanted a few venerable old trees for the track. So.. the wire armatures seen earlier got fattened up with some hot glue, then coated with.... you guessed it.... joint compound. Light sand and some paint....

 

dead_trees.jpg

Some of these are painted, some are not. First one got dropped into the track for a test...

 

dead_tree_bend.jpg

Only a dead tree at the moment. Might leave this one dead, not sure. Will leaf it alone for now... Bad joke, blame HL.

 

That brings us to yesterday. Time for some more painting...

painting_again.jpg

This is a repaint of an area of rock that had been done earlier. The darker browns didn't work for me. So it got a light coat of tinted joint compound to cover the old paint. Yesterday it got some paint thrown at it. Continued to paint all over the hill and the boulders.

 

second_side.jpg

One side done. One side not. Working in a mirror is always fun. Awkward to start with while the brain is being trained, but once you get the hang of it it's easy.

 

thru_boulders.jpg

Painted boulders.

 

Anway. I think that's got things up to date. Time to get back out there and paint the cave and understraight cliff.

 

Cheers

Embs

Computers. They'll never catch on.

 

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Tiny Tyers Targa - The build saga continues - Aging wood - A recipe for staining wood - Don't take a fence - Step by step paling fence - An old shed for my new cars - Wooden garage under construction

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  • 3 weeks later...

Spent the first Cup Day off since leaving Melbourne doing a bit of work on the track, so it's update time.

 

Trimming_foam.jpg

Trimmed up the foam-a-fill ready for application of the ever present jointing compound.

 

3_layers.jpg

Jointing compound applied. This area will be a combination of rock and scree, with the big boulder on the top, so I decided to use the rock coloured mix. Have also fitted the under-cut cliff between the top and middle straight and started to fill gaps left below the cliff. This photo shows how much the first cliff needs repainting to match in with the rest of it. I've learned a lot since doing it. So, a tip for those working on track scenery, don't start with an area you can't reach and redo if necessary. :rolleyes:

 

layered_123.jpg

This shows the three layers of rock. The front layer in this photo is, of course incomplete. This photo shows one of the little favourite spots in the scenery, which is the cave area at the end of the undercut cliffs and behind the boulders. There's some more work to be done in this area. I have a few little plans, although none of them will be easily visible unless someone is looking closely. But I'll know.

 

the_swamp.jpg

Middle of front loop, below fly-over 180. This area is looking like developing into a swampy area. Just the way the shape is forming. It's deeper at the far end, with rocks placed to form the base for the diagonal straight. A mortared rock wall at the left of this tear drop shape. There will be a culvert draining into this area amongst the rocks at the front. The area close to the camera is a gentle slope up toward the road. Oh, and the posts that were balsa have been replaced with lengths of styrene extrusion.

 

right_end.jpg

Plaster work at the right end is also starting to receive its coat of joint compound.

 

fissure.jpg

This is another little area that I love for some reason. I know, it's just a fissure in a rock and the area is not yet finished, but for some reason I like it.

 

Anyway, that's it at the moment. Not really a lot to show for a day's work.

 

Oh. The decision has been made. The sunrise/sunset back drop is the winner, and will be permanently installed to the wall soon. Just got to get the height right so that it covers the wall for any tall folk that might step up to the table. So, I guess that means I have a 3.5m x 400mm superfluous vinyl skyline.

 

Thanks for looking in. Cheers

Embs

Computers. They'll never catch on.

 

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Tiny Tyers Targa - The build saga continues - Aging wood - A recipe for staining wood - Don't take a fence - Step by step paling fence - An old shed for my new cars - Wooden garage under construction

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Looks great Embs.I like the fissure too,makes it look natural.

After the following cars,preferably in mint condition:-C2545,C2510,C2890.Also after any American or Aussie muscle cars.Email me Dwanted1@hotmail.com if you can help,thanks in advance,Tomi.

 

 

Slot car racing is much like sex,everyone thinks they are good at it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Finally the tunnel is no longer an igloo. While it is not complete yet, lighting needs to be installed before final fitting beneath the initial track climb, the majority of work is done.

 

tunnel_paint.jpg

Painting commences. My painting method is essentially the same as it's been everywhere else. Washes mixed direct on the plastered surface. In this instance though, I've restricted myself to a single colour for the underpainting and only the strength of the wash is varied. It is a man made area, so I've tried to change the colour palette a little, whilst still keeping it warm.

 

tunnelundercoat.jpg

Underpainting completed. The colour used is a red oxide. Related to the other colours I've used on the track, it is brighter and warmer, and I feel a slightly less natural colour, but only slightly. Brick clay is, afterall, a natural product.

 

tunneldetail.jpg

Basic painting completed. The "mortar" between the bricks has been picked out with darker washes. Raw and burnt umber with burnt sienna for the lighter areas. Once dry its on to dry brushing in raw sienna and yellow ochre mixed with various amounts of warm white. Again, the choice of warm white rather than titanium white is that its a more natural colour.

 

tunnelfront.jpg

The 'front' of the tunnel. This is the main face that will be visible.

 

tunnelback.jpg

The 'back' of the tunnel. This side won't be readily visible once the tunnel is installed, other than in a convex mirror that may go on the wall to aid visibility when driving. But that doesn't much matter, I will know.

 

And for a bit of fun detail...

stencil_graff.jpg

This is for His Lordship's oldest (15yo). I got both of the boys to do a 'tag' for me on paper when they were here last. MaxiMan is currently into stencilling. So he chose this image. I decided the tunnel was a good spot for it. Originally I did the stencil work in silver, but wasn't happy with the visibility. So I repositioned the stencil and repainted it with titanium white.

 

bam_tunnel.jpg

Positioning of the stencil at the front of the tunnel. Car headlights should pick it up when heading into the tunnel. I'm thinking of adding a bit more 'flavour' work to the tunnel before I install it in its final position. Perhaps a few band posters and some politcal scrawl.

 

Lighting will be provided by 3 yellow, low profile square leds. Yet to work out I'll disguise them although I don't think they'll be greatly visible.

 

Some other areas have received a little work.

 

adjusting.jpg

His Lordship adjusting the height and profile of the track surrounds. Since starting to play non-mag these background hills have been developing a bit of a groove in the polystyrene, at about the same height as an Exige wing. Some minor technical adjustment seems a good idea before the area gets set in plaster.

 

working_end.jpg

The front loop of the track seems destined to become swamp. The top of the loop has a gentlle, shallow slope. The rear of this area will be a rock retaining wall. The front track area has been built up with boulders and debris.

 

drain.jpg

A corrugated drain/culvert has been added beneath the front road. More work to be done in this area, but the basics are in place.

 

Thanks for joining me in this update.

Cheers

Embs

Computers. They'll never catch on.

 

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Tiny Tyers Targa - The build saga continues - Aging wood - A recipe for staining wood - Don't take a fence - Step by step paling fence - An old shed for my new cars - Wooden garage under construction

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Or take a few pix of local stuff

 

There will be more Gazza. I could only wish the local stuff was that impressive. Around here nothing more than Posca Pen tags and the ol' Aussie fave of err... well... let's go for the 70's version... 2 dim sims and a chiko roll. They're not the most creative of critters around here.

 

BTW: Nice collection you found. I'd love to be able to see more of that blue dragon/wyrm one loop of which is shown.

 

Thought I'd get some interest from HL's boys when I challenged them to come up with some tags and graff designs. Thought the older one might've been interested in the prospect, he's currently doing airbrushing at school. But that might require displaying some enthusiasm. And well... You know teens.

 

Thanks Gzminiz. I'm sure you'll surprise yourself when you get started. It's fun. Changes that way you view things a bit lot. Find myself looking hard at road verges and other things, trying to work out how to portray them. Haven't even finished this one and my brain is off working on themes for future projects.

Computers. They'll never catch on.

 

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Tiny Tyers Targa - The build saga continues - Aging wood - A recipe for staining wood - Don't take a fence - Step by step paling fence - An old shed for my new cars - Wooden garage under construction

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  • 1 month later...

There's been a bit of progress since the last post.

 

The tunnel's finished with the exception of lighting. More graff work and some band posters, followed by some grubby exhaust build up (dry brushed olive and prussian blue blend).

 

Left side going in....

tunnel_graf1.jpg

tunnel_graf2.jpg

tunnel_graf3.jpg

 

And right side...

tunnel_posters1.jpg

tunnel_posters2.jpg

 

A different look at the right side...

tunnel_right.jpg

 

On to other work...

 

More painting in the middle of the track. This layer will be finished off with scree and some low bushes.

mid_layer.jpg

 

And the retaining wall....

retaining1.jpg

 

Polystyrene coated in joint compound and carved. Not by hand this time. I learned my lesson with the brick work. Enter the dremel.

 

retaingwall.jpg

Retaining wall painted. Wasn't totally happy with it. Even painted it still looked flat. Another track build elsewhere reminded me of the existance of Das Pronto modelling clay. Seemed like the perfect solution to the too flat wall. So I went in search of some in town. And waddaya know, I found some. Thought the terracorta variety (new to me) was appropriate. Slapped some over the plaster work and modelled it into a rock wall with the end of a brush (and me with a whole studio of ceramics tools in storage somewhere).

 

So, dried it looked like this....

das_wall.jpg

 

And painted, more like this

wall.jpg

 

And this

wall_finished.jpg

My usual colours and painting methods, though I did try to keep the water down a bit.

 

Also achieved today, I added some greenery to a couple of gum trees.

made_tree.jpg

Not great, but it's a beginning.

 

And that's exactly where I left things this evening. I start some much needed holidays on Wednesday. Don't know as yet if we've got His Lordship's kids visiting or not, but I still hope to get some track work done over the break. I find it almost meditative work. It's nice to be in control of a miniature environment. Particularly when the real world seems so out of control.

 

Thanks for joining the journey.

Cheers

Embs

Computers. They'll never catch on.

 

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Tiny Tyers Targa - The build saga continues - Aging wood - A recipe for staining wood - Don't take a fence - Step by step paling fence - An old shed for my new cars - Wooden garage under construction

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Hasn't shrunk a great deal. Not as much as real clay would. Maybe 3-5%. Has shrunk away from bottom a little, but no major cracking issues. The bottom area I can take car of when the swamp gets filled.

Computers. They'll never catch on.

 

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Tiny Tyers Targa - The build saga continues - Aging wood - A recipe for staining wood - Don't take a fence - Step by step paling fence - An old shed for my new cars - Wooden garage under construction

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Wow Emb,

 

Looking great!! has given me more ideas.... Love the tunnel. I'm going to have to build another track once im finished the wiring on my rally track and im going to steal alot of yoour ideas :P

Also love the pipe going under the road way.

 

Kai

Love,

Kai smileyhawk.jpg

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