This is my first try what do you think? Any suggestions? Sorry no back drop was built before I thought about it. Oh well.
Looks like a good start.. I dont think anything needs to be fixed except like mentioned above. You power poles look too plastic, and perfect. as a "critic" note, keep in mind, nature isn't "perfect". I think beginers biggest mistake is making their layout too clean and perfect, which IMHO makes it look "toyish". You have not done that with yours so far, but do keep it in mind. Wooded areas, the trees should not be lined up perfect, and should have varying levels and heights at random. Ground cover colors should fade in and out gracefully and vary, to remove any "lines" or differences, and should also be random, and not "systematic". So, as you add landscaping, you should kill some of the open areas, but not make it "too" perfect.. Make it look lived in like life is going on in the layout. Dirt, grime, people, ragged areas, debris, and simply "life".. Good luck, ya got a great foundation for a start.. :thumbs_up:
The only gripe I have is that your ballast looks too large for N scale. Otherwise, your mountains and greenery look just fine.
Good sugestions, you do not realize the stuff until other people say something. The trees they are going to be replanted with some wildlife in there. The moutain area will be getting some more ground cover and other colors too. The telephone poles will tone down with some flat paints.
I think you have a very good mix of grass to rock for a mountain area. You don't have to go all out with scenery. A suggestion would be to mix the tree types more, for in real life there aren't a lot of thickets of the same type. Someone once told me that trees look best in threes. Indeed, they do! :teeth:
Does approach "too perfect" with the shiny poles (fixable) and the perfect ballast. Just add some more life; the mountain's fine. Wish you luck on your N-scale endeavour. Very impressive for a first try, mine certainly didn't look like that.
Telephone pole was about it for me. Otherwise, I think it is an excellent job. You have a height variation in the facia at the ends, the rock and turf looks fine and as for the backdrop --- you answered your own question. You can easily add whatever you want, it is just harder to do. If the base of the backdrop does not match up exactly the way it should, you would be amazed at what a careful use of brush, bush and other ground cover can do to hide the areas that need hiding where backdrop meets the layout.
I think the poles look fine. Haven't any of you seen your local power company replace bad poles with brand new ones that look just like his modeled ones? There are lots of new poles in my area of town (old rural town too)
This reminds me of an interesting detail that can be added to any scene to convey "life happening". I have seen in the past a line of older worn power poles being replaced with new ones running paralell to the old. Maybe add a line crew stringing the wires or just a row of leaning and broken poles next to the new ones.
:thumbs_up: Looking very good for a first time. Other than the telephone poles, I'd say the ballast needs to be weathered down. It looks a little too stark in the photos. You have done the right thing by scenicking to the track then placing ballast and you could add a small amount of greenery encroaching onto the ballast here and there, as it is prone to do.
very good! :thumbs_up: Echoing the aforementioned, it's very clean looking...don't forget to add some random stuff: - marker posts or small trackside buildings - train-specific debris, like track ties or small segments of rail from where they might have been replaced - other debris, like a pallet, or automoble tire, or any other stuff you might have in the "scrap drawer" that looks like something - industrial scraps around the building (you know there had to be at least one worker who got fed up and threw something out a window)
I am taking notes on the stuff. I have to keep it some what plain, it will be comming apart here in a couple of months. I will be retiring from tne military and it will have to move to my new home in Idaho. Until then will be working on toning down the ballast, the other side of the moutain is going to be another scene when the chance comes up to move to the other side. Once again thanks for the helpful advice.
I had to go look at my poles. Shiny also. The Atlas ones that are over 30 years old are the least shiny. Easy to fix if you are so inclined. Overall the color balance of your scenery is pleasing to the eye. I especially like the effect in photos 1 and 3 except the ballast does loom large. Maybe not as easy to fix but do-able. Ben
