The busy Dad got a little time to play around with the layout this weekend. This time I focused on the Harbor and Temple hillsides and the tram loop. Yes, the tram loop finally got some love! :)
VIDEO
So, I wanted a little more height to the temple hill. Nothing TOO crazy, but a little more. I wanted to get some more area for trees and the like, so I'm going to do away with the parking area and have the whole hill be the temple space. There will be a parking area at the base and people will be able to walk up a ramp or switchback path to get to the temple.
The overall height is where I want it now. I just need to get things level and even before I lock it down and plaster. I also want to make sure my little elevator idea is going to work in the space. (Mentioned at the bottom of this post... http://n-rail.blogspot.com/2017/08/another-layout-revamp-again-for-better.html )
I'm also not 100% on the water area in the harbor. I might break out my boats to make sure that there is room if I make the water portion smaller. I don't want things to be cluttered and I liked the way the fishing boats looked in the previous version. We'll see.
I'm also looking forward to trying my Photoshop background project. Before I work with the plaster and all, I'd dial in the background, replacing the blue that I have up now with a planned and finessed Photoshop created background. This background would be tuned to line up with the areas that are currently on my layout. Roads, the ocean, fields and trees would line up with the modules and a nice, faded back view of distant mountains will be seen. I'll do the same thing in the Shizuka city section. Seeing as I do motion graphics and design for a living, I'm hoping that I'll be able to pull things together! hehehehe The size is going to be interesting at 12 feet, but I am going to see if I can work in sections. I also need to check on printing costs.
And finally, I went back to a longer tram loop that will go through the whole of Soyokaze Old Town and Soyokaze Village. I think this will add a little more visual interest when the buildings are flowed back into the scene - the tram passing between and behind buildings as is makes its way.
Again, not rushing is both challenging and rewarding. I'm just making sure I continue to more forward. For a minute there, I was going so slow that I was actually stopped. I would stand and stare at the layout and just be baffled about what to do next, so I'd end up just walking away. It seems like things are at a slow and steady pace now.
I need to make sure the track is level and make sure I take the time needed to clean up the mess left from the previous layout before moving ahead. While some areas will be fine, others need to be scraped and cleaned before I can re-work the scenery and track. This is proving to be a pain - the glue I used is REALLY good...and not coming off very well. hehehehe Live and learn.
Planning where things are going is going to be a biggie as well. I need to see where roads will go, where buildings may be, and how the whole of them interact with the track. All of which I love doing! :)
Thanks for reading!
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