Dear M-R-Hers,

Collective "Brains Trust" time.

Just picked up an Atlas Extended Vision Caboose for a kitbashing project, and belatedly realised it uses press-in friction-pins to mount the trucks. (No biggie, the caboose just arrived in original sealed packaging, with one truck flopping around loose in the box).

A quick check suggests that a M2.5 screw will fit thru the existing truck hole, and can be tapped into the bolster. However, the typical M2.5 pan head is too big to fit within the Atlas truck recessed hole.

If you've ever tried to draw something in Sketchup and wanted to use actual instead of scale dimensions, you'll know that it doesn't like really working with our small subjects.  Specifically, I've found that it doesn't allow you to draw a 1mm radius arc, or circles much smaller than that, and it will not properly extrude small objects (like HO 33" wheel treads) around a circle.  I've even had trouble making 3/8" diameter spheres.

Model animation—bringing models to life—adds enormously to the interest and enjoyment of any layout or individual model! This time I show how The Crane Critter finds its way, using a simple application of a terrific magnetic sensor that modelers of all kinds should really understand. I’ll point you to some parallels in robotics—now don’t get scared off – that might give us modelers some new ideas for our layouts, and why scale model animation is different… and the same! Maybe scale model animation taken to the limit is Micro-Robotics?

Model animation—bringing models to life—adds enormously to the interest and enjoyment of any layout or individual model! In this installment I revisit The Crane Critter.  In this installment, we begin to teach The Critter how to crawl, when, and where we need it to go!

The Crane Critter with a new? Coat of paint ready to go!