Sometimes you need specialized tools to improve your finished product. I found this to be true. I needed some nice tweezers and searched for a good supplier. CML Supply stood out the most for me. CML's selection of tools is unique compared to traditional hobby tools and the prices are very reasonable. I will be releasing a series of these reviews in the next two weeks. We will showcase other suppliers as well in the future. If you need one of these let CML know Ron sent ya...

Scratchbuilding using card stock or paper is a cheap and efficient way to fill up your layout with structures. I used to get my ruler, straight edge, protractor and calculator to convert real dimensions into HO (1/87) and then draw them on card stock or photo paper. The lines were never straight, the dimensions were off sometimes.

"And now for something completely different..."

Ok That's maybe just a slight exaggeration.  But I knew I was on to something different when I got a chance to review (and play with) a Badger 360 Dual Action airbrush.  The "360" comes from the fact that you can rotate the front nozzle so it functions as gravity, side, or bottom feed airbrush.  You essentially get 3 airbrushes in one.  This means you don't have to buy x number of brushes to get the advantages that each different style of brush offers.

Now that I've got your attention, read on...

Sometimes things go better the second time around.

I bought a cheap (and I mean cheap) airbrush kit at a model railroad show about 10 years ago just to give airbrushing a shot.  Well the “shot” was blank.  The airbrush didn’t work and that was the end of that.
When Ron recently pitched the idea of reviewing the Badger airbrush I figured it was about time for me to re-visit the subject.  I haven’t regretted the decision.

The Badger Model 200-20 is a single action, internal mix airbrush designed for detail work…at least that’s what I’ve been able to glean from the web.    Since I’m a NOOB I wasn’t going to let my ignorance on all the “technical” jargon get in the way of diving into the world of airbrushing (“Instructions?  I don’t need no stinkin Iinstructions!”).   Now, I don’t want to re-invent the wheel here by spending time (and bandwidth) defining all the airbrushing terminology so here's a link to a good resource on the subject:   How to Airbrush.

I had to make the capital expenditure and get a bunch of accessories so I could use it. Fortunately I was able to justify the expense to my better half since I was asked to do the review and I just "had to have" all this extra stuff....