Space Art: Rocky Jones XV-2 - Pt 3 Sepia

Okay, here's the last iteration of the Rocky Jones Orbit Jet - this time in a sepia tone and a vignette effect. 

Ed

No. 4904 U.S. Army Mobile Canteen - Silver HP

Back in 2017 I posted a bunch of Ideal HP Army vehicles, but since then the collecting has gone dormant even though I was short a piece or two in the collection - I am easily distracted. Until the other day when, in a nice bit of synchronicity, I came across this silver HP version of Ideal's Mobile Canteen. I posted the OD one back in 2017 and about a week ago a fellow collector on facebook posted his OD version. Welll, after that I did a quick search in fleaBay and what should pop up? This silver version!! I didn't even realize Ideal made these in silver! Way cool. So, yeah, I bought it - and it helps that the price was decent.

The truck measures 5" (12,70cm) L x 2 1/8" (5,39cm) W x 2 1/8" (5,39cm) H and normally would have a standing driver figure in the cab, but that's missing from my example. Both side doors slide open and the rear doors open as on a real panel van. Speaking of panel vans, I haven't even begun to try and figure out if this was based on a real one or is a fantasy design by Ideal.

Ed

Let's Chat: Play Along Toys Eomer on Horseback

Here we have Eomer on Horseback from Play Along Toys Warriors and Battle Beasts series (2003). 

Here's one thing I noticed about Chat GPT. If you're familiar with Photoshop's ability to create a .PNG image where the central subject is saved as an image while the remainder is cut out and made transparent, then you know it can be a dicey affair at best. Granted, I have an older version but the ability to make .PNG images is very, very sketchy and often times ends in failure. Chat GPT doesn't appear to have that issue. No matter what I've thrown its way, the program has been able to surgically slice around every angle, and into every nook-&-cranny and save and utilize the core image all the while building backgrounds and textures based on my prompts. I like!

Ed

Space Art: Rocky Jones XV-2 - Pt 2 We Have Options

I posted the photo shown yesterday into one of my facebook groups and asked if they liked it with or without stars. To make a long story short there was no clear winner and one person even suggested adding a planet in the background sky. Okay. So now there's a version sans stars and with stars and Saturn thrown in for good measure - just cuz!

Ed

New Toy: K&F CONCEPT Photo Studio Light Box

Soooo, all summer long (and last summer, and the one before, and the one before....) I've been pitchin' a fit about how uncomfortable it is to go out in The Cave and work. And it is. Even trying to take a few photos is an unwelcome undertaking during the summer. So a week ago I decided to remedy the situation - at least a little bit - and bought myself a portable photo box from Amazon. Generally I use three primary photography setups:

-Small craft store sheets of foamcore

-Amazon MyStudio

-Very occasionally, I'll take two large sheets of foamcore out to the patio and use those for overly large boxes, toys, or toy setups.

I figured if I bought a small portable photo box, maybe I could at least take photos of my smaller toys in the house and not have to worry about braving The Cave. To that end I bought this portable folding 12"x12" photo box with built-in LED lighting. When it's all set up, it takes up little room and can be used on the kitchen table - or on a small set of drawers like what I have right next to my desk.  When all folded up and placed in its little carrying pouch, it takes up hardly any space at all. It also comes with six different colored PVC inserts and there's a swing-away cover on the top so that you can aim your camera straight over your subject. That's is one excellent feature, because with the Amazon MyStudio you have to finagle the camera inside the enclosure and guesstimate where to place it while over the subject. And then you hope that any photos you take will come out in focus. Too often, getting an overhead shot means taking the object over to the dryer where sits a small piece of foamcore! Anywho, I think this will be a welcome addition to my hobby tools. I believe my next tool will be a ring light - or two for use in The Cave (that is when it gets tolerable out there).

Ed

My Photo Setups

Foamcore

Much of my photography is done on a couple of small sheets of craft store foamcore set on the dryer out in The Cave. These smaller sheets come in a variety of colors and I've used them all at one time or another

For the oversize stuff I have two large sheets of foamcore that I take out to the patio

Amazon MyStudio

I bought this many years ago and Amazon still offers these cyclorama-type photo boxes, but good grief have they gone up in price!!

This rig takes up a fair amount of space and it has a permanent location out in The Cave.

K&F Photo Box

Amazon photo

Amazon photo

Shown with light blue background inserted.

It's a wee bit odd in that the photo box has carrying handles on it, yet it fits into a small pouch which, in turn, has carrying handles on it. Oh well, no biggie. The whole set is as light as a feather.

The LED lights change color hue and intensity