07-19-2010, 11:28 PM
To me, as a former fantasy modeler, the difference is in who makes the rules. So long as you follow rules already in existence, it's not fantasy modeling. If, however, you first have to create the rules that you will follow, it's fantasy modeling. Thus, freelance modeling is simply an extension of regular modeling, a sort of "what if" extension, since the prototypical equipment, structures and so forth already existed in the real world. You don't have to decide what a locomotive looks like, or a depot or structure.
My final fantasy modeling diorama was a large one titled "Strangers In A Strange Land". I created five levels of alien civilization like the layers of an onion, each superimposed on the previous one, starting with an alien world, to all-terrain exploratory vehicles, one based on a reptilian lifeform but re-created mechanically and the other one based on a hamster's exercise ball, created two sets of aliens, and finished with a visual joke that tied it all together. There were two sets of aliens - one needed to look very human but not be, and the other I finally based on amphibians, but with four arms. Having done that, I had to create clothing, weapons and accoutrements appropriate for both pairs of life forms, make sure they were recognizable as being paired males and females - try visualizing how to make an alien loosely based on a frog look feminine - and design a complete interior and control panel for my four-armed couple, including dfeciding how the entry hatch and stairs/ladder/whatever would reasonably look. In each case I had first to decide what the rules were going to be, and then work within those rules while sticking to the theme portrayed by the title. True fantasy modeling involves a process I call "internal consistency", meaning that everything involved has to adhere to whatever set of rules the builder comes up with. For example, a Star Wars Imperial trooper riding some mythical beast cannot be camouflaged in an Earth-type NATO European Summer color and pattern that makes him stand out in jarring contrast to the 'native vegetation' colored purple and yellow - a true example submitted for a contest by another modeler. Not "internally consistent".
What I have planned is a hybrid of fantasy and what-if, keeping a few things such as track and some pieces of rolling stock from the real world and blending them in with the alternative reality I am constructing in such a way that 'internal consistency' is maintained while allowing me to exp-lore anty type of rail equipment or other structures I wish to within my designated framework, all of it part of a fully working layout that will operate just like anybody else's.
If you are interested or I am unclear, I will be happy to provide more detail of how I did it in the diorama I spoke of above, which illustrates the process quite well.
My final fantasy modeling diorama was a large one titled "Strangers In A Strange Land". I created five levels of alien civilization like the layers of an onion, each superimposed on the previous one, starting with an alien world, to all-terrain exploratory vehicles, one based on a reptilian lifeform but re-created mechanically and the other one based on a hamster's exercise ball, created two sets of aliens, and finished with a visual joke that tied it all together. There were two sets of aliens - one needed to look very human but not be, and the other I finally based on amphibians, but with four arms. Having done that, I had to create clothing, weapons and accoutrements appropriate for both pairs of life forms, make sure they were recognizable as being paired males and females - try visualizing how to make an alien loosely based on a frog look feminine - and design a complete interior and control panel for my four-armed couple, including dfeciding how the entry hatch and stairs/ladder/whatever would reasonably look. In each case I had first to decide what the rules were going to be, and then work within those rules while sticking to the theme portrayed by the title. True fantasy modeling involves a process I call "internal consistency", meaning that everything involved has to adhere to whatever set of rules the builder comes up with. For example, a Star Wars Imperial trooper riding some mythical beast cannot be camouflaged in an Earth-type NATO European Summer color and pattern that makes him stand out in jarring contrast to the 'native vegetation' colored purple and yellow - a true example submitted for a contest by another modeler. Not "internally consistent".
What I have planned is a hybrid of fantasy and what-if, keeping a few things such as track and some pieces of rolling stock from the real world and blending them in with the alternative reality I am constructing in such a way that 'internal consistency' is maintained while allowing me to exp-lore anty type of rail equipment or other structures I wish to within my designated framework, all of it part of a fully working layout that will operate just like anybody else's.
If you are interested or I am unclear, I will be happy to provide more detail of how I did it in the diorama I spoke of above, which illustrates the process quite well.