I just wanted to give you a heads up that there are only 9 Troels Kirk Cannery’s left of the 100 limited edition kits released in the fall.

Thanks,

Joe
Full Steam Ahead

We discussed the tragedy in Haiti and I mentioned that I would like to auction off one of my most prized dioramas and donate the proceeds to the Humanitarian Coalition because the donation would be matched dollar for dollar by the Canadian Government.  Georgia without any hesitation said she wanted to auction off her Georgia’s Garage.  It is now on ebay and with 3 days to go her garage is valued at $160 Canadian Dollars ($320 with the Canadian Government contribution).

Georgia and I hope you will all be inspired to creatively give anything that you can for Haiti Relief or any charity that is important to you and your family.

Thank you from Georgia and I for all of your encouragement, donations and support!

My 5 year old daughter and I have been discussing the terrible tragedy in Haiti and wondering what we could do to help raise money to support relief efforts. {A conversation with my friend Greg Shinnie got me thinking of something we could do as a family} (The Canadian Government will match our donation dollar for dollar so any bid will essentially be doubled when we donate) We are currently deciding between “Me to We” or “Oxfam” I thought auctioning off one of my dioramas would be a good place to start. To my surprise she asked if she could auction off her diorama “Georgia’s Garage” … imagine my surprise. If you are interested in a “Georgia’s Garage” that is pink and purple please bid on her auction as well.

If you are interested check out ebay in the HO craftsman structure area.

You can search with the following titles

HO Scale Georgia’s Garage
HO Scale R. G. Shinnie Boatworks (pilot model)

This is a great opportunity to add a great diorama to your layout and know your money will be doubled when donated to the Haiti Relief efforts!

Thank you inadvance,

Joe and Georgia Rutter

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American Modeling friends.

Like many of you Full Steam Ahead has provided myself and a few close modelling friends a lot of pleasure and great memories this fall. Greg Shinnie, Jim Gardner and I recently travelled to the 3rd annual Craftsman Structure Show in Mansfield, Mass. It was a great opportunity for us to meet a lot of you and see top level craftsman and their work. We displayed 2 new kits at this years’ show; Troels Kirk Cannery and The Bowling Alley.

Troels Kirk Cannery has sold almost 60 of the 100 limited kits to date. The cannery is named after and partly designed by an extraordinary modeler from Scandanavia by Troels Kirk. The kit received rave reviews because of its design and the number of detailed parts. It won’t last long at $124.99.

The Bowling Alley received a pile of comments and lots of photos from the conventioners. Because it is such a unique structure and may not appeal to everyone I am only going to produce 50 kits. I just listed the kit on my website for $69.99. Judging by the reaction at the show I don’t expect this retro kit to last long.

Looking Ahead:
I am already planning new kits as I write this newsletter. I have started a special kit for a show I am planning to attend in Calgary, Alberta. I can’t say much about this project because I want to surprise all the attendees at this show when they stop by to see Full Steam Ahead. I will post pictures of the buildings once the show is over in April. (Note: I am still trying to figure out the logistics of flying out to this show and transporting my kits so it is still not 100% yet!)

My next limited run kit will be based on a Northern Ontario prototype that my good friend and modeler extraordinare (Greg Shinnie) found in his travels. It will be a kit that will appeal to the water front modeler and is sure to be a big hit like all of Full Steam Ahead’s other kits.

I am debating on making my first railroad industry structure kit. Let me know if there is a railroad structure that specifically services your trains that is lacking. Eg. a roundhouse, a sand tower, water tower, etc.

Lastly, on a trip to Toronto this weekend with my high school students I saw a building complex that would make an incredible diorama. It is the type of structure/complex I have never seen in a craftsman kit before and I think it would be an instant classic. There is only one problem … it will have to be in the form of a super kit … you know the $300 range type. I am going to spend the next 2 years working on this design and consulting with a few modelers to get their input and help. I am very excited about this project but I am also sobered by the fact that it will be the toughest project I will have tackled to date.

Happy Modeling and Thanksgiving,

Joe
Full Steam Ahead