Eliot R. Brown
Kingston, New York
This is for all the people who think their work areas are too messy! And my lifted-lip to those who have work areas one could eat off of! Welcome to my basement. It's very closed and cramped, just just the way I like it. The rest of the basement has a conventional workshop and laundry area. The rest of my space has many bookcases and filing cabinets stuffed with books and objects of all kinds. A family entertainment center is in the corner. My wife also has an office in the basement, somewhere. I've been told it's where she does "real world" stuff.
My biggest problem: I try to do too many things at once. I'll start a project, work hard, make progress, then either run out of money or get a "job." A friend hired me to make a fantasy figurine from scratch and for production. That's when I invented my "flying wing" work table.
The "Satellite Desk" is purpose-built and holds many projects -- some with exotic requirements like custom etched brass, or huge amounts of mold rubber. On the "Main Desk," I'm currently working on Stargazer Model's
Serenity ship from "Firefly" and
Aries from "2001." You can also see "pop gun" parts for an original build for Joker's girl, Harley Quinn, as well as a rounded, bulbous shape for an engineering prototype that was halted. I'm also scanning thousands of film negatives and slides -- so there's lots to keep me busy while the glue dries... I keep entertainment close, but research closer. The TV and computer monitor allow me to research images, info, or check up on details at the drop of a model part!
Believe it or not, I get things done, primarily enhancing resin models. To the 1/144 scale
Serenity, I recently hollowed out the interior and lit up, installed a scratchbuilt bridge and galley/living room, and added many homemade photoetched-brass details as well as custom-lighting circuit boards to replicate the rotating engine effect and flickering outboard engines. I may not build very fast but I'm having a lot of fun.