Disneyland Miniatures & Stuff

2007-07-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE OF MY DISNEYLAND MINIATURES.

50 for 50

2007-07-11T19:50:00.000-07:00

On June 23, 2007 I set foot on Alaskan soil and thus completed my quest to visit all 50 of the United States. It was a wonderful trip, and a nice way to celebrate the many great times I've had visiting all around the USA.

Alaska, USA

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Started the trip with a journey south from Anchorage to Seward. Here is the harbor at Seward where we departed on a 3-hour cruise of Resurrection Bay. Even a touch of sea sickness didn't take away from my enjoyment of the sights.

Highlight of the boat tour was the encounter with a humpback whale and other wildlife.

Exit Glacier at Kenai Fjords National Park near Seward. Here you can make an easy hike to a close-up view of the glacier. For more info, click here.

Leaving Seward and Anchorage behind, we traveled north and encountered this view of Mt. McKinley, also known as Mt. Denali. At 20,320 feet, it is the granddaddy of mountains on the North American continent. For info, visit here.

Very fortunate that we were able to get this view of the top. They say that visitors to the area only have a 20% chance to see this full view.

What would a trip to Alaska be without seeing real live Alaskan Huskies pulling a dog sled. Click here to read about the kennels at Denali.

The highlight of the trip was a visit to Denali National Park. Had a great time viewing caribou, dall sheep, a moose, and several grizzlie bears. To read about the park, select here.

These pictures don't do justice to the beauty and scale of Denali. It felt like being in another world.

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Not many opportunities for good, clear close-up shots of the animals, but viewing them in their natural habitat was a great treat.

My Portfolio

2007-07-10T21:43:00.000-07:00

A selection of sketches and illustrations from my art portfolio.

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Animal sketches.

People Sketches.
Fun with watercolor.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona USA

2007-01-22T22:37:00.000-08:00

Made a visit to the Grand Canyon over the holidays.

Sunrise from Mather Point.

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View from The Watchtower at Desert View Point at the East end of the Grand Canyon.

Coming full circle, a view from the El Tovar Hotel at sunset. Even breaking my new camera that day could not take away from the beauty of one of my favorite places on all the earth.

Your Guide to Disneyland Spring 1978

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These guide books were sponsored by Kodak.

Disneyland Guide Fall-Winter 1972-73

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This guidebook from 1972 was free to guests, courtesy of INA, Insurance Company of North America. INA once operated a welcome center on Main Street where park patrons could sign the Disneyland guest book and obtain information on the park (and of course, learn more about the insurance INA provided!).

Too bad Disneyland isn't this inexpensive today!

Great to look back and see what the A, B, C, D, and E's of Disneyland once were!

This sample of Tomorrowland is indicative of how each land is represented in the guide.

Walt Disney's Guide to Disneyland 1958

2006-11-15T16:30:00.000-08:00

Another guide book from my collection, this time from the year 1958. I'm not sure if it was a freebie or a purchase.

Back then, Disneyland was more open to showing "coming attractions." Several times they would advertise attractions that ultimately were never built, such as "Liberty Street" and "Adventures in Science."

Back cover.

Your Guide to Disneyland 1955

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From my collection of Disneyland memorabilia.

Bank of America once operated a functioning branch on Main Street USA at Disneyland. This is a guide that the bank offered guests to the park in the opening year of 1955.

Newspaper Article

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I was honored to be interviewed about my book by the Santa Maria Times.
Found HERE.

Star Tours, Disneyland USA

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The original facade of Star Tours, which opened at Disneyland in 1987, before it was changed for the Tomorrowland rebuild in 1998.
I built this model entirely from scratch using matt board, paper, and tempra paint. I referenced photographs of the actual building, as well as an aerial view to help determine the dimensions. I completed this model in 1989. I managed to get an interview with Walt Disney Imagineering based on this model, alas no job.

Dimensions: 19" long, 7" depth, tallest spire 5.5" tall.

Disneyland Railroad, Frontierland Station, Disneyland USA

2006-10-11T15:39:00.000-07:00

The Frontierland train depot was based on a movie set designed for the 1949 Disney film, "So Dear to my Heart." After filming, that actual set was given to animator Ward Kimball, who reconstructed it on his property as part of his Grizzly Flats Railroad. When Disneyland was constructed in 1955, the same plans were used to build the Frontierland station, which remains today.

I started with the "Clarkesville Depot" kit from Walthers, then heavily modified it. I reworked the central building, then scratch built the side wings and platform. I plan to create the adjoining water tower, and incorporate them into an "N" scale model railroad. Dimensions: 11.5" long, 4" wide, 2" tall.

TWA Moonliner, Disneyland USA

2006-10-10T22:16:00.000-07:00

The TWA Moonliner sat at the entrance to the "Rocket to the Moon" attraction that first opened with Disneyland in 1955. In 1960, the rocket received a new paint scheme when Douglas Aircraft took over as the new sponsor. The rocket was removed in 1967 as part of the rebuilding of Tomorrowland. In 1998, during another Tomorrowland renewal, a 2/3 size replica of the original found its way back to the launch pad.

Built from a kit, known as the "Mars Liner," made by Glencoe Models. This finished model stands 11.5" tall.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Disneyland USA

2006-10-10T21:39:00.000-07:00

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, based on the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, has been one of my favorite rides since it opened at Disneyland in 1979. Although the ride has been duplicated at other Disney parks, the Disneyland version stands unique in its architecture, since the other versions are based on the rockwork of Monument Valley.

A work-in-progress created in sculpting foam. Currently stands 7.5" tall. This still needs another "detailing" pass in the sculpting work before being painted. I haven't decided how much more of the ride I want to create beyond this iconic section.