Funifira 2013

Funifira is a small exhibition done every year in the little town of Gelida, at 40 Km far away from Barcelona. Despite it isn't the biggest one, for me is the most funny and the only one where my couple and friends want to come. This is because it isn't related only to trains, but also to all kind of hobbies (slot cars, remote controlled ships, submarines, airplanes, helicopters, ...) and the best thing it's also a gastronomic exhibition where all restaurants and wine and cava cellars show their products. So it's a good place not only to see trains, layouts and modules but also to eat and drink good products at a reasonable price. The name of "Funifira" comes from the funicular (called Funi colloquially) and "fira" which is the translation of exhibition. Let me show you firs some photos from the module encounter, one of them digital:

Funifira es una pequeña feria que se hace cada año en la población de Gelida, a 40Km de Barcelona. Aunque no es una de las mas grandes, es para mi la mas divertida y a la que tanto mi pareja como amigos quieren venir. La feria no es únicamente de trenes, también hay representación de muchos otros hobbies (coches de Slot, control remoto de barcos y submarinos, aviones, helicópteros...) y lo mejor de todo, es también una exibición gastronómica donde los restaurantes y las bodegas de cava y vino ofrecen sus productos. Así pues es un buen sitio para ver no solo trenes, maquetas y módulos, también para comer y beber buenos productos y caldos a un precio razonable. El nombre de "Funifira" viene del funicular de la población ("Funi") y "fira", que es feria en Catalán. Os muestro a continuación algunas fotos del encuentro de módulos, uno de ellos en Digital:

A think that surprised me very much, a new module (still under construction) using Japanese buildings, and with the signs in Japanese.

Me sorprendió encontrar un nuevo módulo (todavía en construcción) que usaba edificios Japoneses, con los carteles también en Japonés:

There was also a NEX train running (the one going from Narita Airport to Tokyo), but I couldn't find the owner to search if there was another Japanese modeller:

También había un tren NEX (el que va del aeropuerto de Narita a Tokyo), pero no pude encontrar el dueño para ver si había por ahí otro ferromodelista Japonés:

There were also many exhibitors. I stopped in front of this one who has a lot of decoration articles:

Había también muchos estands, paré en frente de éste que tenía muchos artículos de decoración:

And the best thing to complement a morning with trains, eating and drinking!!

Y lo mejor para complementar una mañana de trenes, comer y beber!!

Buying the ticket for wine tasting, you get for free the wine glass with the logo engraved:

Comprando el tiquet para degustar los vinos, te regalan la copa con el logo de la feria grabado:

And to finish, a ride in the Funi (this day is for free) before coming back home:

Y para acabar, coger el Funi (es gratis este día) antes de regresar a casa:

"Saló del Manga" exhibition

Sorry for another post not directly related to trains, but related to Japanese culture. Last week was the "Saló del Manga" exhibition in Barcelona, an awesome, crazy and big event where people from all Spain and abroad come to see.

This year has grown more than ever, it was done in Montjuic Exhibition Centre. That's one of the biggest places in Barcelona for exhibitions. Also the Motor Show, Comic, Sonimag Photo & Multimedia and many more take place in this area. And some days there was a 5 hours queue to access, so I heard for next year they are searching even a bigger place.

I'm not an "otaku" or a big Manga fan, despite I like it. It's a big Japanese phenomenon and the "entrance" for many people to know Japan and its language and culture, but it's also a bit sad when you know people stuck on it and they really think everybody in Japan practice "cosplay" every weekend and nobody reads something different there.

Anyway, a funny exhibition and a lot of interesting people there.

There are a lot of stands selling all kind of merchandising. Be careful because prices are inflated in some exhibitors because they know people come ready to spend money from places where manga shops don't exist and these kind of goods are difficult to find. If your really plan to buy there check everywhere and wait until the last day when you can negotiate some discounts, but with the risk that big deals have disappeared.

And if you really want to find good deals, search in ebay.es during some weeks before the event. Many people sell their old collections, figures or DVD to buy new stuff in "Saló del Manga".

Next one is the exhibitor I never miss: CineAsia (http://www.cineasia.net). They have a huge catalog of Asian films and all the new stuff, Spanish or original versions.

Take a look always around you, some "cosplay" are really amazing:

There's also place for Japanese sports and other cultural aspects, like the Kimono Club of Barcelona (http://kimono-club.org/) dressing people in this traditional way:

It's also possible to get signatures from famous singers, writers, cartoonists or manga producers like Daisuke Nishio, the Director's assistant of Dr. Slump in 1982 or later in Dragon Ball Z:

And finally, why not to have a funny picture with your favorite character???

Some of the stuff I bought there, I really recommend you Kenshin film!!!!

I'll wait for next year to have new films and books!!!!!

Tomytec Station A

I needed a small rural station for my layout, and decided to buy Tomytec Station A.

It's a nice kit already painted and weathered, nice detailed. There is no need of glue to mount.

All pieces assemble perfectly. I just used glue to fix better fences and small details.

For lighting, I took my fantastic Chinese book of SMD led and resistors that I bought in ebay for no more of 30€. There are thousands of resistors of all values and also a great range of capacitors. Leds are from LedBaron, also in Ebay. It's a bundle of sunny, golden and super golden white leds, plus some red and two-tone red/green.   

I also have special brass strips to mount led and resistor. These strips are really handy and you can bend them to fix it in any position.

After measuring the needed length of the strip, I made a small cut to place the resistor on it.

With a very thin tin wire prepare the place for SMD components:

About SMD leds, they seem very hard to solder because they are really small. But the only difficult thing is not to loose them. I always need more than planned because one of them falls in the floor or gets lost under the junk of my table. Under the SMD led there is always an arrow, it shows the polarity:

And finally that's the mounted led strip:

And the final results in the Tomytec Station A:

I'll add some aluminium foil next to the lights because is's too visible through the walls, but nothing else to add. A nice and easy kit.