I live in the Minneapolis area (mere blocks from Hub Hobby on Penn for those in the area).

I’m a long time buyer & seller of vintage toys, lunch boxes, cereal boxes, etc. I owned a collectible toy store in the Minneapolis area in the 90s called LaLaLand. Closed it just as eBay was starting to take off.

I now own a screen printing company called Monkey In A Dryer (dot com). I have been doing graphic design for 15+ years.

I have been a fan of trains and HO since I was a wee child. I had my own layout when I was pre-teen that I put together myself with limited funds, space, wisdom & skills - but it was still a pretty dang good layout (or at least I thought it was). Now that I have the funds, space, (some) wisdom & skills and a 7 year old to share my hobby with - I have decided it’s the right time to build the layout I always wanted.

I am a HUGE fan of the 1930s (specifically 1931), but my layout will probably be more of a modern theme - as I have a pretty decent knowledge on 60s-70s advertising icons, restaurants, structures, etc. It will not be a specific town - but more of my “dream town” - named “Obscurity Ponds” (an anagram of my screen name: DustinCropsBoy)

I know very little about electronics and the other technical stuff involved with MRing - and frankly, it scares the crap outta me. I’m trying to figure it out My skills are mostly in model building, painting/weathering, scenery and graphical elements.