Karin Corbin - my hero

The hugest of thanks to Karin Corbin - she solved the problem of the missing photos - this blog now has all the stuff it has been missing for months now.

Virtual bouquets being sent to Karin (I will always be grateful but remain cheap!)

Lighting - Evan update

Just an update from Evan Designs about the lighting.  Don't forget if I can help just ask.  Haven't done much lighting yet in this scale but think I have it sussed thanks to Evan Designs who decidedly went above and beyond.......

So you need an adapter with a switch, it is there now....

http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/3-volt-adapter.html

And red and black wire are here

http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/kynarwire.html

I also ordered in some "quick change up" units, for those who see the need to swap between adapter and battery.  Like when you want to show off your beautiful creation, say at a club meeting or show and a wall plug is not handy.  I go over that on this page

http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/pin-connectors.html (scroll down for the pictures) but to make it easier, I am having some AA holders made with a pin connector female already part of them.  And some power jacks also with pin connector female.  Then, if you hook the leads coming from the various floors to a male pin connector,  you can quickly plug or unplug from either supply.

I ordered them today so they are likely coming in about 10 days. 

PS:  If you are in the UK and want to shop nearer home - this is your lady:

Jennifer Smith's small scale lights


Get out all the lights you can - it is Hallowe'en!

Ott light

I told you about buying the Ott light and said I would get back to you; well here I am.

This photograph is taken around mid-afternoon in my dining area of the condo.  As you can see it does look pretty dark in the room around the lamp.  Our apartment is long and thin and so it is well lit at each end; anything in the middle is always a bit 'shady'.  That said working with good daylight in my room in the UK is still less than great on a dull day or past the peak hours.  This Ott lamp fills those spots.

To explain why it is better than an ordinary lamp takes more little grey cells than I possess.  I am told it is a full spectrum light which acts as daylight and that will do for me.  Does it work any better than any other table lamp - certainly does!

It gives a very clear crisp light without 'hurting' your eyes and the colours and the definition of a piece show up really well and accurately.  I am very, very impressed.

For anyone who wants to consider it and has a Jo-Ann's near them, when I bought this they had a ton of different sorts.  This was midprice at $50 but had 50% off!  I considered a lovely (less expensive) little one which folded neatly and even had a carrying strap so you could take it to clubs and workshops (?).  As I don't really do that it made more sense to get one more suited for lighting a larger area.

When I get back to the UK I am going to take a look for full spectrum light bulbs for the main centre light in my room - seems the easiest solution if they exist - with fittings for a normal ceiling rose.

B J Miniatures

B J Miniatures describes itself as Quarter Scale Specialists, that in itself makes it a joy to shop at if this is the scale you are working in.  Additionally it has a lot of decorative items and small accessories I am not seeing elsewhere.  I am sure I am not alone in struggling for ideas of how to make things to fill my cupboards, shelves, mantelpieces etc.  These details are also dependent on your being able to get to a really good craft or bead store etc and spend inordinate hours trawling them in hopes of seeing something you can convert to 48th usefulness.  This requires the premises, your time and a ton of imagination.  If this isn't a challenge you enjoy (many do) take a look around B J Miniatures; there are lots of bits and bobs to help you complete your project.  Here are just eight:

Click on any picture to enlarge

You can't see it here but these are in two beautiful colours - rich brown/red on the left and deep green on the right.

These look wobbly because of the tack holding them in place.  They are lovely.

So finely cut and smooth and comes in a choice of three colours

I hope you gather that the item used in the photo to give you a sense of scale is a toothpick and that you also understand I am not skilled in photographing such tiny things.  Every single one is just beautiful in real life.

I commend B J Miniatures to you wholeheartedly.  I have made a note in my diary to order from them again in January to be sure I have them before I leave at the end of March.  there are things here I want to repeat for future use and there is still other stuff on the site that I liked but I wanted to see the quality before committing any more dollars.

B J Miniatures

B J Miniatures had some very nice pieces of furniture and unusual ways of going about constructing them.  You'll get to see that when I put them together, for now just enjoy the shopping.

I have the hump back sofa and two matching chairs.  These look easy to make as there isn't a lot of construction.  The main part of the kit is resin (?) you then cut out and stick on the fabric to get the finished look.  What I especially liked is that the trims are wood not plastic and I love the little feet.

Having seen those I then fell in love with the lyre table set which really seem to go with the seating.  They are really finely cut from a good quality wood.  I have no idea where these will go but I had to have them.

I liked the holiday storage cabinet as much for the papers as for the furniture, indeed I ordered it saying I didn't want it if the paper wasn't included.  Joy of joys, I got two little Christmas parcels and the wrapping paper as well as the piece.  I think this one is a bargain and perfect for this project as Elizabeth is 'discovered' wrapping Christmas presents.

This is definitely one of those: 'this is three times better than this photo' moments.  It is finely made, nice colour, smooth as silk, nothing for me to do and all for $5

The inhabitants of this project are trying to collect Ats and Crafts stuff so these sort of look the part and will be finished as pieces of furniture rather than 'kitchen' cupboards and stand either side of the fireplace.  You get three little stained glass pieces in the kit, so you can choose the finish you want.  It also means that if, like me, you wanted a pair you can make them match.  They would also be perfect for either side of an Aga if you were making that sort of range surround.  Being tall and narrow the cupboard is ideal for all sorts of places - you could replace the glass with a mirror and put it in a bathroom, nice too in a hallway.

This is another difficult one to decide on where to place it.  I am finding this a bit of a problem in quarter scale; it means I don't know how to finish it until I know where it is going and I don't know where it is going until I have a gazillion things to choose from and preferably can see them all made up and in place.  I am happier pretty much finishing most things before assembling which sort of scuppers this way of doing it.  This, for example, has a mirror - who would want to paint or stain around a mirror?  I can finish in soft cream for the French house or stained wood for this one?

The pieces in this kit are much daintier in real life than the photo suggests and you get two stands for $5.

Lastly something modern and needs to go in both my projects (so I bought two) - a very nicely made TV and a console you can fiddle around with to your heart's content to make it yours.  

Come back tomorrow for the third and final instalment of Treasures from B J Miniatures.  They are all decorative pieces.

B J Miniatures

This is the last of the orders I placed in the UK for delivery here in Naples.  I have been really pleased with every single item I have received from the various vendors but I confess to this one really feeling like Christmas.

I had a little box just stuffed with tiny goodies of all kinds.

I know nothing about B J Miniatures and I suspect those of you who have been in this game for years will sigh deeply and wonder how I had never heard of them.  It is a burden not having a wealth of information at your fingertips but a delight when you discover things for the first time so allow me to enjoy the moment.

Their website does say your order may take up to six weeks so they are not a source for the need-it-now item. That said if there is no rush it was a nice straightforward order/delivery.

I found them because I was scouting around for a fridge that looked like a Smeg (a fifties American would do) to finish the kitchen here in The Gatehouse and they had a three piece set which would do the job.  The fridge for here and if I double up Les Roches the other two pieces will go in the apartment kitchen.  Of course you have to have a look round a site before you leave it and I ended up with twenty-three items and therefore the most expensive tab of all my orders. This is the sort of amount of stuff I would buy at a two day show if I was lucky enough to find them.  How great to find them all in one place.

As I have done before, I'll slice the sharing into three days as I am sure you don't want to see twenty-three things in one go.... just in case you do .... this is what that looks like:

All present and correct

Today's group is kitcheny stuff, starting with the fridge that kicked off this order:

Details such as taps, handles, cooker rings are actual add-ons not just painted.

I need to collect loads of dishes as I go along; almost every project will need something.  Their price was as good as any.  

I chose Fiestaware for the mugs - so I have every day dishes

I already have these from the Lapin Sauté pack but I am sure they will all get used some time

No idea when I will have a character that will need all these

Again, the always useful pots and pans - love the kettle.

These are terrific when painted (or penned!)

You can never have enough of these to fill your shelves and glass cabinets:

Can I get you some tea, Vicar?

They are also going to prove much easier than the last time I did them (see Gate House kitchen) now I have a sprue cutter.

I promise more interesting stuff tomorrow now these are out of the way.  Seeing them might be useful for newbies like me though because they may not have seen them before.

Trip to Jo-Ann's

Just had a jaunt to Jo-Ann's - yes, I know they managed to be the only vendor who has ever broken my don't moan about a vendor rule recently......  but, this is why...

Half price offer - $25

I have wanted an Ott Light since forever but I am too cheap to break down and buy myself one.  I certainly don't want one here in Naples because it will be of no conceivable use in the UK.  There is a fair chance we are giving up our peripatetic life at the end of next March and I am already shedding stuff left right and centre in both homes because I know I will have to get two homes squeezed into one. A further reason for not buying one here and now (should a further reason be needed) is that I won't have much mini making time over here.  We are on our own until the beginning of December with a week taken out of that for the Philly trip - so in effect I have less than four weeks playtime here before going home for Christmas.  When we return we have back to back visitors almost up until we leave for the summer in the UK. All solid reasons not to buy an Ott Light at this late stage.

So I bought an Ott light.  I won't take you through the perverse logic that allows me to do stuff like this, but I will report back on whether it is worth getting one.

two free samples

This is a much smaller weave than you see here and is in perfect scale for making baskets - it will need various stains or paints of course but I am so pleased to have found it.

free samples again

The other pair of samples is of a lovely fine and thin mock suede.  In fact I had to check and check that it wasn't suede as the other side is equally convincing.  Not sure how you will perceive the colour here; it is a soft, greyish, olive green.  Not sure what to use it for yet (?)

Suggestions welcome.

children's section $1.79

I need something like air clay to go in plant pots to put my plants in but don't want to pay the $9 I am seeing for it.  I know this stuff doesn't go hard but that's OK I think - we'll see(?)

My six foot companion

This is my - don't do as I do, do as I say - for today.

Always, always have something in your handbag (or whatever you always carry round with you) to check scale, even if you aren't going mini shopping.  I saw several things today I could re-use in various ways but wasn't sure enough to buy them because of scale.

You don't have to carry a 'person' around with you - though that is the very best because it is three dimensional and has hands and feet to give lots more clues - "Would this bit of plastic look like a beer glass in his hand?'' for example.

The next alternative is a photograph of self-same man (or Brad Pitt if you like) printed to scale and stuck on card or glued into your shopping notebook or whatever suits.

Thirdly just a piece of card or lines drawn on paper measuring 1.5 inches for your six foot person does nicely.

Last of all, how long is your thumb?  You always have that with you.

My man is lying on the corrugated card I bought ($1.39) because I thought it might make a pantile roof if ever I wanted one....  not so sure now Jim is there..... looks a bit big. (?) 

Sorry James, you are now about to spend the rest of your days stuffed in a handbag.  Every man's worst nightmare.

Quarter scale section in DH&MS

I am such a happy bunny.

It has taken me a while but I have finally persuaded my editor that quarter scale is a growing market (even in the UK) and we ought to commit to at least one quarter scale feature each month so that it is steady and regular for quarter scalers to find.

I am being offered one piece each month for at least a year.

I don't doubt I can do one a month - already have so many stewing away - but I thought this was a good place to share this in case anyone out there has a burning desire to see something quarter scale in print.  Personally I think we need a whole magazine!

The magazine is a UK one - Dolls House & Miniature Scene - I will let you know when it happens - these things take months.

Problem with the comment box???

There has been a problem with the Comment box.  If you couldn't use it I am sorry but I think I have fixed it now.  Please, please feel free to comment here and share with others or, if its not for sharing, by all means email me (mormson@gmail.com).  I usually answer either pretty quickly.  Always good to hear from you.

Post script to Lighting

Many thanks to everyone who has added help to my lighting thinking.  I will copy it here in case it helps anyone else too.

First from Joanne W:

click to enlarge

Next two responses from Jennifer.  I know these are in the comments boxes but not everyone reads those:

It's worth pointing out that LEDs run on much lower power than the old style filament bulbs. LEDs are normally a maximum on 20mA (filament bulbs are typically 50mA) so you can run far more LEDs off a transformer than you can of standard filament bulbs. Like you say, 50 LEDs off a 1amp transformer whereas it would only be 20 standard filament bulbs

The LEDs are clear because that's just the epoxy housing. It's quite complicated but in simple terms the colour of LED is produced by creating different wavelengths of light. When voltage is passed through it lights up.
You can get LEDs with coloured housing but these tend to be much dimmer and not so useful for miniatures

Lighting and how-to.... maybe

I have finally stopped pestering Evan Designs about my lighting and written up my notes in detail so I don't forget any time I come to light a very large project.

The basic method for putting lights in and attaching them to 3V coin batteries is straight forward enough thanks to the kits you can buy - the only challenge there is how to hide the wires and maybe the battery and switch.

I wanted a much bigger plan for 42 bulbs (approx).  Basically if the total is under 50 I can take them to a 1 amp adapter and then on to the mains supply.  The adapter can be left plugged in it does not draw power if the switch is off.

I have made myself notes on how to do it.  

The ingredients needed are:

• Lights bulbs in chip and two smaller sizes for whatever I want to light in the house.
• Flickering fire kits for the fireplaces.
• Red Hook-up wire
• Black Hook-up wire (you could just use one roll but you need to be sure you remember what is what, so for the sake of another $3 you may as well make your life easy and have one of each)
• Power Jack
• 1 amp switched adapter. (You can put the switch(es) in various places on the circuit and have multiple ones if you want, depending on what you want it to do - for me it is all on or all off)

Think long and hard about what bulbs you want where, how best to get the wires to their ultimate destination and power source, draw a plan, make notes - maybe not as fancy as this - back of a napkin will do!

If you want a copy of this - email me and I will send you a PDF link

click to enlarge

Big thanks to Evan designs and Heather and Paula and a couple of other people who didn't know they were helping me....  so much faster than trying to get there on your own.

Rubbing two sticks together - Evan Design's Fires

Evan designs

Five fire kits from Evan designs arrived yesterday.  Incidentally their lighting section is soon to become its own little thing under the auspices of www.LightYourModels.com.  That reference already takes you to the section we mini-folk use.

Thanks to Heather Drinkwater who did a splendid PDF for The Beehive (another good reason to join) I have no qualms about making fires/fireplaces.  I was going to say I can't try my hand until I get home and find which fireplace fits where but I am thinking I might chance it and make one of the Les Roches fires over here and if it won't fit in either of these two projects it will just have to hang about until it goes somewhere.

I think I may have a way round the problem of not having planned for fires in The Gate House in advance of building it, but again that will have to wait until I get home.

The only thing to sort out with these kits is whether three bulbs will be too big for a small fireplace - I suspect they will, but in the grand French fireplace they may not prove to be a problem.  These are 1.8mm bulbs as opposed to the chip I used for the lighting and are therefore bigger.  This isn't insurmountable as the lovely Heather says she has used one orange flickering bulb very successfully in a fireplace so that will be the answer I am sure.  Oddly, looking at the kit, they all look clear????

Since getting these it has kicked off delusions of grandeur and I am now dreaming of making a property with about thirty bulbs for lighting and four fire places - making another twelve bulbs, so am considering a much more sophisticated system of lighting it.

Basically I reckon the 42 (two times) wires will go to a connecting strip like this one

This is way too big and has switched connectors but gives an idea of what I mean

This then goes to a 3V single switch 1 amp adapter, which then plugs in to the mains.  You can have several switches in this system in various places depending on what effects you want; for me it is a case of all on or all off.  Pretty much only I look at my stuff and I would want it all lit to look at it properly.

Right now I am in correspondence with the terrific Evan's to check out stuff like can the flickering fires and lights run through the same connecting strip - I think they probably can't.  Incidentally if you have candle or (early) gas lit houses you can definitely run them all together however you connect up to your power source (like using the 3V batteries) because the fires will make your lights flicker just as they would have done.

When I have a definitive wiring plan I will draw it up and post it here even though its not for this project.  The project it will go in is not even 'found' yet.

Quarter Scale friends

I don't think I have ever directed you to a couple of quarter scale Yahoo Groups that I belong to, which is very remiss of me.  It is a great way to talk to like-minded souls and get a ton of help and inspiration from them and pay-back now and again when you can.  Failing that you can just join them and 'lurk'.  That is not in a yuk way, it just means you can take a look now and then at what is being talked about and still pick up a ton of helpful information.

The first group I joined is Quarter Connection.  If you click on that link it will take you to their home page where it explains the ton of stuff they do.  I have no idea how the handful of folk who organise it can do the stack of things they do for the group - I'll let you find out what's on offer for yourself.

I did do a piece about them in Dolls House and Miniature Scene back in the May issue so, if you have that, you can find out more.

The other group is The Miniature Beehive and is hosted by Bea at Petite Properties and works in a different sort of way.  It still brings a ton of ideas and help and somewhere to chatter if you want to do that.  

I suspect many people, like me, work in isolation and this can sometimes make you wonder if you are doing things right? the easiest way? have you found the best solution to a problem? etcetc.  These groups rescue you from that.

The first is primarily based in the States and the second in the UK but don't choose one over the other for either of those reasons.  I have found both indispensable in different ways.  Thanks to the internet our horizons are becoming meaningless.






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Goodies from Micro-Mark

If you detect a distinct lack of whoopee-do about today's purchases that is entirely of my making not Micro-Mark's.  They turned up trumps as always - fast delivery and items at a good price.  Basically, because I have mini money right now, I have gone bonkers and not really given things my usual days and days of consideration before parting with a cent.

Here's what arrived followed by what I think...

click to enlarge photo

At the top are some clip-on lenses for magnification.  At the bottom left: a handle for the surgical blades which are lying next to it in the photo.  Finally, bottom right a spiral hand drill (or Archimedean drill).

The drill should be perfect for drilling holes for lighting.  When I did my first quarter scale lighting here in the Gate House, I hadn't thought about how thin the wires were and what small holes I would need.  I had the perfect drill bit but had no means of holding it as the swivel pin vise I used (and others) didn't have a collet small enough for the bit.  I ended up drilling slightly bigger holes than I would have liked and even that was a struggle with a pin vise.  

This one claims to range from zero upwards - perfect.  I won't know for sure until I get home - the drill is here and the bits are in the UK!!!  Peripatetic lifestyle strikes again.

I owned the scalpel blades and handle about two minutes before I was wearing a band-aide.  I find the blades a pig to put on and take off.  You might notice I bought a slightly upgraded handle to the usual one as it was described as more comfortable....  mmmmm.... don't think so.  The plain old every day one would have been fine.  After eventually fitting it with a blade it is now standing in an empty plastic container away from everything else.  These knives are lovely at the moment when only they will do BUT the rest of the time I am terrorised by them.

click to enlarge

Now to the clip on lenses.  They are just as described and do clip on my specs and lift up and down and do magnify a picked up object about half way between table and my face.  So they are exactly what I ordered.  Now I think I don't want them.  Right now I use my reading glasses and occasionally a magnifier on a stand.  I am not sure I gain a lot using the clip-ons.  I get slightly more magnification and the ability to move me and the object around where I like, unconstrained by something stationary on my desk so I can see some advantage.  If I had another pair of readers I might just keep them and these lenses together in my mini kit stuff and wear them when needed.  As it is, I am incredibly lazy and I don't think I will bother to put them on my specs when fiddling around with minis and then take them off again.  I do use my only pair of readers for other stuff.  Yes, I know I can just flip up the lenses but I doubt I will want to read a book in the park with glasses perched on my nose and lenses flipped up!

So out of sheer laziness I think I will have to sell them on.  They cost $9, I can send them back probably costing $4 or $5 or so in postage and packing so I can sell them on to someone for $5 and come out no worse off and do someone else a favour.  If they wanted them from Micro-Mark they would be paying $8.95 on top in postage.  If you want them let me know or I will EBay them eventually.

Christmas Decorations - A couple of makes

Here's a bit of a change from ''look what I bought'' - although that returns tomorrow with some stuff from Micromark...

The first item manages to be the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.  The Good being that is a beautifully made tiny little gingerbread house from Jane Harrop.  There are six in a pack with a ton of little hearts for gingerbread iced cookies.  I have seen them finished (by Jane) with little white iced edges, looking just like gingerbread should.  I repeat it is incredibly small - notice the end of the toothpick.  You know it is small when it is a Christmas decoration for a 48th property.

This house is not a block of wood; it is flat-pack, in three pieces, and needs constructing.

I think the Bad is pretty obvious - note the wonky roof and it is not even sitting on the base properly.

As for Ugly - well the 'glitter finish' certainly gets my ugly vote.

I don't want to use it as it is so I may have a go at dismantling it and trying again.

I am selling the other five houses and hearts on EBay!

Now, in contrast, I think these six Christmas Tree decorations are so sweet.  I painted the tree part green (as you can see), left the trunk plain wood and then felt-tipped the bases black.  Some bases are round, some are square. so they look even cuter when stood up in a group.

These come in a pack of twelve, so six of those are up for sale too..... and some Petite Property kits and a 1/12th brand new house and side addition and an electrified turntable.  My sales finish on Sunday.

Check out all of Jane's Christmas decorations, they are lovely.

Jane Harrop

Apologies for boring

You may have gathered by now that since decamping to this side of the pond not much is actually going to happen.  Both my builds and all my kit and clobber are on the other side of the pond so I am left with shopping and the very occasional make to share with you.

Please do not to give up on me, I will try and do some building when we go home in December to pep this up a little but that's about all I can do until Spring.  So, in case anyone else is scouting basic stuff, here are today's goodies:

click to enlarge

The two Krylon pens on the left are what I ordered and didn't get from Jo-Ann's: here they are in a couple of days from Amazon.  They are new to me but, I have heard such good things about them, I am really looking forward to using them.  The Gold is supposed to look like gold leaf (as is the silver) - we'll soon see.

My other treasures became 'must-haves' from good old Wal-Mart.  I wanted to try Aleene's fast grab tacky glue - again, having heard good things about it.  For pretty much the price of one pot of glue ($2.97) I got five little bottles to try out.  As always, working in this scale I should get quite a bit of use out of them even at this size.

The all-purpose white paint on the right was just 50 cents (Plaid/Apple Barrel).  The other Plaid paint, this time their Folk-Art range, is a satin acrylic in a colour called parchment which looks promising for French painted/gilded furniture.  This was $1.37.  Having not spent very much, I broke down and bought the most expensive item of the day - a knife.  I cannot manage without it ($3.97).  This is one I have in the UK and like a lot as it has a great safety cap.  I keep my knives just handy, dropped among other stuff, it is good to know I can just rummage around in the tray on my desk without finger slicing.

This was my thrill of the day.  Aren't we easy to please in this game!  Last year I bought these boxes and they have proved to be just brilliant for storing made up furniture and accessories.  They have fixed sections - not like the boxes that have those slide things that let little things escape underneath all the time.  They are also great value at $2.97.  I was especially pleased as we had already looked in one Wal-Mart store for them, without success.  We weren't surprised as we remembered they were on sale ($2.50) last year because they were 'finishing'.  I was so tempted to buy up this branch's stock but stopped myself at four.  I think I have six already in the UK, so a total of ten seems to be a nice number.  There again I am collecting for two projects???????  Ten times 18 sections only equals 180 objects - that's not a lot when you think I had a stash of over 600 items when I quit on 1/12ths.  I feel a shopping trip coming on.

If you want to see them in use: 

Some of you will have seen this photo already in a post I did on 15th September.  This makes for a neat finish; I can end as I began with an apology for being boring.

Debbie Young's bungalow

I have wanted Debbie Young's (American) bungalow since the 48th urge began.  Indeed, it is truthful to say it is the very building which set me off.  She no longer makes it but you can get the plans for it in three copies of some back issues of Miniature Collector. Mine arrived in the post on Friday.

click photo to enlarge

I have flicked through and quickly put it away from me as panic set in, followed rapidly by a negativity cloud.  I never imagined I would be able to cut it myself and bought it with the intention of getting it cut for me.  Looking at the complexity of it now, I am not so sure I will be able to find anyone with enough time willing to cut it for me and can only begin to imagine the huge cost.  As I said - at this stage nothing but ...  it can't be done.  Hey ho, I will sneak up on it in a couple of days time and see what I think then.

Wal-Mart finds

Here are things I bought at Walmart which I thought were a good price and might be useful for someone else besides me.

$3.27

This is about the same price as from other places - maybe a bit cheaper.  Two ounces at this scale should last me forever.

$2.97

All my paints are in the UK as I wasn't going to be doing any mini stuff over here.....  but..... here I am ready to start on all sorts.  So, to save me buying a ton more acrylics, I am hoping this kid's set might allow me to mix the occasional needed colours.  They all look a bit 'sharp' I can see the brown coming into play a lot.

$8.97

Pleased with this - although I was very nearly too skinny 'treat' myself.  I was wondering how to store all those little petals and leaves once I opened them and here is the perfect answer.  Twenty-four little pots with screw-tops, all in one box with a lid.  Made in clear plastic so you can select easily - what's not to like....  the price?