Will I hear exactly what you are saying because I started out down that road. I considered either clear poly or tung oil or even painting the wood a cream color to match the stand in the photo but it just didn't look good at all when I sampled it. I think it's because these particular frames were painted a dark , flat green as opposed to a natural color frame like is shown in that ad . Also the table models did not have the flat layout boards like this display but rising hammered sheet metal. When I put the natural color wood up against the green frames and tan panels it looked awful in my opinion. Too stark a difference it looked like they didn't belong together. I think the stain works nicely with the green frames, the panels and the mojave, peacock green, maroon , terracotta , etc. (colors) of the accessories. It just has a nice warm "old" vibe to it that feels right.
At the end of the day there won't be many people besides myself and family members climbing the ladder up to the loft to view the layout so I need it to be something I enjoy looking at vs. "correct" and since Lionel never offered a table for this particular display I guess there really is no "correct". Usually I know when I've made a mistake I start to second guess myself but its been a few days now and I still look at it and like it. Once it's all together and up and running and I step back I will know if I made the right call or I goofed.
As for the bay , we live on a cove just South of the Mantoloking Bridge.
Thanks for your interest in the project , I appreciate it.
