Models NOT train related.

[Dave Farquhar]

Absolutely agreed. I've used the model rocketry technique of soaking paper in thin CA to stiffen it when I've used it in scratchbuilding. I know there are more secrets the others know that would prove useful to us... And vice-versa, no doubt.

Someone posted a link to a book, written by a wargamer. Can't remember if that was here or elsewhere. Anyone remember it? It looked promising but I lost the link.

[daan]

Some things are very difficult to find out by computer. For example the wind turbulence between high buildings; you don't want people to get blown of the streets. A model is in the real life business a cheap way to figure things out before you have to change the real building because of a fault somewhere...
Is there anybody out here who professionally builds models??

[FJ and G]

Construction Models are very useful for engineers to show the various parties and stakeholders in the planning and pre-planning stages. Even more important than 3-D animation, to getting the points across. So, you see, computer models have not yet claimed a monopoly.

Actually, modelers are active in nearly every industrial profession. I attended the Sea-Air-Space convention in DC 2 years ago and there was a nifty model of an ocean platform that could in the future be used for military staging gear/equipment offshore hostile areas. I remember being told by the booth baby that the company had paid around 25K to have the model constructed. At least that's what I think the figure was.

The biggest modeling project in the world, incidentally, was done in the 1930s, commissioned by Mussilini to represent the new Rome that he was going to create. It took up a gymnasium-sized room and was featured recently on the History Channel.

Several books have been written about modeling by professional model builders. Some—but not all—of their techniques are ones that we use. It would be instructive to borrow some learning points from them.


Dave Vergun