Ron PareA guy on Youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/c/modelersguild
hwolf,
The roof material is a peel-and-stick "tar-paper" material from Clever Brothers (www.clevermodels.com). They have some beautiful structures made of paper (see below) but they also sell a line of roof and wall materials in all scales. Makes roofing incredibly easy.
Jim
I love the roof detail. What is it made of?
Well ... I decided I had better add a couple of my own. This is my latest. A scratch and bash from kit parts in one of my boxes of "stuff". I build my structures up on sheets of styrene, detail them at the workbench, and photograph them before I decide where to fit them into the layout. These are O-scale by the way.
When I figure out the final location and rough in the scenery, I'll post more.
Looks mighty good to me. There isn't much to criticize! I guess about the only thing I could suggest is that there be a little more texture in the scenery; that is, some variety in the height of the "plant life". That sort of natural "clutter" is something that we see every day but seem to have the greatest problem duplicating. The structures are extremely well done and the weathering is just fine. Keep up the great work!
Added some photo's of the layout. The layout is 10'x16' in HO. Hope you enjoy. Most of the buildings are Craftsmen Kit.
hwolf wrote:I have recently decided to start Scratch Build-Buildings for my layout. My question is there any good books or publications that you can suggest to get started on basic techniques? Thanking you in advance for your help.
Find some back issues of Model Railroader with articles by EL Moore. He was a genius when it came to making something out of nothing much--and you got the idea that if HE could do it, so could YOU.
I'd recommend you start with a small structure, nothing too complex. It would also be a good idea to start with some reference photos, or a set of published plans.
I built this up using Plastruct and Evergreen stock, and some Grandt Line window and door parts. I worked from reference photos, which I used to estimate a set of measured drawings. It was a very easy project.
By starting with something like this, you won't overwhelm yourself and get discouraged. Another good tip is to look carefully at real buildings to see how they're put together.
Looking forward to seeing your progress.
Lee
Route of the Alpha Jets www.wmrywesternlines.net
Hwolf,
How are you defining "scratchbuilding"? Maybe it's just my spin on things, but I always thought scratchbuilding was when no kit was available and for example, you started out with several pictures of a structure from several different angles and then scratch built the structure using a variety of materials. Craftsman kits are kits with directions. If you're looking for scratchbuilding directions, Evergreen has a scratchbuilding book available.
Evergreen and Plastruct make plastic materials in about every shape and size you can find. I believe Evergreen's book is broken down into several project structure builds with each one including a bill of materials. I have looked at the book and while it has some nice projects, did not relate to what I was trying to model. However, it may be a place for you to start.
http://www.evergreenscalemodels.com/
http://www.plastruct.com/
Larry
If you can get ahold of back issues of MR from the 70's, they used to run a series called "dollar models" and they were excellent little articles for small structures amongst other things. (Anyone remember the oil tanks made out of aerosol can lids?) Sure wish they'de bring back a series like that; only nowdays it would have to be called "ten dollar models!"
Matt
I just happened to remember this book that I had stuffed way back in my archives. It centers around building freight cars but the methods are the same for most other things. Wayne Wesolowski, a guru of scratch building from 'back in the day' (may still be active, don't know), did a he!! of a job on the subject.. Lots of old school stuff here..
http://www.bookfinder.com/dir/i/ABCs_of_Building_Model_Railroad_Cars/0830616357/
Also, don't overlook the Allen Keller videos featuring layouts. Many of them give some in depth tips as to how the builders accomplish what they do.. Especially the earlier ones. I forget which number it was but the one featuring The Grosser's layout comes to mind. Mrs. Grosser is a top notch model builder from what I've seen.
Good luck..
hwolf
NG&SL Gazette is sold at the more well-stocked hobby shops. If you are like me and live a good distance (to me, more than 50 miles) from that hobby shop, I suggest a subscription. You can subscribe on-line at: www.ngslgazette.com. It's issued every other month and well worth the investment.
You might even want to try some kitbashing as well. I have found that rearranging walls, putting in new windows and doors, etc., also helps me with scrathbuilding.
I agree with Jeff; a good inexpensive craftsman kit is the way to go. It's been said before but but most of the craftsman kits are nothing more than scratchbuilding with some of the pieces already cut for you. The sequence of construction is what can get you going in the right direction. NG&SL Gazette is still going strong and probably the best showcase for scratchbuilding. Also, Bob Walker has been running a series called "Scratchbuilder's Corner" in Railroad Model Craftsman over the past couple of years. The series contains all kinds of nifty tips and techniques. Personally, I think that RMC emphasizes the art of scratchbuilding much more than MR does these days.
What I would suggest is getting hold of an inexpensive craftsman kit, such as campbells (not overly expensive) and put it together.. Finish that, and you'll have the fundamentals of scratch building under your belt..
As far as reading material, Probably one of the best sources for scratch building articles I've seen in the past years is Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazzette magazine (if it's still in publication). Older issues of MR, RMC, etc are also full of good info. Cutting and gluing sticks hasn't changed much in 100 years or so, so the references should still be valid.