View Blocks

[jlwrigh]

Is there any advantage to using view blocks in structures that are made of styrene as opposed to just using cardboard or black construction paper glued together? And why are view blocks used as opposed to just painting the insides of the windows black?

Thanks. John

[soumodeler]

I don't think that there are any disadvantages over using either one. I have used both and they look just the same to me. Painting the windows black does not give the same "depth" as using a piece of paper or styrene.

soumodeler

[pcarrell]

You could use styrene if you want. It;ll be more expensive, but if you used the thicker variety I suppose it would not let ANY light show through. It would be more flame resistant then constructio paper too.

As far as painting the windows goes, when you do this it is hard to get the windows to look like they aren't painted, especially on foreground structures. Paint a piece of clear plastic on one side and you'll see what I mean.

Using view blocks lets you look into the building a little bit, maybe place a figure in the window, and just tends to look a little better on foreground buildings IMHO.

[Big_Boy_4005]

I think if you are going to go to the trouble of making partitions for structure interiors, you might as well make them out of plastic. At some future point, you might decide to do interiors.

Check out your local plastic supplier for scraps and cutoffs. Most have bins full, that they sell for cheap by the pound. If you want to get fancy, and have a lot of interiors to do, sheet styrene comes in colors including black. A half sheet may be a lifetime supply, but you could find some friends and share.

Personally, I'm fond of plexiglass, but I have the tools to work with it. That material is not for everyone.

[pcarrell]

A quote from ironpenguin in the El Cheapo thread;

Rather than pay big bucks for small pieces of packaged styrene plastic, go to Wal-Mart or Home depot and buy the pre-made yard sale/home for sale/keep out/ etc signs they have. Same stuff at 1/10 the cost for the amount you get.

Good idea! Thanks Mike!

[Anonymous]

I've done both, painting windows on the inside and using view blocks. If I know I'm not going to detail an interior, I usually just paint the window, though if it's a factory, I don't completely spray the window, but just enough to give it a spattered look, which, I think, looks like a very dirty window. Factories don't usually worry about cleaning windows, and it blocks your ability to see through them enough to be effective.

As far as view blocks go, I don't use styrene. It costs too much to waste on this, though the idea about using the cheap signs from Walmart seems to get around the cost. I simply bought a large piece of black mounting board at A.C. Moore craft store and cut my view blocks from that. It's white on one side, so I have to spray paint it on that side, but it's easily cut, very sturdy (which adds strenght to the structure), and cheap.

The one draw back to view blocks is with smaller buildings. If they're too close to the windows, it looks like there's a wall right up near the windows. In those cases, window details seem to be the best idea.