Models NOT train related

[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

[Anonymous]

Don't forget models in movies, just in the Lord of the Ring there was a LOT of models involved, many of them that were very detailed and were used directly on screen without any editing. Now that's also an area of big bucks for modelers.

[Anonymous]

Question - Do professional architectural model builders ever build custom models for model railroads?

[lupo]

a not train related model:

http://www.coverportal.de/cover/audio/g/gorefest_mindloss_a.jpg

this is a model I made for use as an album cover by a dutch band, the piece is called "youth cannot move they are too busy groing up", size is about 15'x 15' x 15' mostly made out of things i found in trash. this picture is an overview, we used a lot of detail pictures from inside the model ( the front part can be taken out ) for the cd booklet / posters / shirts etc.

this commercial project turned out to be very lucrative, because I "rented" the design to the record company, I had a small fee per sold CD, but they sold app 30,000 copies.

[orsonroy]

QUOTE: Originally posted by adrianiu

Question - Do professional architectural model builders ever build custom models for model railroads?

American Model Builders (AMB) majority of business comes from constructing architectural models. They've got a website somewhere that's completely different from their model RR line of buildings and cabooses.

[Anonymous]

Don't forget magazine and runway models, they are always fun to watch.

[Big_Boy_4005]

I used to do that for a living. I worked on models of most of the downtown Denver skyline back in the early 80's. Many of them were made out of plexiglass. I still like to use plexiglass for buildings on my model railroad. Very strong stable material.

[Jetrock]

I have seen a lot of this sort of model recently--a city event here in Sacramento featured various architectural models of plans for the city that never actually materialized.

Sometimes the line gets blurred--one thing I have seen a lot of lately is plans and models for expansions to the California State Railroad Museum and city expansion into the old railyard--modeling of railroads that are not model railroads!!