Am I in the minority when I say that this trend towards solid resin buildings is a huge step BACKWARDS for our hobby? In addition to being expensive, they aren't easy to paint nor are they the "jumping off" point for some modification / kitbashing project.
Give me a styrene kit that is nicely detaled and easy to work with and it will provide hours of fun and enjoyment. We ARE modelers, aren't we???
dlm
danmerkelGive me a styrene kit that is nicely detaled and easy to work with and it will provide hours of fun and enjoyment. We ARE modelers, aren't we???
Agree,,, I have becomed bored wiyh the plastic kits,and refuse to pay the price of the craftsmen offerings.
I prefer to scratch build. It offers a affordable challenge [to me anyway]
I guess in today's world, everyone wants ''it'' now, if not sooner, and with the least effort
One piece resin buildings are magnificent, but you need to be willing to put all the effort necessary into painting them.
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The craftsmanship that goes into painting a resin model is just as exacting as building a model from srcatch.
This barn is by J.R. Miniatures, and is part of their 15mm American Civil War line of terrain. The detail is incredible, and it paints into a wonderful model.
This is a very old picture taken with an outdated 5 MP camera. I have gotten much better in the last two years.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
danmerkel Am I in the minority when I say that this trend towards solid resin buildings is a huge step BACKWARDS for our hobby? In addition to being expensive, they aren't easy to paint nor are they the "jumping off" point for some modification / kitbashing project. Give me a styrene kit that is nicely detaled and easy to work with and it will provide hours of fun and enjoyment. We ARE modelers, aren't we??? dlm
Your last line, which I agree with, made me smile because back when I started in the hobby, plastic structures and rolling stock kits were sniffed at because self described "real" modelers would have nothing to do with plastic, and were particularly disdainful of kitbashing. "Real" modelers used wood and metal and cardstock. It took a while for that war against plastic to be resolved.
I think the old Ertl built up structures, which were pricey, might have been one piece resin, or maybe ceramic? I do not know if the Mendards and Woodland Scenics built ups are resin. I don't sense a threat to plastic kits from any of them. By the way, resin is a more practical medium for "basement manufacturers" to use for their products than is injection molded styrene. I know of a modest line of solid cast resin detail parts that includes a few small-ish one-piece structures, and I suspect the person who did the tooling did not want to get into the challenge and issue of parts that need to fit precisely together, hence the structures are all one integral piece. But again I see no threat to injection molded styrene there.
Dave Nelson
SeeYou190This barn is by J.R. Miniatures, and is part of their 15mm American Civil War line of terrain. The detail is incredible, and it paints into a wonderful model.
Hi Kevin,
I'm going to agree with the OP and disagree with you in the nicest possible way. The barn does indeed have great exterior detail and the paint job is excellent, but I don't care a lot for it. To me, it clearly looks like a solid block of resin. I like my structures to be open. I want to be able to see what's going on inside them.
This is one scratchbuilt example:
I know that building something like my diesel shed takes a bit of time, but to me it is so much more appealing to the eye.
Please understand that I am not being critical of your modelling. I'm only expressing my personal preferences.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Having assembled and painted a number of resin kits, I wholeheartedly disagree to the OP! While not suitable for mass production, resin kits are a affordable alternative for structures which are expected to sell in small numbers only.
Bridge and chapel are made from resin kits. They are nicely detailed. Click on the picture to enlarge it.
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Hi Ulrich,
I'll modify my previous post a bit by saying the resin structures like bridges are excellent models. I have also done some resin rolling stock kits that came out really well. However, my point was specifically in regard to the type of structure that Kevin referred to, which is basically a block of resin that I still think looks like a block of resin after all the hard work he put into it.
Your church has some depth to it. The doors are open and the windows are clearly set into the walls. Also, you can see through the bell tower. IMHO, that is different from Kevin's barn. The barn has very little depth. If the doors and the loft window had been modelled in the open position that would make a world of difference IMHO. Again, I am only expressing how I personally feel about such structures.
Just to stir the pot, I feel the same way about cardstock structures. Unless the surfaces are embossed I don't care for them, and even then they would not be my first choice.
Dave - agreed! There is no room for crude buildings, be them made from resin or whatever plastic or cardboard, on a model railroad, unless they are dead cheap and can be "beefed" up with little effort.
Talking of cardboard buildings - there are some fantastic creations out there in the world, just look at what Sankei is offereing!
Tinplate ToddlerTalking of cardboard buildings - there are some fantastic creations out there in the world, just look at what Sankei is offereing!
Okay Ulrich, I'm impressed! Obviously the technology has improved radically from what I have seen previously. The Sankei structures have exactly what I want in a building, which is openness, and depth in the details. I noted that they aren't exactly cheap. That isn't a criticism, but it just goes to show that quality costs. You get what you pay for.
hon30critterYou get what you pay for.
Exactly! Look where our own thrive of getting everything cheap has led us too.
OK, so I'll modify my original post a bit to exclude things like concrete bridges and tunnel portals. But for things that are supposed to be hollow; like towers, houses & even background buildings, I still don't get the advantage of cast resin buildings.
danmerkelI still don't get the advantage of cast resin buildings.
danmerkel I still don't get the advantage of cast resin buildings.
Resin solid cast buildings can be made in super pliable silicone molds with detail on all surfaces in equal amounts of clarity. There are no mold parting lines, and assembly time for a well detailed building is zero.
This is another solid resin building from JR Miniatures. This one is from the 15mm scale line of Italian WW2 buildings.
I really need to put decals in the numbers boards of STRATTON AND GILLETTE number 508.
I beleive structures of all compositions have their place. And as pointed out ealier, basement - sized manufacturers cannot afford the tooling and equipment to produce injection molded plastic models.
The structure on the right is cast resin, on the left is a Blair Line kit (one of my first attemps at a "craftsman kit", not a lot of character, IMO).
And pay no attention to the mine loco off the rails..
Ed
Ed: Your edit to my response made it look like I was the one who said I did not understand the advantage of cast resin buildings.
Bad snip.
SeeYou190Bad snip
I see that now, Kevin - quote removed...
freeway3I see that now, Kevin - quote removed...
Not any problem, I have messed up response quotes more than once.
Continuing with my belief that painting matters more than construction, I present another little building. This one is not solid resin, but a cheap old Tyco/Pola structure with no modifications other than being hand painted.
It will have a place on my next layout for certain.
I have posted this picture before of another Tyco/Pola building that my friend Tomas painted for me.
I see no reason in saying a technologic advancement can harm the hobby. An addition to the hobby doesn’t mean the original options are being removed, Its an opporunity for something new. If we made sure that model railroading remained as running fluorescent toy trains around circles it would have died long ago! Dcc, 3d printing whatever it is it helps keep model railroading relevant. If you don’t mind me saying, it’s the rivet counters and the critics who are forcing the hobby backwards more than anything else.
On the topic of cast resin structures, I was wondering how the forum peeps feel about cast resin structure kits like the (RIP) Railway Design Assoc kits? I bought several of them a couple years ago, but I have not built any of them yet.
Thanks.
Modeling an HO gauge freelance version of the Union Pacific Oregon Short Line and the Utah Railway around 1957 in a world where Pirates from the Great Salt Lake founded Ogden, UT.
- Photo album of layout construction -
Onewolf(RIP) Railway Design Assoc kits?
No opinion but they are now owned by Rail Scale Models
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I have a couple RDA kits. They are good for the kitbasher and scratchbuilder. Good starting points. I build two of thier kits into a large abandoned industry site. I dont think I could have achieved the look of a very old abandoned industry with any other kit system. Out side of scratchbuilding
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
BigDaddy Onewolf (RIP) Railway Design Assoc kits? No opinion but they are now owned by Rail Scale Models
Onewolf (RIP) Railway Design Assoc kits?
I noticed that the RDA models on the Rail Scale Models website are now listed as injection molded styrene ("This detailed structure kit is produced from injection-molded styrene").
I have one RDA kit, and it is styrene.