Hello Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am looking into laser cut wood models as my primary means for building structures (I find the wood gives a much more realistic look over styrene), however I am not sure which manufacturer you folks have dealt with and have good kits for newer modelers in this medium.
I currently have a little shanty kit from GCLaser which I am not a huge fan of. It's not really wood but more like a recycled cardboard with cardstock that is laid overtop of the walls with the fibers from the cardstock showing through the paint.
So far I have found RSLaser Kits, Crystal River Products, GCLaser, America Builders Inc, Campbell Scale Models, Bar Mills Models and Branchline trains.
Bar Mills looks really good but if you folks have other opinions or other recommendations, I would love to here them :)
Thank you in advance!
What's "best" depends on whether or not a particular manufacturer makes a kit of the structure you want. In most cases, you will have only one from which to choose.
"Best" is also very subjective and open to personal opinion.
Yes very true. Lets assume I want everything. I am asking this as a general question in terms of who uses the best materials, how well the instructions are laid out, and how the pieces fit together (I've had a few cheap styrene models that did not go together well at all).
Arvanlaa,
I've assembled a few laser kits and here's how I, personally, would rank the one's that I've put together:
While Branchline and Bar Mills make nice ktis, I think AMB is a notch above them in quality for the following reasons:
Fit - I've found that the laser-cut parts on AMB kits fit together very well and tight - i.e. no gaps. With both Branchline and Bar Mills, I've found more misalignment between parts and/or parts that were just a bit too short.
Window appearance and glazing - The trim around the windows on the Branchline kits is noticeably over-sized and the cuts in the plastic for the glazing is very rough and uneven. With that said, once you apply the glazing to the back of the windows, it's not apparent. Consequently, AMB's window trim looks just right and the cut in the plastic sheeting for their glazing is clean and crisp.
While I really like AMB kits, I chose kits from the other manufacturers because they specifically had what I needed or was looking for for my layout. They still look nice but require a little extra work to correct any issues.
I agree with you wholeheartedly on the GCLaser. I'm not a big fan either.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
ARVANLAA:
My limited experience is with Blair Line and Bar Mills. I was quite pleased with both manufacturers' products in that they went together quite easily and made very interesting models.
As far as instructions go, both were clear but need to be followed very carefully for the best results. In particular for me, Bar Mills (I believe) recommended painting all the parts first and then assembling the model. The result should be very crisp definition between colours and components. I failed in part in that regard because while I did paint the parts in advance of assembly I didn't do a very good job. I tried to repaint after assembly but that ruined the crisp differentiation between colours and parts. Oh well, that one will be at the back of the layout so it really doesn't matter, but it was a good lesson.
Bar Mills also offers on-line video instructions which are quite informative for the beginner.
http://www.barmillsmodels.com/ Videos are on the top menu.
A couple of points that I believe are important:
Internal bracing is necessary to keep things from warping. If you are going to detail the interior give some thought to where the braces can be placed with minimal impact on the interior details. I built one kit not intending to do the interior but then later changed my mind. It now has a lot of extranious 'ductwork' running up the middle of the walls when you lift the roof off. Next time instead of using square posts to brace I will try laminating the walls with a second sheet of wood set across the grain of the model parts, sort of like making plywood. All I will have then will be somewhat thicker than scale walls.
The second suggestion is to give scratch building a try. There are some amazing creations that have been built board by board by other modelers, and there are several suppliers of wood parts including square stock, board stock and various siding materials. I have done a lot of scratch building in styrene and wood and it is very rewarding to see the final product and know it is yours exclusively. Don't dismiss styrene for structures that will be more than a couple of feet away from the viewer, and even when it is up close there are techniques for making it look like real wood.
Dave
P.S. Thanks for letting me know that GCLaser uses cardboard. That puts them out of the picture for me!
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
American Model Builders (Laser Kit). Have had very good results and very easy to build.
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
I've only built one, the Branchline Trains "Weimer's Mill" kit. I had a lot of pleasure building it, and I was very happy with the result. While the kit "stretched" my modeling ability and improved my skills in the process, it was not a terribly difficult job. Here's an under-construction photo:
I added some interior detail myself. This is what it looks like on the layout.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Not sure I would stick with one, but rather select models that meet your needs. Some good ones have been mentioned, here are some more. I have built kits from all of them and they are all excellent
http://www.foslimited.com/
http://railroadkits.com/store/
http://www.besttrains.com/
http://www.jlinnovative.com/
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
No one has mentioned Selios' Fine Scale Minitures. They are more elaborate but are great kits. I also had a good experience with Imagine That kits. They are not wood, but Custom Model Railroad kits are lazer cut and make fine tall buildings. It did take me a while to learn to deal with acrylic parts.I agree that the Foscale kits are very nice kits and different from the rest.
Thank you all for your replies and input! It is REALLY appreciated :) I am working on the GCLines kit right now and will post the finished product when I am finished.
hon30critter: I will definitely try my hand at scratchbuilding sometime in the near future. I don't have too much kit building experience yet so you can say that scratch building is a bit intimidating for me right now. I may try to do a small freight house or depot and see how that goes in the end :)
Hello I have built a few laser kits GC Laser milk shed,AMB wood caboose, Mount Blue Model co connected farmhouse,JL Innovation feed mill. The JL and Mount Blue I like the best. If you try scratch building buy a craftsman kit the ones you open up and see a bunch wood and a print. I built a truck & radiator repair shop kit from Evergreen Hill designs. That's what I saw when I opened the box.That was a fun kit it was hard but still a lot of fun. I have a FSM old time fright house kit thats the same way. Hope this helps Frank
I've built 2 kits by Microscale Models, one from Full Steam Ahead and one from JL Innovative Design. All of the kits were enjoyable to build, had great instructions and many additional details not found in plastic kits.Klein's Pharmacy by JL would be a great beginner's kit.
Mine doesn't move.......it's at the station!!!