Regions et Compagnies card kits

[Barry Ten]

I've been building some of these laser-cut kits over the last half year or so, with a lot of enjoyment. I've posted a bit more over on my blog but I thought I'd put a few pictures up here as well, in case anyone's interested:

 

 

 

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/uploads/monthly_10_2015/blogentry-6720-0-88928500-1443914149.jpg

 

And here's a link to my most recent blog entry:

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/257/entry-17685-french-urban-buildings-in-ho/

 

[Oldddudders]

Very useful, thanks. One of the French magazines majors on constructing such kits, with impressive results - but to have a UK modeller come up with the same conclusion is convincing!

[Barry Ten]

Very useful, thanks. One of the French magazines majors on constructing such kits, with impressive results - but to have a UK modeller come up with the same conclusion is convincing!

 

Loco Revue, I take it? I ordered mine from their website.

[SNCF stephen]

Very nice looking kits. My father in law got an engine shed which looks impressive and I look forward to seeing the finished result.

[Oldddudders]

Loco Revue, I take it? I ordered mine from their website.

 

Funnily enough, RMF - Rail Miniature Flash - also have a connection with R&C, and provide step-by-step articles.

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

A smashing range of kits,

 

See here

[swisspeat]

Very tempting!

 

Thanks very much for the website.

 

Enough to encourage one to build a French layout....

 

Pete

[Barry Ten]

Funnily enough, RMF - Rail Miniature Flash - also have a connection with R&C, and provide step-by-step articles.

 

I don't think I've seen RMF - that said, it's enough of a struggle working my way through one French magazine...

[rue_d_etropal]

I have seen these advertised. Not cheap. also are they just laser cut, or do they also have detail etched in. Not so important for rendered walls, but for brick or stone it can make a difference.

Buildings you show look more representative of northern France.

[Barry Ten]

Can't comment on bricks or stone but there are various textures applied to the surface.

[ianp]

If you look at the website http://www.regionsetcompagnies.fr/ you will find kits based on buildings from all over France.

[rue_d_etropal]

the roman tile looks like it is just printed. Nice to see, but for me, I prefer more 3D effect. I wonder , does anyone do downloadable buildings like a couple of companies in UK.

[Barry Ten]

the roman tile looks like it is just printed. Nice to see, but for me, I prefer more 3D effect. I wonder , does anyone do downloadable buildings like a couple of companies in UK.

 

If you read the blog you'll see that Regions et Compagnies sell additional roofing sheets which I've used on the buildings to the left.

[Edwardian]

Very lovely (as is the coach in the background!)

[Barry Ten]

Here's some more progress with a block of urban buildings. I've added another kit into the row, and built a foam-core

plinth to allow the buildings to be treated as a module. Eventually they'll be fixed down permanently, and then the module

will be integrated into a layout, but in a way that it could be removed at some later date without damaging the models.

 

 

 

 

A view of the nasty side, with all the wiring for the Woodland Scenics lighting modules - best left hidden! I'm a big fan of these modules

and LED lighting accessories, as they take all the pain out of illuminating buildings. If you've ever spent hours soldering endless chains

of grain of wheat bulbs using trial and error to get the right brightness levels, being able to turn a little knob on the module is brilliant! Plus,

being LEDS, I've been able to build them into the rooms without needing to think about replacing them. Much easier.

 

[Neil]

Lovely work Al, it's inspired me to try some interior lighting on my next layout. Coincidently earlier this week I found a Loco Revue freebie download and print kit for a Boulangerie here; it appears to my eyes to be more rural than urban but it does have possibilities as shown here and here.

[Barry Ten]

Yes, but what I think he is implying is that he does not want to pay for them?

 

I suppose the roofs are the weak point, presumably on cost grounds, but I don't really mind upgrading them. I was curious to use the textured sheets, but like most of us I've got enough spare material in scrap boxes that I could have improvised something if I'd had to. I think the main thing is to try and get a variety of roof textures across a row of buildings.

[rue_d_etropal]

I have used card kits in the UK for many years.The old Bilteezi ones are in my opinion still the best artwork, and I will still use them for backscenes, but for complete buildings, I am not keen on lack of 3D effect. Sorry about that. Even at a low price I would not be keen, although I would use them for back scenes.

Then there is the price, these French kits are not cheap , and maybe you are paying for the fun of building them, a bit like a 3D jigsaw, but you can't then take them apart to do again.

Talking to my next door neighbour here in France, he builds models for his wargaming hobby. He said that even the laser cut kits did not have enough definition in them, but you get what you pay for. I would use them as a framework for a building , using techniques from those who build decent dolls house sized building. I think Petites Properties use these techniques in their kits. It has been a method(textured plaster) I have been using for years(article in CM from 10 years ago I think).

 

Must admit I don't tend to build kits to the instructions preferring to create something more individual, and my own experiments with 3D printing continue that idea.

 

Just wondering are there any companies doing French buildings to download like there are in Britain?

 

One more thing about the price. It does give me hope for my own 3d printed buildings, because if people are prepared to pay this much for a kit, they might be happy to pay a bit more for a complete model, which could still be customised. Or am I getting it wrong about the hobby and individuality. Do a lot of people just want something that looks like what they have seen on another layout.

[Oldddudders]

  Or am I getting it wrong about the hobby and individuality. Do a lot of people just want something that looks like what they have seen on another layout.

 

http://emmanuelnouaillierartworks.blogspot.fr

 

If this is "another layout" then yes, please!

[rue_d_etropal]

I have followed Emmanuel Nouaillier since before his regular articles(some complain too many!) in Continental Modeller. He even has a good following from military modellers, and Have noticed many of his articles in French magazines. I find them inspiring, but would not necessarily follow every method he uses. Also his models are based on northern France so are not quite right for southern French buildings.

There is nothing wrong in being inspired, I suppose even copying  can be justified up to a point, but if every layout looked like a clone then they would not look interesting. I find this quite often with British layouts, and was very impressed at RAMMA  in 2013 when I was there. Each of the ironing board layouts was a gem, and no need to run trains. There is nothing wrong in having the odd well known kit building  , although I would still like to customise it, and make it blend in, not too clean either,  but too many makes for less effect as far as am concerned.

Having said all this, I would probably not spot some of these paper kits in a layout. I bought a copy of one of the Loco Revue specials this week, with a feature on a loco yard. It was not obvious but I think a couple of the buildings were from these kits. I could not find them on website, so might be wrong. I think they may have been tweaked a bit as they did not look like simple card kits.

It is a personal choice, but printed 3D effects just don't work for me,and something about colours and glaze are not quite right for me.

 

There are now many new technologies, and always hen one comes along someone will try and do everything with it. Eventually people realise that each technology has its pluses and minuses. Combine 3D printed parts with laser cut parts and some traditional printed card parts and you have a very good(and possibly easier to build) kit. Designing the parts so variations can be done or kit modified is the difficult part as it is difficult to anticipate what everyone might want, so the next stage is to offer bespoke designs so each person can choose what they want. This is what I am planning towards with my 3D printing, well one of the plans anyway.

[rue_d_etropal]

just found I was muddling these card kits with the laser cut ones from Architecture and Passion, which look more solid, and are not a bad price. Might still want to replace roof parts as laser cutting is not that deep. In fact I might be tempted to use the Redutex tiling.

[rue_d_etropal]

just been looking through some old copies of Loco Revue, and some have printed buildings in centre. I think these are now within the Regions et Campagnes range, as the roundhouse is certainly in one advert. Also have a station building, and signal boxes. The kits themselves are of little use to me, except to us as a basis for something more solid. The roundhouse and signal boxes are classic art deco concrete.