Show us your scratchbuilt building

[grahame]

Okay. I've managed to glaze the section that was made separately to allow access to the end of the building to glaze the windows there. Here it is partially ready:

 

 

And here it is attached to the building. Now for the roof details, down pipes, the main façade windows and so on . . . .

 

 

I'm starting to tire which is making things a little messy, so I'll give it a break and get on with something else.

 

G.

[kirtleypete]

I've about finished the end board of John Smith's new 0 gauge layout 'North Foreland' - all the structures here are scratch built. The idea is that the goods shed is original but the station building was built in about 1910 to replace a wooden structure, hence the different brickwork. The period is the Summer of 1947...all it needs now is a Bulleid Pacific simmering at the buffer stops! My BR wagons are just there to make it look busy.

 

 

 

​Peter

[Atso]

Okay. I've managed to glaze the section that was made separately to allow access to the end of the building to glaze the windows there. Here it is partially ready:

 

 

And here it is attached to the building. Now for the roof details, down pipes, the main façade windows and so on . . . .

 

 

I'm starting to tire which is making things a little messy, so I'll give it a break and get on with something else.

 

G.

 

Looking great Graham. However, my I ask why you've made the change from brick paper to embossed plastic on your newest buildings?

[grahame]

Looking great Graham. However, my I ask why you've made the change from brick paper to embossed plastic on your newest buildings?

I've always used a mix of modelling media and still do. There is no specific change - for example I'm happy to have brick paper covered card shells with embossed plastic roofs, or Redutex covered card, or for a flat roof just painted card. And the recent buildings aren't all embossed plastic - there's plenty of card in their construction. Some I've even used foam board for the structural shell.

 

It's a matter of picking the best and most appropriate material for the part/section one is making. For example where there is fancy architectural details as part of a surface then styrene sheet is usually easier and quicker to use and provides a finer more accurate finish, while card is best for rendered walls as the surface finish is not mirror smooth. IMO if the structure is well finished and representative of the building it is supposed to be then it doesn't matter what it is made from. More important is to have consistent standards, detailing and finishing.

 

G.

[ianLMS]

I've always used a mix of modelling media and still do. There is no specific change - for example I'm happy to have brick paper covered card shells with embossed plastic roofs, or Redutex covered card, or for a flat roof just painted card. And the recent buildings aren't all embossed plastic - there's plenty of card in their construction. Some I've even used foam board for the structural shell.

 

It's a matter of picking the best and most appropriate material for the part/section one is making. For example where there is fancy architectural details as part of a surface then styrene sheet is usually easier and quicker to use and provides a finer more accurate finish, while card is best for rendered walls as the surface finish is not mirror smooth. IMO if the structure is well finished and representative of the building it is supposed to be then it doesn't matter what it is made from. More important is to have consistent standards, detailing and finishing.

 

G.

I agree - I have scalescenes printed buildings, kit built plastic ones, scratchbuilt buildings using embossed card/card/foamboard, buidlings covered in polyfilla (rendered) and brass etched structures on my layout. Just like real life, not every building is made from the same materials, so the different textures, colours and build method I think add character to a model.

[stevejjjexcov]

Progress on the goods shed,I have done the doors for one side and managed to do the support trusses for the canopy. As the trusses are different lengths it took me a while to work how the roof pitch remained constant,till I realized the roof was a compound curve (i think). The roof fits and looks ok so i guess i did something right! Now i have to do the doors for the other side then give the inside a colour wash. I am not sure what to use to cover the platform in, maybe paving slabs( not modern type)any other ideas out there? I WON'T be using bricks!!!!

[KNP]

Totally agree.

I mix up as necessary as in real life buildings are normally a mixture of finishes, styles and designs etc..

The only time this doesn't work is if you are making a housing or industrial estate all built at the same time.

 

Materials can be as inventive as you like and as an example the roof of the attached store picture is toilet paper fixed to grey card and then painted.

The walls are brick paper but the tiles on the pitched roof are from the Wills range.

 

Basically it's what looks best and adds variety to the scene.

 

Kevin

 

I've always used a mix of modelling media and still do. There is no specific change - for example I'm happy to have brick paper covered card shells with embossed plastic roofs, or Redutex covered card, or for a flat roof just painted card. And the recent buildings aren't all embossed plastic - there's plenty of card in their construction. Some I've even used foam board for the structural shell.

It's a matter of picking the best and most appropriate material for the part/section one is making. For example where there is fancy architectural details as part of a surface then styrene sheet is usually easier and quicker to use and provides a finer more accurate finish, while card is best for rendered walls as the surface finish is not mirror smooth. IMO if the structure is well finished and representative of the building it is supposed to be then it doesn't matter what it is made from. More important is to have consistent standards, detailing and finishing.

G.

Edited September 19, 2016 by KNP

[grahame]

Very nice. But I hope you washed that toilet paper before using it on your model. After all it does have a nice streaked and well weathered patina.

 

:-)

 

G.

[KNP]

Very nice. But I hope you washed that toilet paper before using it on your model. After all it does have a nice streaked and well weathered patina.

 

:-)

 

G.

 

Rest assured it was pristine and the weathering effect was indeed a paint treatment!!!!!!

[KNP]

Here is a few more pictures of the store building showing that you can mix and match materials.

 

Main walls are grey card with brick paper from Model Railway Scenery there old Victorian brick wall range, roof Wills plain tiles, gutters from wills but downpipes from plastic rod with card brackets. Windows a mixture of what I had in the scrap box which ranged from Laser cut, plastic and no idea!!!, the timber planks are just plastic strip cut of various sizes, painted and fixed in place. Water butt Langley's range, timber battens on the roof are plastic strip painted with the excellent range from Lifecolor - weathered wood.

 

It is modelled as a view blocker so you have to peer around it to see what is behind hence why it is effectively cut off with the side painted black and in line with the profile board.

 

 

Kevin

Edited September 20, 2016 by KNP

[allan downes]

Superb little model and layout to match by what can be seen of it.

 

Cheers.

 

Allan.

[freebs]

Love that Store building! Brilliant!

[KNP]

Thanks for the comments.

 

If you want to see more pictures I have posted some (and will continue to post more) in Galleries under the title of Little Muddle which incidentally happens to be the name of the layout! 

 

Kevin

[orford]

Here's a little pub I built for my 'Orford' layout, the prototype being on Quay Street in the place of the same name.

 

It was tricky because on the prototype hardly any two windows or doors are actually the same size (although they look as if they are). All differences however are faithfully reproduced in model form.

 

The end window on the prototype is a much later addition so was omitted from the model to retain 'period'.

Edited September 20, 2016 by orford

[Edwardian]

Here is a few more pictures of the store building showing that you can mix and match materials.

 

Main walls are grey card with brick paper from Model Railway Scenery there old Victorian brick wall range, roof Wills plain tiles, gutters from wills but downpipes from plastic rod with card brackets. Windows a mixture of what I had in the scrap box which ranged from Laser cut, plastic and no idea!!!, the timber planks are just plastic strip cut of various sizes, painted and fixed in place. Water butt Langley's range, timber battens on the roof are plastic strip painted with the excellent range from Lifecolor - weathered wood.

 

It is modelled as a view blocker so you have to peer around it to see what is behind hence why it is effectively cut off with the side painted black and in line with the profile board.

 

 

Kevin

 

I can see any amount of pictures of this layout and come away impressed and inspired.  Please keep posting!

 

 

Here's a little pub I built for my 'Orford' layout, the prototype being on Quay Street in the place of the same name.

 

It was tricky because on the prototype hardly any two windows or doors are actually the same size (although they look as if they are). All differences however are faithfully reproduced in model form.

 

The end window on the prototype is a much later addition so was omitted from the model to retain 'period'.

 

I enjoyed the recent magazine article on Orford, the highlight of which is surely this building.  I think you wrote that it was very time consuming, and you have to balance your available time between structure and other modelling and operation, but I would love to see Orford with a few more local prototype buildings scratch-built to this standard in place of the kits.   You clearly have the skill and the eye.

[orford]

"You clearly have the skill and the eye".

 

 

It's nice of you to say so Edwardian - but climbing all over the roof of the thing (with the Landlord's permission), camera and tape measure in hand is not something I would care to repeat too often at the age of 65!

 

By the way - for those who saw Orford in RM, it has changed considerably since the magazine photos were taken...although the pub is still there.

 

Here's the new Goods Shed, where the erstwhile fish dock stood in the magazine article:

Edited September 20, 2016 by orford

[grahame]

I've made and added the roof details to the SER offices 'flat iron' building. Next to tackle is the making of all those window frames . . . .

 

 

 

 

G.

[allan downes]

This thread gets better and better with each posting.

 

Some seriously awesome modelling going on here. Keep it coming guys !

 

Cheers.

 

Allan.

Edited September 20, 2016 by allan downes

[BrushType4]

Here's a little pub I built for my 'Orford' layout, the prototype being on Quay Street in the place of the same name.

 

It was tricky because on the prototype hardly any two windows or doors are actually the same size (although they look as if they are). All differences however are faithfully reproduced in model form.

 

The end window on the prototype is a much later addition so was omitted from the model to retain 'period'.I 

I like the model better than the prototype!

 

Nice work.

[orford]

For anyone interested, here's a few more pictures of the Orford Pub, showing the whole thing and some detail sections, which hopefully show the subtle differences between the windows and doors.

 

The entire building is approximately 23 inches in length.

Edited September 21, 2016 by orford

[Edwardian]

For anyone interested, here's a few more pictures of the Orford Pub, showing the whole thing and some detail sections, which hopefully show the subtle differences between the windows and doors.

 

The entire building is approximately 23 inches in length.

 

Good to see more pics.

 

Rudely foisting my opinions on you again, Orford, but I really like the pub, the goods shed, the little office building and the rest of the village street.   

 

Not only are they to a standard of detail and realism to which the poor old Metcalfe station building cannot hold a candle, but they are convincing and create a real sense of place.  Did not the late great Cyril Freezer say something along the lines of a good layout tells you which company it is without stock present?  I have a feeling the comment was about railway architecture and infrastructure, if so, I would say it applied equally to lineside structures and scenery.  

 

I think those cast iron railings are a lovely touch, too.

[orford]

To be honest Edwardian, I agree with you about the station building - and in fact it is actually scheduled to be the next item for replacement.

 

My original aim whwen building Orford was to get everything 'covered' as quickly as possible just to give it an appearance of overall 'completeness' (I don't like playing trains on 'bare boards') and the intention always was to go back over it later to replace many of the structures with something more prototypical/better. That process is now slowly but surely under way.

 

You mentioned the Goods Shed (more pictures below) and were kind enough to say you liked it (thanks) but in fact that building probably doesn't qualify for this thread at all, since technically it is not 'scratch built'.

 

I cheated and in fact it was just cobbled together over a weekend from two of these,

 

 

together with a bit of Wills roofing, some Ratio downpipes and a bit of valance from York Model Making.  It does at least go to show that Metcalfe kits can at least provide a starting point. I used ALL the bits from both kits (roofs excepted) but almost all of the bits were either re-cut, re-shaped, patched and/or re-positioned to fit, as appropriate, including the various interior parts.

 

 

 

 

 

The model (within the constaints of the starting point) was loosely based on the shed at Aldeburgh in Suffolk (of which branch 'Orford' is supposed to be a ficticious extension).

 

 

   

 

 

 

Edited September 21, 2016 by orford

[Revolution Mike B]

I was going to post a couple of pictures up of a bridge that I built but after looking through this thread, I'm not going to bother. How you guys can build such great models is unbelievable and to make them look so realistic is just beyond my comprehension!

 

Remarkable!

[orford]

Scoobyra  - Please post it.  We all have to start somewhere and this forum is for all, not just for us old hacks who have been at it for decades.

 

I for one would love to see it and I am sure the otheers would too.

[salmonpastures]

I was going to post a couple of pictures up of a bridge that I built but after looking through this thread, I'm not going to bother. How you guys can build such great models is unbelievable and to make them look so realistic is just beyond my comprehension!

 

Remarkable!

scoobyra,

As Orford advised,,,  I also suggest you get your efforts posted on this thread,,, if you are just starting out the amount of assistance and constructive suggestions you will receive will be invaluable.

We all had to start somewhere,,,, and you are very fortunate to be able to draw off the vast experience that is freely offered on sites such as this.

You can waste an awful amount of money and time learning all the wrinkles the hard way. 

 

Good luck and happy modelling.

 

SAD