wagoneer

That's quite a nice building though @The Johnster and it all seems to hang on how well the builder paints and finishes the model.

The terraced houses I'm working on have gone through many iterations to get the model in a state that I'd feel happy with in someone else's hands, but I'll bet there's still going to be room for improvements. It'll evolve based on feedback and learning from whatever comes next.

9 hours ago, JSModels said:

 

That's how I got started - nobody made 'proper' sized industrial buildings, so I made my own. I try not to compress anything, everything is done true to scale (though they are generally freelance & not based on any particular prototypes) and I hope I have achieved the 'proportional realism' and integrity mentioned.

 

Quite often people look at my 4mm scale kits (particularly the lock kit) and think they're O gauge, and are quite taken aback when I tell them they're OO...

 

And as for price, if you want a basic undecorated shell for cladding in whatever scratchbuilding material takes your fancy, then that is very quick (and therefore cheap) to produce; there are a number of companies producing very good 'scratch aid' kits like these as has been mentioned previously. And they are very good value for money. But if you're after a large building with a lot more detail and full brickwork, that can often take multiple hours to cut - especially when you have 4 or 5 different materials/thicknesses in the kit - and a lot more time invested in designing/drawing it up. That does increase the cost, and whilst my kits cost more, I do believe they also offer good value for money.

 

 

Regards,

 

Jonathan

JSModels 

Jonathan,
I agree that buildings in scale look best when the proportions are correct, it troubles me terribly to imagine that compromise has to be made, but then I don't have a layout, or really much room for a one. My interest is in the buildings really so I'm focused on that element. 
What I'm working on currently does have various thicknesses and materials but that's what works best to achieve the right results. Finding what works is real trial and error and a bin load of progress ;)

Kelly

@DickBrowne, did you have any luck with sourcing a detached house? I'm going to be creating a Feakes & Richards semi soon as I grew up in one. They look pretty similar to the linked model above. We've not lived in this one shown since the early 90's and it's changed hugely but I can remember the original house quite well, even before my Dad put the extension on the side.

This is something I'm putting a lot of effort into as a new entry into the 'kit' market - currently I'm working on a terraced row of three, all laser cut and intending to bring this to market in the new year. Mine will definitely be a starting point that will need extra elements to produce a finished model.

From my point of view, prototypically correct buildings are important and the challenge is in designing/creating something that reflects that but is robust and easy to construct for the correct price point.

Hello Jon,
I've just tried Polybak from the 4D Model Shop - in 0.4 and 0.9mm thicknesses. It has a slightly plastic feel to it and cuts nicely. So far I've only used cyanoacrylate to fix it to other materials. 

The best way to improve a skill is to start and that's a superb beginning. I've just completed my first build (a 1:48 scale shop front) just for the doing of it and learned loads. There's a railway scene project that my son and I are working on that includes lots of buildings for 4mm scale so I think just having a go at some of the buildings in my village will provide the skills needed for when it counts.

I really like this, the buildings/hard landscaping look so planted in the terrain and all the groundwork blends it together beautifully. Gathering inspiration for a small (and first ever) build, the apparent simplicity of your layout helps make the idea less daunting.

https://www.myminifactory.com/scantheworld/

There's so many models, it's hard to say what they have. I'm going to attempt the Venus de Milo this morning, smaller than the above to see what detail I can retain.

edit;

Bottle caps and rule for scale. This came out OK, just a little clean up needed. 

I'm thoroughly enjoying this thread, especially with limited space like i have, a compact tale told is amazing to see. Of course, you got me thinking about printing 3D statues for the fountain and having followed the link to that amazing resource of files, the pictures here are a quick (ha!) experiment of what my humble Creality Ender3 can produce with a little fettling in Cura. The central muse has a malformed arm and there's a few hairy bits but they can clean up. I'll undercoat it tomorrow to see how that looks.

Whilst I haven't tried foam yet, soft or thicker materials in my Glowforge need three or more low power passes. I've even sucessfully cut through 20mm thick birch boards by using three passes at the full thickness then three more by telling the machine that the material is the thickness minus the depth already cut. As the laser cuts through it naturally spreads a little so the cut is never perpendicular to the material. Breaking a deep cut down into multiple passes helps eliminate this.

If I download a 3D file, whatever the format, free or paid for, I'll open it in my preferred program and check it out thoroughly and in some cases modify it to suit the application. Over the years I've encountered little errors in other's drawings that needed correcting so that the final render (for large format printing as exhibition graphics) looks good. It makes sense to me that if you're going to commit a file to many hours printing time on your own (or a bureaux) 3D printer then checking the file and arranging elements to suit a better print arrangement is sensible.

There are loads of free 3D files available online for personal use, all given generously by individuals that enjoy the creation of the original model. Using someones drawing and modifying it was a good way for me to get to learn Blender in the way I needed to use it. Other than asking that a download is not sold on, there's nothing else you can object to.

Thingiverse has been very useful for improvements to my own 3D printer, all generously given by other users. Some modify the downloads and credit the originator when re-posting (again for free) so that we may all benefit from the shared experience.

Where do I begin? Finding a suitable place to make a first post on this forum was always going to be hard. My yet to begin blog charting the progress of our layout will contain the details but having found this epic on building er, building, I found myself well and truly hooked by the game of quality tennis being played out by messrs Downes and Robinson. This thread has got me started in earnest (It's near South East London) on the physical aspects of our set-up and I've almost ignored the trainy things.

Thank you to all the contributors for providing plenty of inspiration - I now find that I look at buildings in a very different way, wondering how I might build them in OO scale....

Kelly