New to Bashin and scratchin
- Thread starter nicknero
- Start date
N
nachoman
start simple. A tool shed or other small rectangular building. Cereal box type cardboard works great and is free. Take a walk around your neighborhood and find something simple to copy. Estimate the approximate dimensions, and be creative. If you use cardboard, and you screw up, trash it and start over. Remember, when doing this kind of work, just make things that look good to you rather than trying to be dimensionally accurate. I've made plenty of things via this method. Search these forums and I am sure you will find plenty of ideas.
kevin
kevin
Kevin is right, start simple and don’t care too much about beeing dimensonally accurate. I’d like to add, try different materials like cardboard, wood or styrene to see what you like. Here is the link to a tutorial on building a freighthouse that got me into building with styrene a few years ago. It might be a little too advanced at the moment, but a least it can give you some ideas: http://www.piedmontsub.com/LouisaFreightHouse.shtml .
You don't mention the scale you are working in, so I'll assume ho. Kevin gave an excellent suggestion. Do a small tool shed, maybe a garage to gowith a house kit or r-t-r you have. I would just add, for a tar papaer roof, you can use 400 grit wet or dry sand paper. I would also suggest you look through "Robin At His Best" in The Academy here on the Gauge. The structures he built are a lot more complicated than you will want to start with; but if you find yourself wondering, "How do I do this window?" or someother thing slows you down, you will probably find that Robin addressed it in one or more of the models he built using old cereal boxes.
My inspiration when I first started out were early Model Railroader mags and "Bridges and Buildings for Model Railroads" by Kalbach Publishers. My only other recommendations to add to what's already been said are a good steel scale ruler and a sharp #11 Xacto blade...keep us posted:thumb:
Railroad Model Craftsman has been running a monthly column on scratchbuilding for some time now. Lots of useful tips, plus techniques to build in all different types of materials, and recommendations for tools, finishing, and weathering. And there's useful information for everyone, from novice to expert.
Wayne
Wayne