I haven't been doing much modeling lately, busy personal life, but have been puttering around with this vacuum formed building kit I picked up a while back.
From a Polish firm called TM Diorama.
Not as fancy and with all the injection parts like Miniart's building but the cost was only a few dollars, and so far it's been a rather enjoyable and relaxing item that leaves plenty of room to personalize it, and be creative in finishing it.

One of the basic sheets:


Cut out and bracing added:


And basic assembly:


Even comes with a basic boiler

HI Dave, TM have good things I see some of them at can say that have a similra quality that Miniart houses, I like the owen good detail
cheers
Carlos

Nice work Dave. That bracing method is the one I use on Miniart buildings. the stove is nice my wife had a real one of them in her house in Finland but transporting it to Ireland was too much trouble

Ola Dave

Really Nice work. I actually saw a Dutch webshop selling these buildings but I could not find a place online where one of these buildings was assembled and I had no clue about their detail. But the price was quite ok.... not to say dirt cheap. But I never bought one. Your pictures actually made me more convinced that I will buy some of the buildings that internest me.
I see you have added bracing. Which looks pretty good. I assembled the Miniart Ukranian Village house last week for 90 percent and did not do any bracing but followed the assembly guide from Miniarts own site and it worked like a dream. How do the TM kits compare to Miniarts when it comes to thickness of the plastic?

It kinda looks like Vacu form with the appearance of these buildings is up for a second youth. I really second your opinion that it was even relaxing. I had the same feeling when I was building the Miniart house.

Great job. I actually love the tile stove that was added in the kit.

With friendly greetz

Robert Blokker

I echo what Robert said. Nice job. What is the scale like, a lot of these vacuform kits tend to be a bit larger than stated scale?

Hi

Jaderhobby stocks them, although I've never dealt with them so can't vouch for their service etc.

http://www.jadarhobby.waw.pl/tmdiorama-135-c-19_588.html

Alan

Exactly where I picked it up at.
I have always gotten excellent service from Derek, although I may have to wait for him to get something in for me. But usually my order arrives within 7 to 10 days if everything is in stock, just remember to use the airmail, he even warns you of the extremely long shipping times for surface mail.
I bought this one either last year or the year before, sorry don't really remember, but the old dollar was worth a lot more then so naturally the price was a lower, but it's listed at $9.23 today. TM Diorama 3527 - Ruins interior with stove (1/35)

As for the thickness of the plastic, it's a little thinner than Miniarts. The bracing is just the old left over plastic that was trimmed off, and a hold over habit from my old doing vac aircraft days. Any thin areas was filled with CA. (Another hold over from the aircraft days) The two walls had a picture frame on them, I also back filled these and sanded the walls smooth.
As I said, you get everything you need to do the basic building, the rest is up to you. Besides the stove, a table came with it, and also the one rear full window. (that still needs to either be cut out, or probably I'll use it for a template to scratch build one.) I think the stove also needs a chimney, so another thing that will need a little scratch building. I also added the front floor beam, and rear beam that can be seen, and opened the area between the ceiling and the floor. As I said so far it's been a pretty relaxing project. (something I need to get me out of the modeling slump I've been in.)

This project is really unchartered waters for me, so it's going to be build, make mistakes, and everything else along the way.

Nice work on the interior Dave. On the whole as you say it seems like a decent kit especially if its cheaper seeing as Miniart is getting more expensive. Nice of them to include the boiler.

Not that its any consolation but I'm in what is my longest modelling slump to-date as well. Hope you get back on your saddle soon Dave.

Very nice stuff for a "senile old man." Well, now that you've had your rest, hopefully you'll find yourself spiritually fit to bring yourself out of your slump, brother. Till next time...

I'm getting also verry intrested in this kind of building making,i love making buildings, but the plaster ones are sometimes verry difficult to get it rightn could you use vacumformed as somekind of mould?

greetz
Tha Pit

It didn't work for me when I tried it with one of the Miniart buildings. Firstly the walls come in two halves and you can't use one of them as a mould as it is too shallow. Also the detail on the inside is very unclear.

LMAO Thanks Brother, I did have an enjoyable week end on the mountain.