I have always wanted to scratch build different kinds of buildings in 1/35th scale.
My question is, and maybe it has been answered here before, what is the best way to scratch build structures (for example a fachwerkhaus)? What products will best be used? Foam board, wood, etc. What is the best scale thickness of walls? 3/16", 1/2", etc. Are there any SBS's out there on construction? Armorama, YouTube, etc.
Thanks in advance!

vr

Tim

3/16 plywood would be about a scale 6.56 inch thick wall. That looks at least believable for a wood exterior wall. .125 x .060 Evergreen plastic strips are a close enough match for a scale 2 x 4 and .125 x .125 for a 4 x 4.

G'day tim,
i am experimenting with scratchbuilt buildings also
i am using foam board as a basis and building the detail onto that by adding wooden beams and brickwork to create a facade. i dont intend to do an interior on my building just yet, but if i did i would detail the interior the same. I like to use brick moulds to make all manner of bricks and cinder blocks. Most commercial kits portray building walls from about .045 of a centimetre to 1 centimetre. We could always use balsa beams in between the 2 foam board facades pieces and create scale thickness that way. I really like the foam board it is easy to use and to cut and glue and super light too. i would also like to recommend a good book entitled Landscapes of war-the greatest guide - dioramas vol 3 it has outstanding buld up of german half timber house. I also use ship building timber planks and beams for flooring,cladding and framing, and styrenne and timber for windows. Hope this helps you some.
Andy.

Tim,

YOu can use just about any material. I've seen people use balsa wood, base wood, cork board, foam board, cardboard, plastic sheets, plywood, plaster... And any combination thereof.

I can't comment on thickness. I guess it would depend on when the structure was built and what material was used.

HTH,
Steve

I have used matte board,doubled up and covered in plaster for masonry walls. Works great,is cheap and plaster can be easily carved or scribed. It als o takes paint well. For an example look at my WIP on this forum about the "Falaise Gate". For halftimbered buldings I tried the balso wood stuff. Hard to work with. If you search back on this forum for my "Civilian Dio" you can see how it turned out.
There a lot of methods,just pick the one you are most comfortable with.
J

Hi Tim,

I tend to experiment and try all sorts of materials. You might take a look at any of Jerry's projects - he has developed some great techniques which are worth studying.

These days I look for sturdy but lightweight materials. Rigid insulting foam (pink or blue) works pretty well. It works well for stone walls, as it pretty easy and forgiving to scribe a stone pattern on to. If you want it to look more like a plaster surface you'll need to experiment some to achieve the texture you want. There are two obvious down sides to this material - first, it usually comes in a 1" thickness, so you might need to cut it in half for a more realistic depth; which leads to problem two - cutting it makes a big mess! I've been able to glue the pieces with a hot glue gun or carpenters glue.

In general keep an eye on the various projects here in the dio forum - you'll see all sorts of interesting approaches. If you have the time dig through posts and you'll find lots of ideas.

Hopefully you'll post your work! Go for it -

Cheers
Nick

Thank you all for the comments thus far.

Wynn- In the past I have used 3/16 plywood and covered it in a light plaster coating. Now I am looking for lighter ways to accomplish the same look and overall feel.

Andy- The Landscapes of War series is very well done, in my opinion. I do not have Vol III as yet.

Jerry- I will dig into your posts a little more. I am always impressed by your work. Very inspiring.

Nick- thanks for the advice. I agree 1" is way too thick, but I do not want to deal with cutting the foam into halves.

As soon as I complete my Poland 1939 dio, I think I will do some more experimenting with different mediums in making structures and post my results.

vr

Tim

You can buy thin foam panels at AC Moore used for poster boards,etc.They are coated with a hard surface.
J

Jerry- I checked out the website for AC Moore and could not find anything specific to foam panels that would be used for poster board. Is this similar to foam core board that can be purchased at Hobby Lobby?

vr

Tim

Michaels and Walmart also have it.

Tom

Thanks, Tom.

I like shopping for these type of things at Hobby Lobby and Michaels because of the 40% off coupon! Sometimes they even have a 50% off coupon. Walmart- meh.

vr

Tim