I am starting a scratch built model of the house I grew up in back in the 1950’s and need a source of shingles. I need a standard 3 tab asphalt shingle and would like some recommendations for a good quality HO scale shingle. Hopefully some of you have used a particular brand that I can still purchase. I am OK with a molded/stamped styrene sheet if there are any that look realistic.
-Bob
Try a fine grit emory cloth sandpaper cut in strips. Notching the 3 tab may take some time if you want to go to the trouble.
Bob
G C Laser makes 3 tab shingles in several colors.
I have used them on a number of structures and they look great
BOB H - Clarion, PA
In addation to the GC Laser ones, I have had good success with NorthEastern Shingle sheets.
The ones I am talking about come assembled & you cut them to size.
Some times the end ones fall out (where cut), but over all they look nice, being a paper product you can tweak them if you want a weatherbeaten roof.
They are thicker than the GC Laser ones, but they give nice depth in HO.
Both the GC Laser, & the Northeastern ones snould be worth sampling,
My apologies if I missed any other vendors, these are the ones I have tried & liked, as always, just an opinion…
Thanks for the info guys. I will look at their websites to see what they have. I don’t mind painting them a different color if need be.
-Bob
You can also try using masking tape painted black or very dark gray (I use PollyScale Grimy Black) and drybrushed with lighter gray. Again, you would have to cut the tabs with a hobby knife, but the cost of this approach is unbeatable.
I’ve been using Rustoleum Textured Speckled spray paint from a rattle can for my asphalt roofing. I use the black for roofs, and the tan for rock work.
It works pretty well right out of the can, or it’s a good base for weathering powders to make it a bit less uniform. I use it for both the flat roofs and the sloped shingle roofs.
Plastruct offers Part #91630, which is two sheets of grey embossed ABS shingle material. The sheets are roughly 7"x12" and about .025" thick.
Pikestuff’s #541-1007 consists of two sheets of moulded styrene roofing. These sheets are 2"x8.25" and about .050" thick, and are probably thick enough to use with minimal interior bracing, depending, of course, on the expanse of roof required.
The thinner Plastruct material would need to be cemented atop a suitable sub-roof.
Wayne
Wayne,
I looked at Plastrut and Evergreen sheets at my LHS and they didn’t have any shingle material in stock, so I assumed they didn’t make it. I will have to check their websites as well. I did remember I had a GC Laser kit with brown shingles and they were paper sheets laser cut with the tabs. Just have to glue them down one row at a time. I may just order some of their gray or black ones.
thanks,
-Bob
I wasn’t aware of the Plastruct material, either, but was hunting for something with which to shingle the kitbashed structure shown below. I originally wanted either slate or locking-tab diagonal shingles, but I stumbled across the Plastruct material in my LHS, and it seems to be the only material available in large sheets. Even so, I had to buy two packs (at $15.00 each) to get enough material for this rather large structure. I’m planning to add eyebrow dormers to both sides of the roof, and they may need to be shingled with either individual strips of the Plastruct material or, even worse, individual shingles. [banghead]
Wayne
Wayne,
That is a nice job, would like to see a photo when finished. The eyebrow dormers would look great on there as well.
-Bob
Thanks for your kind words, Bob. That project is currently set aside as I’m working on adding all-wheel pick-up to a couple of steam locomotives for friends, and re-building a few freight cars for myself. [banghead]
I picked up that building, used and already built, at my LHS for about $20.00. While it’s a European-style structure, I thought I detected a North American style freighthouse somewhere within it. Here’s a photo taken before I modified it:
Wayne
N Scale Architect offers styrene building sheets in several scales with quite a variety.in a large 10" by 14"size .I have used several of them you can even purchase a mix and match package of 3 sheets any style and scale
here is a link to the slate roofing
JTT Scenery Products, a division of MRC, makes asphault shingle sheets, colored and with the shingle pattern embossed on the sheet. MSRP is $6.25 for 180 sq in. Micro-Mark sells printed self-adhesive sheets, 216 sq in for $8.25.
N Scale Architech doesn’t have asphalt shiingle, only slate. I will look into the JTT Scenery Products as well. Thanks,
-Bob
Bob:
MicroMark has styrene asphalt shingle sheets in their recent catalogue: cat #85377 (HO scale).
Joe
Thanks Joe,
These are the JTT Scenery sheets which I am most likely going to use. They are not finished though, just white styrene, which is fine.
-Bob
Well, I got the JTT asphalt shingle sheets in HO scale (Item 97440) and am very disappointed in them. First of all, they are not evenly spaced shingles and secondly and most importantly, they are way out of scale. I measured the larger shingles and they scale a whopping 24" x 12". A standard asphalt shingle is 12" x 6" (each individual shingle in a 3 tab shingle). These should be marketed as being O scale, and I emailed JTT with this suggestion today. The supplier I bought them from has agreed to refund my money and he also indicated that this particular item has been a problem for him in the past. I just want to update all who responded to my original post. I will try the CGLaser cut paper shingles next as I have used them on one of their kits with good results.
-Bob
Bob:
Thanks for the update. It’s too bad that the manufacturer isn’t aware of the difference between scales.
Joe
Just thought I would mention the supplier (Slot Car Classics on Ebay) I purchased the JTT shingles from as they were extremely helpful and quickly refunded my money, and didn’t want the shingles back. I would highly recommend them.
-Bob