Well my latest project (while an Intermountain boxcar kit sits waiting on the workbench because I botched the roofwalk, one of the earliest steps) is a simple “scratchbuilt” apartment building – the two story modern kind with brick below, aluminum siding above, 4 living units, where the upper story overhangs slightly. I put scratchbuilt in quotes because it is not totally scratchbuilt – I am using commercial doors and windows. Brick siding is Walthers brick sheet; clapboard siding is Evergreen. I’ll figure out something for the roof and the 8 roof vents that the Google satellite view shows (I guess that means each unit has two bathrooms).
Well let me tell you, what with 8 doors and 24 windows,from Tichy, Alexander, Grandt Line, and Pikestuff – and all them “reasonably priced” by the way – I was well into the project before I asked myself, “say just what is this thing costing me?” Never do this! Ignorance is bliss.
Good heavens, this might end up as both the smallest and the single most expensive structure on the entire layout! I will not complain about the cost of decent quality kits again. They are a bargain! I have learned what Art Curren and others wrote years ago – kitbashing is cheaper than scratch building.
I guess I could beef up my skills and learn how to truly scratch build windows and doors that look as good as these castings. But I doubt if I’d be as far along with the project as I am if I was building all the windows from scratch.
Thought #2 – I wish I’d paid more attention in mechanical drawing/drafting class at South Milwaukee Junior High School circa 1966. It makes no sense to scratch build without a decent drawing. My drawings are … well, not publishable, but with luck will be “adequate.” I d
Scratch building isn’t always cheaper than kitbashing or RTR, especially in scales smaller than O. The price of those doors, windows, and other specialty materials can really add up. It’s much easier to scratch build windows, doors, and other parts and make use of common materials in the larger scales thus saving you a lot of money.
I’ve heard many schools have done away with shop classes all together. I guess this leaves kids having to go vocational schools the last couple years of high school to get usefull, real world skills. [V]
I hear you with regards to the costs when comparing RTR with self-built. I have started keeping track of what I am spending on my locos for insurance in case I ever need to replace them. Now, the basic loco cost isn’t so bad in a lot of cases, but the details can really add up. For example, I’m just about ready to finish my Conrail SD80MAC. I started off with a Rail Power Products SD90MAC kit which was only $18. After adding the trucks, details, decals, and 2 motors, etc. my total expenditure was just over $225! It seems like the costs add up more quickly than we think they will. I could have bought a Kato that was ready to go for under $100!
I look at model railroading as a cheaper hobby than some of my others. To help put things in perspective, I recently purchased a new Dewalt portable planer for my woodworking hobby. This is a tool to make pieces of wood thinner and smoother (nothing else) for those who aren’t into woodworking. The planer was just over $500 on sale, then I’ve spent close to another $75 to build a stand that will be high and stable enough to use this safely! And that’s before ever getting to use it. With ATVs, you have to have gas to run them, helmets, safety gear, and sometimes a trailer and truck capable of hauling them to places to ride. We have a pretty good chunk of change in our ATVs when you figure all of it together. Guns aren’t cheap either. Ammo prices keep going up and there are less and less places to just go shooting. The last gun I bought was a close-out .50 caliber muzzleloader at the end of the season. It was $100. I added a scope, another $40 with the mounts. Blackpowder was around $15 a pound if memory serves. I cast my own ball and mini-ball ammo since I have a lot of old lead from my grandfather’s shop, but the molds were around $25 each, and a ladle was just under $20. And this was a “cheap” gun!
I guess my point is try not to look at the overall costs too much.