I know, I said last week I wouldn’t do anymore polls, but I thought it would be kind of interesting to see how many craftsmen we have in our midsts.
I personally build both scratch and kit structures. I’d much rather build something for a few cents that looks just as good as an expensive factory made item…
By the way. I included “other” in this poll so SpaceMouse doesn’t freak out on me.
Tracklayer
It seems it’s hard to find a lot of the buildings I want in kits, because it’s not the right style or size, or doesn’t fit all of my needs. Kitbashing is okay, but as long as I’m cutting and gluing custom sizes anyway, I figure I’ll just do it from scratch. Like I’ve said before, my modeling philosophy isn’t to model any certain thing, I make it to suit me and what I want it to do at the time.
Greg
I almost used the spacemouse response (other) as I also like to kitbash stuff. But when possible I scratchbuild items.
Walthers Modulars. Expensive yes, but can get precisely what I need for industries.
Most of my structures are kit built as designed. Occasionally a little kitbashing. I have also taken two boxy structures and with some major surgery converted them into long background buildings, primarily by "unfolding the walls. I took a Walthers paper mill (now retired) and with the addition of a few modular structures, converted it into a complex that is over 8 feet long running along the back wall opposite my major yard.
Mostly I just build the kits as is. When I find a stucture I like, I see little reason to customize it. I find it is easier to modify the layout to fit the structure. I also don’t care if my structure is identical to the same structure on a thousand other layouts. It is unique on my layout and that is all that matters to me. Painting and weathering allows me to add my own touch to the structure.
There are almost no kits for the structures of the railroads I’m interested in.
-Ed
Mark, interesting poll!! [tup][tup]
I like to scratchbuild, kitbash, build kits (although I don’t always follow directions), and an occasional “other”. [:P][:O][8D]
My “other” is usually buying a built up kit, or letting a friend build one of my kits. [^][:O][:P]
Everything I have is kit built. But now after TJ’s scratchuild challenge I think I will be scratchbuilding more often.
I like kit-builds. My most satisifying kit-buids have been closer to scratch-builds than kits:
Suncoast Fairbanks-Morse coaling tower
Alexander Scale Models NYC Freight Station - Caledonia, MI
What I enjoy the most about kit-building is the personalizing or detailing of the kit beyond what the manufacturer has provided:
I still have a lonnnnng ways to go to catch up to our friend Bob Boudreau. [:)]
Tom
I need to scratch build my structures because most model building produced by manufactures are to eastern looking or not the right time period for what I model.
Although it takes more time, I find scratchbuilding structures more enjoyable, easier, and usually cheaper than craft train kits. The one advantage of craft train kits is that the detail parts and plans are usually included. If a craft kit requires a lot of parts that have to be cut to size, I figure it’s easier to buy the stripwood and other materials and build it the way I want. I also prefer to assemble things using my own methods as opposed to trying to follow the instructions. When I scratchbuild structures or almost anything else for that matter, I can design, modify the plans, and build it the way I prefer.
Thanks Billba. I’ve got poll ideas out the yazoo, but we have a lot of members that aren’t all that crazy about polls, so in respect to them I only do one in a great while anymore…
Tracklayer
I voted kit built because that is as far as my skills have advanced I am only on kits 3 and 4 now. I have some scratch built “details” on the layout but no structures. Modifying a kit is no big deal but I have never tried any major modifications. So far all I have done is eliminate some gingerbread to make a building more fitting for the era and blacked out the interior of a building to make it look more realistic.
My latest project, the Atlas passenger station and platforms is proving to be a challenge. N scale detail is jut so small.
I voted scratch build because I like the challange and also I do a lot from memory of how buildings looked when I was younger "40’s & 50’s. I have done kits and the only the main thing I don’t like about them is shiny plastic but weathering them cures that.
Tom
I voted ‘both’ but actually scratchbuild and kitbash because there are NO (count 'em) kits for buildings appropriate to my time and place. Not a problem, since I have plenty of photos of the kinds of buildings I need and even a few published plans and elevations (Thank you, Tetsudo Mokei Shumi.)