The trick is to convince your spouse she needs it for her own crafts, then she buys it and you borrow it. Otherwise, you have to find the balance that is right for you. If you're fine saving some money and spending several nights with a ruler, xacto, and corner punch, measuring, cutting, and fitting, the Cameo isn't necessary. Alternatively, for the price of a few Kato's, you can have everything cut perfectly in minutes, hands free, and spend all that time with the spouse instead, which earns you more husband points, allowing you freedom to purchase those few Kato's anyway!
Mighty impressive, everyone! I have done my share of kitbashing, but no structures from scratch, yet. The gently curved through girder bridge below was kitbashed from Walther's kits. I scratch built the supports from various bits of Evergreen styrene. The supports need some weathering! - Jeff
This is something I scratch built (HO Scale) a few years back: Each of steps/treads "slid" into slots I cut into the sides of the stairs for support.
Scratch building is a lot of fun, once you get into it. Not really that hard. This freight station was made from wood sheets and scraps in my scrap box because I couldn't find any kits that I liked that would fit into the space. This cafe was mostly scratch built. There were some casting for the chairs, cash register, radio, phone stovee and such, but even the windows were built from scratch. This building was built to fir into an existing space from Evergreen styrene sheets and Grandt Line windows and doors.
I'll go ahead and throw these on here. An imaginary food processing plant, takes tank cars of molasses and reefers and boxcars in and out. 20170904_200019 by Rocket Jones posted Sep 4, 2017 at 8:30 PM "Mookies" from Gary's excellent plans in the Resources section here on TB. It's a little pizza joint, here temporarily dressed up as a burger stand. 20170226_180627 by Rocket Jones posted Feb 27, 2017 at 7:03 AM
I scratch built some things when I was very young (10-15 years old) but I don't have the patience for it now. Doug
In some ways Doug, I long for the days when we were young and our enthusiasm and imagination somehow served to overcome all of the flaws and inaccuracies in our scratchbuilding. To a kid's eyes, it all looked great. I recall building a transfer table, rotary car dumper, wreck crane, flanger and other "models" that I'd be aghast of today, but proudly displayed as a kid. I find that my perfectionist goals as an adult have served to diminish my enthusiasm for modeling, as rarely do my results match the flawless visions I had at the start. In building my new model railroad, I am determined to have fun first and to not be consumed with perfect results. I'd like to enjoy a slice of those days from long ago and restore an element of this hobby that I've been missing.
I think you describe my feelings as well. I actually still have those things (several railroad sheds, a meat packing plant [my hometown is the home of Spam], a loading dock, etc.) and some are even on my current layout, as awful as they are. Doug
Do I scratchbuild? Depends on your definition. I have always found a lot of fun in 3D cad, so I design a lot of details (and have done a few structures) for 3D printing. I have over the years, designed and 3d printed a couple of boiler houses, a McDonald's from the 50's-60's, a couple of brick smokestacks, and a cider mill from an old E.L. Moore article in RMC. (published that one on the Instructables website w/permission from Henry Carstens) Otherwise, I really enjoy kitbashing more than anything else.
I'll join in the fun too. Here are a couple of images that you have most likely seen before. 1st & 2nd images are my new (very bright lights ) Delayed Coker Unit in the foreground and in the background is the old style FCC unit. All scratched.................. 3rd image was posted just a couple of days ago. It is a cooling tower totally scratched........... Keeps me busy and out of the watering holes. Carl
Carl, Wow!!! Nice work and I like the way you have it lit for the night scenes. As for me: I enjoy scratch-building and for the most part I work in your shadows. I see some fantastic work presented here. Most of my stuff is kit-bashed with some scratch-built track-side buildings. I will take a kit and make whatever cuts I need to shape it into the building I want. I usually use pre-fab window frames and make my own clear windows out of styrene sheets or clear plastic sheets. If I only have one usable part, I may resort to making my own mold and resin-cast it. Haven't done a lot of it, as of late.
I'll keep the thread alive. Here are a couple of pics of my current scratch project of a railyard stockyard to be put on club layout in Las Cruces. Each post and board is individually cut and then glued together. Have a ways to go yet, several gates to make, some boards to mount and an office building for "out front". The taller poles will have floodlights on them. Will have to add some "pooh". It is rather crude but then it isn't Trump Towers. Enjoy, and thanks for looking, Carl