For those out there who kitbash and/or scratchbuild, do you have a favorite philosophy or method?

 

Some like to follow plans, design things before hand, have everything figured out ahead of time.  I see this as doing your thinking and your building separately.

 

Some like to design on the fly, build parts to fit, solve problems as they crop up.  I see this as thinking and building at the same time.

 

I much prefer the latter aproach.  Every time I've tried to design something up front, I end up forgetting things and revert to editing the design on the fly.  My father tells me that I'm blessed with an ability to "see" things in my head in 3 dimensions without having to put anything on paper.  The down side to this is that I never know for sure how things will turn out until they're done, even when I have a basic idea of where I want to go.  The benefit is that I don't let a problem on the last 1% keep me from doing the other 99% of the project.

 

Ralph,

 

I would be curious to know what, if any, models you've rejected as impractical projects.

 

Another aspect of this subject which I forgot to mention initially is the choice of model.  To me, the plan first method seems to work well with a scale modeling project, while the design a s you go methoud would seem to work better with a freelanced model.  Of course, there are no black and white delineations, but I'm curious how other people's minds work.

 

I find that I hesitate to tackle a scale model, because of the need to make everything "perfect", whereas a freelance project just has to be reasonable.  You can't tell me my wheels are 2" too large because there is no prototype to compare them to.

I'm the polar opposite from Ralph, I build by eye, to no or very little plan often using only a photogragh as a guide. A scale is a great cutting edge to me.

Once I have amassed a certain critical mass of parts I will play with trying diffferent combinations, I like to let the part I have guide me, essentialy letting the parts "tell me" what they want to be. I have worked from plans, my AG Price 16 wheeler and my Class A Climaxes being good examples there, but my Whadahellizits, are pure stream of conscience models, I just do a rough (very rough) sketch and then  I let the parts take me where they wanted to go.

 

Rough sketch

 

 

Finish model

 

 

Sometimes I find something that reminds me of something I want to build: I found some bookcase shelf brackets/standards that reminded me of steel girders and that reminded be I wanted a bridge so I decided on an arch suspension bridge. I about went nuts trying to find long enough straight rods to use as the suspensoin cables (I didn't think wire would be stretched straight enough to look right).  Once I found cheap welding rod it went together quickly.  Unfortunately, it also rusted quickly and I am not real pleased with the result.

 

Sometimes I buy something that "needs" something else to work the way I want: I bought an LGB "Peanuts Football Team rail motorcycle"  and since I do not have track power I needed a trailing car to hold batteries. I decided a dog house for Snoopy on a single truck would do. I about went nuts trying to find the appropriate parts to make the dog house on a "parade Float" and then "furnish it" (it has a pool table, a bar [for quaffing rootbeers], an entertainment center and a crystal chandelier inside, with a bar-b-que grill outside). I spent WEEKS looking for things that fit the image in my head of what it was to be, going into stores I had never been to, buying things that I didn't otherwise want or need just to get a small part from it that I could use.

 

Sometimes I buy something to get just a part for something else I want and the "left overs" prove more useful than the part I thought I wanted: I wanted a chain on my engines for the uncoupling lever. I found a jewelrry package on the floor of the Grocery store that had been stepped on, the earrings were missing but the necklace was intact and looked like a standard loop chain. I bought it for about half price, thinking I could blacken the chain. The chain is 14Karet gold plated and wont blacken... the jewel (Amethyst?, I think) that hung from the chain fit perfectly in the headlight casting on my engine and sparkles beautifully in the sunlight.  Fools most people into thinking there is a light in it.

 

Unfortunately, I have spent (wasted) an awful lot of money buying things that a part of which might become something I want, that are stacked in boxes and boxes of other stuff I will never get around to turning into whatever it was I thought they could become. Often the project hits a wall of, "Need something else that I can't find", and the project is forgotten and never completed.

 

 

structures and rolling stock:
sometime a picture, i accidently see, sets me off. sometimes i wish something and look for pics.
first i make a crude freehand ballpen sketch (sometimes with alterations). if still interested, i make a (still crude) sketch using a ruler and measurements too, or just a scanned copy.
then i look for usable material in my junk-corners.
actual building of the basic rawproduct goes quick.
then i normally put the things aside.
later (sometimes years later) when the actual layout reaches the stage, where it could use the building or car, i put on the details to fit the location.

landscaping:
i normally got a picture of the desired landscape before my inner eyes.
toying around with avaiable materials, it is shape and smash, untill i have the desired look.

when a move or boredom dictate a new layout, at breaking down, i salvage those things entirely, that might fit the vision for the next layout. (not necessaryly the best made things)
from everything else i only save reusable material.

my latest picture based housefront:

 

I've had "cold beer" and "meals" in that place several times!

 

Cheers,

Matt

 

 

I'm kind'a in the same league as kormsen.  I see a structure I really like and if I think I can find a logical, and photogenic, location on the layout I take pictures, do rough measurements and build a cardboard stand-in.   After a few weeks - or months - I can pretty much tell if the outline is going to work in the proposed location.  After that I build for effect using characteristic material and colours following the 10 foot rule.  Well, indoors - the three foot rule.

I like to start with a plan of some kind.  But the plan usually starts to degrade because of error on the plans or my inability to measure and cut.  The concept I end up following is to start at the bottom, work toward the top and fit one part to the next.  One thing I really try to work out is the sequence of construction.  It is easy to get out of order and have a real problem down the road.

 

Great question and great input from everyone

 

Thanks Bob

 

 

Right now, I'm doing a building from an old Model Railroader article from 1974.   I think this is how I learned to scratch build:  the article provides details of construction as well as some great drawings.   I use my HO ruler to get the dimensions, and my 1:20 ruler to scale the parts to the right size.  

 

It's quite fun, because I originally made this model in HO.   Seeing it in 1:20 is really neat.

I have some castings here for a large (3" bore x 4" stroke) steam engine. But no drawings. Nobody wants to buy it because I don't have those. In fact I may have insulted a couple guys by suggesting that any machinist worth his salt should be able to build it into a running engine based solely upon measuring what is already there and knowing a bit of how other typical engines were made... Seems this kind of building is becoming a lost art. Maybe much like the difference between "mechanics" and "parts changers"?

FWIW almost every time I've tried to build something from someone ELSE'S plans, I managed to make a hash of some critical part.