Scratch building techniques?

[Johda]

Hi guys.

i know most all threads here contain snippets of bulding techniques...but...are there any sites that can teach you these methods. A more localizsed source if you will. lots of info at a glance kind of thing. Walk throughs and so forth.
thanks guys.

 

[dragnink]

I've wondered the same. Maybe some members would be up for contributing some tutorials in the future that could all get dumped into one thread. I'm sure we all could learn a thing or two from one another!

Hi guys.

i know most all threads here contain snippets of bulding techniques...but...are there any sites that can teach you these methods. A more localizsed source if you will. lots of info at a glance kind of thing. Walk throughs and so forth.
thanks guys.

 

[Flintlock]

That would be nice, but don't fail to take your own ingenuity into account. I don't have the tools or the space, so all I really do is cut styrene sheet pieces from patterns that I create. If you have any gaps, then fill them in with squadron putty. Take a look at my blog to see a little of what I do:

http://www.eulercircles.com

 

[feek61]

I use the "trial and error" method (mostly "error"). That's why it takes me years to finish a project; I'm afraid I can't help you!! :lol


Will

 

[Clerval]

There used to be a couple of decent ones. Folks stopped coming around and posting, though, so the forums have gone.

I don't know if you'll find a one-stop shop anywhere. As for basics, I gotta agree with Flintlock's approach. It helps to start with patterns in other, easier to work with materials, and to take as literal an approach as possible, when needed. 'I need THIS shape...' is often a good place to start. Don't think of it as 'what it is' just concentrate on the shapes.

As for technique, it doesn't hurt to look into how others work: woodworking, machining, even kit-builders' skills... it all helps. Working with plastic, resin, metal... yeah, I hope people jump in with tips, sites.

I think one thing folks underestimate is the need for vises, grips, 'extra hands'... and learning about armatures too. Each can prevent a lot of headaches. You don't need the ultimate set of tools, but a good basic set and supports are a must.

Scoring and snapping, how to create solid joins, when to putty, how to back-fill an area to sand it... it all comes out of necessity. Obvious thought: get building and you'll learn and yeah, the 'lessons' sometimes suck. Measure twice, cut once.

Resin and rubber will save you time and $$$. Hopefully someone here will be able to jump in with thoughts on different techniques. Scratch-building some intricate bit once can be a fun challenge... ten times, not so much.

Does anyone have any solid leads?


EDIT: as a bit of an afterthought... yahoo groups and such tend to be hammered by spam and general crap, but has anyone thought of or come across something akin to a blogspot page for sharing this kind of info?

 

[Mr_Creepy]

Links to a 4 part tutorial - http://www.imperial-fleet.com/BBC/community/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=108

 

[star-art]

There's probably a lot less out there on building from scratch than there is discussion about "kit assembly." But, here's a thread over at SSM where someone is asking how folks got started scratchbuilding. It might give you some ideas:

http://www.starshipmodeler.net/talk/viewtopic.php?t=60405

 

[Johda]

There's probably a lot less out there on building from scratch than there is discussion about "kit assembly." But, here's a thread over at SSM where someone is asking how folks got started scratchbuilding. It might give you some ideas:

http://www.starshipmodeler.net/talk/viewtopic.php?t=60405

Very nice start we have alrerady. Would be nice to see this made a sticky or even a tut forum started here on the RPF.

 

[franz bolo]

Hi guys.

I know most all threads here contain snippets of building techniques...but...are there any sites that can teach you these methods. A more localized source if you will. lots of info at a glance kind of thing. Walk throughs and so forth.
thanks guys.

What type of techniques are you looking for? They are the same as model building techniques.

Check out this Snowspeeder progress pics that 3d-Builder did:
http://public.fotki.com/HVHMG/members_gallery/michael_proenzano/incom_t-47_armored/


FB

 

[Flintlock]

I am going to write an article about some scratchbuilding techniques that I have developed independently - that is, people probably use them all over the place, but I have never seen them posted. So, I didn't learn them from anyone else.

I'll bookmark this thread so I can post it here when finished. I will also post it on my site for those who care to take a look.

 

[Flintlock]

Has anyone ever used ABS sheets instead of styrene? I had an idea for a model I am building that involved folding pieces at 90° angles. The 0.010" styrene worked OK, but it was too thin for my application. I tried it with 0.020" but It would split along the fold. I was wondering if anyone could tell me if ABS does the same thing or not.

 

[Flintlock]

Before I go and write my thoughts down, have a look here:

http://culttvman.com/scratchbuilding_part_1.html

There are several parts, so keep reading.

 

[Johda]

Great read Flintlock.
this is good stuff.
lets have some more guys!!
REL...we know your out there......Randy Cooper........do i have to beg the big dogs to step up to bat?

Tony Spangler
www.spanglerart.com

Before I go and write my thoughts down, have a look here:

http://culttvman.com/scratchbuilding_part_1.html

There are several parts, so keep reading.

 

[Flintlock]

Johda,

also go here and look under scratchbuilding

http://www.starshipmodeler.com/site.htm

That has more stuff than I can do in any short time. I will keep documenting my buildups on my blog, which will contain scratch building info.