What is cheapest way to get buildings?

You will need to get a weather resistant MDF, prime it with a PVA solution then paint.

I have a couple of Jacksons Minatures buildings made of MDF, and by carrying out the above as recommended, they have stood outside for several winters without deteriorating.

I would go for 6 mm max, as there is then sufficient weight to stop the building being blown away or toppled by animals....
 
Mobi said:
I'm thinking of buying MDF panels and create my own structures. Is it a good idea?
If yes, what thickness I should go for? I see that these are available in 3,6,9,12,18 mm of thickness.
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Mobi - Take a look here - Might give you some inspiration?
This is a review / build of an "as supplied" Jackson's Miniatures Country Railway Station
http://www.jacksonsminiatures.com/iansharples1.html

This link is to the same Country Station kit with my modifications
http://www.jacksonsminiatures.com/iansharples2.html
 
Our doors and windows are intended for use with 6mm mdf.
Ian Sharples (winner of several prizes for his model building skills) recommends using glass fibre resin thinned with cellulose thinners to seal the mdf. It works very well.
Steve
 
400Parker said:
Our doors and windows are intended for use with 6mm mdf.
Ian Sharples (winner of several prizes for his model building skills) recommends using glass fibre resin thinned with cellulose thinners to seal the mdf. It works very well.
Steve
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That would be me then :rolf::rolf::rolf:
 
Also look for birdhouses, alot are made fairly close to 1/2" scale, these can be a great source of inexpensive lineside buildings

Outdoor%20expansion%20mockup2.jpg


bad angle but all the building are birdhouses, to just check the doors for rough scale use any credit card sized card on end tall ways up, thats about the right height for a door for 1/22~1/24 scale, they are reasonably weatherproof, but I have had some where bits needed to be reglued after a rain, but they are a good cheap way to add structures to your line.
 
Mobi, I am not sure what you are trying to achieve with your railway and your location (other than UK). However, I have built a few structures in timber decking. Not only will they last a long while they are also quite solid and heavy. Gales do not move them and they are also easily repainted every year or so. Most of the decking and other wood has been off cuts so cost nothing. The cost is usually only paints and maybe roofing tiles. Having a son in the building trade means there is always a few items to use on the railroad. The only real skill is a reasonably good eye for mitres and other saw cuts. My choice of building has been to model structures solely found in North America which, naturally, complements the American stock I run.
Mention of plans in Garden Railways (Kalmbach publications) was made. Some, usually those in the current issue, can be downloaded as a pdf for free.
 
Gizzy said:
Mobi said:
Is this item going to look alright (ie is the scale right)?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290861727296
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Only 9 in high and 2 story building, so I would say very much under scale!

A G scale figure would be around 3 1/2 inches tall....
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It's a stylised "caricature" of a building, though, Giz - and I reckon from the photo that it really wouldn't look too far out if you look at the size of the door. Mobi - you need to choose buildings where the door height is around 3.5 - 4 inches (around 80-100mm), then they'll look generally look OK. Remember that "G scale" is a bit of a mish-mash of scales anyway, and for buildings and lineside items pretty much anything from 1/25 to 1/18 will be visually acceptable if you're not too fussy.

If you like that kind of caricatured building, then cheap items like that would be ideal - and being a birdhouse, it's presumably built to be reasonably weather-resistant, another plus point!

As mentioned above, use the long edge of a credit card to judge sizes of things when you're out shopping - it's pretty close to the right height for a typical G-scale human figure.

Another thought for cheap items is to scour local car-boot sales looking for things like Playmobil houses, farm toys etc, which you can sometimes find very cheaply if parents just want to get shot of them!

Jon.
 
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