can you still do it the old way?

[ScratchyAngel]

Of course now with the internet, boutique businesses can get by where a local store could not. So it may not be instant-buy, but it's easy for someone to make useful stuff in a garage and ship it out himself. So it's probably easier now than ever to succeed at say making really good handmade doomajobbies in Sn20 and have the few nuts ... er ... enthusiasts find you on the web and buy instead of depending on being able to afford advertising and making money giving distributors a cut.

Jason

 

[sumpter250]

I also have to wonder that if a some point down the road, equipment such as a laser cutter may be available in a "consumer" or "prosumer" version that coupled with a computer and design software we might someday be able to make our own kits from design to fabrication the same way a Branchline for instance does it, albeit at a much lower price?

:mrgreen: At some point.
Nothing is impossible, it's all a matter of probability. If you have enough money, you can do it now........you may have to design, cut, and build a LOT of "kits" to offset the price of the cutter, and the software. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: or.....you can do it the "old way", and scratchbuild. This small freighthous was built about 47 years ago, with Northeastern Scale Lumber's scribed basswood sheet, and basswood strip "scale lumber". The roof was done with individually cut paper shingles.

 

[Ralph]

or.....you can do it the "old way", and scratchbuild. This small freighthous was built about 47 years ago, with Northeastern Scale Lumber's scribed basswood sheet, and basswood strip "scale lumber". The roof was done with individually cut paper shingles.

...and it looks darn good! :thumb:
Ralph

 

[ScratchyAngel]

Not just money, but time... man with my skills that'd take a year and I'd probably have to convert it to a "condemned" freight house.

Awesome work, which I'm sure is worth it every time you or someone else sees it.

 

[chooch.42]

Pete - you should be rightly proud of that dandy piece of work - would probably cost $40 - $50 as a KIT now, with only half the satisfaction. Thanks for showing us! Bob C.

 

[Mountain Man]

:mrgreen: At some point.
Nothing is impossible, it's all a matter of probability. If you have enough money, you can do it now........you may have to design, cut, and build a LOT of "kits" to offset the price of the cutter, and the software. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: or.....you can do it the "old way", and scratchbuild. This small freighthous was built about 47 years ago, with Northeastern Scale Lumber's scribed basswood sheet, and basswood strip "scale lumber". The roof was done with individually cut paper shingles.

Actually...it's been around since the beginnings of the hobby, cleverly disguised as a craft knife with a new # 11 blade. :thumb:

Everybody has this fascination with lasers...

 

[Chaparral]

Trying to think 'outside the box' and not left field, I wonder why laser cut structure makers don't make modular panels like DPM does. Walls, doors windows, loading docks, stairs, railings etc available in accessory packs. All the various structure elements ,a la carte.

How much does a laser thingy cost?

 

[RobL]

Of course a good 'ol x-acto knife and some raw materials will always do the trick and sometimes going "anti-technology" is a welcome relief... the techie in me would like a nice design program that allows me to blend my computer and model building skills together... then again, maybe a nice warm cup of coffee, a workbench, and some raw material might just be the trick after working on these silly computers all day I guess the point is I would imagine we will always have options, and some of the options that might cost too much today may be within our means in short order... who knows?!

--Rob.

 

[Mountain Man]

I always found it more relaxing to build structures from scratch - that way, no two were ever quite alike, which is "prototypical" for the time period I prefer - and I felt I had greater control over the final outcome. and I never had to worry about the single most critical part of a kit which is inevitably the one piece that is missing or broken

but that's just me.