01-07-2009, 08:51 AM
I concur with all that Andrew said about working with styrene, getting started and the importance of mock-ups. With my last project I even used my cardboard mock-up to build the styrene structure around it. Made putting the walls together a lot easier and resulted in a very sturdy model.
![[Image: les.jpg]](http://www.cnw.mattheydesign.de/les.jpg)
Styrene is a very good material to get one’s feet wet, but working with wood, especially basswood, does not necessarily have to be more difficult. In fact one of the easiest scratch builds I’ve done so far was by using cardboard and basswood. Building the core of the structure from cardboard and then glueing small basswood boards to it may take some time, but it gives very good results and it is very easy to do. If you get a sheet of thin basswood (.040") and cut your own strips and boards from it instead of buying stripwood, it is very cheap as well. One big advantage of this method is that you don’t have to cut openings for windows and doors as precisely as by using styrene. You can cut the openings wider and adjust the size when glueing the basswood bords around them.
![[Image: riverside3.jpg]](http://www.cnw.mattheydesign.de/riverside3.jpg)
As for mixing wood and styrene, it is no problem. I did it several times, you only have to find the right glue – your plastic cement might even do the trick. It worked for me when building this boxcar.
![[Image: Boxcar35.jpg]](http://www.cnw.mattheydesign.de/Boxcar35.jpg)
BTW, if you are looking for windows and doors, have a look at Tichy Train Group (http://www.tichytraingroup.com). They are as good as Grandt Line, but much cheaper.
Styrene is a very good material to get one’s feet wet, but working with wood, especially basswood, does not necessarily have to be more difficult. In fact one of the easiest scratch builds I’ve done so far was by using cardboard and basswood. Building the core of the structure from cardboard and then glueing small basswood boards to it may take some time, but it gives very good results and it is very easy to do. If you get a sheet of thin basswood (.040") and cut your own strips and boards from it instead of buying stripwood, it is very cheap as well. One big advantage of this method is that you don’t have to cut openings for windows and doors as precisely as by using styrene. You can cut the openings wider and adjust the size when glueing the basswood bords around them.
As for mixing wood and styrene, it is no problem. I did it several times, you only have to find the right glue – your plastic cement might even do the trick. It worked for me when building this boxcar.
BTW, if you are looking for windows and doors, have a look at Tichy Train Group (http://www.tichytraingroup.com). They are as good as Grandt Line, but much cheaper.
Kurt