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Press GangReviewing a variety of magazines which include material on buildings - model and real prototypes - which you may find of interest.If you want us to link to your site, know of other sites we should link to, or want us to review your products in more detail the address as always is editor@miniaturebuilder.com ( The intention and desire of The Miniature Builder is to become a monthly magazine in which this Press Gang section will deal with the current issues of the modelling and buildings press. However it takes time to establish a readership and issue 1 will remain on the web for longer than normal. Because of this the Press Gang section is being added to as time moves on rather than being left static. SeptemberThe highlight of this month's modelling press is a feature by Allan Downes entitled "Commercial Breakdown" . Despite being in Model Rail ( October issue no.96*) it has no particular railway content. It is a perfect example of the sort of article that The Miniature Builder aspires to. Allan combines a discussion of prototypes, a selection of buildings that are that little bit different, solid practical hints on how to create them and well chosen clear illustrations. It is worth the £3.10 cover price all on its own. We will be approaching Allan and Model Rail seeking their consent to reproduce the whole article. For the moment the laws on copyright only allow us to reproduce brief extracts in the course of a review of the article. The key message that comes from the article is that architectural details can be reproduced using materials that the manufacture designed for another purpose altogether. n his own words: "Cornice, rails, gorbelling, pediments, porticos, fluted columns, rounded or otherwise are all within reach by using ...products for anything but what they are intended for." He focuses on a styrene product from Evergreen -"car siding" which is a form of corrugated paneling. Cut into strips it provides a variety of mouldings for architectural use. That is all I will say; you should read the article. * Don't you just hate the habit of publishing the October magazine in early September (and in the case of one particular magazine at the very end of August!). Once The Miniature Builder gets into a regular monthly cycle the December issue will be published in December and not before.
August
Not a modelling magazine of course, but every Friday the paper includes a supplement called "Bricks and Mortar". which contains a variety of coloured illustrations of some of the more interesting buildings on sale around the country. Rarely is there an edition which does not cause me to say "now that would make a nice model".
It also features a quite extraordinary structure (left) that is on the cusp of being a house and a piece of artwork . It has been produced by Graham Hudson almost entirely from rubbish out of skips. Now there is something to do with the stuff in your oddments box that never gets used.
Our featured railway magazine this month is:
Sept 2006 issue 95 includes 2 main articles dedicated to buildings. The first is a piece by Jonathan Opstad on building a "Barn in an Afternoon"
- a precise step by step instructional guide to a generic sort of small timber
barn with a replacement corrugated iron roof. The key components
recommended to clad a base structure of 2m card are Wills corrugated mouldings
and balsa wood which Jonathan says has " a perfect grain
The advice given about painting and weathering is quite comprehensive but the photos do not really add a lot - and there seems to be a strange variation in colour between the pictures. There are a few illustrations included of possible prototypes. This is a welcome feature, as it is only possible to run so many times an article saying "build a core, clad it, paint it" . If the building of models is to be taken seriously they have surely to be at least based on real buildings and it is the detail of those prototypes that the modeller needs to see and get ideas of how to reproduce. The second piece, by Andy McMillan, is the concluding part of a series on his
construction of a gas works (in 4mm?) and if
industrial buildings are your thing you would probably want to track
Among other things it demonstrates the value of a varied and well stocked components box. The model incorporates bits from Pola, K&S, Plastruct, Plastikard, Wills and Scalelink and a full range of materials - styrene, brass, ply, card and a length of plumbing pipe all artfully combined to produce a great looking model. On the subject of industrial buildings this reminds me of an interesting feature last year in one of the US magazines, Model Railroading, on modelling a grain drying site. The same issue mentioned this work, a world away from the modelling of country cottages:
Other 'buildings bits and pieces' in Model Rail include Bachmann - an announcement of their intention to produce cast resin buildings under the "Scenecraft" brand. MR reports that they will begin with N scale and move on later to 00. The highlighted "building" is a 90 foot diameter Gasholder. Townstreet - the addition of a brick engine shed to their buildings range. A Scottish 00 layout article
Lighting - a letter about new lighting products for modelling fluorescent tubes. Urban Station - Purely as background to an article on controls, a great looking picture of a town station group. We will make enquiries of the copyright owner. Faller - A MR review of a new HO wooden shed from Faller and a double page review ( editorial or advertorial?) of some of their fairground kits. Skaledale - A challenge to readers to identify the prototypes of Hornby's Skaledale range - one of their readers seems to have tracked down the original of half timbered Holy Trinity Church. Next Month - Trailed for the October issue of MR (on sale 8 Sept) is an article by Alan Downes on the production of "stunning buildings with unique architectural features" with an illustration that will surely prompt many building modellers to rush out for a copy. ( Now see the review of this article above) And our featured dolls house magazine : Dolls House World [UK] There are two main buildings' articles in the September issue 168 of DHW. The first is a piece by Richard Bromley of Bromley Crafts about their Realistic Brick Compound. Not therefore an entirely dispassionate review. The key to their product is a stencil ( in 1/12 scale we assume). Having applied a mortar colour base coat and secured a stencil in place, red-brick coloured Compound is spread across the surface and the stencil then peeled off to leave the desired pattern. The surface must then be tidied up, weathered as desired and, slightly surprisingly, given a coat of matt varnish. Other stencil patterns (e.g. random stone block) and different colour compounds are also available. The photos of the finished effect certainly look very good but, given the advertorial nature of the piece, "they would wouldn't they". Taking measurements from one of the photos suggests that the mortar thickness - determined by the stencil structure - XXXXXXX . One possible downside of this technique however is that it produces a very pronounced recessed pointing style which is relatively unusual - certainly on the sort of period property most modellers produce. The second building feature is a subject dear
to the heart of The
Miniature Builder.
Under the heading "Micro-Minis" Frances Roe seeks to encourage modellers to move
out of their comfort zone by promoting interest in scales smaller than the
conventional 1/12 dolls house scale. Slightly strangely to my eye it
includes 1/24th as a micro scale but then focuses on 1/48 and 1/144.
( For non-dolls house enthusiasts, 1/144 represents a dolls house' dolls
The main focus of the article turns out to be a new range of 1/144 models of English cottage prototypes by In Some Small Way. Although their website was unavailable at the time of writing some more illustrations can be seen at www.miniatura.co.uk/insome.htm Other 'buildings bits and pieces' in DHW include Quoins A brief article on this rather over-used feature , though one I confess I have used myself for instant effect and avoiding brick corners. Facade Modelling The Miniature Builder will return in the coming months to this feature about a 1/12 scale facade by Judi Noakes of a cottage in Gran Canaria. An interesting and original subject though Judi does admit that it is an amalgam of a number of actual prototypes. Tudor Guildhall We will not normally report on adverts but DHW, like the other dolls house magazines, includes a striking full page advert from Maple Street (Royston, Herts and Bourton on the Water, Gloucs) of their timbered Tudor Guildhall with ground floor open market hall. Classic Quality Finally, a tour of a classic dolls house from Judy and Leon Miles. Even if you are not normally a fan of the dolls house style of modelling the interior construction really is worth a look to see just what high class miniaturists can achieve. The DHW website ( www.dollshouseworld.com ) is, for most purposes, a subscription only site but if you are willing to pay the fee there is a wide range of articles for you to access including:
Heritage Magazine [UK] This British tourism magazine includes this month a feature on Follies which might give someone some unusual ideas for a subject. It also records an exhibition in North Wales called Ty Bach Twt of mid 20th century dolls houses - mostly Triang and includes an illustration of a nicely done little summerhouse. Is it my imagination or are the dolls house magazines becoming less and less interested in buildings and construction?
The current issue includes: An extended, and favourable review by John
Cockcroft of the Hornby Skaledale and Lyddle
End range. A report on the new OO and N gauge buildings, including the gasholder, which will be marketed by Bachmann under the ‘Scenecraft’ brand. They are described as "highly detailed, pre-painted castings in fine quality resin" and it is said that modellers can expect the first buildings to be available in N gauge in the autumn. A structure modelling feature by Tony Jones of
Shipley on a Great Central Railway wagon repair works, including some useful
construction notes. A detailed and serious photo study by Michael Shaw of South Eastern Signal boxes dating from the late 19th century. Two layout articles. Not a lot of buildings interest, though a nicely done signal box, in the Dainton Bank layout and a very striking viaduct in the article on Filleigh.
Their website http://www.thegmcgroup.com/item--The-Dolls-House-Magazine--1004DH.html announces that their current issue includes features on "making a 1:48 scale Tudor building and a 1:12 pretty market stall" and invites you to read all about the giant dolls’ house that forms the backdrop for an opera in the heart of London. However the issue currently in newsagents is their September, centenary, issue. There is not a great deal for the buildings modeller this month but articles which caught our buildings orientated eye were - a feature on antique dolls house available at auction, including the illustrated Art Nouveau house. - a timber privy - as small a building as you can get. - notes from Miniatura including some interesting models exhibited by ABC crafts of Roslinton, Oakleaf Miniatures and a wonderful shed facade by Aidan Campbell. - an obituary piece on Gothic style housemaker John Strowlger
.
Railway Modeller [UK] Their Structure Modelling feature for August is about the conversion possibilities for the Peco Train Shed kit ( RM is the house magazine of the Peco group). A few interesting, specilaist, ideas but this does highlight the important point that kits do not have to be mamde up as the manufactiure intended but can be modified or even just mined for components. Their railway of the month is a big 7mm railway and canal scene called Knotts Wharf with plenty of buildings interest - big industrial and storage brick buildings based on English midalmnds prototypes. Made from card and foamboard finished with brickwork from Howard Scenics ( who are not a firm I know) and hand crafted DAS modelling clay. Tucked away within an article on a gauge 1 garden railway is a picture of a country station which achieves the accolade of deserving a second look to confirm that it is a model. They are freelance designs of owner Richard Harwood made from hardboard, fibreglass and plastic mouldings. The article comments "They seem to be weatherproof but have a naturally acquired well-weathered finish". There is some more specific constructional advice from Peco who are remaking one of their public outdoor layouts at Pecorama in Devon. The buildings are constructed from panels cast in plaster using rubber moulds. The article continues by describing the process of constructing the moulds.
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Best known for their essential Plastikard styrene sheets, Slater's Plastikard Ltd also offer brick, stone and tile embossed sheets in a variety of styles for the constructor of model buildings. They also offer a bespoke casting and etching service. slatersplastikard.com
Specialists in brick and stone products. Almost anything achievable in full size brick and stone can be reproduced in miniature using their products, all cut from natural materials. All products available in 1:12 scale ; many are also available in 1:16, 1:19 and 1:24 scales. www.richardstacey.com Famous for their market leading plastic kits and embossed walling materials in 1/76th OO scale. Wills are part of the Peco group which also offers building materials under the Ratio brand for N scale.
ScalestreetHigh quality brick paper and printed house fronts in all scales including 1/12th, 1/24th, 1/32nd, 1/48th, 1/76th and 1/87th . If standard sheets do not meet your needs, bespoke products are available. Scalestreet also offer a wide range of MBS moulded styrene sheets in 1/24th scale and other 1/24th items .
Best known for their essential Plastikard styrene sheets, Slater's Plastikard Ltd also offer brick, stone and tile embossed sheets in a variety of styles for the constructor of model buildings. They also offer a bespoke casting and etching service. slatersplastikard.com
Specialists in brick and stone products. Almost anything achievable in full size brick and stone can be reproduced in miniature using their products, all cut from natural materials. All products available in 1:12 scale ; many are also available in 1:16, 1:19 and 1:24 scales. www.richardstacey.com Famous for their market leading plastic kits and embossed walling materials in 1/76th OO scale. Wills are part of the Peco group which also offers building materials under the Ratio brand for N scale.
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structure for
representing timber at 4mm scale" . I'm not entirely convinced of this -
it may work for big baulks of rough timber but for evenly cut planking?
The photos are not really close-up enough to judge but I fear it may give more
of an impression of a log cabin. 
down the
previous editions. This is not a teach-yourself guide but lots of
construction details and tips are included. The model, and the article,
are a professional and well researched piece of work of a standard most of us
can only aspire to. The illustrated open sided structure is a purifier. If industrial buildings are of interest to you this is
one article you really should get hold of.
"Garrochburn" featuring some fairly
conventional trackside scenery and scratch built card buildings plus a
nice little Ayrshire dairy farm group. The feature building is a coursed
stone engine shed using Metcalfe embossed stone card. I will be accused of
being horribly picky, because the overall scene looks so good with lots of
weathering and detail, but the main picture illustrates one of the classic
giveaways of a model building. Take a look at the front corner - showing
two cladding sheets not joined to look like solid stone blocks. What a
shame in such a really lovely layout. A ha'porth of tar.
house;
a 1/12 scale model inside a 1/12th scale model) but regrettably does not go the
whole way and mention the other scales for which building components are readily
available - 1/76, 1/87 and 'N'. 
The
September 2006 issue 147 includes a big review of a range of parquet flooring
kits from 
