"The great Building Debate" Topic

So I've once again been looking at having some truly anime-sci-fi buildings made available for sale, ones with nice curves and all spiffy-like non-square and sexy, and once again the debate of material of choice has surfaced. I understand that almost everyone would like to have their buildings made of resin or something very solid, yet the cost of producing and shipping is not something most customers would like to take on.

So I ask: is paper a viable alternative?

Now, this sounds like a reasonable question, but I know that there has long been a stigma attached to paper buildings as being "only for cheapo's", much like how laser cut MDF began. There is also a limit to what can be done with paper, especially by entry level builders, so complexity of form is limited.

What say y'all?

If you can afford the tooling costs then injection moulded plastic seems the way to go

My problem with paper buildings is…building them.

Both the actual cutting, glueing, figuring out where they should be reinforced etc. and the time involved.

I won't use paper.. I also don't like MDF with the exception of Crescent Root since they have designed their buildings to avoid the "3D puzzle" look.

Give me plastic, Resin, or even the high density molded foam that Ziterdes uses.

There was someone selling printed & pre cut plasticard sheet buildings at salute.

For sale signs

I find paper to be interesting but just not very durable

I will not use paper buildings. I seem to be all thumbs when building and handling them. The money I save on using paper buildings is more than taken up by building and re-building them. Plastic, resin, even MDF if they look significantly different then all the other MDF sci-fi buildings.

My issue with the sci-fi MDF buildings is they all wind up looking like a shoe-box with a door tacked on. I understand the limitations of MDF (it being rigid and all). I would be very interested in a MDF/plasticard combo that allowed curves and other shapes to be used.

I don't like paper personally.

MDF is decent but a lot of the kits are either insanely fiddly to assemble with tiny parts or yeah, they look like puzzle pieces.

There are ultralight resins available, although you'd have to work out the price point to see if they would be competitive.

link

link

link

You could also try mixing in ABS plastic pellets with your resin.

For me its :

1. Mdf
2. Resin
3. Paper

If done like crescent root studios mdf isa treat…..I'm getting clos to the style with texture paint and fine sugar mixed in.

if you cant go plastic – dont go unless designed in a way that a 100 micron print looks decent and you sell files to have printed -- I almost bought a 3 d printer last week as they are getting so cheap 300$ and what some people are doing in 15mm over on the FB group looks decent enough.

15mm has a lot of talented customers that can makeshift what they need – cheap and as needed. they would rather pay for minis than terrain.

If you could make a box set of terrain that depicts a scenario I think that might work in resin.

Paper or 1mm cardboard/cardstock is probably your cheapest shipping option. MC Studios and Laser Cut Card are examples of what can be done.

I honestly like a lot of PlastCraft's buildings, but foamed PVC can't be laser-cut (toxic fume problem).

Could do Cut Plasticard building, a Blackcat Cutter should have enough force to cut upto 1mm plasticard.

Also a little trim can make most MDF buildings loo great.

The Tabs are there to make it easier to build.

But a trim kit hides most of it nicely.
Can be cut from 110# card as well.

I don't do paper buildings.

The rest is all do-able. My preference is resin castings but mdf (or hdf preferably as it appears to be stronger) will do at a pinch with the right accessories.

I have no time – literally – for the school of thought that constructs mdf vehicles (for example) in 200 pieces. It's not that the result isn't splendid – it can be.

I just literally don't have the time.

John T

Gamecraft Miniatures have some very nice mdf buildings, that aren't too box like. The 15mm Tomorrow's War range.

Decided on my direction. Will be for both 6mm and 15mm, but it will take a while…