"Would you scratch build or buy?" Topic

Recently, there was a posting by someone who did a complete scratch build of a 19th century cannon – wheels, cannon barrels, and all.

While it was a great piece of work, there was a question about using parts from an off the shelf plastic kit (I believe an ACW set had extra cannon barrels included).

I've done quite a few conversations from the most common head/weapon swap to more involved kit bashing (modifying a Roco armored car into an earlier model).

For me it is a cost of time equation.

Have you ever build something that you could have bought?

I scratch build Napoleonic limbers all the time. Both 28mm and 15mm. I scratched a lot of late war Prussian stuff.
Purchased draught horses. Got wheels from many different places. They are very simple and look great after painting and detailing.

Buy, terrible scratch builder

Scratch build if I can, do to a lack of funds.

Buy, and commission the painting.

Rick

Both. Scratch build if small in time spent, if not look to buy.

Buy. I'm rubbish at making my own terrain.

Battlefield in a box is a lifesaver if not good for the wallet.

And I wouldn't even consider scratch building a figure or model. At most gluing a different arm on a plastic figure eg to make a standard bearer.

Built tons of things from scratch. Buy stuff too.

link

I enjoy building and converting. Some are good, some excellent, some lame. All are fun.

Like to scratch build but not something I could buy – I like to innovate

Depends on what it is. Something for a science fiction game really only has to look cool. Something for a historical game has to look plausible, so I'm more likely to buy.

Often scratch build to use up extra parts.

I scratch build all my buildings and scenery, unless I'm pressed for time, when I fall back on printed paper buidings.

Usually I buy. I'm not very good at scratch building. However. I did build English and French medieval fleets for the Battle of Sluys ten years or so ago.

I believe it is also an age thing. We start out with limited funds and near unlimited time. As we age funding is no longer an issue and time becomes our limiting factor.

I only scratch build when there's nothing commercially available.
I don't consider head transplants scratch.

I sometimes build stuff which I could have bought. I was a modeller before I was wargamers and I enjoy making things.

There are so many spares left on the typical PSC sprue it seems a crime not use them. I'd much rather make something than faff around with a 3D printer.

When I scratch build it always looks like an Ork build.

Scratchbuild, particularly if making multiple copies. Lyon class battleship next probably. Buy when lazy.

I scratch build a lot of scenery, and kitbash vehicles.

Whilst assisting my brother put together his horde of FoW Russians he was one short on a wheeled HMG so I scratch built that from various lengths of styrene rod and sheet and a paperclip. I was inordinately proud of that!

G.

Scratchbuilding use to be a hobby within the hobby. Most issues of The Courier, Miniature War-games, Military Modeling, etc., had articles in them about creating buildings, trees, forts, and more. Today, there really is no need to scratch build unless you really enjoy it. Anything and everything you want is pretty much available in one form or the other.

I scratch built a Hanebu, the secret Nazi flying saucer, large enough to use with my WWWII 35mm Graven Image figures. There's a plastic model kit of one, but it's in a smaller scale & fairly expensive. I also scratch built enough foam core buildings for a small village (including "The Dragon Inn" with interior) for my Graven Image Border Reivers to raid & a "Gustav Schwill" brewery for a 28mm gangsters vs revenue agents game.

I buy what I can. I don't have the time or the skill to make too much.

To me its a challenge to try and make a replica as good as the real thing.

This is a different view of what I was shooting for, have seen this other places with the cloth top so might be adding them.

Honestly, I think we live in gaming's golden age. So much is available now that wasn't 20 or 30 or 40 years ago. It's easier (and looks better) if I can just buy it. Scratchbuilding was such a valuable skill, and I so admired those who could do it--just as I admire Larry's work now.

Honestly I'm thrilled just to be able to wire a ship's rigging and call it good.

Typically I will buy a model if is close to what I want and not too expensive. But if the only models available are lousy representations or out of scale, look poorly designed and fragile, or if the model simply does not exist, then off to the drawing board I go to design a scratch built model.

Right now I'm making a German "HO scale" plastic railroad scenery model a rathaus for my 17th century German town. The model is sound but I am enhancing it by removing all the modern features, substituting old ones, adding extra supports and fixing it up so the roof can be removed. In short, I'm converting a plastic railroad model into a war game model. I guess that even if I buy, I often like to scratch build some changes.

Cheers!

Gallo

I buy the figures and scratch build the buildings and terrain.

>I buy the figures and scratch build the buildings and terrain.

Seconded!

I buy most of my building and scratch build all my terrain. When I was young, I scratch built the buildings but I m retired and I intend to spend my very last penny on whatever I want so I buy all my buildings.