Frustrated with current day architecture, or lack of it.

[rbryce1]

I am getting really frustrated with the available structures in HO scale today.  Why is it all the structures being marketed are over 75 years old.  I have been trying all week to find some modern day professional or office buildings like the one below, and cannot find ONE!




I realize model railroading covers periods back to the 1800's, but why doesn't it also cover today's conditions as well.  It's just as unrealistic as a diesel pulling into an 1890 mining town as a steam engine pulling a freight load into current day Atlanta, but what about railroads modeled after current conditions.  I can picture the Tropicana Juice Train with 2-3 AC6000 diesels cruising through cities where all the buildings are from the 1950's era, which is pretty much what I am up against.  Today's cities do not look like the cities of the 50's.

Don't get me wrong, the older architecture has it's place in railroading, and a very much larger place than modern architecture, but one would think there would be at least some structures reproducing today's environment.

All the manufacturer's are striving to reproduce locomotives with the finest detail that are running on the roads today, but practically no one is making today's buildings.  I did find one company who is starting to make current day structure, but he has a very nice but very limited variety as of yet.  Nothing in 2-4 stories with modern construction materials, solar fixed pane windows, etc.

Some like these:






















If any one knows of a company providing either the structures or the parts to make modern structures, please share them with me.

[Piyer]

One site I have bookmarked is this one: http://www.summit-customcuts.com/homeproducts.html - but they don't have office buildings. There was a company some years ago that, as I recall, had ads in Model Railroader for modern office towers. Perhaps a search on eBay might turn something up.

Other than that, I'd like to suggest a book that's been in my modeling arsenal since it was published in 1982: http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Professional-Architectural-Industrial-Building/dp/013370601X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359344582&sr=1-1&keywords=building+architectural+models+prentice+hall - it's a little dated, but it has some good skills and suggestions for building models like the type you want.

It might seem daunting at first, but they are pretty much just boxes with layered on details. Between http://www.plastruct.com/ and http://www.evergreenscalemodels.com/ you should find most of your raw materials - and also check out local craft stores, too. Just because they don't carry model trains doesn't mean that they don't have scratchbuilding supplies. One upside to this approach is that the buildings will conform to your vision instead of your vision having to be shaped by commercially available kits.

~AJ

[rbryce1]

Thanks AJ,

The site you named, Summit-customcuts.com, was the site I was talking about.  From their work, I can't wait until they get into the office building phase.  But until then, looks like I need to try it myself.  I am ordering the book you suggested today from Amazon.  I did a page by page search on Ebay (800+ items) based on a search "HO scale office buildings" with no luck, and over 1600 items on a site wide search from Walthers.  There were two other sites I searched, but not a single modern office building, only a few 1990-2000 range homes.

Summits-customcuts had the best, but they were all one story businesses like Walgreens, Dollar Store and many others that could be combined to make a modern strip mall.

Again, thanks for the references.

Bob

[Balrog21]

I feel your pain, RB, but like Piyers said, plastruct and evergreen are your friends. Take a minute to download the plastruct catalog, they have a nice pdf of everything they carry along with pics to help you with your vision and they have ALL the stuff you would ever need to make modern buildings. Your first example wouldn't be to hard to build with just long strips and the tinted clear plastics. Here is the link to the Plas catalog. I just with Evergreen would do one as well! Good luck and let's see some of your work when it's done!

http://www.plastruct.com/Pages/Catalog.html#DL

Best,
Bal

[Balrog21]

I will also be doing some diesel houses and car shops with some custom work added to them with the Plastruct and Evergreen. So your frustration isn't solely yours! =)
B

[CNE Runner]

I don't know if this helps or not - but some of the European structure manufacturers seem to offer building kits that are from more recent designs. Vollmer has a few, Pikestuff offers modern warehouse-type buildings, Busch has a few more...but you are correct, the selection isn't large. Another suggestion is to purchase a copy of either Railway Modeller or Continental Modeller as there seems to be a greater selection of modern architecture available in the U.K. [Note that many of the available structures in the U.K. are usually in OO scale (1:76) and not HO (1:87).]

Modern structures probably aren't as available because the demand isn't there. If enough modelers were interested in modern structures, the manufacturers would produce it...they are in the business of making money afterall. Very generally speaking, in the U.S. most railroads run through the older parts of a city/town...hence the preponderance of 19th, and early 20th century buildings.

Good luck on your search,
Ray