I have been making cardstock structures for many years now and still learning new and time-saving techniques. I always wanted to try a wood kit to see what was good or different about it. These are my experiences about both the mediums.

Good things about CardStock

• These are cheaper to build. For $10 you can get material that will last for 20-25 structures.
• You can get by without painting. Just print the models or textures off the Internet on a good printer.

Some CardStock disadvantages

• Cutting perfect rectangles for window and doors openings are time consuming.
• Cutting small strips for framing to layer your model, are time consuming.
• Quality depends on your printout resolution. Also, you will have to prep by applying a fixative like Krylon Matte Overspray to prevent fading.

Good things about Wood Kits

• Everything fits. Windows, doors etc. Just snap off, trim the parts and glue them.
• All parts and a few extras are included.
• More sturdy when finished.
• Looks real when done.

Wood Kit disadvantages

• Simple structures are priced reasonably but anything more detailed will be realistic but costly.
• Slightly complicated to assemble. You have to read and re-read the instructions.
• Depending on your skills, (mine is bad) painting could be a hassle or easy.

I think the better way would be to have a mix of the two mediums. Closer to your viewing area, you could have some wood kits and then in the background, cardstock buildings.

For a better compromise, you could build your structure using cardstock and then glue stripwood for to get that perfect made-of-wood look. I am intrigued by this method and might give it a try sometime.

Let me know what you prefer, cardstock or wood?

The Shipping and Storage kit from Bar Mills was completed this weekend. I did decide to paint over the weathered walls but then dry-brushed black streaks downwards in random parts of the walls. I applied some india-ink wsh to the signs and doors. Not too happy with the door’s look, as you can see in the photos.

I did love making this wood kit. Since i am very comfortable with cardstock, I plan to do a compare and contrast with it in a later post. Meanwhile here are the pictures…

Craftsman wood kits are known for quality and details. All kits come pre-cut with all the accessories included. I decided to try out the Shipping and Storage kit from Bar Mills. The kits from Bar Mills range from the basics to the complex. The basic kits are great if you are starting on your first wood kit and the price is reasonable. My kit cost $22.95 with a $5 for shipping. Bar Mills sent out the kit very quickly and it was packaged very safely in a bigger box cushioned with a lot of peanuts.

all the parts

The kit contained instructions and modelling tips where they explain what tools and glue to use. (bottom of their homepage has some videos on glue etc.) I found the instructions somewhat lacking. I know….I know.. Its a simple structure and doesn’t require a lot but for a wood structure newbie, i would like to see detailed pictures of each step but then that might increase the costs.

I used a hobby knife no.11 to trim the parts out and wood glue only to assemble the walls. This is what i like about wood kits…no cutting required and everything fits perfectly!

Walls with bracing/posts added

To weather, I dunked all the wood parts in alcohol-india ink wash that i learned from the Easy Weathering DVD. It’s basically a pint of 70% isoprophyl alcohol and 1 teaspoon india ink.

After being dunked in the wash

The wash does age the wood. I have not decided yet whether to paint it on not.

Closeup of weathered wall

Each wall was finally assembled. I plan to finish this model in the next few days. Roofing, windows and painting are left.

Walls assembled

So if you are debating whether to start on an wood kit, give Bar Mills a try. They make good and reasonable kits. Their kits are perfect for getting your toes wet.

I decided to add gutters and downspouts to one of my previous build. Adding gutters give a sense of realism and after trying out many different ways, i settled on the plastic-coated stem wire method. This is not the perfect method but it gives you more options than some of the commercial products that are available.

I used plastic-coated stem wire that i got from the fake flower section at Michael’s (or any other craft store). It seems to be slightly thicker than a commercial downspout but it does the work.

Plastic-coated stem wire

I used black construction paper as the gutter. I folded the card and cut a small strip along the fold, like a V channel. I just eye-balled the width but it came to 6″ real scale.

construction paper foled and…

cut into a V channel…

I applied glue on the inside of the roof edge and then stuck the gutter on one side of its V.

glued along the roof edge

I then cut the plastic stem wire and glued it onto two small rectangles of construction paper and also glued the top, where the gutter meets the downspout. The two small rectangles gives the impression that brackets are holding the downspout.

finished

another view

This is a quick and simple method to add some detail to an otherwise “flat”
structure. The only disadvantage of this wire method is that its tough to get the wire to be a perfect straight line. I could get mine to be almost straight but not quite, however a little imperfection gives it that real-life feel!