City 'block' building recommendations

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Fun fact about DPM buildings: their back walls can be far more useful than their front ones at times.

[wm3798]

Fun fact about DPM buildings: their back walls can be far more useful than their front ones at times.

Agreed!



Lee

[Maletrain]

I think the OP is looking for a city-block-wide set of storefronts with display windows on the first floor, with more stories above.  Something more like DPM's "Wilhemi's Merchantile"  see https://factorydirecthobbies.com/products/design-preservation-models-51600-dpm-structure-kits-n-scale .

[wm3798]

I used some backs from larger DPM kits (among others) to do the flats on my T-Trak modules.



Lee

[thomasjmdavis]

I came across this one on the "MrCraftStructures" Ebay site, which I didn't see on his Etsy site (although the Etsy search features leave alot to be desired, IMHO- so it might be there, they just didn't show it to me).

Please note- I have never purchased anything from MrCraft, and I cannot make any judgment on quality of the product, and comments below are only based on my assessment of the photos on the eBay page.

The building has an 'arcade' design- that is, the first floor is inset, but it would be a simple enough thing to add storefronts level to the upper floors, if one wished to.  Otherwise, it is a little crude (again, MHO) and has window and door frames more common to a wood frame building, and as far as I can tell, no brick detail (of course, not all buildings are brick, and some masonry buildings have been stucco'ed or otherwise coated to have a flat surface).  That said, I am not familiar with architecture in Portland, so I can't judge whether this would fit.  But- it is a multi story building over several store fronts---

https://www.ebay.com/itm/325898779374?

[sd45elect2000]

I came across this one on the "MrCraftStructures" Ebay site, which I didn't see on his Etsy site (although the Etsy search features leave alot to be desired, IMHO- so it might be there, they just didn't show it to me).

Please note- I have never purchased anything from MrCraft, and I cannot make any judgment on quality of the product, and comments below are only based on my assessment of the photos on the eBay page.

The building has an 'arcade' design- that is, the first floor is inset, but it would be a simple enough thing to add storefronts level to the upper floors, if one wished to.  Otherwise, it is a little crude (again, MHO) and has window and door frames more common to a wood frame building, and as far as I can tell, no brick detail (of course, not all buildings are brick, and some masonry buildings have been stucco'ed or otherwise coated to have a flat surface).  That said, I am not familiar with architecture in Portland, so I can't judge whether this would fit.  But- it is a multi story building over several store fronts---

https://www.ebay.com/itm/325898779374?

I ordered the corner sandwich shop.
Randy

[Jimbo]

I ordered the corner sandwich shop.
Randy

Let us know your thoughts on it.

Frankly, I generally unimpressed with any 3D structure prints done on a filament printer.  Some of these designs are fantastic, but the visible layer lines ruin it for me.

I understand that not everything can be printed in resin (especially large items), but those that can should be.  The result is a much higher quality product.

Jim

[Maletrain]

I often wonder if it would not produce better detail and smoother printed surfaces if these things were printed as flat pieces, so that some assembly is required.

[pmpexpress]

Let us know your thoughts on it.

Frankly, I generally unimpressed with any 3D structure prints done on a filament printer.  Some of these designs are fantastic, but the visible layer lines ruin it for me.

I understand that not everything can be printed in resin (especially large items), but those that can should be.  The result is a much higher quality product.

Jim

Aside from the type and composition of filament that is chosen, end user dried matte filament, a 0.2 mm nozzle, lower print speeds, and lower printer temperatures will generally result in higher quality FDM prints.

[Jimbo]

Aside from the type and composition of filament that is chosen, end user dried matte filament, a 0.2 mm nozzle, lower print speeds, and lower printer temperatures will generally result in higher quality FDM prints.

Thank you.

However, even the best ones I’ve seen have been challenging to paint; even the smallest layer lines have caused, through capillary action, liquid paint to seep from details (e.g. windows.)  And it’s hard to seal the edges of tape when I’ve used an airbrush or rattle can.

I’ll stick with resin-printed offerings; some designers offer both.

Jim

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I often wonder if it would not produce better detail and smoother printed surfaces if these things were printed as flat pieces, so that some assembly is required.

I agree. I REALLY wish these 3D printed "manufacturers" would actually produce these things as kits. Painting all the windows, trim, etc... is a REAL pain in the a$$ when you can't do at least some of it separately.

But then I watch what ship modelers go through and think "maybe it's not so bad".

[Mark5]

Frankly, I generally unimpressed with any 3D structure prints done on a filament printer.  Some of these designs are fantastic, but the visible layer lines ruin it for me.

I have been reluctant to buy any 3D prints sight unseen (I have a number of them bookmarked though). When I zoom in on photos I see stuff like this:
[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

No excuse for poor photography these days, but those windows look pretty rough, as does the brickwork.

[peteski]

Just because ship modellers go through the pain, why should we have to do it (when there would be an easy way to eliminate that)?

If you look at many German structure kit manufacturers, they design the kits to have separate parts if they are to be different color, and even mold them using different color plastic.

The problem is that many designers of those beautiful 3D structures are not modelers, so they have no clue that their creations are huge pain to actually decorate or even install window glazing.

[wm3798]

Rough brickwork you say?  Here's a filament printed Ghostbusters station.  I've got it primed, but haven't done much else with it.  I think the layered print helps give it a brickish texture.



Viewed from typical distance, I'm betting it will look just fine.  But even so, consider this:



This is located in Mantua, Ohio, which I believe was a stop on the Erie.  Unless you're modeling the buildings as freshly built, a bit of weathering, jewelry, and detail painting can undo a world of sins from a filament print.

If you don't like the windows as-printed, odds are there's something from Tichy that can tidy them up.  And again, depending on the era in the building's life you are modeling, the windows don't have to match, or even fit the openings all that well, especially if you're modeling a neighborhood that's past its prime.  Case in point:  Our Beloved Hard Hat:



Which incidentally was an excellent disguise for a run of the mill DPM structure as you may recall...



Adding ersatz remuddles to your basic, readily available models can help add the variety you might be looking for.  You can add (or remove) cornices, signboards, boarded up windows, or completely different retail facades to throw scrutinizing scenery critics off the scent of your otherwise mundane readily available structure kits.



In this case, I cut off the third floor and completely reworked the retail corner entrance the way millions of buildings were "updated" in the post-war era.  Use your imagination, and all the accumulated stuff in your junk box, and see what you come up with.

Lee

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I found a solution for speeding up painting DPM style windows today.

White paint markers. I just tried a chisel tip one on one of the cheap FDM printed buildings I grabbed recently and it was twice as fast as using a brush.

So I've got that going for me now.