American buildings

New filename: rokuhan_american_buildings_20130522_1426814825.jpg

the above photo was uploaded into Media photos under s scale general

Rokuhan is looking for comments and suggestion on what types of buildings you are looking for and phtos speak louder than words.

email to support@rokuhan .com

regards Garth

ore you can e-mail me This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

regards Garth

Where can you look at these pictures? I found them! No they aren't the ones I tried to search for them but no luck either!!!

Garth,

After thinking about this, Rokuhan could be the hero in Z if they developed modular walls like what DPM and Walthers produces. I've been asking MTL to do this for years but they haven't. Just imagine what we could build in Z with modular DPM-like walls and kits!

John

Dashing Dan,
That's a great Ideal. I have a lot of the DPM building in "N" scale But none in "Z". That would be great and you could mix them to. This would be good for either MTL or Rokuhan we need more US Buildings in "Z".

Absolutely, modular walls would be a great idea which would probably also be sound from a business point of view: that way whoever made them could supply the "semi-scratchbuilders" as well as easily produce a number of different buildings from a basic stock of modular wall designs.

Actually, it's so basic I'm amazed it hasn't been done before

www.zcentralstation.com/index.php?view=edit&id=9753&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=178

try this link for picture of Rokuhan American buildings

Sorry been off line for a few days and had log in issues which seem to hve been resolved now

regards Garth

This is the picture:
Rokuhan
I agree with the suggestion for modulars, but see also Micronart

Matt

In analogy to Rokuhan's existing range of Japanese buildings I'm assuming any American structures would be ready to plop down on your layout too. And that, in my view, is the really exciting aspect of this possible development. I love the look of all those fine kits available, but with the vast majority of them I just know that all I would make of them would be a right mess

As for the buildings themselves - very nice. Personally I'd like industrial buildings even better, so I might mail Rokuhan an idea or two

If one is going to build modular units for buildings, why not model them out of the 1:1 modules? The standard for commerical construction in the U.S. for the past half century or so has been steel panels or pre-fab, tilt-up and cast-in-place concrete:

I'm in favor of a DPM system for Z scale!! Lots of possibilities for crash bashing. Also DKS buildings.
At one time I had several Coka Cola Christmas tree ornaments that I bashed. these new N. American buildings could be chopped up as well. ( can't load pics- will try again )

I think everyone is in favor of it. Styrene like modules like what DMP would be the easiest to kit bash and probably the most economical way to mass produce them. Now we just need a company to make the decision to manufacture these, take the leap and produce them for us.

John

Fred you have some great looking buildings, as are the the DPM and DKS structures. However they all have one thing in common: bricks. At best the brick-and-mortar technology is mid-steam era. How many times have people here and on other sites complained about the lack of modern, diesel-era structures? How many people here can actually say they've lived or worked in brick building? They just aren't that common any more. I wonder how many of us work in brick simply because the kits exist and there is a long history of using them in the hobby?

Cast concrete buildings (my first 2 images) are basically kit bash in the 1:1 world. Create the concrete frame, snap in a flat or patterned panel for a solid wall, a bronze clear panel for windows, or a glass and door panel like the 2nd image. Connect these panels to make the building, stack the panels for a multi-story building. In Silicon Valley, there are literally 100s of buildings built this way in various combinations.

The high-rise would simply be a Z scale equivalent of Kenner's Girders and Panels toy from the 50's & 60's (which was 1:87 scale).

I love the character of brick buildings, but they really don't fit into a world of SD70's and modern well cars and containers.

Mark

Mark, you have a good idea, why not develop it yourself?

I think all of these Ideals are great! But not all of us are looking for the same. Some are into modern and some into Steam era. And a few with future plans with space age building and trains. Not all of us have the Equipment or money to go into building these projects.
There are a lot of Brick building used today. I seen a lot of Brick building in the Jacksonville area along the front where containers Cranes off loading containers, Cars being off loaded from trains using ramps along the St. John's river. Most of the warehouse buildings are brick. But the brick might look nice but some of the newer building look good to. But there are not to many US building out there.
Great job on your buildings, they look great Fred!! Most of the building on this site look great. a lot are scratch built because we can't find what we want! Then there is "Z", Small hard to build details into the buildings but with the Equipment used today some of these details can be built into the Projects. But it all comes down to Money, Not the hobby itself.
Mark those are some good Ideals and if they there out there I would try them out!

Mark,
Evergreen styreene and Plastruct have various sizes of "H" and "I" beams. These could be cut as surrounds for concrete building units with the center core made from other patterned sheets. Around the Baltimore beltway there are sound barriers made of vertical posts-cement "I" beams- and a horozontal slab that looks like it is cement and small stones. This could be replicated gluing rough sand paper on the horizontal slab. After many years, much of these walls have been covered with vines.
And yes-- when you drive near Annapolis- these walls have false arches and look like brick.
A Brick building can be used from the 1800 hundreds to present day. The building style you discribe is stricktly modern era.
I grew up in Lexington, Mass--historic and all- in the 50's they refaced downtown with glass and steel, taking away it's quaint origins and making it art deco and like most towns USA. Then in the 70's, with the coming of the Bicentenial, downtown was again refaced with colonial and brick buildings and the town regained much of it's character.
Visiting my sister in Mich- there are miles and miles of glass and steel structures. Modern. It's all in the type and style of the modeler's railroad.
Just a note here---The Prince of Whales () said "that the modern British architects did more to ruin London than the Blitz"
IMHO- walmart and the other "modern" buildings, though quite functional, leave much to be desired to please the eye.
In many New England towns, they are rehabing the old brick mills and turning them into condos and even malls.
Standing by to recieve "inbound"
Fred

Fred,
I'm actually scratch building the middle image using "T" and "L" stock. The development is just about done. I just need to figure out how to do the panel faux-stone panel. It just when I was working on it I realized how easy it would be to productize a snap together frame that that one could add panels to. Anyone with more interest can contact me privately.
I may be a bit prejudice regarding bricks. But being a California boy, interest in brick construction here died out about 1906.
I do travel a great deal and don't see all that many real brick buildings, On the drive to Denver last year, I was surprised by the number of brick structures in Nevada the have been shot-creted to look like cast concrete as well as all the brick buildings on the Denver north side that have disappeared since my youth.

Mark