We are living in great times in regards to this hobby! Fantastic kits, techniques, aftermarket accessories, tools, supplies, information at your fingertips! Just about every time I log on to this site or others, I see a "New Release" kit or one soon to be released that I just gotta add to my stash. Then it hits me............the pricetag! For example:

1/35 MP Studios Farmhouse.............................$75.00
1/35 Mk35 French Farm Tractor........................$82.50
1/48 Hobbyboss Tornado (@ HLJ)..................$108.51

After seeing these type of prices, whatever the cause may be, I tend to find myself scratchbuilding more and more. Not to put down the above mentioned items but I consider myself a good modeller and could probably make a damn near spitting image of that farm house or that tractor with a little luck, determination, styrene, wood, and few parts from the spares box for about 1/10th of those prices. Not to mention a little sharper skill in the scratchbuilding department. Which raises this question,

Do you see the "lost art" of scratchbuilding making a return to the mainstream?

I'd love to hear your thoughts, happy modelling!

Hell, I'm a staunch proponant of scratchbuilding. I'm running the ACUTR Again campaign in an effort to boost the scratchbuilding talent in every single modeler.

And on a personal note? Yes, the price of kits is the #1 issue for me to scratchbuild. I like kits, but, I HAVE to spend kit money elsewhere. So, I spend my nickles and dimes on SB supplies.

Good thread.
Cuhail

DITTO. Hell, I'm so broke I have to borrow money to pay attention. Plus, I look at scratchbuilding as helping save the environment by not sending all those pieces of plastic and doo dads to the landfill.

Hermon

The rising costs are definitely playing a big roll in what I bring home these days. I have some 1/72 B-57's sitting on the shelf. All of them have limited to no cockpit detail. Is there resin in store for these kits? Nope. Simple scratch building will fill the need. I actually prefer scratch building when I can as anybody can plop down some $$ for a chunk of resin and paint it. It takes a wee bit more skill to make said parts from raw materials. That, and there is a certain satisfaction that comes fro knowing you built those items. I will still use resin and PE though, but not 100% of the time. "Q"

I S.B. just to see if I can. The price of things now adays prohibites the need so S.B.ing is the only other way. It may take a long time to do but the end results are worth the effort and the satisfaction you get is great. It took almost 6 hours to buld and paint one of those old hand cranked telephones. Besides, when you S.B., yours is totaly different from the rest you see. There are times when A.M. parts are needed, like P.E., don't have the time and skill for them yet, but when I do I'll do my own if possible

I try to SB something on every vehicle I build. Bases and other dio stuff is largely SB. Kit cost today is pretty gruesome. Started as an oil price thing but now has sloughed off to another lame excuse......
Rick