What is scratch building?

Scratch building is when you make a model "from scratch", just using raw materials and bits and pieces that you would generally throw away and things you would find around the house. A good example of suitable material is your breakfast cereal box as it is made of a nice thin cardboard which is ideal for making buildings.

Scratch building is the opposite of building from a kit or buying something already made.

This is required if you want to build something that is not available in kit form. Some people also scratch build just for fun!

Think twice before throwing things away, as the chances are that when taken apart and adapted, they have another use in the world of modelling.

For instance, the plastic tube in between cotton buds can be cut down and painted to create pipes for wagon loads.