28mm Doors and Windows for 20th Century Buildings

[Hawkeye]

Hi all,

I'm never certain where to put these questions, but this seems to be the best fit for this one, as it's a little general. After I finish my Old West project (I'm slowly getting there) my plan is to to some 20th Century Pulp/Back of Beyond/Cthulhu, both models and terrain.
The models aren't so much of a problem - I know that there are lots of companies out there producing some really nice miniatures - but the buildings are more of an issue. I love making my own buildings, but I'm used to Mordheim and, now, Old West, where doors and windows and so on don't always need to be perfect. Interestingly, if you're in the 20th Century but farther afield - such as Central Asia, South America, or the Middle East - there seems to be all sorts of terrain pieces, including a great selection of ancient bits and pieces, that are readily available. However, for the 20th Century buildings, I'm wondering if any of you know where I can find 28mm architectural details - doors, windows, cornices, and so on. Anything at all would be useful. I'm in the US, so I would need to be able to source the pieces from here.
The project is still a few months off - I should be able to start it towards the end of the summer - but I want to pick up all the material I need for it in advance. Cars I've got (a few eBay lots for those), planes will be 1:48 plastic kits, and the shells of the buildings will be built borrowing on the ideas I've gathered from the great scenery from people on this forum. But the details...
That's where the devil is, as they say.
Thanks in advance!

[Cory]

I usually cut my windows out of plastic canvas, a cheap plastic grid for crochetting. If you  want something better try Grantline 1/48 scale windows and doors.

[Skrapwelder]

http://www.grandtline.com/architectural_parts/s_scale_arch.htm

Lot of nice things here. Check the model railroad hobby shops in your town too. The plasticville buildings are nice but a lot of them are a bit on the large size.

[WillieB]

Grandt Line windows and doors are simply fantastic even if a trifle expensive.

Also GL is probably the worst company ever to order from , period.
Orders can take up to A YEAR, that is, if you ever get them.

My last order dates from December 2007 and I still wouldn't have it, if David from TM Terrain who imports the GL stuff hadn't re-ordered it on my behalf.
I've been lied to so many times by that woman I can't even begin to explain.

[Hawkeye]

Thanks, everyone - that's exactly what I'm looking for. It's just a shame that there are problems when it comes to ordering/getting your order.
The windows, though, would be particularly useful, and there are some wonderful pieces that would really "make" a building - the railings, the commercial storefront, and so on.
Excellent!

[Sterling Moose]

Geoff does some:

http://www.fantascene.net/bitsandpieces.htm

[odd duck]

The windows and doors are the big stumbling block in scratch building 20th cent buildings and you're on the right track by spotting it early,I thought brickwork and fire escapes would be the problem but it's definately windows ! You need alot of them for an urban setting.I was fortunate to get some grandt line windows on sale at a local model RR shop and they are great ,but they would get expensive for large projects and I have heard simular complaints to Willie B's about ordering direct from them. so you could tryhttp://valleymodeltrains.com/catalog/index.php they carry grandt line and a lot of other products of interest,It's worth a visit just to steal a few ideas. The cheapest metheod is the plastic crocheting grid that Cory mentioned. the problem is that it's soft plastic and it's almost impossable to avoid small bumps where part of the grid was cut away this can be minimized by framing and painting and is not too noticable in a building with lots of architectural detail or signs and fire escapes,but if you're a perfectionist it'll bother you. Another option  is to scratch build a couple yourself and make a mold.Good luck with this project

[Verderer]

Grandt Line windows and doors are simply fantastic even if a trifle expensive.

Also GL is probably the worst company ever to order from , period.
Orders can take up to A YEAR, that is, if you ever get them.

My last order dates from December 2007 and I still wouldn't have it, if David from TM Terrain who imports the GL stuff hadn't re-ordered it on my behalf.
I've been lied to so many times by that woman I can't even begin to explain.

My experiences are exactly the same. I tried ordering the Grandt Line stuff directly, but all I got was promises, and half the time they didn't even bother to answer any emails. So I gave up. I will try TM Terrain, thanks for the tip.

[Hawkeye]

Thanks Odd Duck and Verderer - it really is a shame that having problems ordering from Grandt Line seems to be a common theme, but in any case, as you point out, Odd Duck, in a larger project buying all those windows would start to get prohibitively expensive. When you actually stop and look at the buildings around you - the sort of buildings that a twentieth century gaming board needs - you quickly realize how many windows you're going to need! The scratch-building a master and making a mould idea is a really good one, though - I hadn't actually thought about it before! I'll be scouring the forum now in search of advice/tips/tutorials on mould-making and casting!
Thanks again for your help and advice on this!

[odd duck]

I forgot to mention overlord's metheod of using photos of windows printed out and glued into the model. check out his Geezers under the arches thread fantastic stuff not sure it can be applied to earlier eras but it's very effective! Oh and I see I did'nt post the link properly for vally trains in my last post
http://valleymodeltrains.com/catalog/index.php  hope that works

[Verderer]

Speaking of Grandt Line architectural bits, their two scales, 1/4" (1:48 = O?) and S (1:64): Am I correct in assuming that the S scale bits look right with 28mm figs, and that the 1:48 are slightly too big? Or would they be better even?

[Hawkeye]

Odd Duck - yes, I've seen Overlord's wonderful Geezers buildings, and had thought about that method as a possibility, but from building my Old West buildings at the moment, I realize that it's a lot easier, if you're using interiors as well, to actually have windows that are 'open', so that you can see through them. Doors are trickier. Ideally, I'd love to be able to open and close doors, but it's difficult to build.

And Verderer - that's a good question. I don't know which scale might be best! I've been stockpiling some Matchbox Models of Yesteryear cars in 1:48, as I think they look better with 'heroically proportioned" 28mm models, which are really closer to 30mm, and when you throw in the thickness of a slottabase (which is what I use), they are easily 33mm high, or more. However, this doesn't mean that windows and doors in the same scale are the way to go. I'll have to think about this one...

[Skrapwelder]

Go with the S gauge for the most part. If you are doing industrial buildings the O gauge masonry windows can be used for large, warehouse or factory windows but the doors will be obviously oversized I think.

[WillieB]

Speaking of Grandt Line architectural bits, their two scales, 1/4" (1:48 = O?) and S (1:64): Am I correct in assuming that the S scale bits look right with 28mm figs, and that the 1:48 are slightly too big? Or would they be better even?

The 'S' scale parts are perfect for 28mm. Roughly there two types of windows. Most have a plastic 'ridge' on the back and these are easily fitted in a cut out window. You even get a bit of leeway since the protruding window itself covers up small discrepancies.

Others don't (those marked as 'masonry' )and for those you have to cut out a perfect matching hole.

4027 and 4056 are my favourites for normal sized windows and 4047 for smaller ones.
4003, 4025 and 4067 for doors and of course the magnificent shopfronts 4051. You can expand this even further with 4054 and 4055 for really big shops.

Some of the 'O' scale items can be used for 28mm, like for instance the Victorian doorways and some of the smaller windows. Most of the doorknobs are just very small 'dimples', so easily removed and lowered a bit.
3622 has become my bank entryway- it's a small kit with about a dozen parts!

Also possible, and not really much work is for instance converting a 'big' O scale Victorian window to a 28mm door. Just cut off the lower part and ev. the small crossbar and glue a regular door made of pre-scored plasticard,or something else in the (ex) window frame. For example 3732, 3736,3731 and especially 3733
Very effective.

[Cory]

One note on oversized doors. At the end of the 19th century the standard exterior door widths were 28" and 30" with narrower 24 and 26" doors being common for interior doors. In 21st century US we are becoming used to 30" interior doors and 32" exterior 36" hanicap accessible doors. Thus for many people what is right for scale and period comes out looking wrong, which allows a shortened O scale door to look right.