Model building panels: corkboard, plywood, MDF, foamcore, or...?

[WuZhuiQiu]

Hi, as mentioned in the subject line, there are several materials that could be used for making the panels (walls, floors, etc.) of model buildings. Are any of these best avoided for certain types of structure or architecture?

Thanks!

[AndrewBeasley]

I never had any look with cork due to being unable to cut it cleanly.

No matter how sharp the knife blade is, it always tore a little.

[Andym]

It depends what kind of building you're planning on, in all honesty. I tend to use foamboard for buildings, as it's light, cheap and fairly strong. You just need a sharp blade to cut it with or it tears. For sci fi stuff I use foamed PVC these days, because you can bevel the edges for a nice sci fi look and mark in panel lines easy. For details on the sci fi stuff, I use plastic card mostly.

[matthais-mouse]

If I'm making a whole building I'd use foam board,  easy to cut, fairly strong and easy to texture, paint or even add frames to on both the inside and outside.

If I'm doing a ruined building,  I use either the above or cork. Now I know cork is hard to cut but I find doing multiple slow cuts quite easy. The good thing with cork for ruins is that once the basic shape is done you can tear bits off and it's quite nice for an effect. Not as such realistic but looks good. Plus you can pick bits off the wall to have chunks missing too.

Details for outer frames I use thin balsa wood, fairly easy to cut but if going length ways against the grain, allow a mm of play and sand down so as to not have jagged edges as it can break/snap/tear.

Plastrukt is very good for details too, girder beams and so on are simple shapes that they do and all help, especially with sci fi items.

Hopefully this is of some help.

[Khadrin Stonetooth]

And then you have this strange sect "The brick  builders" they call themselves. They build everything from a small cottage to whole castles in polystyren bricks. But hush, it's a secret .... 

[matthais-mouse]

And then you have this strange sect "The brick  builders" they call themselves. They build everything from a small cottage to whole castles in polystyren bricks. But hush, it's a secret .... 

Haha, hush hush indeed.
Must be a nightmare but jolly good fun when spread out over a week or two.