1/25 Camper/Trailer project

Tim, Check with your local model RR shop, there are many styles of styrene siding available.

From Tim:

I have a similar (mini-wini) project started and found HO boxcar siding to look the best for the outer skin. Doors and windows may have to be scratched unless what you want is available in a doll house scale. As for plans, you can go to any number of RV sites for floor plans. Chuck Ryan snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net Springfield OH

Perhaps you don't have to scratch-build it. Over the last days I've been browsing through my old Burns Value Guide, and I came across a Winnebago camper model. I will have to look up the details, I don't have it at hand. Mail me at snipped-for-privacy@xs4all.nl if you want to know who made the kit.

Rob de Bie

My models:

Grandpa,

A lot depends on the era of travel trailer one is wanting to model. Most all travel trailers, from my reference materials, prior to WW-II were made with flat materials, the better ones covered in sheet steel, the less-expensive ones sheeted in masonite, with perhaps rounded corners of sheet steel.

After WW-II, aluminum came into use, of course, but except for Airstream and a number of Airstream clones (Monitor comes to mind here), they used sheet aluminum rolled into some manner of pattern, ranging from lightly rippled, to fairly deep ribs. By the late 1950's, though, except for Airstream and Monitor units, virtually every maker (and being in northern Indiana, I'm in the epicenter of travel trailer/mobile home industry) went to absolutely flat panel design, with extruded aluminum corner moldings, and the same moldings between sides and roof. By the late 1960's, ribbed pattern aluminum seems to have given way to embossed pattern surfaces, generally the pebble-grain one sees today.

BTW, just about the only flat exterior surface on any Airstream is the window glass, all the shapes otherwise are curved, even the sides, although on Airstreams from 1947 to the late 1960's, the slanted back panel was flat, and early 50's units have a small flat panel at the front, but other than those, all surfaces are curved,

Art Anderson

Tim,

Well for starters, it is going to be pretty much a total scratchbuild project, as there aren't really any kits or components out there for a project such as this. As others have already mentioned, a Google search of RV and travel trailer manufacturers will get you some information about modern trailers, which should help, at least with floor plans, as these really haven't changed that markedly over the years.

For example though: Travel trailer windows haven't changed all that much since the late 1960's, still pretty much either framed in extruded aluminum for those windows that open, and for those which are sealed, still framed in rubber seals. However, RV mfr's have pretty much settled on windows with rounded corners, for strength and light weight, so making these window frames is a matter of bending and shaping styrene strip stock.

As for siding, I'd suggest doing a trailer with flat, smooth sides, as there really isn't anything out there that even closely approximates the rolled aluminum siding that was used back then, all the Evergreen sheets being more orientated to replicating wooden railroad car siding, or building siding (such as clapboard), However, smooth aluminum sheathing was in use by some mfr's by the middle 1960's, so smooth sides will work. Also, by doing a flat-sided trailer, you can build it pretty much as a box, keeping in mind that travel trailers have had, for years, the ends of the roof "rolled" downward into the end walls for at least some streamlining. Keep in mind also, that square-box flatsided travel trailer construction includes extruded aluminum corner moldings all the way around the side walls, ends, top and bottom, which is the way the corners and edges are sealed--again, Evergreen styrene strip to the rescue.

For reference books. I know of (and have) two excellent books on travel trailers, and I believe both are still in print:

"Trailer Travel, A Visual History Of Mobile America" (Bryan Burkhart, Phil Noyes, Allison Arieff) This book is a fabulous look at the history of travel trailers (and a bit on early mobile homes as well--mobile homes grew out of the travel trailer idea), lots of illustrations and photos, even some interior shots.

"Airstream" which is a history of the Airstream trailer, but has a good number of pics of other, competing styles of travel trailers.

Both of these books should be available from Barnes & Noble, Borders, Motor Books International.

Art Anderson

Tim, Try this link, it should give you some help.

Tim -- Sitting here reading this note for the fifth or sixth time a thought just struck me. The old Revell Volkswagen bus from about five years ago or so (picture on the box was a blue Kombi with a pop-up roof) had a reasonably full camper interior in 1:25 scale. If memory serves, it had a table, cabinets and a sink. Might be good for parts if you can score one. HTH

-- John ___ __[xxx]__ (o - ) --------o00o--(_)--o00o-------

The history of things that didn't happen has never been written - Henry Kissinger

Tim,

Couple of suggested items to take with you! Take a measuring tape (very easy to get measurements!), and a notepad and pen for jotting down details, even making a sketch or two of things you'd like to remember.

Art Anderson

Excellent point. Recently my wife and I were looking at mobile homes on lots for a summer place to kick back. I took my digital camera and a small tape recorder to do voice notes as I took the snapshots. Sure made it easy to go through after returning home.

dads snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com is a shop in north carolina that sells die casts. on vacation this year, i saw such a trailer in 1/18 scale die cast, at a reasonable price, though i can't recall the brand.