I primarily rely on printed canister building tins, because they are cheap and easy to move around. Sadly, I can’t just walk into a retail store and buy a bunch, but the hunt is part of the fun. It is usually possible to find a few on eBay, and at one time I was buying a building or two a week there.

A lot of people have taken to using ceramic buildings. Department 56 is the big name there, but it has a price to match. Many people use Lemax buildings, sold under its own brand and also under a lot of store brands. Lemax buildings are attractive, sized about right, and are relatively inexpensive. Some stores such as Big Lots and Walgreens sell their own buildings at even lower prices -- sometimes as little as $5. Some hobbyists make an annual tradition of  venturing out the day after Christmas to buy ceramic buildings at half price. Mixing brands usually isn’t a problem. If you go this route, count on a good selection between October and December, and very little the rest of the year, except at stores that specialize in collectibles.

Paper buildings are certainly an easy and affordable option. I find assembling paper models relaxing, and it’s something kids really enjoy doing, so if you want to share your hobby with your children or grandchildren, this is a great way to get them involved. While you can print them on inkjet printers, I use a Samsung CLP-300 color laser printer. Laser prints don’t fade, and the cost per page is a lot lower. Right now the CLP-300 retails for $249, and by Christmas 2008, I expect it (or a similar printer) will sell for less than $199, and perhaps as little as $149. It wasn’t long ago that a good inkjet printer cost that much.

Most wargaming-type buildings are about 1:60 scale, to go with 28mm figures. As-is, these look fine with pretty much any O or S gauge train produced until the full scale craze that began in the 1990s. To enlarge them to “proper” 1:48 scale, print them at about 125%. To enlarge HO scale paper buildings to match a 28mm scale building, print them at about 135%, or to bring them up to 1:48 scale, print them at 185%. Most modern printers give you the option to enlarge when you print, and they’ll split the printout onto separate sheets as necessary. If you’re adventurous, you can import the building into a program like Photoshop Elements and copy and paste the individual pieces onto new pages, enlarging them as necessary.

To assemble good-looking paper buildings, I recommend you cut the pieces out with a hobby knife (Xacto or a generic equivalent) on a proper cutting mat, using a cork-backed metal ruler. These tools will cost about $20 at a crafts store. To get crisp, straight folds, score the line first by running along the fold with the back (dull) side of the knife. Don’t go too hard, or you risk actually cutting through the paper. After making the fold, I like to run across the edge with a dark-colored marker to hide the white.

For glue, I like to use a thick white glue, such as Aileen’s Tacky Glue. It tends to soak into the paper less than glues like Elmer’s will. Run a little glue along the tab, thin it out a bit with a cheap paint brush, then press the two pieces together and clamp them with wooden clothes pins to dry.

To keep the building from warping, cut pieces of square hobby wood (basswood or similar; hobby shops, craft stores, and even some hardware stores have it) and glue them to the edges and corners. Once everything is dry, take it outside on a warm day and spray down the outside of the building with Krylon Fixatif to make it nearly waterproof. Let it dry for a couple of hours, then spray down the inside. A paper building that gets this treatment will last for decades.

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